SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1323

“Good Shepherd”

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

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. – Mark 10:18

You have probably participated in or heard of the responsorial exclamation that ‘God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.’ Intellectually, we understand that Jesus is good. The question before us is: How do we take such head knowledge that God is good and take it to heart and apply it in a practical sense?

What is Good? When Jesus states that He is the good shepherd, the Greek word kalos is used which means that He is a good worker. Jesus has a good work ethic and does the job of shepherding correctly. Kalos is ethical goodness in action. Kalos is doing good things and doing them with excellence.

In contrast, when Jesus says that God is good, the Greek word agathos is used which means He is a good, holy, and moral person. Agathos is being pure and loving in character and morals.

Jesus Embodies Good – Jesus, being fully God and fully man, embodied the goodness of agathos and kalos simultaneously. He was sinless, pure, holy, and carried out His mission with excellence.

I and the Father are one. – John 10:30

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. – 1 Peter 2:22

This where the ‘rubber hits the road’ and the Truth of this Word of God gets traction in our life: As born-again Christians, God wants us to be like Christ with the goodness of agathos and kalos.

Since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:16

Holy (Hagios) means to be set apart and sanctified. It means to be ethically and morally pure. We are to have the likeness of the nature of the Lord because we are different from the world.

And we all… are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:18

The kalos work ethic and agathos morality of Jesus characterized His ‘walk’. We are to walk in the same manner. Our mission and purpose are to bear good fruit for the kingdom of God as pure salt and light in this world.

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. – 1 John 2:6

Love is the Key to Good – Things done well – good works – can be done with wrong motives. The sacrificial, pure love of God working through us brings the agathos and kalos goodness of Jesus together in our life walk.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends; Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – John 15:13; Matthew 20:28

Good Shepherds are Servant Leaders – We are all called to be good shepherds, Husbands, Wives, Parents, Pastors, Government and Business officials.

Husbands and Parents: Husbands and Dads are you taking your role as the shepherd of your family as serious as Jesus does? Do you love them sacrificially?

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her – Ephesians 5:25

Parents, are you leaving your children unsupervised as you chase the mammon of this world? Are they left vulnerable and easy prey to be devoured by the enemy through easy access to the poison of this world through a plethora of devices and social media?

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. – John 10:12

Are you behaving like a hired hand and not like the good shepherd you are called to be? In so doing, are you hindering your children’s spiritual growth?

Jesus said, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 19:14

Business and Government:  A good shepherd in business and government is a moral and ethical steward of God’s provision and divinely delegated positional authority. A business and government leader who walks in the manner of Jesus is a servant leader. They should not treat their employees or constituents as an expendable commodity for their own personal gain.

Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful; Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. – 1 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 4:1

You shall not oppress a hired worker…; Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness…who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages – Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Jeremiah 22:13

Church: There is a great accountability for the shepherds of the church, the Bride of Christ. There is an expectancy that the Truth of His Word and the goodness of God be embodied in church leadership.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! declares the Lord. – Jeremiah 23:1

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. – 1 Peter 5:2; Acts 20:28

May the abiding presence of Jesus in your heart give evidence of the agathos and kalos goodness of God through your life walk and bring Him glory.