Read: John 10:1-18
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. (v. 1)
Jesus’s listeners would have known that sheep need a shepherd. Valuable farm animals, they were vulnerable not only to predators, but also to thieves. Sheep are intelligent herd animals, protective of each other. They know each other, and they can also remember people.
Jesus was, of course, right—sheep know their shepherd, and they respond to the voice of a good shepherd. Someone who’ll watch over them, keep them safe, and care for them. Someone who’ll seek them out when they’re lost. In that regard, they sound quite a bit like us: in need of a Shepherd who’ll guide and lead us. And just like sheep, when we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, we respond.
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus describes our ultimate home as a “sheepfold,” or a sheep pen. A place where the sheep are safe and fed, a place where the shepherd is with them and watches over them. But here’s the thing: there’s only one door, one way in. And only one way. Our Shepherd says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Jesus desires nothing more than for you to find the Way. Jesus desires nothing more than to find you, feed you, protect you, to call you home, and to be your Shepherd.
As you pray, thank Jesus for being your Good Shepherd.
About the Author
Lou Bury is the pastor at Downers Grove Community Church in Illinois. He has the pleasure of serving the Lord alongside a congregation committed to being “the hands and feet of Jesus in the community.” He and his wife Judy have two adult children and two granddogs.
