When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
- John 10:4

In this week’s passage, the shepherd/gatekeeper goes ahead of the sheep and the sheep follow him. The sheep follow because they have established a trust-filled relationship with the shepherd. The sheep follow and are safe.

Several times throughout the Gospels we see that Jesus goes on ahead of his disciples. We hear him say this before his crucifixion and after his resurrection. We follow him not just by obeying him but by walking where he walked, by looking to his example to take our next step.

The sheep can follow the Good Shepherd because the shepherd protects the sheep. As long as they are with the shepherd, they are safe. When they abandon the shepherd, they are truly at risk. This is why Isaiah lamented: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned away – every one – to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6a). Drifting away from the shepherd is dangerous. Predators come looking for us. Pitfalls trip us up. Left on our own, we can’t find our way home.

But in the kingdom of Jesus, straying sheep are not abandoned. This is why Isaiah continued: “and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all … he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people” (Isaiah 53:6b, 8b). Jesus came looking for us and he found us. He joined us in the dangerous place in which we had trapped ourselves and sacrificed himself for our sake. Rising again, he leads us on our journey home, to well-watered and safe pastures.

Knowing this, why do we drift?

We drift away from the Good Shepherd when we stop paying attention to him. We wander when we start paying attention to the attractive patches of green grass on the roadside. We go astray when we stop trusting our shepherd to lead us to the best pasture.

How have you experienced Jesus going ahead of you in your life? How has he prepared a place for you? In what ways have you gone astray?