The Laid-Down Life (John 10:10-15)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

In this section Jesus speaks of the blessings he, the good shepherd, brings and how those blessings are won by him for his sheep. The blessing he brings us is abundant life. We catch a glimpse of abundant life in human history in the Garden in Eden and see a vision of it in Revelation where the heavenly Jerusalem comes down from heaven so that the dwelling of God can be with his people. We were created to live in the presence of the good shepherd. In him we have good pasture. We do not have good pasture in the protective enclosure but in the good shepherd himself.

The way we receive these blessings is through the laid-down life of Jesus on the cross. The good shepherd will suffer for his sheep. With his sheep in danger, the good shepherd lays down his life for them. In the Gospel of John, Jesus sees the cross as his destiny and the providential salvific act of his life. It defines who he will be as Messiah and the true Savior of God’s people.

In what Jesus says about the good shepherd, we hear references to what Moses said about his true successor in Numbers 27:15-17:

Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.”

“Jesus” is Greek for the Hebrew name “Joshua,” who followed Moses in leading God’s people. In Jesus we see not only a greater Joshua and a greater Moses, but also the true Spirit-filled leader of God’s people and the true model of leadership, a model of servant leadership we desperately need today inside and outside the church. Most leaders use their followers for their own personal gain in the areas of wealth, privilege, and power. Jesus sets the standard for servant leadership in which one lives for others instead of living selfishly for oneself, bringing them life instead of death.

Make a list today of the blessings Jesus brings to your life, and then give him thanks.