I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine, John x. 14.
The relation existing between Jesus and his disciples is here expressed metaphorically. The figure, however, is very apt, as applied to this leader and his followers. Never has there been, in human history, a guide of men, gifted with such knowledge and power as Jesus possessed; and never before was there a body of men blessed with such an intimate acquaintance with their leaders, as the disciples had with this same Jesus. He knew his sheep, and the sheep knew their Shepherd.
The aptness of the figure will be seen, when the ignorance, the helplessness, the blind and lost condition of these disciples, are contrasted with the intelligence, and the power to direct, guide, and relieve, which the Master displayed.
