This sonnet continues in the series, So That You May Believe, from the Gospel of John and is a meditation on John 10:11.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

If it is helpful, you may listen to me read via the player below.

Thieves and robbers climb over, go around,
Wreak havoc, rob joy, deal destruction;
They burden the lambs, with rules weigh them down,
Shamelessly steal through guile and seduction

The hireling runs doesn’t stay with the sheep
When danger comes or a wolf steals in;
The hand does not defend but grasps to keep,
Pilfer, and pocket — just a wolf in sheep’s skin.

The Good Shepherd lives the same as his own
Walks the same way, leads in humility;
He enters with them, faces danger alone
Stands fast between threat and hostility.
So that all may rest, be kept safe, be found,
The Shepherd calls his sheep then lays his life down.

© Randall Edwards 2018.
This poem is for Christ’s church. If it is helpful, please feel free to copy or reprint in church bulletins, read aloud, or repost. I only ask that an attribution be cited to myself (Randall Edwards) and this blog (backwardmutters.com). Thanks.

Artwork: Thomas Cole [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons