Jesus as The Good Shepherd John 10vs 1-18 & 22-31 Introduction When Jesus used the picture of a shepherd and the sheep he used a picture which was woven into the thought and the language of the Jewish people (Ps 79 v 13, 80v 1; 95v7; 100v 3). God is both a personal shepherd (Genesis 48v15, Psalm 23 v 1) and collectively for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament (Psalm 80v1). Israel s leaders and later Christian leaders in the New Testament (1 Peter 3 vs 2-5; Acts 20 v 28) are referred to as shepherds of the sheep. In Latin the word Shepherd means, Pastor. God through the Prophets condemns false shepherds who have lead people astray (Ezekiel 34 vs 1-10) and promises one day a true shepherd for all; prophesying about the Messiah (Ezekiel 34 v 23/37v24). Jesus in His ministry demonstrated what it was like to be a human shepherd: Jesus it is who in His life finds the lost sheep- Matt 18 v 12, Luke 15 v 4. Jesus saw the crowds that they were sheep without a shepherd. He expresses compassion for the lost and hungry- Matt 9 v 36; Mark 6 v 34. His disciples are his own little flock-luke 12 v 32 When the shepherd is taken away the flock are leaderless and scatter- Mark 14 v 27; Matt 26 v 31. The picture reaches its complete form in John 10 vs 1-14: He knows each sheep by name He is the one they follow He is the door of protection from danger and entrance into safety He is not like the hireling who might run away at the first sign of danger but he is willing to go the extra mile and give His life for the beloved sheep. Explaining the passage Background to passage: Jesus had just had an altercation with the religious leaders about healing a man born blind (see John 9) and the message of this story was that the leaders were so blind they could not see who was in front of them. It links with this passage in that the One True Shepherd had come. These statements were spoken around the Feast of the dedication of the Temple. Jesus talks about his body being the Temple and in Him they will find life, not in a physical building and all it represents. Jesus predicted that He would die and rise again referring to His body as, This Temple. (John 2 v 19) John 10 vs 1-18 & vs 22-31: Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In this passage there is heaped together almost everything from sheep, sheepfold and shepherds which can be used to illuminate the work of Jesus. It is a collection of pictures. Jesus is the door for the sheep; the door for the shepherd; and the door through which salvation came to us-a doorway into the very presence of God Himself.(William Barclay, from Jesus as they saw Him. I am The Good Shepherd I AM: The I am was revealed to Moses in Ex 3 v 14. In the Hebrew it literally means to be from the verb Hayah. This verb is related to Yahweh meaning Lord. By using the prefix, I am, Jesus wreaks havoc on the current Jewish thinking and they react by saying that Jesus has put himself in 1
the place of God (v 29 31). In declaring that He is God He is declaring His divinity with the Father (v 26, 29, 30) and that He is one substance with the Father (v30). The everyday Jewish believer would be very familiar with the term I am or Lord / Yawheh. People would have been wondering what was going on. Something I think we perhaps underestimate if we are non-jews and not brought up in the history. GOOD: The word in Greek for good in this verse is, kalos, It means uniquely good, noble, beautiful and wholesome in contrast to that which is wicked, mean, foul, unlovely and unlovely. It also means that it is not just an outward goodness but an inward character- an innate goodness. God is inherently good and Jesus is saying that He is the good God, who looks after His sheep. He was contrasting Himself as different from previous Jewish leaders, Prophets and Kings. He was also making a distinction between Himself and the religious leaders of the day who had in some ways made it more difficult for people to reach God. Many had their own personal and political agendas. This is demonstrated in their insistence of Sabbath laws and forbidding Jesus from healing. Their behaviour reflected that of a hireling who often did not have the sheep s interests at heart. APPLICATION: So what can we learn today about Jesus s declaration as the Good Shepherd? Three main points and they centre on our relationship with Jesus the Shepherd. Jesus is the One who will give His life for the sheep, His people so they can have the life God wants them to have. Jesus gave up His life so we could have life and be rescued forever from danger and God s wrath: He sacrificed His life so we could be free from wrath and danger forever. Jesus the firstborn son of the Owner of all came to give His life for the sheep so they could be protected forever. 1) Jesus is the only way to the real life in God. (John 10 vs 7-11): Jesus is the door through which we all have to go through to be restored to relationship with the Father. Jesus said in John 14 v 6, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through me. Peter declared in Acts that it was only in the name of Jesus that we could be saved (Acts 4 v 12). Ravi Zaharias says in his book, Jesus Among the Gods, that there are key distinctive features about Christianity that are unique only to our faith and they are all realised in the person and work of Jesus. Jesus is inclusive: He wants to bring people into his fold, Jesus talks about the disciples here, who had first believed and He says there are others of faith He is gathering; the start of the Church. All peoples from every tribe tongue and nation to be His flock with the one True Shepherd. Hosea predicted this (Hosea 1 vs 10-11 and Paul confirmed that this had been God s plan all along (Ephesians 1 v 10). Jesus referred to His disciples as His little flock (Luke 12 v 32), and that God was glad to give them His Kingdom. However, Jesus clearly makes a distinction between those who are His sheep and those who are not and the difference is believing in Him- we all have to come the same way (John 10 vs 25-29). This is not a new concept in the bible but was made clearer when Jesus came. No one has ever been excluded from being God s people if they had the faith in the Old Testament-Ruth and Rahab are good examples. The true people of God are the faith seed of Abraham- human inheritance is not the guaranteed way. There is only one people of God, not two or two routes. The dividing wall of partition has gone forever 2
(Ephesians 2 vs 11-16) between Jew and Gentile. Anyone or any teaching which attempts to rebuild that partition are going against the gospel. The enemy will want to rob us of life (John 10 v 10a). It is a counterfeit life he offers and not the true life Jesus gives. His life robs, steals and destroys our humanity and strips us of our dignity. The enemy too wants to discredit the Church as the people of God. Other religions will not take us there, it is only through Jesus. All roads do not lead to God as comparative religion will try to say. Yet it is clear that God can reveal Himself to anyone in any way He chooses. We know of testimonies of people who have been spoken to by God and had a revelation of Jesus, through their own religious literature. God has deposited His truth in all the Earth and in all cultures. There is only one way through to Jesus and to know Him and this means having a personal revelation of Him. It is not dependent on your parent s faith, or your Christian heritage- it is a personal encounter with the living God that we enter the sheepfold of His children. It is not an intellectual decision but a change of heart only the Holy Spirit can bring, as we respond to Him in faith. 2) Jesus Leads us into the full Life he has for us (John 10 vs 3-4; 27). ] He knows what is coming, He goes before to prepare our path as we follow Him (Psalm 32 vs 7-8, Jeremiah 29 v 11). He may clear the road before us (Isaiah 40 vs 3-4, Isaiah 42 v 16) but at other times he does not but can lead us through the difficult path as He has been there. God promises that though we face difficulty, He is with us- through the waters (Isaiah 43 vs 1-2). He can be trusted with our future and He will never leave us (Matthew 28 v 20). He is sovereign who guides our path. If we truly believe this nothing happens to us in our lives without His hand; nothing is a surprise to Him. Henri Nowen says, Let s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see it in the guiding hand of a loving God. Jesus gives us life in all its fullness (John 10v 10), but that does not mean as the world might mean. For some the way He leads is one of suffering or denial but within that one can find His life. He knows what the best track is for us and what will make us grow and what His purpose is for us. The Christian life is meant to be exciting; we do not know what is round the next corner. We often plan and try to control but if we have committed ourselves to Him He will guide us and it does not have to be a heavy thing. It is important to recognise with guidance that often we are in His will doing the things for Him right now. Looking too far ahead we may lose what He might be saying to us now. 3
Proverbs (Proverbs 3 vs 5-8) tell us to commit or give over to God our own thoughts and plans and He will guide us. Often the Holy Spirt has already placed these things in our hearts already but we have to be willing to surrender our own desires if they appear in conflict with His too. Jesus will make sure we hear His voice (John 10 vs 4-5& 27). Just like the shepherd had a specific cry or call for his sheep, so God knows how to get through to us. Even when we take a wrong turn, He finds us and makes all things work together for good (Romans 8 vs 28) as He is committed to us 100%. To be fully alive is to be in the centre of where God wants us to be-this is the pasture we will flourish in. Illustration: Planning and strategic gifting a blessing and a curse. 3) Jesus sustains us in the Life He gives (John 10 vs 11-13): He knows those that are His and He knows all about us: The very hairs of our head are numbered (Matt 10 vs 29-31). Psalm 139- gives us a picture of an all-knowing God. The Shepherd in NT times knew his sheep well; he had time with them. There is security in being His children. He says none can snatch them out of His hand (John 10 vs 28/29) and that includes us. If we are His children we always will be. Jesus gave His life so we could be allowed to enter the fold of God (John 10 v 11,15,18). He knew this was the only way He could secure our salvation and future security. With Jesus as the shepherd and guardian of our souls we are protected. The prodigal son goes off spending his inheritance but he never stops being the son (Luke 15). Paul says that nothing can separate us as His children from God s love if we His and called by Him (Romans 8 vs 28-39). He is attentive: He shows a ceaseless vigilance, patience and consistency: He watches over us, promising to be with us until the very end, he feeds and provides for us (John 10 v9/philippians 4 v 19). He both notices and seeks us when we go wandering; He bears with all our mistakes and sins and works for our good despite this (Romans 8 v 28) Jesus noticed Zaccheus in the tree, He bothered to look up (Luke 19 vs 1-10). This is a God who deeply cares for us and will go out of His way to find us. He is not the harsh tyrant, looking out to trip us up if we make a mistake- but the God who is deeply in love with us that He is prepared to go all the way. Brennan Manning in his writings, talks about the, furious longing of God to find us-like a shepherd after a lost sheep, He will search for us, to the end. Jesus moved Heaven and Earth to reach us. 4
We can project onto God our ideas of Him based on our own interpretation of our experiences and at the hands of others and authority. This is called idolatry. Blaise Pascal said, God made man in His image and we have repaid the compliment. God treats us with gentleness and a care that we cannot fully fathom Psalm 18 v 35 36, His gentleness makes me great. It is God who lifts us up to greatness in His gentleness. Being treated in this way by Jesus helps us to realise how we need to be towards others. As we have the Holy Spirit of God within us we can make choices about how we respond and treat others. Are we patient, kind and gentle with each other and others in the world? That is the spirit of Jesus, reaching out to a lost world who needs Him. Colossians 3 vs 12-13: And so, as those who have been chosen of God, Holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Conclusions 1. Jesus is the only way to God and he Has done all He can to reach us 2. God had a dream before the foundation of the world that He would gather a flock of people from all nations, languages, cultures and ethnic backgrounds. 3. We can trust Him with our lives. 4. We have a patient, caring and loving God who treats us with gentleness and dignity; unlike the enemy whom wants to steal, kill and destroy 5. We are secure as His children- none can pluck us out of His hand. 6. Treat each other in the same way God has treated us. 5