Jesus Christ embodies the role of the Good Shepherd, as He guides and supports His sheep with perfect goodness, sacrificing Himself for their sake. His benevolence surpasses all others, reflecting a nature that is morally beautiful, noble, and true. As the Great Shepherd, He was sent by the Father with authority and purpose, sacrificing Himself, rising from the grave, and ascending to heaven where He intercedes for His sheep. Both the Father and the Son share a unified love for the sheep, driving the Son to seek and save those who are lost. As the Ruling Shepherd, Jesus Christ will return to reward His faithful under-shepherds who care for the flock. He combines the qualities of shepherd, parent, and ruler, embodying the ideal of kingship by leading His little flock with authority and care, promising them the kingdom. Furthermore, as a good shepherd, He owns His sheep, leading them with a unique call to beneficial pastures and protecting them from danger. His personal connection to His sheep is evident as He refers to them as His own, emphasizing their unconditional obedience and submission to Him as their Creator and guide.

Sometimes, circumstances conspire to scatter Christians into small groups or even from all contact with other believers, leaving the sheep without a shepherd. However, if sheep choose to become without a shepherd, they reject one of the Chief Shepherd's major gifts to His flock, willfully taking themselves outside of His established order. Christ has gifted human shepherds to aid in bringing all the sheep to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Our Savior oversees the under-shepherds, holding them accountable for failures in their responsibilities, which there will be simply because they are human. To purposefully become a sheep without a shepherd is to put oneself in serious danger, for the Christian is then likely to turn to his own way, develop bad spiritual habits, become stuck in a rut, make himself a prey for Satan, and ultimately become malnourished and spiritually diseased. Christ clearly establishes that the sheep have the responsibility to submit to godly shepherds, comparing their instruction with what God has already established in His Word, following a shepherd's faith only as it complements and corresponds with the teachings of Jesus. Because of the unraveling of the church of God in recent decades, the overall flock has experienced a great deal of agitation. Shepherds may become suspicious and even contemptuous of other shepherds, engaging in turf-wars and sheep-rustling, inciting further unrest among the sheep. If sheep have suffered abuse or neglect at the hand of a hireling or derelict shepherd, they will be less inclined to trust other shepherds, and peace is the casualty. Some shepherds, in letting their attention slip away from the Good Shepherd, have filled the void by elevating themselves, leading to a tendency to use and abuse the sheep rather than tending and feeding them. Despite the chaos and confusion in the greater church of God, none of it is out of the Shepherd's control. He oversees the under-shepherds, working in their lives to ensure that His will is fulfilled. He has already laid down His life for His sheep, and not one who is looking to Him will be lost. If we are intent on following the Shepherd's guidance, continually looking to Him for direction, He will lead us to the best pastures.

Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, personally knows and cares for His sheep, embodying His role as the door through which they find salvation and pasture. He ensures their well-being, as sheep are far from self-sufficient, requiring constant attention and direction to thrive. Without His guidance, provision, and protection, His flock would face real trouble, as sheep left to themselves cause desolation through habitual and destructive behaviors. They follow the same trails into ruts, overgraze areas into wastelands, and pollute their fields with parasites and disease, necessitating a shepherd's vigilant oversight. A skilled shepherd, like Christ, keeps His flock moving to maintain their health and the quality of the pastures, changing their grazing areas to provide the best food and prevent re-infection from parasites. Similarly, as the church is His flock, He prevents destructive habits by changing the circumstances of our lives, ensuring they do not become static. Even with good intentions, we sin and create environments of spiritual disease, but under His care, we are guided away from such dangers. Sheep naturally wander off, each to their own way, mirroring the current state of the church, where spiritual disease, malnourishment, and desolation persist due to straying from Him. Yet, the Good Shepherd never abandons His flock; He faithfully calls us back before it is too late, often through uncomfortable circumstances that remind us of our absolute dependence on Him. His sheep hear His voice and respond willingly, trusting that He has a better path for them, even if it means leaving behind familiar trails and favorite spots.

Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, embodies sovereign leadership and intimate care over His sheep. He knows His flock deeply, as they know Him, fostering a bond where the sheep anticipate His will and reflect His ways, becoming one with Him as He is with the Father. This intimate understanding enables the Shepherd to guide His sheep effectively, teaching and commanding with authority. Leadership is vital for a good shepherd, as sheep often stray without guidance. The Good Shepherd's voice is familiar to His flock, and through the discernment provided by the Holy Spirit, they recognize and flee from misleading voices that lack truth. His guidance leads them in paths of righteousness for His name's sake, ensuring their safety and direction. The Good Shepherd's willingness to lay down His life for His sheep is a profound act of love and obedience to God, His Father. He voluntarily gave Himself up, not taken by force, highlighting His commitment to His flock. This sacrifice underscores His special relationship with His followers, the saints, who are the members of His flock. Through His sacrifice, the Good Shepherd grants abundant, eternal life to His sheep by overcoming the penalty of sin through resurrection. The same Spirit that dwells in the Father and the Shepherd also resides in the sheep, securing their eternal life. No one can steal His sheep from Him, as they are held securely in His hand, protected even against the gates of Hades. Despite being sheltered in many pens, all remain one flock under His care, united by their harmony with Him and their obedience to His voice.

Jesus Christ, as the Good Shepherd and Chief Shepherd, has appointed under-shepherds to watch over His physical and spiritual flock, a practice that extends from ancient Israel through the New Covenant era and into the Millennium. The Chief Shepherd provides the pattern for these under-shepherds, gifting them to reflect His own shepherding attributes in their responsibilities. However, false shepherds, not appointed by God, also exist, described by Jesus as thieves and robbers who come to steal, kill, and destroy, and as hirelings who abandon the sheep in times of need for their own safety. God pronounces woe on appointed shepherds who become derelict, destroying and scattering His flock, leading them astray, and feeding themselves rather than the sheep, ruling with cruelty instead of strengthening and healing. Despite imperfections, Jesus Christ has established the roles of under-shepherds and gifted them to serve in His ordained order. Sheep face the danger of becoming overly dependent on under-shepherds, leading to spiritual immaturity by not testing all things or exercising discernment. Such dependence, focusing more on the under-shepherd than the Chief Shepherd, hinders preparation for roles in the coming Kingdom of God. Conversely, the condition of sheep without a shepherd is consistently negative, often resulting from being driven away or scattered by abuse and neglect. In such cases, sheep must beseech the Good Shepherd to gather them to the under-shepherd of His choosing.

Christians are often likened to sheep, with ministers serving as shepherds. Sheep naturally gather in flocks and follow a leader, allowing a single shepherd to manage many successfully. However, sheep need constant care due to their habitual nature; without guidance, they will wear trails into ruts, overgraze fields into dust bowls, and corrupt their pastures with disease and parasites. Thus, shepherds must continually lead them to fresh pastures, highlighting the critical importance of their guidance. A shepherd is one who herds, guards, and cares for sheep, and this role carries significant spiritual weight. Jesus Christ, our Chief Shepherd, has appointed human shepherds to tend His flock. These shepherds are tasked with feeding the flock and protecting it from grievous wolves—false shepherds who seek to lead the sheep astray from God's truth, sometimes emerging from within the flock itself. Sheep recognize their true shepherd by his voice. In the morning, when many flocks are mixed together in an enclosure, the shepherd calls his sheep by name, and they separate from the others to follow him. The sheep know and respond to his voice, ignoring the voices of strangers. This voice represents not just sound, but a message of revelation and enlightenment. The true shepherd's message compels the sheep to follow immediately. To discern a true shepherd, the sheep must test the spirits and understand the message. Only those of God's flock can truly hear and comprehend the message of His ministers. A message widely accepted by the world should be approached with caution, as God's sheep will distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error through the shepherd's guidance. The shepherd's duty is to oversee the flock comprehensively, leading them down the paths of righteousness, calling them out from the enclosure of mixed flocks, and guiding them rightly as their ears are opened to hear His voice.

Sheep have a natural inclination to assemble in flocks, a characteristic that enables a lone shepherd to handle hundreds of sheep. Sheep require constant care as they are creatures of habit; if left to themselves, they follow the same trails until they become ruts, graze the same hillsides until they turn to wastelands, and pollute their ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites. Therefore, they must be constantly led to fresh pasture, highlighting the critical role of the shepherd, defined as one who herds, guards, and cares for sheep. The elders are exhorted to shepherd the flock of God among them, serving as overseers willingly and eagerly, not for dishonest gain. When the Chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Jesus Christ, as the Chief Shepherd, has ordained various men to serve as human shepherds, referred to as pastors, a term that literally means shepherd. These shepherds are to take heed to themselves and to all the flock, shepherding the church of God which He purchased with His own blood, while being wary of savage wolves or false prophets who will come among them, not sparing the flock, and even rising from within to draw disciples away with perverse teachings. Sheep know their shepherd by his voice; they hear it, and he calls his own sheep by name, leading them out. They follow him because they recognize his voice, but they will not follow a stranger, fleeing from him as they do not know his voice. This voice represents a message or disclosure, and the true shepherd preaches a message that the sheep will hear and follow. God's sheep are to test the spirits to discern whether they are of God, as many false prophets have gone out into the world. Those of God hear and understand the message of God's ministers, while those not of God do not understand. If the world understands a shepherd, then that shepherd is of the world, and this is how truth is distinguished from error. The shepherd's job is to oversee the flock in all respects, leading them down the right path. God's sheep, having been like sheep going astray, have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls, responding to His voice, separating themselves from the larger flock, and following Him by understanding the message conveyed.