His Name is Wonderful
His name is wonderful
His name is wonderful
His name is wonderful
Jesus my Lord.
He is the mighty King
Master of everything
His name is wonderful
Jesus my Lord.
He’s the Great Shepherd
The Rock of all ages
Almighty God is He
Bow down before Him
Love and adore Him
His name is wonderful
Jesus my Lord.
Words and Music by Audrey Meier
© 1959 Manna Music, Public Domain
“I am the Good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.’”
John 10.11, NASB
Working with animals can be exhausting. Animals are trained fairly easily and learn routines, but it can be slightly arduous to get that routine down. The familiarity with the livestock breeds a trust between animal and man, feeder and the fed. My dad used to drive a red and silver Chevy pick up. When he pulled into the pasture, the cows came running. They knew that he normally had something for them.
This is where we find Jesus serving us even today. He tells the people in Israel that He is the good shepherd. This I Am statement brings a personal effect to the person of God in the flesh. As an agricultural society, Jesus’ people (even in Jerusalem) would have understood the import of a good shepherd. There is a nearness that is measured by this statement.
Shepherds did not just move flocks from place to place, pasture to pasture. These men lived among their flocks and carried the weight of the flock on their shoulders. The shepherds in Luke 2 weren’t just out while their sheep took an evening graze. These men were living their vocation.
Building off of the image of the door, Jesus is describing how well He cares for the sheep. As a shepherd is bedding down the sheep for the night, he would often find a natural corral. Take the cleft of the rock for example. The natural landscape would enclose the flock for the night and the shepherd would lay down at the entrance to the fold. This is being a literal and physical door.
With the enigmatic nature of nightfall as the backdrop, we find how good the shepherd would be. David described it well in 1 Samuel as he sought to fight Goliath. He didn’t back down from lion or bear, he took the task of protecting the sheep as deeply as he took concern for his own life. This is how Jesus cares for us.
As our shepherd, Jesus didn’t just come to teach a few good things that would feed our souls. No, He lay down His very life for us. He stretched across the divide of the divine and the human in order to be the door. He gave everything in order to provide us with hope that endures eternally. He didn’t back away when our sin encroached, rather he took our sin for us that we may know God.
Pray: Jesus, You are my Shepherd. Your life was given for mine. You are far better than any of the hirelings of this world. Show me how to live in You as you gave your life for me.