I Know You.

"Jesus knows all about our struggles; He will guide till the day is done; there's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one! No not one!"

As you know the above lyrics are from the hymn, "No Not One." The first part of this chorus gets me every time I hear it. To know that no matter what I'm faced with or going through, Jesus knows how it feels and will walk with me hand and hand through the day. What a friend we have in Jesus!

The reason why Jesus can do this is because He is familiar with us. That in my opinion is the second reason why He is The Good Shepherd. In John 10:14-15 Jesus uses the word "know". The word know is defined in Webster's this way, "to be familiar with or have experience." Jesus is the Good Shepherd because He can empathize with us. He has experienced what it is like to have people talk about Him. To abuse Him. To spread rumors about Him. To say false things about Him. To leave Him during His hardest and roughest times. He knows what its like to be viewed as an outcast. Jesus knows all our struggles.

And His response to knowing us is, "I lay down my life for the sheep."

This is the Good News that so many people need to hear. In a world where there is so many uncertainties, the only thing that is certain is we have a Shepherd that is familiar with us and is willing to die for us. In a world that is filled with so much pain and heartache the only answer is for us as Disciples is to tell those in need about One that understands.

Another reason why He is familiar with us is because He created us. Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I Knew you." Isaiah 43:1-3 tells us that God calls us by name. He knows what we can handle, He created us. He knows our limits, He knows what we can withstand and how much pressure we can handle.

Why is Jesus The Good Shepherd? Because He is Familiar.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.