@2017. Copyright Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz, D.Min., Ph.D. All rights reserved.

Transcription

1 This is a Hebraic oriented analysis for John 10:1-10 which can be used for a sermon or a Bible Study. The Sermon Connect section connects the analysis of the Scripture for a sermon. John 10:1-10 Michael Koplitz, D. Min., Ph.D. (rev: 05/03/2017) Page 1 of 24

2 @2017. Copyright Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz, D.Min., Ph.D. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 24

3 Scripture Exegesis for the Sunday Sermon Outline Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz Contents The main differences between the Greek method...4 and Hebraic method of teaching...4 METHODOLOGY...5 The Process of Discovery...5 Language Process of Discovery Linguistics Section Linguistic Structure Discussion Questioning the Passage Main/Center Point Linguistic Echoes Culture Section Discussion Questioning the passage Cultural Echoes The cultural echo would be that of the shepherd imagery Culture and Linguistics Section Discussion Sermon Connect Hebraic View Ideas for the Sermon Christian Theology Pastoral View Sermon Ideas Sermon Outline Plus Abstract Jesus is our protector who brings us into His Kingdom. Jesus also protects us by not allowing us to leave His Kingdom Outline Page 3 of 24

4 The main differences between the Greek method and Hebraic method of teaching Once you are aware of the two teaching styles, you will be able to determine if you are in a class or reading a book, whether the analysis and/or teaching method is either in a Greek or Hebraic method. In the Greek method it is automatically thought that the instructor is right because of advanced knowledge. In the college situation, it is because the professor has his/her Ph.D. in some area of study, so one assumes that he or she knows everything about the topic. For example, Rodney Dangerfield played the role of a middle-aged man going to college. His English midterm was to write about Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Since he didn t understand any of Vonnegut s books he hired Vonnegut himself to the write the midterm. When it was returned to him, the English Professor told Dangerfield that whoever wrote the paper knew nothing about Vonnegut. This is an example of the Greek method of teaching. Did the Ph.D. English professor actually think that she knew more about Vonnegut s writings than Vonnegut did? 1 In the Greek teaching method, the professor or the instructor claims to be the authority. If you are attending a Bible study class and the class leader says I will teach you the only way to understand this biblical book, you may want to consider the implications. This method is common since most Seminaries and Bible colleges teach a Greek method of learning, which is the same method the church has been utilizing for centuries. Hebraic teaching methods are different. The teacher wants the students to challenge what they hear. It is through questioning that a student can learn. In addition, the teacher wants his/her students to excel to a point where the student becomes the teacher. It is said that if two rabbis come together to discuss a passage of Scripture, the result will be at least ten different opinions. All points of view are acceptable as long as the points can be supported by biblical evidence. It is permissible and encouraged for students to 1 Back to School. Performed by Rodney Dangerfield. Hollywood: CA: Paper Clip Productions, DVD. Page 4 of 24

5 have multiple opinions. There is a depth to God s Word, and God wants us to find all of His messages that are placed in the Scriptures. Seeking out the meaning of the Scriptures beyond the literal meaning is essential to fully understanding God s Word. 2 The Greek method of learning the Scriptures has prevailed over the centuries. One problem is that only the literal interpretation of Scripture was often viewed as valid, as prompted by Martin Luther s sola literalis meaning that only the literal interpretation of Scripture was valid. The Fundamentalist movements of today are generally based on the literal interpretation of the Scripture. Therefore, they do not believe that God placed any deeper, hidden, or secret meanings in the Word. The students of the Scriptures who learn through Hebraic training and understanding have drawn a different conclusion. The Hebrew language itself leads to different possible interpretations because of the construction of the language. The Hebraic method of Bible study opens up avenues of thought about God s revelations in the Scripture that may have never been considered. A question may be raised about the Scripture being studied for which there may not be an immediate answer. If so, it becomes the responsibility of the learners to uncover the meaning. Also, remember that multiple opinions about the meaning of Scripture are also acceptable if they can be supported by Scripture. METHODOLOGY The methodology employed is to use First Century Scripture study methods integrated with the customs and culture of Yeshua s day to examine the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, thus gathering a deeper understanding by learning the Scriptures in the way the people of Yeshua s day did. The Process of Discovery I have titled the methodology of analyzing a passage of Scripture in a Hebraic manner the Process of Discovery. This methodology was developed by the author bringing 2 Davis, Anne Kimball. The Synoptic Gospels. MP3. Albuquerque: NM: BibleInteract, Page 5 of 24

6 together the various areas of linguistic and cultural understanding. There are several sections to the process and not all of the sections apply to every passage of Scripture. The overall result of developing this process is to give the reader a framework into the ideas being presented. The Process of Discovery starts with a Scripture passage. If the passage is in a poetic form, it is identified. Possible poetic techniques include: parallelism, chiastic structures, and repetition. Formatting the passage in its poetic form allows the reader to be able to visualize what the first century CE listener was hearing. The chiasms are labeled by their corresponding sections, for example: A, B, C, B, A. Not all passages of the Scriptures have a poetic form. The next step is to question the narrative, which is accomplished by assuming the reader knows nothing about the passage. Therefore, the questions go from the simple to the complex. The next task is to identify any linguistic patterns. Linguistic patterns include, but are not limited to: irony, simile, metaphor, symbolism, idioms, hyperbole, figurative language, personification, and allegory. Any translation inconsistencies discovered between the English NASB version and either the Hebrew or Greek versions are identified. There are times when a Hebrew or Greek word can be translated in more than one way. Inconsistencies also can be created by the translation committee, which may have decided to use traditional language instead of the actual translation. The decision of the translation committee can be generally found in the Preface or Introduction to the Bible. Perhaps some of the inconsistencies were intentionally added to convey some deeper meaning therefore, the inconsistencies need to be examined. Echoes of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian Scripture are identified. This occurs when a passage from the Hebrew Scripture is used in the Christian Scripture or when a command is directly discussed in the Christian Scriptures. 3 In addition, echoes can be 3 Mitzvot are the 613 commandments found in the Torah that please God. There are positive and negative commandments. The list was first development by Maimonides. The full list can be found at: ttp:// Page 6 of 24

7 found when Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) passages are used in other Hebrew Bible books. In addition to echoes, cross references are listed. A cross reference is a reference to another verse in the Scripture which can assist the reader to understand the verse that is being read. The names of persons mentioned in the passage are listed. Many of the Hebrew names have meaning and may be associated with places or actions. Jewish parents used to name their children based on what they felt God had in store for their child. An example of this is Abraham whose original name was Abram, and was changed to mean eternal father (in this case Abram s name was changed by God to Abraham indicating a function he was to perform). When the Hebrew Bible gives names, many of the occurrences will indicate something special to the reader/listener. The same importance can hold true for the names of places. The time it takes to travel between places can supply insight to the event. Key words are identified in a verse when they are important to an understanding of that passage. There are no rules for selecting the key words. Searching for other occurrences of the keywords in Scripture in a concordance is necessary to understand how the word was being used; this must be done in either Hebrew or Greek, not in English. A classic Hebraic approach is to find the usage of a word in the Scripture by finding other verses that contain the word. The usage of a word, in its original language, is discovered by searching the Scripture in the language of the word. The verses that contain the word being researched are identified and a pattern for the usage of the word is discerned. Each verse is examined to see what the usage of the word is which, may reveal a pattern for the word s usage. For Hebrew words the first usage of the word in the Scripture, especially if used in the Torah, is important. For the Greek words the Christian Scriptures are used to determine the word usage in the Scripture. Sometimes finding the equivalent Greek word in the Septuagint then analyzing its usage in Hebrew can be very helpful. The Rules of Hillel for Bible understanding can be used when applicable. Hillel was a Torah scholar who lived shortly before Yeshua s day. Hillel developed several rules for Torah students to interpret the Scriptures which are referred to as halachic midrash. In several cases these rules are helpful in the analysis of the Scripture. Page 7 of 24

8 After the linguistic analysis is complete an examination of the cultural implications will be examined. The culture is important because it is not specifically referenced in the biblical narratives as indicated earlier. From the linguistic analysis and the cultural understanding it is possible to obtain a deeper meaning of the Scripture beyond the literal meaning of the plain text. That is what the listeners of Yeshua s time were doing. They put the linguistics and the culture together without even having to contemplate it. They simply did it. This will lead to a conclusion or a set of conclusions about what the passage is talking about. Most of the time the Hebraic analysis leads to the desire for a deeper analysis in order to fully understand what Yeshua was talking about or what was happening to Him. Whatever the result, a new deeper understanding of the Scripture will be obtained. The components of the Process of Discovery are: Linguistics Section Linguistic Structure of the Scripture Discussion Questioning the Passage (Answers to these questions are offered for discussion purposes and you may have different answers. Remember, answers must be defendable from Scripture. In addition, you may have additional questions about the passage that is not covered. This applies to this section and to the Questioning the Passage in the Cultural section.) Main/Center Point Verse Comparison on citations or proof text Page 8 of 24

9 Idioms Metaphors Symbols Translation inconsistencies People s names Name of places Word Study Topics Scripture cross references Echoes Rules of Hillel Culture Section Discussion Questioning the passage culturally Culture and Linguistics Section Discussion Only the applicable sections are in this document. Page 9 of 24

10 Language New American Standard "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 "A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. 7 So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. Koine Greek 1 Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ μὴ εἰσερχόμενος διὰ τῆς θύρας εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τῶν προβάτων, ἀλλὰ ἀναβαίνων ἀλλαχόθεν, ἐκεῖνος κλέπτης ἐστὶν καὶ λῃστής. 2 Ὁ δὲ εἰσερχόμενος διὰ τῆς θύρας ποιμήν ἐστιν τῶν προβάτων. 3 Τούτῳ ὁ θυρωρὸς ἀνοίγει, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούει, καὶ τὰ ἴδια πρόβατα καλεῖ κατ ὄνομα, καὶ ἐξάγει αὐτά. 4 Καὶ ὅταν τὰ ἴδια πρόβατα ἐκβάλῃ, ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν πορεύεται καὶ τὰ πρόβατα αὐτῷ ἀκολουθεῖ, ὅτι οἴδασιν τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ. 5 Ἀλλοτρίῳ δὲ οὐ μὴ ἀκολουθήσωσιν, ἀλλὰ φεύξονται ἀπ αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὐκ οἴδασιν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τὴν φωνήν. 6 Ταύτην τὴν παροιμίαν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τίνα ἦν ἃ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς. 7 Εἶπεν οὖν πάλιν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα τῶν προβάτων. 8 Πάντες ὅσοι ἦλθον κλέπται εἰσὶν καὶ λῃσταί ἀλλ οὐκ ἤκουσαν αὐτῶν τὰ πρόβατα. 9 Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα δι ἐμοῦ ἐάν τις εἰσέλθῃ, σωθήσεται, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται καὶ ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ νομὴν εὑρήσει. 10 Ὁ κλέπτης οὐκ ἔρχεται εἰ μὴ ἵνα κλέψῃ καὶ θύσῃ καὶ ἀπολέσῃ ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχωσιν, καὶ περισσὸν ἔχωσιν. Peshitta Verily, verily, I say to you, That he who doth not enter by the door into the fold of the flock, but climbeth up in some other place, he is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth by the door, is the shepherd of the flock. 3 And to him the door-keeper openeth the door; and the sheep hear his voice. And he calleth the sheep by their names, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he hath led out his flock, he goeth before it; and his sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 But after a stranger the flock will not follow, but it fleeth from him; because it knoweth not the voice of a stranger. 6 This allegory spake Jesus to them; but they knew not what he said to them. 7 And Jesus said to them again: Verily, verily, I say to you, That I am the door of the flock. 8 All those who have come, were thieves and robbers: but the flock did not hear them. 9 I am the door: and if any enter by me, he will live, and will come in and go out, and will find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy. I have come, that they may have life, and may have that which is excellent. Page 10 of 24

11 Process of Discovery Linguistics Section Linguistic Structure A 1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. B 3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. C 4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 "A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." B 6 This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. 7 So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. A 9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. Discussion This passage is an A-B-C-B -A chiasm. The center of the chiasm tells us how sheep simplistically follow the voice of the shepherd. Questioning the Passage (The questions and answers offered are for discussion purposes. You may have different questions and answers. Remember all questions are valid and all answers must be defendable from Scripture. This applies to this section and to the Culture Section.) 1. Why is truly said twice in verse one? This is a figure of speech telling the listener to pay attention. 2. Why would nomadic people construct sheep s pens? (v. 1) During Yeshua s time the people were not nomadic as they were when Abraham the Patriarch was alive. Therefore, the villages and towns needed to construct a Page 11 of 24

12 place to keep the sheep at night. A communal sheep pen was constructed because of land constraints and for the people to work together for the need to attend the sheep at night. 3. Why is the shepherd being called a doorkeeper? (v. 3) The doorkeeper is an illustration of the shepherd who sits in the entrance of the three season sheep pen (sheep pens are explained in the cultural section). There was no door in the three season sheep pen. Therefore, the doorkeeper could be viewed as a door because it was he or she who determined who passed into and out of the pen. The sheep were kept in the pen in the evening and night. 4. Why did not the listeners understand such a simple statement as found in verse five? Verse five is a description of how sheep react to their owner vs. a stranger. The sheep know their owner and trust their owner. When a stranger calls to them, the sheep will move away from the stranger. The strangers Yeshua is referring to are probably the false prophets and false Messiahs that existed in those days. In the same ways the true followers of Yeshua will recognize when He calls and will follow Him. True followers will run away from the false messiahs. Main/Center Point Yeshua is more than just the Messiah. The Messiah works to guide us on our journey through life and help us to be righteous before the LORD. Yeshua not only does these things but He does even more. He will protect us from the evils of the world if we follow His words. Linguistic Echoes This is a loose echo but still valid. Yeshua tells us that we follow the true Shepherd that God has sent to us. That true shepherd is Yeshua himself. People in His day were following different bad shepherds. These bad shepherds tended to be classified as Pharisees and Saducees. However, there were plenty of false prophets making all Page 12 of 24

13 kinds of statements about their messiahship. People must be able to recognize the true Messiah and follow Him. The echo is when Samuel was sent by the LORD to Jesse in Bethlehem. Samuel was to select the next King of Israel. Samuel could have selected from the first six sons that Jesse brought before him. But he did not select any of these men to be the next king. Samuel could have easily been talked into an incorrect selection. Samuel asked if there was any other sons he should see. If Jesse would have said no, then Samuel might have made a selection from the group of six sons, and his selection would have been wrong. Instead Jesse brought young David to Samuel and Samuel s waiting had paid off. When people look for the Messiah they might find false Messiahs along the way. Sometimes material items take the place of the Messiah. We are taught here that we need to seek out the true Messiah, Yeshua, in the same manner that Samuel had to seek out King David. Culture Section Discussion The shepherd imagery is very intense in the minds of the Jewish people who Yeshua was addressing. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the Patriarchs) were shepherds owning large flocks of sheep and goats. The Lawgiver Moses spent forty years in the land of Midian being a shepherd to his father-in-law s sheep. The greatest of all of the Kings, David, was a shepherd attending to his father s sheep when Samuel came to the town of Bethlehem to anoint him as the second King of Israel. The Kings of Israel and Judah were called shepherds of the people. From the Kings, the people came to know that there were two types of shepherds. There were the good shepherds who took care of the people and the bad ones. Yeshua used this imagery to show how He was a shepherd of Israel and more. Questioning the passage 1. What is the construction of a sheep s pen? (v. 1) Page 13 of 24

14 There were two kinds of sheep pens. One was a large square building covered with beams, branches of trees and a layer of straw mixed with earth. This type of structure was used in the winter for the sheep. During the other season the sheep were kept in a large square pen without a roof. The pens were large enough for the entire village to keep their sheep in it, therefore, it was a communal sheep s pen. There were walls constructed around the pen so that sheep were protected from wolves, bears and human thieves. At the same time the walls acted as a barrier so that the sheep could not get out. The winter pen had a doors the entrance into the pen however, the other pen did not have a door. When the sheep were brought into the pen at night a shepherd slept at the entrance to protect the sheep and not allow anyone into the pen who should not be there, or any animal. Yeshua used the illustration of Himself as the shepherd of the three seasons pen. Yeshua said that He was the guardian of the Hebrew people in particular and of all people in general. No one could enter the pen without his knowledge. Those who lived under Yeshua s protection would find security and peace. It was Yeshua s teaching that served as a guardian at the door. By following Yeshua s way of living one is protected from the sins of the world which can drive one away from devotion to the LORD Did shepherds name each of their sheep? (v. 3) Sheep knew their owners. They are sensitive animals and were constantly on guard against thieves, robbers and predators. Sheep become afraid when strangers were around them. Therefore, sheep knew when a stranger was among them and tried to move away from the intruder. Every shepherd knew which sheep belonged to him. Also, the shepherd gave names to the sheep in the same way that Western people name their domesticated animals. Sheep promptly recognize the voice of their owner. The owner would call 4 Errico, Rocco A., and George M. Lamsa. "Chapter 10." In Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John: A Commentary on the Teachings of Jesus from the Aramaic and Unchanged Near Eastern Customs. Smyrna, GA: Noohra Foundation, Page 14 of 24

15 out the name of the lead sheep and when the lead sheep moved to the shepherd the rest would follow. The sheep knew that the shepherd was going to take them to a green pasture. 5 Cultural Echoes The cultural echo would be that of the shepherd imagery. Culture and Linguistics Section Discussion Yeshua started his discourse by invoking the imagery of the shepherd at the entrance of the sheep s pen therefore, it is clear that this is an allegorical story. Throughout Christian history this story has been taken literally. There are many art forms of Yeshua folding sheep and guarding sheep. Some of the literal imagery has made Yeshua into a pacifist especially when combined with several other narratives. The shepherd in Yeshua s day defended his sheep from all harms. If that meant using strength and attacking the predator, then that is what the shepherd would do. He would not sit idly by while his sheep were being attacked. Therefore, Yeshua is our defender who would fight any battle necessary to save us from evil. That evil today is the work of the Satan who constantly wishes to attack us. Sermon Connect Hebraic View This narrative is almost always discussed as Yeshua the protector and we are the sheep. Indeed, Yeshua is our protector and we should follow Him as the great shepherd. To believe in Yeshua is to follow His explanations for the Torah and the prophets. It is to live to help others, to learn about God through Yeshua and the eternal life that is awaiting which was made available to us. Thinking about Yeshua as a doorkeeper, or better yet, as the door, we can derive an additional meaning. Keeping the predator, Satan, out is definitely on the list of what Yeshua does for us. How about considering 5 IBID. Page 15 of 24

16 that not only does Yeshua keep the predators out, which keeps us safe, He also prevents us from getting away from His protection. The shepherd at the door of the sheep pen not only prevents predators and people from entering the pen, who should not be there, but also prevents sheep from leaving the safety of the pen. Once you come into the family of God through Yeshua, He is going to do everything He can to keep you in the family. He protects us from doing anything that would remove us from the love and grace of God. The words and actions of Yeshua in the Gospels are examples to us about how to live in God s protection. The LORD set up the Ten Commandments for Israel telling them that if they followed the LORD s law that he would take care of them. When Israel strayed from the Laws, thus leaving the sheep s pen, the LORD sent His prophets to let the people know. Finally the LORD sent his ultimate prophet, the Messiah Yeshua, to protect the people. The LORD also promised to keep someone at the entrance of the kingdom of God, so that it would be harder to get out. The Holy Spirit, sent by the LORD, is with us and is our guide to prevent us from leaving the protection of Yeshua. If we follow the ways of Yeshua we will be protected. If we do not, then we might leave the confines of the LORD s protection. Ideas for the Sermon 1. Our protection under the staff of Yeshua 2. How does Yeshua prevents us from leaving the family? 3. Why does the LORD desire us to be in the family? Christian Theology The shepherd imagery is a strong part of John s Gospel. It indicates that God wants an intimate relationship with each of us. The shepherd knows the names of his sheep and God knows each of our names. How can Jesus be a shepherd and a gate at the same time? The usage of these figures of speech can be quite confusing even to the advanced interpreter. A main message is to be careful of the shepherd you are following. Ultimately, we must follow Jesus as the shepherd. There were, are, and will be many people who will stand before us and claim to be the spokesperson for Jesus. We must be careful who we decide to believe and who to follow. The shepherd imagery tells us to seek out Jesus and to follow him. Page 16 of 24

17 Pastoral View Tielhard de Chardin, a Jesuit paleontologist, said that we must remember that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, not human beings having a spiritual experience. John s Gospel brings together several critical elements that are necessary for an abundant life: water, bread, light, and shelter. This narrative is about shelter. Shelter protects us from the environmental elements and from the animals who would easily become predators to the sleeping person. When we read John s Gospel, perhaps we should read it as spiritual beings learning about the human experience. How do we remember that we are spiritual? By reading, learning and experiences the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Easter lilies are wilting and dying by now (the 4 th Sunday of Easter) and they are physical. However, our spirit will live on because we are spiritual beings. Sermon Ideas 1. Jesus the protector 2. How do we obtain Jesus protection? 3. Why would Jesus protect us? Sermon Outline Plus Abstract Jesus is our protector who brings us into His Kingdom. Jesus also protects us by not allowing us to leave His Kingdom. Outline John 10: Introduction a. Shepherd Imagery b. Jesus, the Great Shepherd c. Jesus, the Great protector 2. Cultural Importance a. Why is understanding the culture of Jesus day a key to unlocking His message? b. Jesus created allegories and parables using His culture Page 17 of 24

18 c. This narrative: doorkeeper and gate d. How can Jesus be both? e. Theological perspective of Feasting on the Word f. Answer to the question is found in the culture g. Two sheep pens explained h. In the three-season sheep pen, the Shepherd stood at the entrance as the door keeper and as THE DOOR i. Jesus is the doorkeeper and the door at the same time! 3. Echo connection to the Hebrew Scriptures a. Samuel was sent by God to anoint a new King of Israel b. God sent Samuel to Jesse in Bethlehem c. Samuel needed to decide which son was the next King d. Seven sons later and no King e. Young David was in the pastures f. Samuel would have selected a false King had he not continued the search for the true king g. The warning to us is about false Messiahs who come to us looking like the true Messiah 4. Additional Protection a. Concentration is on false messiahs and Jesus protection b. Doorkeeper-gate - He keeps predators away from us c. What is never discussed is the other function of the doorkeeper-gate d. Keeps the sheep in the pen e. Jesus keeps us from leaving the Kingdom of God f. Those who fall away from the church and/or the faith are not lost g. Jesus is still protecting them thus showing them love and grace. They are still in the Kingdom of God h. Jesus never gives up on anyone i. Developing doubt or losing faith can happen j. You may think you left the Kingdom of God TRUTH is you haven t because Jesus will care for all of us Page 18 of 24

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24 Works Cited Back to School. Directed by James Signorelli. Performed by Rodney Dangerfield. Davis, Anne Kimball The Synoptic Gospels. Albuquerque. Errico, Rocco A., and George M. Lamsa Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John. Smyrna: GA: Noohra Foundation. n.d. Feasting on the Word. Accessed 1 6, Page 24 of 24