“Jesus said, ‘I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep'” (John 10:11).
This verse is Gospel of John, one of the four gospel stories in the New Testament. The exact author of this Gospel is unknown, but it is most commonly attributed to the Apostle John, says the website Catholic Answers.
Some Christian denominations consider this Sunday to be Good Shepherd Sunday.
The Rev. Johnny Moore, an evangelical leader in Washington, D.C., told FOX News Digital that the phrase Jesus being the “Good Shepherd” has less meaning now than it did then, but it’s still a powerful analogy. There is no change in the fact that it is.
The peace of Jesus Christ “will drive out all anxiety and all fear from our hearts,” says D.C. monk.
“Sheep and shepherds were everywhere back then,” he says.
Mr. Moore is president of the Christian Leadership Conference. A twice-appointed member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, he is also the author of The Next Jihad and The New Book of Christian Martyrs.
Sunday, April 21st is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” As shepherds, “God doesn’t promise us that life will be easy, but he does promise that he will never leave us,” said Pastor Johnny Moore, inset above. . (iStock/Vitaly Manzuk)
In Biblical times and today, “calling someone a sheep wasn’t necessarily a compliment,” Moore said.
“Sheep are impulsive,” he says. “They’re not very smart. They’re often rebellious, and when they’re not rebellious they just follow the crowd. Without a shepherd, they’re hopeless.”
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On Good Shepherd Sunday, he said, “we are reminded that no matter how modern, wealthy, powerful, and secure we become, we still need God.”
In God, “we find a shepherd to care for us as we journey through the ups and downs of life.”
In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” (St. Petersburg)
In Biblical times, Moore said, sheep were sometimes seen “hanging around the shepherd’s neck” in the fields.
This means that either the sheep was accidentally injured or the shepherd himself broke its leg to prevent the rebellious sheep from escaping.
“Whether it was a misfortune in life or a mistake made by the sheep, the shepherd would keep the sheep close until the sheep was fully healed,” he says.
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After the sheep was healed, it “clung to its shepherd’s nearest neighbor, even when it was able to run again.”
In life, “there are often more bad days than good days,” Moore said.
And while skeptics may try to use the existence of bad days to test a Christian’s faith, this is the wrong approach.
According to some religious leaders, sheep are impulsive and not very intelligent. He said, “We find in God a shepherd who cares for us as we journey through the ups and downs of life.” (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
“Those who have experienced life’s trials understand that the most important question to ask during life’s difficult days is not ‘why?’ but ‘who?'” Moore said.
He continued, “Who is this God to whom billions of people have placed their hopes for hundreds of centuries?”
“God does not promise us that life will be easy.”
“Look, if you could trust God then, you can trust God now,” he said.
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Moore said God is “never closer to you than when skeptics think God is farthest away.”
He added, “God doesn’t promise us that life will be easy, but he does promise that he will never leave us, just as a shepherd never leaves his flock.”
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“We may not always understand God (and even if we did, God would not be God), but God understands us,” Moore said.
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