S4: Week 40 Day 4: Connecting Ezekiel 34:7-16 & John 10:11-15

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace
Episode: S4: Week 40 Day 4: Connecting Ezekiel 34:7-16 & John 10:11-15
Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: Alexa & Beth

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Overview: The Shepherd Connection Across the Testaments

This episode explores the profound connections between Ezekiel 34:7-16 (Old Testament) and John 10:11-15 (New Testament). The hosts, Alexa and Beth, illuminate how both passages center on the imagery of a shepherd and how this theme points directly to the person and work of Jesus Christ. The discussion weaves together prophecy, fulfillment, and the consistent revelation of Christ throughout Scripture, encouraging listeners to see Jesus at the center of the biblical narrative.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jesus as God’s Promised Shepherd

Timestamp: 00:53–01:54

• Alexa explains the foundation of the "shepherd" connection found in Ezekiel and John.
  • Quote (Alexa, 00:53):
    “I loved looking at these passages this week because the shepherd connection between them is so strong. … Jesus calling himself the good shepherd in John 10 wasn't a new idea. This title points back to what we see in Ezekiel 34.”
• In Ezekiel 34, God promises to care for His flock personally and mentions sending His servant "David"—a reference to the Messiah, not the literal King David.
  • Quote (Alexa, 01:19):
    “At the time of Ezekiel 34, David is long dead. So God isn't talking about the actual King David. He's talking about the Messiah who would come from David's line.”
• In John 10, Jesus adopts the title “the good shepherd,” signifying that He is the fulfillment of this Old Testament promise.
  • Quote (Alexa, 01:38):
    “Jesus calling himself the good shepherd is his way of saying that he fulfills God's promise in Ezekiel 34. He is God's promised shepherd. The good shepherd.”

2. The Contrast: Good Shepherd vs. Bad Shepherds

Timestamp: 01:54–04:31

• Beth asks why Jesus uses this shepherd imagery at that particular moment.
• Alexa expands on the context of John 10, highlighting the Pharisees’ spiritual blindness and drawing a parallel to the “bad shepherds” condemned in Ezekiel 34.
  • Quote (Alexa, 02:11):
    “They thought that they were righteous people who earned their place in God's kingdom by their good works. But they were blinded by their pride...”
  • These "thieves and robbers" in John 10 are compared to the selfish leaders in Ezekiel, who exploited the flock instead of caring for it.
  • Quote (Alexa, 02:37):
    “They [the bad shepherds in Ezekiel] didn't actually care about the flock, God's people. They took away from the people to feed themselves. And the same is true for the Pharisees.”
• Jesus, as the good shepherd, is contrasted with these failed leaders. He brings life, salvation, and security to His sheep.
  • Quote (Alexa, 03:15):
    “If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. I love that language because it points us back to Ezekiel 34…”

3. The Gift and Sacrifice of the Good Shepherd

Timestamp: 03:35–04:31

• Alexa emphasizes the unique character of Jesus' shepherding—He lays down His life for His sheep.
• The tangible results of Christ’s sacrifice reflect the prophecy: gathering the lost, healing the hurting, and securing a future in God’s kingdom.
  • Quote (Alexa, 03:52):
    “He is better than any other shepherd because he chose to die for his sheep. And it's because Jesus died for us that we received what God spoke about in Ezekiel 34.”
• Listeners are reminded of the ongoing care and peace Jesus supplies now, as well as the hope of eternal rest.
  • Quote (Alexa, 04:08):
    “He gathers us to Himself and brings us into God's kingdom. He bandages up our brokenness that sin created, and he leads us through this life into eternity, promising to keep us in his constant care.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Seeing Christ in All Scripture

  • “How cool is God that He has woven all these threads and connections throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament and that they all point us to Christ.”
    —Host (Beth), 04:31

• On Present and Future Rest

  • “He gives us a taste of that rest in the present by his continual care for us and the peace that he provides.”
    —Alexa, 03:27

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Important Timestamps

• 00:53–01:54: Alexa discusses the shepherd motif’s continuity from Ezekiel to Jesus.
• 02:11–03:15: The parallel is drawn between bad shepherds (ancient Israelite leaders and Pharisees) and Jesus as the true, caring shepherd.
• 03:35–04:31: Alexa details the cost and benefit of Christ’s shepherding—laying down His life and fulfilling Old Testament promises.
• 04:31: Beth expresses excitement at witnessing God’s cohesive, Christ-centered biblical plan.

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Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is warm, reflective, and deeply rooted in encouraging listeners to discover Christ throughout all of Scripture. Both Alexa and Beth maintain an inviting and sincere tone, aiming to leave listeners inspired to see how God's promises, fulfilled in Jesus, bring hope, peace, and assurance both now and forever.

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Next Episode Teaser:
Tomorrow’s discussion will focus on applying these truths to everyday life, making the connection between biblical shepherd imagery and our walk with Christ personal and practical.

Transcript

[Host]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily Grace. This year we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the new, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[Daily Grace Announcer]

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire biblical story, but but the center of it.

[Alexa]

Hi friends. Welcome back to Here in the Bible. My name is Alexa and I'm here with my co host Beth.

[Host]

Hey everyone. So this week we have looked at Ezekiel 34, 7, 16 and John 10, 11, 15. And now we want to see how those passages connect to one another and ultimately point to Christ. So Alexa, can you help us make all those connections?

[Alexa]

Absolutely. I loved looking at these passages this week because the shepherd connection between them is so strong. I remember studying these passages when I was doing a study on Jesus's I am statements. And I was just blown away when I learned that Jesus calling himself the good shepherd in John 10 wasn't a new idea. This title points back to what we see in Ezekiel 34, and we see that in a few ways. The first is that Jesus shows himself to be God's promised shepherd. Earlier this week when we studied Ezekiel 34, 7, 16, we learned that God was going to shepherd his people, but he was also going to send another shepherd, God's servant David, to shepherd over Israel. Now we know that at the time of Ezekiel 34, David is long dead. So God isn't talking about the actual King David. He's talking about the Messiah who would come from David's line. So fast forward to John 10. Jesus calling himself the good shepherd is his way of saying that he fulfills God's promise. In Ezekiel 34, 7, 16, he is God's promised shepherd. The good shepherd.

[Host]

Okay, so God promises that a shepherd will come. So let's talk about why Jesus then calls himself the good shepherd at the time that he did.

[Alexa]

Yeah. That leads me to another reason why John 10 and Ezekiel 34:7, 16 are connected. If we zoom out a bit from John 10 and consider the chapter before it, Jesus had just pointed out the Pharisees spiritual blindness. They thought that they were righteous people who earned their place in God's kingdom by their good works. But they were blinded by their pride and were unable to see and believe that it was through Christ that one was able to belong to God. So in John 10, Jesus explains this further using the analogy of sheep, robbers and thieves and a gate. Those who try to enter God's kingdom by their own means or essentially climb into the pen are thieves and robbers. They don't have pure intentions. They want to take for themselves rather than humbly enter the gate. And this reminds us of the bad shepherds in Ezekiel 34:7, 16. They didn't actually care about the flock, God's people. They took away from the people to feed themselves. And the same is true for the Pharisees. They don't truly care for God's people. They burden them with a weight of perfect obedience to the law. They care about their own status and their own righteousness. And they are trying to enter God's kingdom by their own means, their own works. But Christ shows that as a good shepherd, he leads people into God's kingdom by his own voice. Those who follow him will experience salvation and true life. And so Jesus says in John 10:9, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. I love that language because it points us back to Ezekiel 34:7, 16 when God says that he will bring his people to good pastures. Jesus is our good shepherd because he brings us to greater pastures. He gives us eternal life in Himself so that one day we will experience everlasting rest in God's kingdom. But he gives us a taste of that rest in the present by his continual care for us and the peace that he provides. And so another major way that Jesus is a good shepherd is because he laid his life down for us so that we could be saved. He is better than any other shepherd because he chose to die for his sheep. And it's because Jesus died for us that we received what God spoke about in Ezekiel 34:7, 16. Though we are lost and wayward in our sin, Jesus seeks us out by his grace. He gathers us to Himself and brings us into God's kingdom. He bandages up our brokenness that sin created, and he leads us through this life into eternity, promising to keep us in his constant care.

[Host]

And this is one of those connections that gets me really excited. How cool is God that He has woven all these threads and connections throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament and that they all point us to Christ. So thank you for sharing all of that with us today, Alexa. Well, now that we've studied these two passages in such depth, we can start to ask how we should apply these things that we've learned to our everyday lives. So come back tomorrow and we're going to discuss just that. So we'll see you then.

[Daily Grace Announcer]

Thank you for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode. And make sure you're following Daily Grace Podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement.

[Alexa]

We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye, friends.