The Perfect Love of the Father

August 24, 2026

A famous actor was once the guest of honor at a social gathering. Guests asked him to recite favorite passages from literature. An old preacher in the room requested the Twenty-third Psalm. The actor agreed on the condition that the preacher would also recite it. The actor’s performance was beautifully polished and dramatic. He received long applause. Then the old preacher stood and spoke the same psalm in a rough, broken voice shaped by years of ministry. When he finished, there was not a dry eye in the room. Someone asked the actor what made the difference. He replied, “I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”

That simple distinction sits at the heart of John 10. Jesus declares, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He is not a hired hand who runs when danger appears. He is the true Shepherd who knows His sheep by name, who goes ahead of them, and who willingly lays down His life for them.

The Old Testament had long prepared God’s people for this moment. God promised through Ezekiel, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep” (Ezekiel 34:15). Isaiah described the Lord gathering the lambs in His arms and gently leading those with young (Isaiah 40:11). David sang, “The Lord is my shepherd.” When Jesus stood and said, “I am the good shepherd,” He was claiming to be the fulfillment of every one of those promises.

Many sermons on this passage spend a great deal of time describing how helpless and foolish sheep can be. There is some truth in that. Sheep need constant care. Left alone they can wander into danger or carry burdens they were never meant to bear. A striking modern example is Shrek the sheep from New Zealand. He hid in caves for six years to avoid being sheared. When he was finally found, his fleece weighed sixty pounds — six times the normal weight. It took a professional shearer less than thirty minutes to remove the crushing load. Shrek carried that extra weight simply because he had stayed away from his shepherd.

We do the same thing. When we drift from the Good Shepherd, the burdens of life accumulate. Worry, guilt, fear, and self-reliance grow heavier year after year. Jesus invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The Shepherd is ready to lift what we were never meant to carry alone.

The difference between a true shepherd and a hired hand becomes clear when the wolf comes. The hired hand runs because the sheep do not belong to him. Jesus stays. He lays down His life of His own accord. No one takes it from Him. He has authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. That is the perfect love of the Father revealed in the Son.

Jesus also said that His sheep know His voice and follow Him. In a world full of competing voices, the most important skill we can develop is learning to recognize the Shepherd’s voice through Scripture, prayer, and the quiet leading of the Holy Spirit. The more time we spend with Him, the clearer His voice becomes.

Do you more often “know the psalm” or truly “know the Shepherd”? What is the difference in your daily life? What burdens have you been carrying that the Good Shepherd is ready to lift? How can you grow in recognizing and following the voice of Jesus this week? In what area of your life do you most need to trust that the Good Shepherd lays down His life for you?

I ask the question again because it is so important we get the answer right. This week, ask yourself, “Do I merely know the psalm, or do I know the Shepherd?” If we carry burdens that have grown heavy because we have wandered away from Jesus that is our choice. The Good Shepherd is still calling your name. He still lays down His life for the sheep. He still leads, protects, and restores. Draw near to Him. Listen for His voice. And rest in the perfect love of the Father made visible in Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Nothing can bring more meaning and purpose to our lives, and give glory more completely to our Savior, Jesus. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).