Forty to fifty percent of the Bible is comprised of Biblical Imagery.[1] God, through the agency of the human authors, often used figurative language, symbols, and metaphors in Scripture to communicate God’s spiritual truths to humanity.
For example, Jesus Christ described Himself as the Good Shepherd. At John 10:11, we read, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” This image emphasizes Jesus’ sacrificial love and intimate care for us, His sheep. At John 10:14-15 we read,
I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
There is a close, personal relationship between the Sheperd and His sheep. At John 10:27 we read, “my sheep listen to my voice and I know them, and they follow me.” Please note that His sheep know His voice. God speaks to us by the still, quiet voice of the Spirit.
The Christian spiritual life is a conscientious way of being. We should walk by the Spirit and Word, wherein we live in dependence on the providence of God. Providence is God’s care, provision, and control over His creation to accomplish His perfect will. We must recognize that God is deeply relational. At Matthew 9:36, we read,
Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus is moved by compassion for us. Jesus recognizes our need for guidance and protection. At Ezekiel 34:15, we read, “‘I myself will feed My flock and I Myself will lead them to rest,’ declares the Lord God. ‘I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick….’”
Interestingly, the Bible never describes Jesus as a literal shepherd. The New Testament never describes Jesus as someone who herded sheep as a job during His earthly life. Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55 describe Jesus as a carpenter and the son of a carpenter. The Greek noun tektōn is defined as “a craftsman or worker in wood.”[2] Dr. Craig Keener and other scholars have noted that tektōn could include working as a craftsman in wood and stone.[3] During Jesus’ life, there was a great demand for construction work in nearby Sepphoris. The tetrarch of Galilee, Herod Antipas, provided significant funds for the rebuilding and restoration of Sepphoris during his reign (4 BCE to 39 CE). Before Jesus began His public ministry, He most probably was a skilled middle-class craftsman, who worked with wood and/or stone and may have often walked 3½ miles to and from work each day to places like Sepphoris, where He could find construction and building projects. As we know, historically, our middle-class workers are the backbone of our economy. Before He began his public ministry, Jesus had a physically demanding life. As stated by ChatGPT, “God entered fully into ordinary human existence.”[4]
The Biblical image of Jesus Christ as the shepherd of us believers is an important Biblical image that communicates important spiritual truths. While there is no evidence that Jesus earned his living as a shepherd, He might have had some experience as a literal shepherd. But most importantly, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, who cares deeply for both our spiritual and physical wellbeing.
[1] “What percentage of the Bible is Biblical Imagery” prompt. ChatGPT, GPT-4, Open AI, 2 Jun. 2025, chat.openai.com/chat.
[2] “G5045 – tektōn – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 7 Jul, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5045/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[3] Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Second Ed. InterVarsity Press, 2014, pp. 81-82.
[4] “Before entering His public ministry, Jesus” prompt. ChatGPT, GPT-4, Open AI, 7 July 2025, chat.openai.com/chat.
