THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
These words from Psalm 23 find their meaning in Jesus as we continue in our TWENTY-THIRD EPISODE with “Life’s Meaning & Purpose: an in-depth study of the Gospel of John.”
The purpose of anything that is considered counterfeit is to deceive us into thinking it is what it appears to be; the real thing. This is ultimately done to take advantage of us and to steal that which is valuable. While the saying “ignorance is bliss” may be popular, it is certainly not true, and many have lost much at the hands of these ‘false shepherds’. We must know the real thing in order to guard our hearts against the counterfeits of this world. In our lesson for this week, Jesus identifies the counterfeits as being those who climb over the wall or enter the sheep pen through any other way instead of through the gate. As our Lord puts it, the one who enters another way is “a thief and a robber.” The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Jesus is our shepherd, the Good Shepherd who lays His life down for the sheep, and whose voice we must know in order to follow Him and avoid the traps of the Deceiver.