The Shepherd We're All Looking For

In John 10:27-28, Jesus revealed the kind of gift and assurance his grace grants to all his sheep. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Let’s consider those verses, phrase by phrase.

“My sheep hear my voice.”

Later in John’s gospel, we see Mary Magdalene standing outside the tomb weeping on the morning of his resurrection. Two angels appear and ask, “Why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” She looked in the tomb; he was gone, and her heart broke again. Jesus was dead, and now even his body was missing. Her life was already shattered, this only added to the pain. But then, she turned around and saw someone she thought was the gardener. She said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” She’s just dying to find Jesus. Then, this amazing thing happens. The man she thought was the gardener was actually Jesus, but she couldn’t see him yet. Not until Jesus said her name. “Mary” (John 20:11-18).

That first Easter morning, Mary heard her Shepherd’s voice. He spoke directly to her heart in a way no one else could. Not even the angels could make her feel better, but when Jesus spoke, she instantly knew it was him. Her tears went from sadness to joy. With one word, he changed everything for her.

If you are in Christ, you know something of this voice, don’t you? He speaks to the deep places of our hearts. He uses our name in a way no one else can. Why? Because of the next phrase in verse 28.

“And I know them.”

When he speaks, you hear because he’s speaking personally. You are not a nameless person among the crowd. Jesus knows you intimately. You are his. He knows you totally. He knows exactly what you need. He knows what’s going on in your life. He knows the difficulties. He knows the joys. He knows the uncertainty you feel. He knows the depression and the anxiety. He knows the hopes and dreams. He knows the longings and hopings. He knows the sins and failures. He hears the prayers and even prays himself on your behalf.

Remember when Nathaniel met Jesus back in Chapter 1? When Jesus saw him, he said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathaniel said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” That did it for Nathaniel. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:47-49).

We have no idea what Nathaniel was doing under the fig tree. That’s not for us to know. It’s only for Nathaniel and Jesus to know. But Jesus knew it, and that convinced Nathaniel of his deity. Maybe Nathaniel was doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. Maybe he was sitting there longing for God and praying. We don’t know. Whatever it was, it was the thing that made Nathaniel know that Jesus knew him.

Jesus knows you like that too. He really, truly, deeply knows you.

“And they follow me.”

What else are you going to do if someone speaks to your heart so deeply? Who else knows you like him? Why would you not follow him? It’s the natural outflow of his grace.

Your only calling in this life is to follow Jesus wherever he goes (Rev. 14:4). I can’t say where all the paths he might lead you down. Psalm 23 comes to mind. There might be some valleys of the shadow of death, but he will bring you out the other side. You just have to trust him. The destination is glorious. It’s worth the wait. It’s worth the hardship. It’s worth all the fears and doubts and uncertainties. He will bring you all the way home to be with him in a restored and redeemed world where you have unhindered access to him for eternity. He is leading you into green pastures and beside still waters.

“I give them eternal life.”

The other day, two of my boys were talking to my young daughter in the backseat of the car. They mentioned how everyone would die. My precious daughter asked, “Daddy, will everyone die?” This was news to her. I told her that her brothers were right. Everyone would die one day. She said, “But I don’t want to die.” So I told her that if she loves Jesus, death is nothing to fear because he gives eternal life. That seemed to settle her. Oh, how it should settle us! Death? Where’s his sting? Jesus has conquered him. He is utterly defeated.

Hebrews 2:15 says Jesus defeated death by going through it. He destroyed the devil and delivered all those who, through fear of death, were subject to lifelong slavery. The fear of death enslaves us, but if we have Jesus, the chains are broken. We can truly live now because we will truly live forever.

If you are in Christ, you have this promise in black and white: I give them eternal life. In verse 10, which we saw last week, he already said the life he gives is abundant life. Now, added to that abundance is eternality. Oh man, think about this. The life your heart most longs for. The life that is so fulfilling that you can’t wait to get up in the morning to go and live. The life that is so deep and rich and meaningful. The life that is literally the ideal, perfect life is yours forever in Christ. It’s better than you can even imagine it to be.

So, okay, this life we currently live might not be the best. Jesus never said we were going to live our best life here. But there is another life to come—an eternal one, an abundant one. And you know what? Knowing that life is out ahead actually changes our life here today, doesn’t it? It’s like knowing vacation is coming. We can endure another day. We can even be excited about it.

“And they will never perish.”

The corollary to eternal life is the promise that you will never perish. You won’t wear out. You will last forever with God. You will never perish because Jesus will never perish. You are as secure as he is. He lives for you. Sticks and stones may break your bones and even kill you, but Jesus will forever save you.

“And no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

I challenge you to show me a more assuring sentence. I’m so glad this is in the Bible. No wolf can sneak in and capture. No thief can come through the back door and steal. Satan cannot snatch you away. You can’t even ruin yourself. In Jesus’s mighty hand, you are safe and secure. You have a rock-solid assurance that you will never be lost because Jesus has found you.

As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus said more in verses 29-30 to reinforce these already comforting words. “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Father himself stands behind Jesus’s words. If we doubt Jesus can hold us tight, we also have the Father’s grip. If we doubt Jesus’s words are true, we also have the Father’s words. If we doubt that Jesus is working in concert with the Father, we can rest assured he is not. The Father and the Son, and the Spirit, are united in mission to seek and save the lost and to keep and provide for the sheep. Whatever Jesus does only reveals to us the heart of the Father. And what does Jesus reveal about his heart? That the Father himself loves you. There is no greater comfort than this.

Jesus is the shepherd we’re all looking for—the one who can care for us powerfully, relentlessly, and everlastingly.