54. A Shepherd Among Men

Jesus knew that the really good people who knew and loved him would eagerly follow him.

"If a man goes into the sheep's stall at night, but doesn't use the door, you know he must be a thief," Jesus told the people.

"But if a man comes through the door, then you know that man is the shepherd. The sheep hear and recognize his voice. He can call all his sheep by name, and they follow him.

"They will not follow a stranger, because they don't know his voice. They will become scared and run away."

Jesus told the people that he was their shepherd. He would stand by the door and keep out all the robbers and thieves.

"I am like a good shepherd who would lay down his life for his flock," Jesus said. "I will call out to my sheep, and if another lamb hears and recognizes my voice, even though he is not part of my flock, I will welcome and care for him, too."

One day Jesus spoke to a crowd of people who had done many bad things. Other religious people in towns became angry at Jesus. They said, "Look, he welcomes these bad people and even sits down to eat with them."

Jesus said to the town's people:

"What do you do if you are tending one hundred sheep and you see that one of them is missing? You leave the herd of ninety-nine and go looking for the lost sheep. When you find it, you are very happy. You carry it back home with you and say 'Look! I have found my lost sheep. Let us celebrate! '

"That is how God feels when a sinner comes to ask him for forgiveness. He is happy to have ninety-nine good people who follow him, but he is more happy to find the one person he lost."

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