Jesus the Good Shepherd
Last night we spent some time discussing John 10. The good shepherd is one of the great images that early Christians grabbed on to when they considered Jesus. We can see it in their early art in the tombs, on dishes, and in their lamps. The book Picturing the Bible (from which I’ve gathered these samples) is a fantastic resource to explore early Christian artistic expression.
1. Jesus knows his sheep
2. Jesus is with his sheep.
3. Jesus willingly gives himself for His sheep.
Let me close this post with a quotation from Philip Thompson in his fine study of the Good Shepherd in the journal Interpretation (April 1997):
“The first article of the Barmen Declaration states, ‘Jesus Christ, as he is attested to us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God whom we have to hear, and whom we have to trust and obey in life and in death.” Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd works still to subvert our isolation, worthlessness, and despair, our pride and complacency, all of which grow out of the power of death. In so doing, he opens for us a space to know the victory of the resurrection; space to be led in the green pastures, beside the still waters, and to dwell in the blessedness of the Lord’s House.”
