He speaks to us and by His voice He guides us to eternal life. Jesus is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. This is the Jesus we call our Good Shepherd. By bearing our sins in His own body on the tree Jesus rescued us from the hell we so richly deserved. It was as Jesus was suffering as the spotless Lamb of God that He was disarming the devil of his terrible power over God’s children. That foundation is the crucifixion of Jesus where He did battle against the devil. But this beautiful picture should not obscure for us the foundation upon which it must rest. Jesus is pictured as a shepherd carrying a lamb in His arms with other lambs and sheep following close by. The pastoral scenes are quite pretty, with the lush green grass and the pure blue pools of water. It is the giving up of His life as a sacrifice on the cross to bear the griefs, sorrows, transgressions, and iniquities of us all. It is more than the giving of His devotion and care. This giving is not merely the giving of a fine moral example. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned, every one, to his own way and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. All that our Good Shepherd says and does for us, His sheep, is centered in that supreme act of sacrificial love. “What punishment so strange is suffered yonder! The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander.” So we sing and confess. “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25
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