Do you know what your name means? For instance, in one dictionary, my name “Martha” means, “lady, mistress of the house.” In Hebrew, my name means “bitter.” There are many different forms of my name: Maarva, Marfa, Marhta, Mariet, Marit, Mart, Marta, Marte, Martella, Martelle, Marth, Marthe, Marthena, Marthine, Marthini, Marthy, Marti, Martie, Martina, Martita, Martje, Martta, Marty, Martyne, Martynne, Marva, Mata, Matha, Matti, Mattie, Mirtha, Pat and Pattie. There are 33 different forms of my name. If you would look up your name and its meaning, you might be surprised; I was!
Jesus has many names in the Old and New testaments. He is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, Savior and many other names.
Jesus is our Chief Shepherd, which is what we want to emphasize in this article.
Psalm 23:1-6 reads:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
The word “shepherd” used as a noun is a person who herds, tends and guards his sheep or is a person who protects, guides or watches over a person or a group of people. The word “shepherd,” “pastor” and “overseer” are other names for an elder in the church. Also, the word “shepherd” used as a verb has an object. A shepherd tends or guards his flock. He watches his sheep carefully. Our Great Shepherd is Jesus Christ, who watches, guards and leads us if we will let Him.
There is a song we sing, “Jesus the Loving Shepherd.” He calls us to come and to follow Him. Are we following Jesus? Is He your Loving Shepherd? Do you let Him guide you? Do you let Him protect and care for you? Jesus is always here for us just as a shepherd is always there for his sheep. We are the sheepfold that Jesus wants to tend and to protect as our Shepherd. This is not a subject for us to take lightly. As Christians, we have certain obligations and commandments to obey from our Lord if we are going to let Him be our loving Shepherd
The name “Jesus” comes from Greek for “Joshua,” which means “God is salvation.” The name “Jesus” was well explained in Matthew’s Gospel. “And she [Mary] will bear a son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins” (Matthew1:21).
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We do not need another shepherd. Jesus is the best caregiver we will ever need. Jesus will take care of us, just like a shepherd does his sheep. We are His sheepfold.
What does a shepherd do for his sheep? He tends, cares and protects (Jeremiah 31:10). The shepherd leads the sheep to safe ground and to still water. At night, the shepherd keeps his flock safe from wild animals by sleeping at the entrance of the sheepfold. This is also a way to make sure the animals stay within the boundaries.
The sheep know the voice of their shepherd and follow him. Do we know the voice of Jesus our Shepherd, and do we follow Him?
Prophecies of the Shepherd
We have prophecies in the Old Testament of our Lord being a Shepherd to His people. Matthew 26:31 speaks of Jesus Christ being our Shepherd and refers to Zechariah 13:7, which reads, “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion, Says the Lord of hosts. Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.” Isaiah 40:11 says of the Messiah, “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” In addition, the following Old Testament passage also speaks of the Messiah as our Shepherd.
For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. …I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:11-14, 23)
We have a song called, “Jesus, the Loving Shepherd.” To refer to Jesus Christ as our Shepherd is appropriate since many New Testament passages identify Him as our Shepherd: Shepherd (1 Peter 2:25), Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4), Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20).
Jesus calls us now to come to Him (Matthew 11:28). We need not delay because we have the promise of just today—right now. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may not come. Allow Jesus to be your Shepherd.
