Our Lord Jesus, That Great Shepherd of the Sheep

2024-03-17

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20)

Our Lord Jesus is the Great Shepherd of the Sheep. We see this throughout the Bible. Let us consider some passages.

God as Shepherd in the Old Testament

Consider Psalm 23. David is the author of this psalm. Being a shepherd himself, he could easily see the parallels from his own life experience. The shepherd ensures that the sheep do not lack anything. In Psalm 23:1, we see that this is done perfectly when the Lord is our shepherd. He ensures that the sheep get the basic provision of food and water, per Psalm 23:2. The Lord does the same with us.

The Lord binds and heals His sheep, perhaps physically, and definitely spiritually. He leads us toward righteousness.

He protects us from danger. He does not allow anything more to happen to us than what He allows, per Psalm 23:4, 5. Danger may be all around, but He provides peace while amid danger.

Most importantly, the Lord’s sheep remain with Him forever: In His house, which implies His home, but also his household, which implies being a part of His family. Human shepherds may have faults, but the Lord is the perfect shepherd.

As Shepherd, He is also Savior: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us” (Psalm 80:1-2). He leads His people like a shepherd does His flock, but He has infinite power. Angels are at His service. He can save His people, and He has.

All words of wisdom come from God the Shepherd: “The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd” (Ecclesiastes 12:11).

Consider Isaiah 40:9-11. This probably refers to the Lord Jesus Christ and His second coming. The “good tidings” (read: Gospel) is that God has come down to His people. He comes with all His strength, and “his reward is with him.” This should sound familiar. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). But we see the Lord as a shepherd here, nourishing His sheep and holding His lambs, and leading them.

Consider Jeremiah 31:10-12. The Lord will gather His people like a shepherd. Here we see some of the familiar themes: He gathers His people, He saves His people from the enemy, He heals and comforts and provides for His people.

Consider Ezekiel 34:11-24. This more comprehensive passage shows us more details. The context is God scolding the leaders of His people, and their failure to shepherd the people. On the contrary, they were harming them.

Here, we see that the Lord Himself is seeking out His sheep. He delivers them out of all danger and is with them. He provides for them and gives them rest. You can see a familiar thought, “I will seek that which was lost” (Ezekiel 34:16). “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He gives them righteousness. He separates them from the goats and the other cattle, which is reminiscent of Matthew 25: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32).

He judges the enemies, but He also sets up a Shepherd over them. He calls Him David, but this is really Jesus Christ, who sits on the throne of David; the name is being used typologically.

Christ as Shepherd in the Old Testament

Though we have seen some examples of Christ as the Shepherd in the previous section, we see some more examples elsewhere. When blessing his son Joseph, Jacob said, “But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)” (Genesis 49:24). We see how there is a Shepherd, a stone of Israel, that comes from Jacob.

As used in Ezekiel 34:23-24, this Shepherd is typologically described as being David in Ezekiel 37:24-26. This Shepherd that the Father sets up teaches them to walk in righteousness. He makes with them an everlasting covenant and brings them home in peace, living in their midst forevermore.

Again, we see an explicit example of Jesus the Shepherd’s crucifixion in Zechariah 13:7-9. This is referenced in the New Testament as a fulfillment of prophecy: “And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Mark 14:27). This Shepherd is the LORD’s fellow. Those of His people that survive the destruction of His land are brought through great trouble.

Antichrist as the Anti-Shepherd

Consider Zechariah 11:15-17. Here, we see who is likely the Antichrist. You see how he destroys the sheep rather than helps them. He is destroyed by the sword here.

There was a story I recall some time ago, I think it was from a book entitled They Smell Like Sheep (pardon if the details are a bit off; it was years ago), where the man was guiding a tour in Israel, talking about how the shepherd leads and nourishes the sheep. While he was talking, the tour bus was driving by a man chasing a bunch of sheep with an axe or knife or something like that. He caused the bus to stop, and the tour guide told the man that he was undoing everything he was telling his tourists. The man who was chasing the sheep told the tour guide that he had it all wrong... he wasn’t the shepherd; he was the butcher!

Every shepherd that does not exemplify the Lord as Shepherd is an idol shepherd and is an antichrist. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1). More on this in a moment.

Summary of God as a Shepherd

Here are some thoughts about God as a Shepherd.

  1. The LORD is our Shepherd right now. David spoke of the LORD being His shepherd nearly 3,000 years ago. He offers the same comfort, guidance, and protection right now.
  2. The LORD being a Shepherd is also an eschatological term. We see in the prophets that He is the One who comes to destroy the enemy and forever banish sin and sorrow from our presence.
  3. The LORD gathers His people together. Though they may be scattered, He gathers them together to Himself.
  4. The LORD nourishes His sheep. He provides all their needs.
  5. The LORD remains with His sheep forever.
  6. The LORD is a wise Shepherd.
  7. The LORD seeks the lost sheep.
  8. The LORD binds and heals the sheep.

Perhaps there are a lot more. From these, we see that Shepherd is an endearing term because He nurtures and nourishes wayward sheep, both now and forevermore.

Jesus as Shepherd in the New Testament

Consider how Jesus is the Shepherd in the New Testament. “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38). Jesus may be the great Shepherd, but He commands His people to be shepherds to others.

Recall that Moses wanted a successor for himself when he would pass away. “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:16-17). Here Jesus Himself is the eternal Shepherd of His people, but like Moses, had compassion for people and wanted those people to have someone to preach to them and save them.

The chief passage we think of is when Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. Consider John 10:1-18.

  1. Jesus the Shepherd is the only legitimate shepherd, entering through the door.
  2. The Shepherd’s sheep only hear and know His voice.
  3. The Shepherd knows every sheep by name. You may feel insignificant in this world, but the Good Shepherd knows your name and addresses you as such.
  4. The Shepherd leads His sheep. He is the only legitimate leader of His sheep. The sheep do not follow anybody else.
  5. The Shepherd is also the only door of the sheepfold. He is the only way of salvation.
  6. The Shepherd gives abundant life to His sheep.
  7. The Shepherd dies for His sheep. He laid down his life and took it up again.
  8. The Shepherd is the Good Shepherd. “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18). This Shepherd is God.
  9. The Shepherd is the shepherd for all His sheep. This must be a reference to Gentile believers; our Shepherd had made one fold for us all.

You see how Jesus nurtures, gathers, nourishes His sheep? See how He always remains with them? Jesus is the fulfillment of every Old Testament passage of the LORD being the shepherd of His people.

We saw how both the Father and the Son were both shepherds to the people. The Son is just like His Father; it follows that He will be as a shepherd to His people just as the Father.

Furthermore, we see again how He pursues us as lost sheep. “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25). “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost” (Luke 15:4-6).

The church elders also must shepherd the people just as Jesus is the Shepherd. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:2-4). They feed the people spiritually without ulterior motives and selflessly. Part of the way they do this is by being examples to the people. If they shepherd well, Jesus the chief Shepherd will reward them.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20). The word for great means big, as in size or any magnitude (like loud). Whatever else calls itself shepherd in this life, He is greater than them all. This is in authority, but also in ability and quality. All those qualities that we mentioned apply to Him. Though He was dead, He now lives forever, because God the Father has risen Him.