When Jesus, the Son of God, came to live and teach among us, he picked up on the imagery of Psalm 23 and told all who would hear, “I am the good shepherd.” Jesus came to us as the Lord God in the flesh, declaring that he was there to shepherd God’s people and lead them home to the Father. He moved into our world, our neighborhood, and reminded everyone of what the Lord our shepherd had been doing all along: guiding us, pursuing us, and calling us back to him. The Lord’s sheep began to recognize God in his Son and to follow him.

Jesus made a strong connection to the work that his Father had already been doing, highlighting that his close relationship with the Father informed how he would save, guard, and protect the Lord’s sheep.

When we read the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry in the Bible, we see Jesus gathering his flock, walking among God’s people, and getting to know them. He teaches them and models what it looks like to do the will of his Father so that they can live God’s way as well. Like the shepherd in Psalm 23, he lives among God’s sheep and leads them to the one thing they need: a renewed relationship with the Lord, who calls them to live in abundance and full life forever with him.

In what ways have you found that the good shepherd knows you?