Jesus says: I am the good shepherd ...and I lay down my life for the sheep.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:11, 27, 28


Jesus Christ is the good shepherd who has a deep concern for his flock. Opposite him are, on the one hand, “thieves” who ruthlessly pursue their own interests and, on the other hand, hired hands who quickly abandon the sheep when danger threatens. Jesus, on the other hand, laid down his life for his sheep in order to give them “life in abundance” (v. 1.

Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, knows exactly who belongs to him; he “knows his sheep.” And he names the characteristics by which Christians can be recognized: they “hear his voice” and “follow him.”

The good shepherd knows his sheep; this also means that Jesus Christ knows his followers with all their needs and cares for them himself. With him, man's deep longing for security finds its fulfillment.

Christ gives believers eternal life. And although they are weak in themselves, they need not fear that they might one day be lost, for He promises them that nothing and no one can snatch them out of His hand.

Because the Good Shepherd cares for His own in His love, Christians can look to the future with confidence and say:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1