Good Shepherd


noun

Jesus Christ. John 10:11–14.

British Dictionary definitions for good shepherd

Good Shepherd

noun

New Testament a title given to Jesus Christ in John 10:11–12

Cultural definitions for good shepherd

Good Shepherd

A title of Jesus, based on a passage in the Gospel of John, where he says, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep,” and “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” The metaphor of God as a shepherd is also found in the Old Testament. The Twenty-third Psalm begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and a passage in the Book of Isaiah says that God “shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm.”

notes for Good Shepherd

The use of the title “ pastor” (shepherd) for certain Christian clergymen carries on the idea.