Who is your Shepherd? If it isn’t Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, then you are in danger of suffering a permanent spiritual death being permanently separated from Holy God Our Father.
Many of the people who followed Jesus around, did so because they wanted and needed someone to place their faith of a better life, a life without oppression and hardship in.
God through his prophets had prophesied again and again, the Messiah, one who would one day come and declare himself as the King of the Jews and liberate them from their oppressors, at this time Rome. But, until Jesus had appeared upon the scene no Messiah had stepped up.
The Jews were expecting someone with supernatural powers to destroy their enemies, their oppressors, someone who would by force overthrow the Romans and liberate them. They the Jewish people never expected that the Messiah would come, preaching peace and love, and compassion.
JOHN: 10: 23-30;
“And Jesus walked in the temple of Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round and about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed me not: the works that I do in my Father’s name they bear witness of me. But, ye believe not because ye are not my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me. And, I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
JOHN: 10: 30; “I and my Father are one.”
These people had followed Jesus listening to him speak and seeing with their own eyes the miracles he performed day in and day out, turning water into wine, healings of all kinds, casting out demons, even raising the dead back to life, still they could not recognize the Messiah.
JOHN: 10: 36-38;
“Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But, if I do though you believe me not, believe the works; that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him.”
Because of the blinding teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees, and priests like Caiaphas, many of the Jewish people had a very difficult time to recognize their Messiah, even when he stood there in front of them teaching them God’s ways and performing miracle after miracle. Furthermore they had Herod, proclaimed by Rome as a “Puppet king” over Judea, so who were they to listen to, who were they to believe, and believe in?
Jesus desires that not one of God’s children should perish, but know God as our Father, as Jesus knows God as Father, but we must make a deliberate spiritual choice to become one of Jesus lambs and choose to follow in his foot steps.
This requires us placing our faith our belief our trust in God, in Jesus.