On
the morning, February 1, 2003, many people sat stunned in silence and unbelief
as they heard reports and saw video of the break-up of the Space Shuttle,
Columbia, during its re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. The loss of the shuttle crew plunged the
entire nation into a state of mourning and grief. Shortly after the mishap, our President,
George W. Bush said, “The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names
of the seven souls we mourn today.”
Although he didn’t state a Biblical chapter and verse, I thought of what Jesus said in the Gospel of John.
He said, “I
am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John
10:14).
Notice
four things this verse communicates.
1)
Jesus
is a shepherd. The first responsibility
of a shepherd is to take care of the sheep that are entrusted to him.
2)
Jesus
is the good shepherd. A good shepherd
does everything he can to support and nurture his sheep in loving and gentle
ways.
3)
Jesus
has intimate knowledge of his sheep. A
shepherd has more than a passing knowledge of his sheep—he knows them
intimately. John says, “He calls his own
sheep and knows them by name” (John 10:3).
4)
The
sheep of Jesus know their shepherd. There is opportunity for the sheep to have
knowledge of and intimacy with the Good Shepherd. Jesus never forces His sheep to know
Him. Through gentle love, care, and
nurture, Jesus’ sheep desire to respond to Him in a positive manner.
Amid
national and personal grief, our only hope is in the Lord. Aren’t you glad that God knows you by
name? Aren’t you glad that He has made
it possible, through faith, for you to know Him personally and live with Him
eternally?
