God is THE GOOD SHEPHERD
God is THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
Shepherds are people who care for livestock.
Other episodes about sheep and shepherds can be found from the parable series last term:
The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
The Parable of the Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin
Bible Passage: John 10:1-21
“Jesus said:
I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.
When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.
Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.
Jesus said:
I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.
What are the traits that Jesus says makes him the good shepherd? He loves and cares for his sheep and he knows them.
What do you think?
WHO AM I?
I am someone who cares a lot.
I have to do some study at Tafe or university.
I have fun in my job.
Have a friendly and energetic personality.
Is motivated and reliable
Has completed a first aid course
I constantly have paint on my clothes
Part of my job includes wiping noses and cleaning up playdoh
I am good at looking after kids
Can you guess who I am?
I am a childcare worker!
Maybe an equivalent modern day career in our society could be an aged care worker, or a childcare worker, because farmers are able to have many more livestock and the flocks of sheep aren’t actually looked after as intimately as they are these days.
Story Time!
I was allowed a pet when I reached 10 years old. I got a pet rat. It knew me and loved me. No one looked after it like I did.
I leant it to my little sister and she left it in an Ugg boot all day while we were at school. It was still there when I got home!
I knew my pet better than anyone else too. I knew that she liked to eat all kinds of things. She liked to run around in my room. Her paws would get cool if she needed to wee (I did work that out the hard way!) and so I’d put her back in her cage for a few minutes. I knew she liked to wee around the back of her cage to keep the main bit clean.
I looked after her, fed her, played with her, cleaned out her cage and when she died, I was devastated.
I was 10 years old and I knew how to look after my pet rat. How much more does God know how to love, care, protect and look after us!
Bible Passage: Matthew 7:9-11
“Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
Bible Passage: Matthew 6:26
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
God is the good shepherd. This means that God is the best carer. He knows what we need better than anyone and he cares and he looks after us perfectly.
Question Time!
Think of a time when God has cared for you. Share your stories together.
Is there a time you can think of when God didn’t care for you the way that you wanted him to. What happened? What do you wish God had done and why do you think he didn’t do it that way?
When God doesn’t care for us in the way we want him to, what do you think is going on?
