In this post I will sum up the information I provided in some of my lengthier articles/rebuttals showing how the [N]ew [T]estament portrayal of Jesus as the Shepherd points to his Deity. I will be sharing the links to this material at the end of this article.
YHWH: THE HEAVENLY SHEPHERD
The Hebrew Bible describes YHWH as the chief Shepherd who leads his flock to green pastures and living waters:
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3
YHWH is also depicted as the Shepherd who is enthroned in heaven upon the cherubim,
“Prayer for Israel’s Restoration To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Testimony of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou who leadest Joseph like a flock! Thou who art enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.” Psalm 80:1
And whom believers are depicted as being under his hand of protection and whose voice they are supposed to obey:
“O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice!” Psalm 95:6-7
What’s more, YHWH is said to be coming for the express purpose of gathering his lambs together and to reward everyone for what they have earned:
“Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:10-11
Moreover, the Lord himself expressly taught that God alone is intrinsically good:
“And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.’” Mark 10:17-18
As such, this indicates that YHWH alone is the Good Shepherd whom believers are to flock to.
JESUS CHRIST: THE DIVINE SHEPHERD ARRIVES!
This is where it gets rather remarkable.
Christ identifies himself as the one true and good Shepherd who comes to lead his followers to pasture, and who lays down his soul to save his sheep from perishing:
“So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, ONE shepherd.’” John 10:7-11, 14-16
Christ even describes himself as the Shepherd whose voice his sheep obey and who has them under his sovereign hand of protection in order to grant them everlasting life:
“‘MY sheep hear MY voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of MY hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God.’” John 10:27-33
It is no surprise that the disbelieving Jews reacted the way they did, since they realized that Jesus was making himself out to be the Divine Shepherd whom the [O]ld [T]estament identifies as YHWH God Almighty!
This is further seen from Christ’s claim to be the timeless and ever-living One who comes to repay each individual for what they have earned, the very thing Isaiah said YHWH does when he comes to tend his flock!
“For the Son of man is to come with HIS angels in the glory of HIS Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.” Matthew 16:27 – Cf. 25:31-46
“‘Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end… I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.’… He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!’ Revelation 22:12-13, 16, 20
Jesus’ disciples themselves did not hesitate to describe their risen and heavenly Lord as the great and chief Shepherd, the One who leads his flock to the springs of living water:
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,” Hebrews 13:20
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:21-25
“And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory.” 1 Peter 5:4
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:9-17
Therefore, since YHWH is said to be the one and only good Shepherd who dwells in the heavens above, and yet Jesus is portrayed as the one good and chief heavenly Shepherd, this means that Christ is being described as YHWH God incarnate (even though he is not the Father or the Holy Spirit).
There’s simply no way around this revealed fact.
All scriptural citations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).
FURTHER READING
The Coming of Israel’s Divine Shepherd King Pt. 1a
The Coming of Israel’s Divine Shepherd King Pt. 1b
The Coming of Israel’s Divine Shepherd King Pt. 2a
The Coming of Israel’s Divine Shepherd King Pt. 2b
Answering Islam Blog 