Good Shepherd
Basic Info
John 10:1–21
In John’s Gospel, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd cares for and guides the sheep, and lays down his life for the sheep. The Good shepherd knows his sheep and they know him. Luke (15:3–7) affirms that Jesus will go after the lost sheep. In Matthew (18:12–14), Jesus tells the disciples that they should be the shepherds going after the lost sheep. The image also resonates with Psalm 23, which affirms trust in the Lord as a shepherd that takes away all wants. There are also links with Jesus’ being the sacrificial lamb.
As a devotional image, the Good Shepherd is reassuring and loving. As a community image, it affirms the identity of the community as in the care of Jesus Christ. If something (a proverbial wolf) comes along and scatters the community, the shepherd will drive off the wolf and gather the flock.
Historical Notes
The image of a man or Man/God with a sheep on his shoulders or standing beside him was common in Roman art. It could have represented Hermas, who shepherded people to the underworld for a good afterlife, or it could have symbolized something as basic as caring or charity. Early Christians reinterpreted this common motif for their own context.
What to Look For
- Shepherd clothing and accessories
- Lamb, ram, or ewe on his shoulders or next to him
- Expression and gestures on the shepherd
Questions to Focus a General Interpretation
Is the artwork crafted to inspire confidence in the protection and guidance offered by the shepherd?
Is the sheep depicted as happy to be with its shepherd? Is there a deep relationship of knowing and being known depicted between sheep and shepherd?
Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation
Think about the difference between guidance and protection on the one hand and predetermination on the other. Does this depiction of the Good Shepherd suggest that Jesus controls our destinies or guides them? How does this distinction play out in your life?
What about the artwork attracts you? What repels you? What might that say about what is going on in your life right now?
Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation
What was going on in the artist’s time and place that needed the protection or guidance of a shepherd? Is there any hint of these troubles in the artwork?
Might there have been problems of church authorities having credibility or authority issues in the artist’s time and place? How would these have played in the popularity of the Good Shepherd as an artistic theme?
