"When people are in crisis, when they are surrounded by the dangers of this world, they will turn to any shepherd offering a way out." (Gary Burge). In the middle of the moral chaos that is our modern society, whose voice, which shepherd, do you follow? By the end of this sermon my hope is that you will be able to begin to spot the dangerous areas in the environment of our life, your need for guidance from Jesus Christ, and begin to learn how to tell the right voices from the wrong voices in your life.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received

If you are going to understand the significance of what Jesus is saying about Himself in this passage, you need to know something about the dangers of the desert and the skills of a shepherd. The desert in Israel is paramount to understanding the Bible.

From the city of Jerusalem, I'm told that it is only a forty-five minute walk to where Jesus was tested following His baptism. This desert stretches thousands of miles across the Jordan River to Saudi Aribia and Iraq. Many of the stories in the OT contain components of desert scenes. Till this very day villagers who live on the fringes of this region use it for raising sheep. They know that during the months from October to March rain makes this possible. But during the rest of the year it is almost uninhabitable. There are many dangerous areas and things that could harm the sheep so this calls for a competent shepherd in this environment. They must have the skills and tools to keep their flock safe from the prey and elements. When the flock is attacked, the "Good Shepherd" tries to find a sheep pen and stands between the flock and danger.

This desert is a dangerous place. In some sense of the word you and I live in a modern desert. I would venture to guess that if you were to ask most people in the world where they turn in times of chaos, uncertainty, and danger, the answer would be online or to some other source of familiarity. There is a plethora of information out in the world, but how does one tell what is right and what is wrong? The truth is that you need a true shepherd who can genuinely lead you out of the desert.

The picture that Jesus painted in these verses is of Him being contrasted with a hired man. Jesus said He will protect His flock (people). He even laid down His life for them (1 Peter 2:24-25) He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. He knows His sheep and they know Him. He knows them as intimately as He knows His Father in whom they have perfect knowledge of each other.

In contrast, the hired man (prophets or teachers is Israel), runs away when he sees danger coming because he doesn’t really have relationship with the sheep. He doesn’t care about them. To him, it is just a job. But Jesus takes the image even further when He said His mission is to bring salvation to the entire world. He said He would do this by dying for the sins of the world. He would give His life, it would not be taken from Him.