I Am, The Good Shepherd: Part 4
In I Am Part 4: The Good Shepherd, Professor Travis Arnold from Portland Bible College continues Joy Church’s I Am: Life in His Name series by unpacking John 10 and the deeper biblical context behind Jesus’ declaration, “I am the good shepherd.”
This message begins with the setting of John 9 and 10 during Hanukkah, a feast celebrating the rededication of the temple after corrupt leaders had defiled it. During this season, Israel would have reflected on Ezekiel 34 to 37, where God confronts false shepherds and promises to personally rescue, restore, cleanse, and lead His people. In Ezekiel 34:10, God says He is against the shepherds who used the flock for themselves.
But in Ezekiel 34:15 to 16, He promises to seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, strengthen the weak, and lead His people to rest. Then God promises something even greater. In Ezekiel 34:23 to 26 and Ezekiel 37:24 to 28, He says He will raise up one shepherd from the line of David, establish a covenant of peace, dwell with His people, and make them a blessing. Jesus reveals that He is the fulfillment of that promise. In John 10, Jesus gives 2 connected pictures:
1. The Shepherd calls His sheep
2. The Shepherd leads His sheep Jesus is not a distant or careless leader.
John 10:11 and 14 reveal that He is the Good Shepherd. The word “good” carries the idea of being morally good, true, beautiful, and genuinely helpful. Jesus calls us out. In John 10:3 and 16, the Shepherd calls His own sheep and brings them together into one flock.
Through the Gospel, Jesus calls people out of sin, spiritual slavery, dead religion, fear, and everything that once held them captive. Jesus leads us out. John 10:3 to 4 shows the Shepherd bringing His sheep out and going ahead of them. Sometimes Jesus gently leads us.
Other times, He pushes us out of places, patterns, or seasons we would have never left on our own. Either way, His goal is freedom and life. Jesus calls us by name. John 10:3 and 14 to 15 reveal something deeply personal: the Shepherd knows His sheep, and they are known by Him. You are not invisible, nameless, or forgotten. Jesus knows you intimately and calls you personally. Jesus leads us by His voice. In John 10:4 to 5, the sheep follow because they recognize the Shepherd’s voice.
Following Jesus requires learning to recognize His voice through Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and a life of relationship with Him. His sheep do not have to follow every competing voice around them. Jesus lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11 and 15 to 18 show the heart of the Gospel. Jesus does not save us by demanding that we prove ourselves.
He saves us by willingly laying down His life and taking it up again. Only through trust in the crucified and resurrected Jesus can we enter God’s true flock. He is the Shepherd, the sacrifice, the true Temple, and the One who gives us access to the Father. Jesus leads us into abundant life. In John 10:9 to 10, Jesus promises salvation, pasture, freedom, and life in abundance.
Biblical abundance is not simply comfort, wealth, or an easy life. It is the full life of the new covenant: forgiveness, freedom, God’s presence, purpose, peace, spiritual life, and belonging in Christ. Ezekiel 36:24 to 27 promised that God would cleanse His people, give them a new heart, place His Spirit within them, and enable them to walk in His ways. Ezekiel 37:11 to 14 promised that God would breathe life into what seemed completely dead and hopeless. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, fulfills those promises.
Key Takeaway: The Good Shepherd calls you out of bondage, knows you by name, leads you by His voice, lays down His life for you, and brings you into abundant life.
Call to Action: Ask yourself: Am I recognizing and following the voice of Jesus, or am I still being led by fear, pressure, culture, shame, or my own desires? Take time this week to open God’s Word, quiet the competing voices, and follow the next step your Shepherd is showing you.
