Who is the Good Shepherd in the Bible?

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 23:1). With that phrase, the people of Israel summarized, three thousand years ago, their relationship with God. And Jesus, centuries later, took it as his own and presented himself thus: “I am the Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11).

The image of the Good Shepherd is not a decorative metaphor. It is one of the deepest theological keys of the Gospel—and one of the oldest in the entire Bible. From the psalms of David to the Gospel of John, God reveals himself as the Shepherd who seeks, cares for, and lays down his life for his sheep.

In this article we will tell you in which parts of the Bible the figure of the Good Shepherd appears and what it symbolizes.

What is the Good Shepherd like according to the Bible?

The image of the shepherd does not arise out of nowhere in the Gospel of John. We can already find it in the Old Testament, where God himself presents himself as the Shepherd of his people, Israel. Jesus assumes that image and brings it to its definitive fulfillment. He is the Good Shepherd of the new people of God, the Church.

In these biblical passages we can find the figure of the Good Shepherd:

• Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
• Ezekiel 34: The prophet denounces the unfaithful shepherds and God promises to take charge of his flock.
• Isaiah 40:11: Like a shepherd he feeds his flock, he gathers them with his arm; he carries the lambs on his breast and gently leads those that have given birth.
• John 10:1-18: Christ presents himself as the gate of the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.

Psalm 23: total trust in the Good Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; in green pastures he makes me lie down” (Ps 23:1-2). Psalm 23 is the most complete expression of the pastoral theology of the Old Testament. The opening declaration establishes a relationship of total dependence: whoever has God as shepherd lacks nothing essential.

Saint Augustine observes that “I shall not want” does not imply a life free from suffering or material deprivation, but the spiritual fullness that emanates from the presence of God. The passage through the “valley of the shadow of death” symbolizes existential crises and human pain. The shepherd’s rod and staff are instruments of comfort and direction: the sheep does not walk alone, but advances guided by the Good Shepherd’s staff, who provides everything.

Ezekiel 34: the judgment against the bad shepherds

The prophet proclaims God’s judgment against the “shepherds of Israel” who feed themselves, abandon the sick sheep, and scatter the flock. In the face of this negligence by human leaders, God announces a direct intervention:

“I myself will search for my sheep and care for them” (Ez 34:11).

This promise is linked to the figure of the “servant David,” who prefigures the coming of the Messiah. He will not come to exploit the flock, but to restore it. Jesus will explicitly take up this promise in John 10.

• You may be interested in: Pastores Dabo Vobis by Saint John Paul II

John 10: the Good Shepherd and the Gate

In chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, Jesus assumes the titles of the promised Shepherd with extraordinary theological precision. The declaration “I am the Good Shepherd” is one of the most beautiful affirmations of his mission.

Jesus defines himself through two complementary images. As the Gate, he presents himself as the only legitimate access to eternal life:

“Whoever enters through me will be saved; he will come in and go out, and find pasture” (Jn 10:9).

As the Good Shepherd, he distinguishes himself from the hired hand by his radical commitment:

“The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11).

The difference between the shepherd and the hired hand is one of love. The hired hand flees before the wolf because the sheep are not his. The Good Shepherd remains because the sheep belong to him through love.

Johannine theology further emphasizes that the knowledge between the Shepherd and the sheep reflects the knowledge between the Father and the Son:

“I know my sheep and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (Jn 10:14-15).

This knowledge is an intimate union between the shepherd and the sheep that guarantees that

“no one will snatch them out of my hand” (Jn 10:28).

What does it mean that Jesus is the Good Shepherd today?

The Good Shepherd continues to call each faithful person by name, inviting them to enter through the Gate that leads to eternal life.

For the Catechism of the Catholic Church, although there are human shepherds—bishops and priests—who govern the communities, it is Christ himself who ceaselessly guides and feeds his sheep (CCC 754). Each Eucharist is the moment when the flock gathers around its Shepherd. The Liturgy of the Word is the space to “hear his voice”; the Eucharistic Liturgy is the banquet where the Shepherd offers himself as food.

When we attend Mass we respond to a personal call from the One who desires to give us “life in abundance” (Jn 10:10).

• You may be interested in: Message of Pope Leo XIV for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2026

Litany to the Good Shepherd

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Loving shepherd of souls, defend, good shepherd, your flock.
Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock.
Shepherd who gives your life for my life.
Shepherd who has won me when I was lost.
Shepherd who brings me back to the path.
Shepherd who carried me on your shoulders.
Shepherd who always watches over me.
Shepherd who gently feeds me.
Shepherd who gives pure water to my thirst.
Shepherd who is both shepherd and pasture.
Shepherd who gives me loving calls.
Shepherd on whose staff I rest.
Shepherd who sought me even when offended.
Shepherd who is also a gentle lamb.
Shepherd pilgrim from heaven.
Shepherd who leads your flock to glory.
Shepherd who leaves ninety-nine for me.
Shepherd who goes ahead as guide.
Divine shepherd in human form.
Shepherd at whose voice lions tremble.
Shepherd for whom I live and for whom I die.
Shepherd who loses not one of your sheep.
Shepherd more valiant than David.
Shepherd more innocent than Abel.
Shepherd more loving than Jacob.
Shepherd more discreet than Joseph
Shepherd more compassionate than Jonah.
Shepherd more vigilant than Amos.
Shepherd more exalted than Isaac.
Shepherd who has no equal.
Shepherd the best of shepherds.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

Let us pray: O God, who exalted the world through the humility of your Son, grant perpetual joy to your faithful, so that those whom you have freed from eternal death may attain eternal joys; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

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