2026 Spring Retreat (3), JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD
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2026-05-03 17:14
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JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD
John 10:1-18
Living a life of plus
One day, a father and his young son were at church. The sermon that morning was so philosophically profound that even the father barely understood it. But during the sermon, as the father twisted in his seat with boredom, he noticed that his son appeared to be paying intense attention to the podium. This left the father impressed by his son’s admirable manner.
After service, he conversed with his son, perplexedly saying, “Today’s sermon was very difficult to understand, but you appeared intensly focused on the message being delivered. Did you understand it?”
The son replied to his father saying: “I did not understand the message at all dad.”
“Why then were you focusing on the podium attentively?” the father asked
“He said dad I was not looking at the podium but at the ‘cross’ behind the podium. I noticed that this cross was a ‘plus’. Recently I learned in math class that ‘+’ means addition and ‘–’ means subtraction. When I saw the ‘+’ behind the podium, I realized that believing in Jesus means living a life of ‘+’. And I felt deep joy.”
The father marvelled at his son’s observation and told him “Your insight is more graceful than the sermon itself. I never considered that believing in Jesus is meant living a life of plus.
The intention and fall
Initially, God created the world perfectly. There was nothing to lack; there was no minus. God created light, land, sea, sun, moon, vegetables, animals, and after each he said that his creation was good. But when God created man according to his own image, he said, “It was very good.” Never did he create or mention anything that was not plus, never did he describe any minus. The Garden of Eden contained all that was necesary for man’s infinite happiness.
However, now this world is now filled with many things that hinder man's happiness; people feel that they lack many things. Why is this the case? Because as God has brought the plus, so Satan has brought the minus. In the Garden of Eden, men lived happy and abundant lives due to God’s blessings. This caused the devil to become angry. He tempted Adam and Eve to rebel against God. As a result, all blessings of God were taken away, and all conceivable curses came into the world.
In this passage, the devil is represented as a thief, a robber, and a stranger. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
Our world of plus became a world of minus under the devil's cunning plans. Poverty and sickness, the spirit of condemnation, and the power of death have occupied the world. We humans have struggled to solve these problems until now.
But today we hear good news. Let’s read verse 10. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The key word here is to the full. With Jesus a man can achieve a life of complete plus, an eternal life where minus no longer exists.
Revelation 21:4 says “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
In the gospels, Jesus not only preached the good news of the kingdom of heaven, but healed people physically and spiritually, filling them with joy, happiness a nd abundance. These actions act as foreshadowing of what is to come for those who love and put their faith in the son of God. The primary mission of Jesus, the highest reason of his suffering on the cross was to save us from the power of sin, death, and eternal judgment. He came to overcome the minus and bless us to have a life of plus.
As soon as Jesus shed his blood on the cross without reservation, the perfect plus, the blessings of God, flooded to cover the whole world. The world that was minus became plus by the blood of Jesus. Forgiveness and righteousness combined into a river that flowed so powerfully that even the cruel centurion upon Jesus death repented his sin and confessed “Surely this was the Son of God,”
The cross is God’s highest blessing for us. Whoever kneels and repents before the cross, is cleansed of all their sins and becomes glorious. Anyone sick in body or mind is healed by the blood of Jesus. Nothing is lacking in Jesus’ cross, with the cross there is only a life of ‘+’.
In this passage, Jesus says he is the good shepard. Why does he say this? Why is Jesus the good shepherd?
First, because Jesus calls his sheep by name.
In the modern world, many see résumés before souls. They measure people by education, family background, race, gender, wealth, age, health, or status. But God does not look first at these conditions. He sees the person himself—the bearer of His image. Therefore, we too must learn to call others not by their labels, but by their names.
Though all sheep look alike, a shepard knows that they are all different. Jesus as the good shepard, can identify each of his sheep, he knows them each by name. To know someone’s name is to know someone intimately, to consider someone an immutably valuable being. This is the relationship that Jesus has with each of his sheep, a personal and loving one.
In modern times, man is rarely considered ‘a unique being’ but rather as valuable or invaluable depending on their profession, position, possessions, etc.
If you have seen someone in your life as immutably valuable, someone as a precious soul regardless of any other variable, then you have proven that you have the capacity to be a good shepherd.
When God saw Adam, He said, “You are very good”. Meaning you are very special or very unique. In other words you are irreplaceable.
Never fall into the false belief that if you leave the church, it will not matter because there are other Christians. If you believe this, then you do not know what love is. If you leave the church, if you neglect your relationship with God, you create an emptiness in your shepherd’s heart that nothing or nobody else can fill.
Jesus calls his own sheep by name. This means that he does not merely recognize them—he holds hope for them. A person’s name is important because it can carry vision, identity, and calling.
Do you believe that God knows your name—your whole being, your weaknesses, your struggles, and your hidden potential? Do you believe that God has a purpose and hope for your life? God does have a plan and hope for each of you. Hold fast to it. Jesus treats each of us as a unique person and cares for each as his sheep.
Being a shepard
Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist renowned for his work on meaning, suffering, and the human will to live. One night at 3:00 a.m., a desperate woman phoned him. She had decided to end her life, but before doing so, she wanted to hear one final word.
After the phone call, she chose to keep living. She said it was not because Frankl gave her a brilliant argument or logically proved why she should live. It was because he did not grow angry that she had called at such an hour, but patiently listened to her pain and to the story of her life.
Through being heard, she realized that the world was still a place where she belonged.
To be a shepard is to suffer for your sheep because you love them, it is to treat them as unique and irreplaceable.
Look at verses 4 and 5 again. "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Verse 27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
Sheep have no means to defend themselves. They do not have horns, sharp teeth, or claws. Infact they are deficient in many regards, they have weak eyesight, poor sense of direction, and very weak memory. But the one thing sheep do possess in an inborn ability to discern the voice of their shepherd.
Those who choose can always discern their shepherd’s voice and follow him. We aswell despite our deficiencies, despite our weakness, despite our bounded rationality, despite our poor discipline, despite our most shocking past sins, can always determine the voice of Jesus. And we can always choose to follow him. I pray that we all choose to follow the voice of Jesus, our good shepard.
Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” The voice of the stranger often sounds attractive, reasonable, and exciting. It says, “Come here, I will give you pleasure, success, and freedom.”
The voices of blind ambition, pornography, reckless pleasure, gambling, addiction, and materialism offer the bait of momentary satisfaction, yet lead many toward emptiness and ruin. On your deathbed, you will think little of your bank account and much of whether Christ will receive you.
Other voices deny truth altogether through atheistic philosophies, moral relativism, and proud human self-sufficiency, persuading people that there is no need for God. But behind these false voices lies the same end: to rob the soul, corrupt the heart, and separate man from life. Do not follow that voice, for that is the voice of destruction, listening to that voice leads a man to hell.
Then there is Jesus voice. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 This is a voice of demand, sacrifice, and burden. A voice that many call too strict or out of date.
Yet in this voice exists forgiveness, holiness and fruitful life. Jesus’ voice was the only one that could sooth the aduletrous woman when he said “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave a life of sin,” His voice forgives, heals and restores us.
Second, because Jesus gives us life and pasture
To sheep, pasture is the source of life. Green pasture is essential for their health, survival, and abundant well-being. In the same way, Jesus Christ is our true and life-giving pasture. In him the soul finds nourishment, strength, and peace.
Therefore, we must come to Jesus continually: by studying the word of God, meditating on it, praying, worshiping, obeying, and putting his truth into practice. We should gladly give our time, energy, and resources to seek pasture in Christ. He is God, always open to us, always ready to receive us, and always willing to bless us.
Not only on Sundays, but each day, at any time and in any place, we may feed on the bread of life. When we come to Jesus diligently, faithfully, and fervently, we grow strong and begin to experience the deep riches of God. As it is written in Psalms 81:10, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.”
Third, Jesus laid down his life for us.
Look at verse 11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” While Satan comes as a thief to steal, kill, and destroy, Jesus Christ comes as the Good Shepherd who gives his life to save his flock. He sacrificed himself on the cross to deliver us from the power of sin, death, and eternal judgment.
We are all like sheep—often stubborn, wandering, forgetful, and prone to go our own way. We easily turn from what God has taught us and drift into sin. Isaiah 53 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” Yet the same passage gives us hope: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; by his wounds we are healed.” Though we wandered, Christ came after us. Though we were guilty, he bore our sin. Though we were wounded, he suffered so that we might be healed.
The highest expression of the Good Shepherd is this: he lays down his life for the sheep. A person’s life is the most precious thing he possesses. Jesus once said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Yet Christ was willing to give his own life so that our souls might be saved. He did not preserve himself at our expense; he gave himself for our salvation.
The good shepherd lives for the sheep. He gives his time, strength, comfort, resources, private life, and even his very life for those under his care. Such sacrifice is difficult, yet it is also beautiful, precious, eternally meaningful, and full of reward. This is why we give thanks to Jesus, and why our hearts are moved: God loved us so deeply that he gave his Son for us.
As followers of Christ, we are called not only to be good sheep who hear his voice, but also to become good shepherds to others. We are to care, guide, strengthen, and love those around us. I pray that you may live as good shepherds to feed one student with Bible teaching and prayer. This is the blessing and calling of God.
John 10:1-18
Living a life of plus
One day, a father and his young son were at church. The sermon that morning was so philosophically profound that even the father barely understood it. But during the sermon, as the father twisted in his seat with boredom, he noticed that his son appeared to be paying intense attention to the podium. This left the father impressed by his son’s admirable manner.
After service, he conversed with his son, perplexedly saying, “Today’s sermon was very difficult to understand, but you appeared intensly focused on the message being delivered. Did you understand it?”
The son replied to his father saying: “I did not understand the message at all dad.”
“Why then were you focusing on the podium attentively?” the father asked
“He said dad I was not looking at the podium but at the ‘cross’ behind the podium. I noticed that this cross was a ‘plus’. Recently I learned in math class that ‘+’ means addition and ‘–’ means subtraction. When I saw the ‘+’ behind the podium, I realized that believing in Jesus means living a life of ‘+’. And I felt deep joy.”
The father marvelled at his son’s observation and told him “Your insight is more graceful than the sermon itself. I never considered that believing in Jesus is meant living a life of plus.
The intention and fall
Initially, God created the world perfectly. There was nothing to lack; there was no minus. God created light, land, sea, sun, moon, vegetables, animals, and after each he said that his creation was good. But when God created man according to his own image, he said, “It was very good.” Never did he create or mention anything that was not plus, never did he describe any minus. The Garden of Eden contained all that was necesary for man’s infinite happiness.
However, now this world is now filled with many things that hinder man's happiness; people feel that they lack many things. Why is this the case? Because as God has brought the plus, so Satan has brought the minus. In the Garden of Eden, men lived happy and abundant lives due to God’s blessings. This caused the devil to become angry. He tempted Adam and Eve to rebel against God. As a result, all blessings of God were taken away, and all conceivable curses came into the world.
In this passage, the devil is represented as a thief, a robber, and a stranger. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
Our world of plus became a world of minus under the devil's cunning plans. Poverty and sickness, the spirit of condemnation, and the power of death have occupied the world. We humans have struggled to solve these problems until now.
But today we hear good news. Let’s read verse 10. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The key word here is to the full. With Jesus a man can achieve a life of complete plus, an eternal life where minus no longer exists.
Revelation 21:4 says “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
In the gospels, Jesus not only preached the good news of the kingdom of heaven, but healed people physically and spiritually, filling them with joy, happiness a nd abundance. These actions act as foreshadowing of what is to come for those who love and put their faith in the son of God. The primary mission of Jesus, the highest reason of his suffering on the cross was to save us from the power of sin, death, and eternal judgment. He came to overcome the minus and bless us to have a life of plus.
As soon as Jesus shed his blood on the cross without reservation, the perfect plus, the blessings of God, flooded to cover the whole world. The world that was minus became plus by the blood of Jesus. Forgiveness and righteousness combined into a river that flowed so powerfully that even the cruel centurion upon Jesus death repented his sin and confessed “Surely this was the Son of God,”
The cross is God’s highest blessing for us. Whoever kneels and repents before the cross, is cleansed of all their sins and becomes glorious. Anyone sick in body or mind is healed by the blood of Jesus. Nothing is lacking in Jesus’ cross, with the cross there is only a life of ‘+’.
In this passage, Jesus says he is the good shepard. Why does he say this? Why is Jesus the good shepherd?
First, because Jesus calls his sheep by name.
In the modern world, many see résumés before souls. They measure people by education, family background, race, gender, wealth, age, health, or status. But God does not look first at these conditions. He sees the person himself—the bearer of His image. Therefore, we too must learn to call others not by their labels, but by their names.
Though all sheep look alike, a shepard knows that they are all different. Jesus as the good shepard, can identify each of his sheep, he knows them each by name. To know someone’s name is to know someone intimately, to consider someone an immutably valuable being. This is the relationship that Jesus has with each of his sheep, a personal and loving one.
In modern times, man is rarely considered ‘a unique being’ but rather as valuable or invaluable depending on their profession, position, possessions, etc.
If you have seen someone in your life as immutably valuable, someone as a precious soul regardless of any other variable, then you have proven that you have the capacity to be a good shepherd.
When God saw Adam, He said, “You are very good”. Meaning you are very special or very unique. In other words you are irreplaceable.
Never fall into the false belief that if you leave the church, it will not matter because there are other Christians. If you believe this, then you do not know what love is. If you leave the church, if you neglect your relationship with God, you create an emptiness in your shepherd’s heart that nothing or nobody else can fill.
Jesus calls his own sheep by name. This means that he does not merely recognize them—he holds hope for them. A person’s name is important because it can carry vision, identity, and calling.
Do you believe that God knows your name—your whole being, your weaknesses, your struggles, and your hidden potential? Do you believe that God has a purpose and hope for your life? God does have a plan and hope for each of you. Hold fast to it. Jesus treats each of us as a unique person and cares for each as his sheep.
Being a shepard
Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist renowned for his work on meaning, suffering, and the human will to live. One night at 3:00 a.m., a desperate woman phoned him. She had decided to end her life, but before doing so, she wanted to hear one final word.
After the phone call, she chose to keep living. She said it was not because Frankl gave her a brilliant argument or logically proved why she should live. It was because he did not grow angry that she had called at such an hour, but patiently listened to her pain and to the story of her life.
Through being heard, she realized that the world was still a place where she belonged.
To be a shepard is to suffer for your sheep because you love them, it is to treat them as unique and irreplaceable.
Look at verses 4 and 5 again. "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Verse 27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
Sheep have no means to defend themselves. They do not have horns, sharp teeth, or claws. Infact they are deficient in many regards, they have weak eyesight, poor sense of direction, and very weak memory. But the one thing sheep do possess in an inborn ability to discern the voice of their shepherd.
Those who choose can always discern their shepherd’s voice and follow him. We aswell despite our deficiencies, despite our weakness, despite our bounded rationality, despite our poor discipline, despite our most shocking past sins, can always determine the voice of Jesus. And we can always choose to follow him. I pray that we all choose to follow the voice of Jesus, our good shepard.
Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” The voice of the stranger often sounds attractive, reasonable, and exciting. It says, “Come here, I will give you pleasure, success, and freedom.”
The voices of blind ambition, pornography, reckless pleasure, gambling, addiction, and materialism offer the bait of momentary satisfaction, yet lead many toward emptiness and ruin. On your deathbed, you will think little of your bank account and much of whether Christ will receive you.
Other voices deny truth altogether through atheistic philosophies, moral relativism, and proud human self-sufficiency, persuading people that there is no need for God. But behind these false voices lies the same end: to rob the soul, corrupt the heart, and separate man from life. Do not follow that voice, for that is the voice of destruction, listening to that voice leads a man to hell.
Then there is Jesus voice. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 This is a voice of demand, sacrifice, and burden. A voice that many call too strict or out of date.
Yet in this voice exists forgiveness, holiness and fruitful life. Jesus’ voice was the only one that could sooth the aduletrous woman when he said “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave a life of sin,” His voice forgives, heals and restores us.
Second, because Jesus gives us life and pasture
To sheep, pasture is the source of life. Green pasture is essential for their health, survival, and abundant well-being. In the same way, Jesus Christ is our true and life-giving pasture. In him the soul finds nourishment, strength, and peace.
Therefore, we must come to Jesus continually: by studying the word of God, meditating on it, praying, worshiping, obeying, and putting his truth into practice. We should gladly give our time, energy, and resources to seek pasture in Christ. He is God, always open to us, always ready to receive us, and always willing to bless us.
Not only on Sundays, but each day, at any time and in any place, we may feed on the bread of life. When we come to Jesus diligently, faithfully, and fervently, we grow strong and begin to experience the deep riches of God. As it is written in Psalms 81:10, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.”
Third, Jesus laid down his life for us.
Look at verse 11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” While Satan comes as a thief to steal, kill, and destroy, Jesus Christ comes as the Good Shepherd who gives his life to save his flock. He sacrificed himself on the cross to deliver us from the power of sin, death, and eternal judgment.
We are all like sheep—often stubborn, wandering, forgetful, and prone to go our own way. We easily turn from what God has taught us and drift into sin. Isaiah 53 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” Yet the same passage gives us hope: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; by his wounds we are healed.” Though we wandered, Christ came after us. Though we were guilty, he bore our sin. Though we were wounded, he suffered so that we might be healed.
The highest expression of the Good Shepherd is this: he lays down his life for the sheep. A person’s life is the most precious thing he possesses. Jesus once said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Yet Christ was willing to give his own life so that our souls might be saved. He did not preserve himself at our expense; he gave himself for our salvation.
The good shepherd lives for the sheep. He gives his time, strength, comfort, resources, private life, and even his very life for those under his care. Such sacrifice is difficult, yet it is also beautiful, precious, eternally meaningful, and full of reward. This is why we give thanks to Jesus, and why our hearts are moved: God loved us so deeply that he gave his Son for us.
As followers of Christ, we are called not only to be good sheep who hear his voice, but also to become good shepherds to others. We are to care, guide, strengthen, and love those around us. I pray that you may live as good shepherds to feed one student with Bible teaching and prayer. This is the blessing and calling of God.