Humble Shepherd

Jesus never failed to surprise people with his humility.

He knew He was the son of God, but even when He was just 12 years old, He chose to sit in His Father’s house, listening and asking questions of the teachers (Luke 2:41-52).

As He grew, He kept the same humble posture, choosing to refer to Himself as a simple shepherd. In John 10:1-18, He used this analogy to describe His great love for humanity, saying “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” (v14-15).

The nature of the Shepherd—with His gentleness, care and loving protection—is something we can experience for ourselves in present times. In today’s passage, we read that in Jesus was “life” and that this life was “the light of all mankind”. He is the source and sustainer of life, and His death paved the way for us to have life that is eternal. But before we get there, we can hear the tender voice of the Shepherd in our day-to-day. Just because Jesus no longer walks this earth as a man does not mean he doesn’t walk beside us anymore. He still makes room for the sick and hurting and remains beside us in our grief and sorrows. The good news of Jesus is not only life for us but life with us.

In the Father’s house,

everyone is accounted for.

.

The Son sits at the table,

but He is not too busy to notice

the empty chair,

the shrunken shoulders,

the sullen stare.

.

He loves the quiet laugh of the child

which is why He knows

when the sound is missing.

.

Will He not step down

from the grandness of his position

to sit beside the small?

.

Will He not speak so gently

that it pierces the clatter

and chatter of the crowd?

.

He addresses the forgotten by name;

Lowers his gaze to meet the overlooked.

In His humility, holds their hand.

.

When we talk to Jesus,

our knees are not

the only ones that bend.

.

To know Jesus

is to have

a never-failing friend.

Reflection

How have you experienced friendship with Jesus?

Prayer

Jesus, thank you that you are the Shepherd that lays down your life for the sheep. We know that in you is life and we are grateful that our future is secure because of your sacrifice. Thank you for meeting us as a gentle and caring friend. It is in your nature to look out for us, and we pray that we will become more like you: in love, seeking to protect those who are vulnerable, and in humility, walking beside your people each day. Amen.