I Am the Good Shepherd
Teachers
Lesson Summary
During the May 21, 2023 class, the teacher introduced the series titled “Knowing Jesus” and explained that the focus would be on the “I Am” passages found in the Gospel of John. He reviewed the first several statements—Bread of Life (John 6:35), Light of the World (John 8:12), Door (John 10:9) and the pre‑existence claim “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58)—showing how each reveals a facet of Christ’s identity and points to a concrete way believers relate to Him. The lesson then centered on John 10:11‑18, where Jesus proclaims, “I am the Good Shepherd.” The teacher highlighted the contrast between a shepherd who willingly lays down his life for the flock and a hired hand who abandons the sheep. He emphasized that the Good Shepherd knows His own, that the Father loves Him for this sacrificial love, and that the mission extends to other sheep, forming one flock under one Shepherd. Connections were drawn to other “I Am” statements—including the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, Truth and Life, the True Vine, and the Alpha and Omega—illustrating the completeness of Christ’s self‑revelation. The class concluded with a reminder of the evening’s graduate celebration and a call to deepen personal knowledge of Jesus.
Key Scriptures
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
I know my own and my own know me, even as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.