Jesus Christ depicted as the Good Shepherd. Christ is portrayed with a small herd of sheep. He is carrying a sheep (or lamb) over His shoulders. Christ is also carrying a staff in His hands.
Jesus taught that He is the Good Shepherd. He used this metaphor to help His listeners understand more about Him and their relationship to Him. The purpose of this lesson is to help you feel greater confidence in Jesus Christ as your Shepherd and increase your desire to hear His voice and follow Him.
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd
Look carefully at the picture displayed at the beginning of this lesson, and consider what it might be teaching. The following questions may help:
Why might the Shepherd be carrying the lamb?
What do you notice about the position of the Shepherd compared to the other sheep?
Today you will study the parable of the good shepherd. In this parable, Jesus Christ compares Himself to a shepherd who leads and protects his flock of sheep. As you study, pay attention to what you learn about the Savior.
At the top of a page in your study journal, write the title “Good Shepherd.” Here you can list what you learn or feel about Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, and what He does for His sheep. If desired, you could draw a simple sheep on your paper like the one shown below and write inside the drawing what you learned or felt.
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sheep
Read John 10:1–5, looking for a parable Jesus teaches about His role as the Good Shepherd.
Watch the video “The Good Shepherd” from time code 1:54 to 3:33. In this video, President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles talks about an experience of observing shepherds and sheep. This video is located on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Add any insights you gained about the Good Shepherd to your list.
What impresses you about the relationship between shepherds and sheep as described here?
Some of those that were listening didn’t understand the parable Jesus taught (see John 10:6). Jesus explained how the parable taught about Him. Read John 10:7–18, 27–28, looking for additional insights about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Add your observations to your list. (Note: A hireling is someone whose primary motive for working is getting paid.)
Looking over your list, what does the parable of the Good Shepherd help you understand about Jesus Christ?
What did you learn from these verses about why you would want to follow Him?
1. Complete the following sentence and answer the question below in your study journal.
If I follow the Good Shepherd, I will receive …
What experiences come to mind where you have felt the Savior care for you as a shepherd?
How can you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd?
Think about the following questions:
What do you need the Savior’s help or guidance with?
Which of the blessings that the Savior offers His sheep do you desire?
Why would you want to increase your ability to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd?
In this parable, the sheep of the Good Shepherd are those who hear His voice and follow Him (see John 10:3–5, 27).
President Russell M. Nelson gave the following insights about hearing Jesus Christ’s voice:
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Official portrait of President Russell M. Nelson taken January 2018
Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son.
Because when we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance.
… In [these] two words—“Hear Him”—God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us!
As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.
(Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 89)
What are ways that the Good Shepherd’s voice can be heard?
If possible, watch the videos entitled “How I #HearHim: Elder David A. Bednar” (1:15) and “How I #HearHim: Sister Joy D. Jones” (2:45) to hear examples of how Church leaders hear the Savior’s voice. These videos, along with additional examples, are available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
2. Answer the following questions in your study journal:
How do you think hearing Jesus Christ’s voice could help you with your needs?
What have you learned or felt about Jesus Christ from learning about His role as the Good Shepherd?
Optional: Want to Learn More?
John 10:7. Why did Jesus say, “I am the door of the sheep”?
Shepherds in Israel stood at the entrance of a sheepfold and inspected each sheep as it entered, treating injuries as needed. After the sheep were gathered in the enclosure for the night, the shepherd would lie down to sleep in the entrance, barring the way so that predators or thieves could not hurt the sheep. The Savior’s statement “I am the door” makes clear that He was willing to “lay down [His] life for the sheep” (John 10:7, 15) and that He ultimately will decide who will enter the kingdom of heaven. Using an image similar to a door, the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob declared that “the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel” and that “he employeth no servant there” (2 Nephi 9:41).
What is the difference between the Good Shepherd and a hireling?
President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught:
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Photograph of President Ezra Taft Benson. He is seated in a leather chair in front of a fireplace. His hands are clasped in front of him and he is wearing a large turquoise ring on one finger. Official portrait. 1986
Sometimes, however, a wild animal driven by hunger would leap over the walls into the midst of the sheep, frightening them. Such a situation separated the true shepherd—one who loved his sheep—from the hireling—one who worked only for pay and duty.
The true shepherd was willing to give his life for the sheep. He would go in amongst the sheep and fight for their welfare. The hireling, on the other hand, valued his own personal safety above the sheep and would usually flee from the danger.
Jesus used this common illustration of [H]is day to declare that He was the Good Shepherd, the True Shepherd. Because of His love for His brothers and sisters, He would willingly and voluntarily lay down His life for them. (See John 10:17–18.)
John 10:30. What did Jesus mean when He said, “I and my Father are one”?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Official Portrait of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Photographed January 2018.
Our first and foremost article of faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” [Articles of Faith 1:1]. We believe these three divine persons constituting a single Godhead are united in purpose, in manner, in testimony, in mission. We believe Them to be filled with the same godly sense of mercy and love, justice and grace, patience, forgiveness, and redemption. I think it is accurate to say we believe They are one in every significant and eternal aspect imaginable except believing Them to be three persons combined in one substance, a Trinitarian notion never set forth in the scriptures because it is not true.