Today’s readings: Isaiah 66:7-14; 1 John 3:4-10; John 10:7-16
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
How do you picture Jesus as the Good Shepherd? Does Jesus appear wearing a clean white robe, perhaps carrying a lamb on His shoulder? That is a familiar image, but a friend who actually raises sheep tells me a white robe would not have stayed white very long for any shepherd who was really working with the sheep. Sheep wander off, their coats of wool get dirty and dusty, coated with mud and often tangled with briars. Shepherds taking care of sheep get dirty and dusty too.
Perhaps we need a picture of Jesus the Good Shepherd wearing clothes that are brown and dirty. In order to rescue Christians, the sheep of His fold, He took upon Himself the sins that stain our lives. Jesus even went so far as to lay down His life to rescue His flock from the power of sin, death, and the devil; He was bruised and wounded for us. He still wants to guard us from the attacks of Satan and evil, just as shepherds carefully guard their flocks from harm by wild animals
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to be our Good Shepherd, taking on our sins so that we might be clothed with the white robe of your righteousness! Amen.
Today’s devotion was written by John W. Krueger, Chaplain, Appleton Medical Center, Appleton, WI.