Scripture Reading: John 10:1-18
Shepherd is a very homely name for Christ, and yet as used in the Scriptures it is wonderfully rich in its suggestiveness. In the Old Testament there are many allusions to God under this figure of a shepherd. The twenty-third psalm is a Bible classic. Perhaps no other portion of the Scriptures is so widely known or had had such a ministry of blessing in the world as this homely little psalm. The ancient Christians found in the name “shepherd” a beautiful interpretation of the character and word of Christ. In the catacombs at Rome no other picture is so common as that of the Good Shepherd.
The tenth chapter of John’s gospel is so full of great teachings that only a few leading suggestions can be pointed out. At the beginning of the chapter attention is called to the sheepfold. Applied in a spiritual sense, the fold is the shelter which our Good Shepherd provides for His sheep. The sheepfold is an enclosure surrounded by a wall into which in the evening the shepherds lead their flocks, committing them for the night to the care of the undershepherd, who guards the door. In the morning the several shepherds come and knock, and the porter opens the door, and each shepherd calls His own sheep, which know His voice and come out to him. He then leads them out to the pasture for the day. The fold is enclosed by a wall. A wall means defense and shelter. The Bible says much about God’s keeping of His people. We are not told, however, that the Lord builds a refuge for them, but that He Himself is the refuge — the divine love and power being a wall of protection between His people and all danger. The safest place in all the world for the sheep of Christ is in the place of confidence and obedience. We have but to obey our Shepherd, staying within the fold, to have His protection. We have only to do God’s will, to go where the Good Shepherd leads, to abide where He puts us, in order to be sure of divine defense.
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