Pastor’s Corner – July 27, 2023

The I am Statements of Jesus IV: Good Shepherd

The Gospel of John explores the identity of Jesus in a series of seven I am statements. In Hebrew the words for I am are related to the name of God. In Exodus 3:14 God introduces the Divine name to Moses. The faithful, in respect and awe, do not even speak the name of God, so no one knows for sure how it is pronounced. Nor does anyone know exactly what it means, maybe it means: I am who I am or I will be who I will be or just I am or something else.

Through the revelation of Jesus, we can learn more about the Divine identity. The fourth I am statement is John 10:14-16. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Thanks to the popularity of Psalm 23, I need not remind you of the long tradition of imagining the identity of God like a Good Shepherd. Jesus enlarges this idea of a protecting God who offers rest, nourishment, comfort, reconciliation, goodness, and mercy by adding the quality of unity. Jesus highlights the unity he shares with the Father, a unity that overflows on to the sheep who follow. Though the sheep may come from many different folds, in Christ there is one flock and one shepherd. In Christ there is unity with God and there is unity in the human family—a unity reflected in a rich diversity not in a smothering uniformity. Who are you following?

Yours in Christ,

Marc