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The Shepherd!

             “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14)

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4)

For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in their school and their teachers. Jesus said things like, “You’ve heard it is said…but I say to you.” That rankled. But the seven claims that “I am” were what might be called violent words. After all, God is “I am.”

In case they missed it when Jesus claimed to be the Gate (which was the shepherd), He doubled down a few sentences later with “I am the good shepherd.” What shepherd? Not just a shepherd, but the good shepherd, and not just the good shepherd, but the good shepherd. The Jews would hear the echoes from Genesis with each claim, “I am,” and from Psalm 23 with “Shepherd.”

In this case, those who responded did so in ways we would find close to ours. “He’s crazy/demon possessed!” That combines what C.S. Lewis would describe as Liar and Lunatic in his famous trilemma. Or, “Could he be? Is it true?” This corresponds to the trilemma’s third option: Lord.

          We still face this choice many times each day. Will we declare Him Lord and follow? Will we excuse ourselves because “He can’t be serious…that’s crazy,” or “My god would never…”?

As I consider this, I hear echoes of my own words. “I’m not sure. Is that God telling me? Or the world, the flesh, and the devil? Or just my own thoughts?” Part of me screams that I should be ashamed for thoughts of “Liar!” or “Lunatic!” And sometimes, I do reject. Other times – and I hope with increasing frequency – I honestly take the open-minded approach. “Could it be?” Should I get out of the boat and walk on the water?

A good prayer as we are heading into 2026 would be for honesty, open-mindedness, and wisdom.

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