Jesus: the Good Shepherd
Jesus said: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for His sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10: 11, 27-28).
Jesus searches for the lost sinner: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he looses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and goes after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over just one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine just persons who feel they need no repentance” (Luke 15: 4-7); “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls” (1 Peter 2: 25).
We pray with the psalmist: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalms 23: 1-4).
