John 10 – How is Jesus like a shepherd?

R.A.M.P. (READ-APPLY-MEMORIZE-PRAY)Here is what I READ: He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out (vs 3).He walks ahead of them and they follow Him (vs 4).His purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying (abundant) life (vs 10).He knows His sheep (vs 14, 27).He gives them eternal life and they will never perish (vs 28).This passage reminds me of Psalm 23 - “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”Check out the things that the Good Shepherd - Jesus - does for His sheep (those who believe on Him for salvation). He calls them by nameHe leads themHe walks ahead of themHe gives them an abundant lifeHe knows themHe gives them eternal lifeNoteworthy in this passage is the often quoted verse John 10:10 - “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying [abundant] life.” Jesus tells us who the thieves are - “all who came before Him” (vs 8). This teaching from Jesus flows from the end of John 9 when Jesus was talking with some Pharisees present. The religious leaders of Israel had mis-represented God and His law. As we see many times through the gospels, Jesus wasn’t afraid to confront their hypocrisy. APPLY: Jesus stands in stark contrast to all others. What stands out to me in particular is that as Christians, we are KNOWN. “I know my sheep…” Sometimes you might feel unknown - but you are not forgotten by Jesus. He has shown you the full extent of His love in the cross, and I’m praying that if you’ve never given your heart to Him that you’ll reach out to Him in prayer today.