The True Meaning of Christmas 2024: Jesus, The True Shepherd

Each year during Christmas, what would be on your mind? Is it any of the following things?

– What should I get for him/her as a Christmas gift this year?
– Where should we celebrate Christmas this year?
– Christmas should be cold and snowy – let’s travel this Christmas?
– Shopping, dining and enjoying the beautiful Christmas lights along Orchard Road?

While we have touched on the true meaning of Christmas on the birth of Jesus Christ foretold and the Gospel of Jesus Christ here, somehow there’s a prompting to touch on the topic of Jesus, The True Shepherd this year.

In the past few days, there were three separate occasions that the topic of Jesus, The True Shepherd was repeated to us. First, during our Quiet Time (QT) where we covered John 10 when we were reading the Bible. Second, after not watching The Chosen (a Christian TV series) for a while, the episode touched on the exact same topic as what we did during QT and lastly, our pastor also touched on it briefly today. Therefore, it seems appropriate that our sharing this year would come from John chapter 10 verses 1 to 18:

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Context To John Chapter 10.

In the previous chapter (John 9), Jesus healed a blind man and left him while the man was confronted by the Pharisees, asking him who had healed him. After some fiery exchanges, including a part where the man’s parents were asked about how the blind man could now see (to which the parent’s said “He is of age, ask him.” because of fear of the Jewish leaders if they had acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah – the promised Saviour), Jesus caught up with the man later and asked if he believed that Jesus was the Son of Man (or the Messiah). The Pharisees then overheard this conversation and were angry when Jesus said the following to them:

“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

This was when Jesus went on to talk about the Good Shepherd and His sheep. A couple of interesting notes here:

1. The Sheep Listens To His Voice and He Calls His Own Sheep By Name, Leading Them Out. In the past, shepherds would “deposit” their sheep overnight in a sheep pen. A sheep pen could be someone’s yard, someone’s field and more than 1 group of sheep could be deposited into the same sheep pen. In the morning, when the shepherd comes to lead his sheep out, the sheep would hear the voice of their particular shepherd when he calls and follows him out of the sheep pen.

What This Means: Likewise in the world, Jesus continues to call out to His sheep through the Gospel message. The same message which you would be hearing during Christmas or Good Friday every year.

Will you be the one who will respond to His voice this Christmas?

2. I Am the Gate For The Sheep, Whoever Enters Through Me Will Be Saved. After depositing the sheep, the shepherds would be sleeping or resting outside the sheep pen. No one, not the thieves nor the robbers would be able to get in unless they confront the shepherd. The sheep under the watchful eyes of the shepherd, would then be able to come in and go out and enjoy the green pastures.

What This Means: Jesus has mentioned in John chapter 14 verse 6 that

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

What Jesus is saying is that there is only one way to reconcile with God the Father and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. If you believe in Jesus, He will send the Holy Spirit to help you (John 14:16-17). Just as the sheep can continue to graze freely under the watchful eyes of the shepherd, you will be able to enjoy freedom in Christ being guided by the Holy Spirit as we go journey through life on earth.

Do you want to receive this freedom that one can only enjoy in Jesus Christ?

3. I Am The Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life For The Sheep. There are real dangers for the sheep such as thieves, robbers and wild animals such as wolves and bears. Just like how David describes how he protects his flock,

“Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it.”

the shepherd will lay down his life to protect his flock.

What This Means: Jesus was alluding to His eventual death on cross. As the True Shepherd, He not only calls us by name, He redeemed us by laying down His life. Through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, He has won the victory over death – offering eternal life to those who hears His voice and believes in His redeeming sacrifice. This is why John chapter 3 verse 16 says:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Are you willing to receive this gift of eternal life this Christmas?

4. I Have Other Sheep That Are Not Of This Sheep Pen.

What This Means: The original hearers of this message would have thought that the Messiah was meant only for the Jewish people. Today, we know that Jesus’ death on the cross does not distinguish between Jews and Gentiles. “There shall be one flock and one shepherd” – those who hear His voice and believes in the Gospel message is the sheep of the one flock that Jesus is referring to.

Do you want to follow the True Shepherd this Christmas?

Dear Brother and Sister,

If there is a prompting in your heart to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, all you have to do is to say the following prayer and understand that you can receive Jesus Christ right here and now:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I believe that you died on the cross for me and rose again on the third day. Thank you for saving a sinner such as I. I ask for the Holy Spirit to come live inside me and guide me as I journey with you in the days ahead. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

If you have said this prayer to Him, congratulations! Today, by the way, is your new birthday as you have been “born again in the Spirit”.

Next Steps

I hope you will now find a church and perhaps join a cell group to grow deeper in Christ. Remember, the Lord speaks to us primarily through the Bible. So read the Bible and commune with Him through prayer. As you grow, you will be sensitive to the many ways that He will speak to us – through His Word, directly through an audible voice, through people or situation around us.

Go on now and enjoy this journey and freedom in Christ! 🥰🙏