The good Shepherd

The simple words of v11 affirm the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ as the good shepherd. He is not simply to be compared to other shepherds. By virtue, firstly, of his person as the incarnate Son of God (reflected in his ‘I am'), and secondly, because of his giving up his life on the cross for us he is in a class of his own. Thus he is to be held in high esteem by us and we are to have strong confidence in him who has secured eternal life for us by his substitutionary atonement.