John 10:11-13 "I am the good shepherd..."

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep" (John 10:11-13 RSV).

Question:

Once again, I thank you for helping me grow spiritually with your style of reading Scripture. I have trouble with this verse. I am trying to move away from my old fundamental ways of understanding Jesus as a sacrifice figure to an angry god, but when he says he lays his life down for his sheep, it makes it difficult to understand this passage differently. Can you shed your thoughts on these few verses? Thank you again.

Comment:

It is important to recognize, when approaching any of the great "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, that Jesus is speaking as the Christ—the "I am" link to the Presence and Power of God that is the truth of who we are. He is not claiming unique powers or roles for himself, but rather trying to teach his disciples what the Christ consciousness is, and how it works in them. It is the Christ that is the good shepherd. The Christ Presence of God—the Lord of our being in Hebrew scripture terminology—is the loving, watchful, protective energy within us that is constantly alert to manage the “sheep,” which are the random, easily scattered thoughts in our human consciousness. Through our Christ connection with the Divine we can always know which thoughts can be trusted and empowered through our faith and inner focus. Those thoughts that are in alignment with Christ consciousness are the sheep that will be guided by the Christ shepherd.   It's equally important that Jesus is cautioning against trusting “hirelings,” who are not expressive of the Christ. I think these hirelings, in the context of this overall passage, can be seen as representatives of laws and belief systems that try to impose actions and obligations without being truly connected to the energy of the Christ. Because they are not centered in the Christ, they will desert us at the first sign of a challenge. It is only the Christ energy that will never leave, and will guide us with infinite love through any challenge this mortal experience may present to us.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed