In describing Himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus made an interesting contrast between Himself and a hired hand (vv. 12–13). A hired hand, Jesus contended, was not reliable because he didn’t care about the sheep. And why should he? They wouldn’t be his sheep. So, if a wolf comes along to snatch a sheep, the hired hand will not risk his own life to save that sheep. Instead, he will run off and likely later plead his case of how much danger he had been in to the owner of the sheep.

But Jesus is no hired hand. He is the Good Shepherd because the sheep are His. He owns them. He loves them. And that is why He sacrificed His life for them. 

We need to see Jesus for who He truly is, but it cannot stop there. We also need to see ourselves for who we truly are. Do you see yourself as the beloved sheep you are? Do you understand that Christ’s love for you is fixed because you are His and He is yours? Jesus is no hired hand who will run off and abandon you. And neither are you a random sheep.

How can you tend to see yourself incorrectly at times? Why?