Jesus Christ: Our Great Shepherd

June 25th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Although this benedictory passage needs little commentary, there are many things for which to take note. First, God is “the God of peace.” God is much maligned today, but perhaps that is because He is so misunderstood. People tend to define God in their own terms to their own detriment. But God, by definition, is that than which nothing greater can be conceived. Hence, He is sovereign (supreme), omniscient (all-knowing), omnibenevolent (all-loving), omnipotent (all-powerful), and holy—to name only a few of His traits. God can thus never be accused of some deficiency, no matter how confused His ways may appear to us. Here in Hebrews 13:20, God is not the God of chaos but of “peace”—that which is harmonious and free from disputes.

Note also that it is God “who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord” (v. 20). Aside from the creation of the universe by His word alone, the greatest display of divine power was the resurrection of the Lord Jesus three days after His death. Note here that Jesus is called “the great Shepherd,” not merely the “good Shepherd” (John 10). A shepherd is one who watches over his sheep, loving and protecting them as his own possession. A good shepherd would be one who does this well. But “the great” Shepherd is He who dies for His sheep and rises again for their salvation. Jesus alone did this “through the blood of the eternal covenant,” His own blood to guarantee His everlasting promise of the peace God grants us through His life, death, and resurrection.

It is this Lord Jesus, the God of peace in flesh, whom the author prays will “equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight…” So as the author asks for prayer on his own behalf, he prays for his audience the loftiest of prayers: to be equipped for every good thing to do God’s will, God working in us that which pleases Him! A Christian need only to yield to God for Him to work within them and use them so mightily.

Christians can work out their own salvation (Phil. 2:12-13)—not work for their salvation, but work it out in the sense of becoming more and more acquainted with God’s grace in their lives. They do so because God is at work in us “both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). And since Christ is He who works in and through us, it is Christ “to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20). So, note the eternal nature of Christ and the glory that belongs to Him, not to us for somehow being smart enough to receive His call for salvation. If Christ receives glory forever and ever, “working within us that which is pleasing,” then we receive no glory for accepting Him. He receives all glory for saving us. Absolutely. All. Glory!

Food For Thought
Note the theology learned from this seemingly mundane passage: God is the God of peace. God raised Christ from the dead, our Great Shepherd—the overseer of our eternal souls. Christ’s covenant with us was ratified in His own blood, a promise for eternity to save and preserve those who trust in Him. Christ equips His people for every good thing, specifically the doing of the things that are His will, things that work to please Him. These things we do that please God are done through Jesus Christ, and it is Jesus Christ—God in flesh—who is to receive glory forever and ever. Just saying “forever and ever” defines our eternal God. Only that than which nothing greater can be conceived can receive eternal glory. The Lord Jesus Christ is that God. Let us therefore never doubt Him and never deny Him. He is the God deserving of all our praise.