Isaiah 40:11 says: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (NIV)
Jesus tells us that He is the good Shepherd (John 10:11). Even in the book of Isaiah — long before Jesus was born of a woman — the Bible prophesies of our Savior.
Jesus is indeed a good Shepherd. He tends His flock — He cares for it, watches over it and protects it. He gathers the little lambs in His strong, loving arms and carries them close to His heart, so they can hear His heart beating for them.
And even when He leads us, He does so gently, not forcefully or aggressively. He is a gentle, tender, loving Shepherd who laid down His life for us, His sheep (see John 10:11).
The sheep that’s gone astray
In Isaiah 53:6, we are again likened to sheep:
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (NIV)
Very rightly so, this Bible verse says that we have all gone astray, like sheep. We have turned to our own ways; we have done things our way, disregarded God’s counsel or even told God we didn’t want Him in our lives anymore. But even that very sin of telling God we don’t want Him, Jesus paid for on the cross. We just have to accept His sacrifice for us.
No matter what you’ve done or haven’t done (or are even doing right now), thanks to Jesus’ work on the cross — where our Shepherd willingly laid down His life for us — there is nothing standing between you and God. Like the verse in Isaiah 53 says, God laid our iniquity on Jesus. And then Jesus painfully paid for that iniquity.
Why did He do it? Because He loves His sheep. He loves you.
Hebrews 12:2 says: “For the joy set before him he endured the cross…” (NIV)
The joy set before Him was spending every day now and then all of eternity with you, His beloved sheep.
Is Jesus your Shepherd?
Are you part of Jesus’ flock yet? Are you a little lamb in the arms of the Shepherd Savior? Jesus’ invitation is for everyone. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you, reconcile you with God and care for you all the days of your life.
We have all sinned and can’t come to God through our own works. It is only through Jesus’ work on the cross — where He was brutally murdered for your sins and mine — that we can be forgiven, cleansed of all sins (past, present and even future) and stand before God without even a single blemish. But he gladly laid down His life for you and for me.
Don’t wait. Jesus is waiting for you with outstretched arms. Have you accepted Him as your Savior?
