The good shepherd

Note the proof of his goodness: he giveth his life. Hirelings flee when the wolf comes; thieves come to take and to kill. The good shepherd lays down his life. There is no greater test, and Christ has met it.

He gave his life for the sheep — for them, in their stead, in their behalf. They were perishing; he died that they might live. They were lost; he was forsaken that they might be found. There is no Christianity without this exchange at its centre.

And he is the good shepherd still. The grave did not hold him; he is alive, and he shepherds his flock now. He calls them by name; he leads them out; he goes before them. The believer's life is a being-led-by-Christ. We do not find our own way; he finds it for us. Follow him; trust him; lean on him. The good shepherd has not failed yet, and he will not fail thee.