The Good Shepherd

By Ryne Brewer

Scripture Reading: John 10:1-42, Numbers 27:16-17, Psalm 23:1-4, Micah 2:12-13

Recently, after a long conversation over burgers with a guy from our neighborhood, he looked at me and asked:

“Why trust Jesus?”

It’s a good question—maybe the question. And it stayed with me long after we parted ways. Later, it turned inward: “Why should I trust Jesus?”

If I’m honest, I often find it hard to trust Jesus. Not because He’s untrustworthy—but because, most days, I trust myself more. And when I do that, I start being led by things other than Jesus.

Take prayer, for instance. Why do I struggle to pray? It’s not because I doubt its power—I’ve seen God move in powerful ways through prayer. But when I’m not praying, it’s not that I’ve stopped praying altogether—it’s more that I’m praying to myself. Relying on my strength, my wisdom, my timing.

Because I trust myself more. But then Jesus interrupts with His words.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
—John 10:11

This gives one of the most solid, soul-stabilizing answers to the question: Why trust Jesus? He says, “I am the good shepherd.” That’s the truth. Then He backs it up: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Self-sacrifice isn’t just something Jesus did—it’s who He is. At the heart of His goodness is a love that gives itself away.

That’s what makes Him so compelling. We can sniff out when someone’s in it for themselves. We’ve all experienced the wounds that come from selfish motives—both in others and ourselves. The wounds we have and the wounds we inflict can be like their own evils that steal joy, kill trust, and destroy relationships. The enemy would love nothing more than to have you and me subtly distrust the shepherds voice, give ourselves away to “hired hands” (John 10:12) that at first glance can walk with us in green pastures and still waters but cannot sustain us in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). So why trust Jesus?

His motives are pure. His voice is true. His posture is gentle. His heart is good. He is the Shepherd who can lead us into the green pastures of God’s abundance and drink from the still waters of his presence. And He proved it, not with words alone but with a cross. By being taken by the evil that shadowed His sheep.

And even in the darkest parts of life, when we are most tempted to trust ourselves to get out, we see He’s already been there and then come back to lead us through. It’s then we see the Good Shepherd on the cross, hear His voice say “it is finished,” and then by His Spirit feel our trust grow towards Him over and over again.

Written by Ryne Brewer