I AM Part 4

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Intro:

We kicked off a series a few weeks ago talking about and through the “I AM” statements from Jesus

And before we got into the specifics of each one it was important for us to understand the implications behind what Christ said and what it meant when He said it

For us, for Jesus to say “I am the bread of life” seems simplistic and for the most part, non threatening.

For Jesus to say it when He said it and to whom He said it to was to make claims that would get Him killed

When you go back to Exodus 3 and see the God of creation announce that He is the I AM

And then Jesus announce the very same thing we see that Jesus is declaring that He is God

Not just a good moral example

Not just a good teacher

Not just a prophet

Not just a guy who can do some cool magic tricks

He is God in the flesh

So, this morning we are going to be in John chapter 10 and so far we’ve Jesus declare that He is the “resurrection and the life,” “The bread of life” and the “Light of the world.”

This morning we will see Jesus declare that He is the “Gate and the Good Shepherd.”

John 10:1–21 NIV

1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

pray

Some context to what is goin on and taking place here.

Jesus right before this encounter gave sight to a blind man by taking mud and wiping his eyes

Which was great and awesome, except that He did it on the Sabbath

According to the law, you weren’t allowed to do anything strenuous

And so this man was brought to the Pharisees and they are confused about who Jesus is.

Some say because He broke the Sabbath that He is a sinner and can’t be God

Others say that there’s no way a sinner could do what He does

And so there is all of this confusion around who Jesus is

And so Jesus has the conversation with them

This sermon grew out of the Lord’s confrontation with Jewish leaders, following the excommunication of the blind man (John 9).

He had briefly spoken to them about light and darkness, but now He changed the image to that of the shepherd and the sheep.

Why? Because to the Jewish mind, a “shepherd” was any kind of leader, spiritual or political. People looked on the king and prophets as shepherds. Israel was privileged to be “the flock of the Lord” (Ps. 100:3). For background, read Isaiah 56:9–12; Jeremiah 23:1–4; 25:32–38; Ezekiel 34; and Zechariah 11.

We should note that there is no real break between chapter 9 and 10.  I know it says “Chapter 10” but it’s the same day, the same scene, the same people, and Jesus responding to the same event.  Chapter 9 was about a man born blind who had become a beggar, and Jesus gave him his sight. 

And then we see both the beggar and Jesus confronted by the leaders of Israel, who showed nothing but disdain for the beggar and nothing but confusion over Jesus.  They threw the beggar out and for most of them this began their intention to kill Jesus.

In a sense, the main characters in chapter 9 are the leaders of Israel and that they are false shepherds, false shepherds, who devour their people, who fleece their people. 

In contrast to that, in chapter 10, to the same disciples and the same Pharisees with the blind beggar standing there and the rest of the Jews gathered, Jesus contrasts Himself with them and He actually says in verse 11, “I am the good Shepherd who….doesn’t come to devour people, not who comes to slay sinners, not who has given up on us, no it says who lays His life down for His sheep.”

The theme of the Lord as Shepherd was so ingrained into OT literature it was completely normal to think of God this way.

Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is – ” what?  “ - my Shepherd.”  Psalm 77:20 says, “You lead Your people like a flock.”  Psalm 79:13 says, “We Your people and the sheep of Your pastures will give thanks to You.”  Psalm 80:1 says, “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock.”  Psalm 95 says, “He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” 

So there are a few things that they are understood about Shepherding when it came to the Lord

The most well-known Shepherd in the Old Testament was God. 

Shepherding was very intimate.

Commentary:

John 10:1–6 (WEONT): These first six verses are a picture of the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep. Verse 6 calls this a “figure of speech” another word for it would be an allegory. And it is one of the greatest and most well known in all of Scripture.

Good Shepherd

Christ is merely reminding the people of what shepherds and sheep act like. Later in the chapter He makes a more direct application.

So, As Jesus begins His teaching this is what they would have pictured

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This is a Middle Eastern sheepfold. It’s very simple in design: a stone wall, perhaps ten feet high, surrounded it, and an opening served as the door.

The shepherds in the village would drive their sheep into the fold at nightfall and leave the porter to stand guard. In the morning each shepherd would call his own sheep, which would recognize their shepherd’s voice and come out of the fold.

The porter (or one of the shepherds) would sleep at the opening of the fold and actually become “the door.” Nothing could enter or leave the fold without passing over the shepherd.

Christ points out that the true shepherd comes through the door (v. 1), calls his sheep by name, which recognize him (v. 3), and leads the sheep, which follow (vv. 4–5).

False shepherds and strangers, who are thieves and robbers, try to get into the fold some subtle way, but the sheep will not recognize or follow them.

But in John 10 Jesus doesn’t just announce to us that He is a Good Shepherd but something else as well. He says that He is also “the gate.”

In fact, Jesus is a two-way gate: (don’t miss this)

Shallow Christianity would have us believe that all Jesus does for us is keep us in little bubbles to save us from the wrath of hell

And so when Jesus saves us and we give our lives to Jesus we’ve got to stay in line so we can make it to heaven

But Scripture is clear and don’t get it twisted. The Shepherd was not only the sheep’s protector but also their giver and sustainer of life

The shepherd not only brought them in to protect them but He also broke them out to give life

You can only eat so much grass in the sheepfold before you run out

Let me preach for a second real quick

Many of us have treated Jesus like the Shepherd who protects and we’ve forgotten He’s also the Shepherd who gives life

Many of us have addictions that we’ve tried to suppress and suppress and suppress until we can’t anymore when Jesus wants to break us free

Many of us have found ourselves walking around in circles when Jesus is standing at the gate calling us to come out

Jesus doesn’t just want to save you from hell He wants you to experience Heaven on earth by drawing into the Good Shepherd

Pause

he not only locks up behind us to keep us safe but also unlocks and swings open so that we can enter into a life with more fullness than we can know. 

But whether we are going into the pen or out into the pastures, it is Jesus himself, and his crucified and now resurrected body, that we pass through. 

We are purified by this journey through death and back to life again.  We are changed, altered, re-oriented, re-energized.  And this rhythm of Christ’s salvation passing in and out of Jesus as the gate is re-enforced throughout Scripture and procedures. 

We think of baptism as this symbol of being brought from death to life in Christ

We can think of the Lord’s Supper where again we see the body and blood of Jesus laid down for us–the body and blood through whom we pass into newness of life but that, in the ritual act of eating and drinking, passes also through us!

And so the invitation is wide reaching. Open for any and all

The destination is glorious and far better than we could have ever hoped or dreamed

The connection is specific and singular

We have all been invited by the Good Shepherd to enjoy His protection, security, and life.

But there is only one way to get it and that is through Jesus

Make no doubt about it, Jesus is inviting us into an intimate relationship with Him just like any good shepherd would have with his sheep

And there may be conflicting information out in the world in how we get that and get there

You may have been told if you can just get your dream job then you will be secure and protected and happy

If you can just get married and have a family then you will have arrived

If you just live your life by whatever feels good and looks good

If you can just accumulate enough stuff

Just follow your heart

just numb yourself with drugs or alcohol

Let me be crystal clear this morning: According to the Bible, there is one way and one way only to life. and that is though Jesus.

If you want eternal life that’s spent with God and not spent in hell, you get that through Jesus

If you want life to the fullest here and not a life chasing from one thing to the next, you get that through Jesus

Now, let me be clear again with us, Jesus says some stuff you aren’t going to like and He’s going to ask of you things you don’t want to give up

So, although the process is simple, it is not easy. It takes commitment, courage, boldness, and faith.

You’ve got to believe that Jesus really is Lord, that He really is the Good Shepherd and He is the Gate to get us where we need to go

And you have to have faith that He knows best so that whatever He asks of us and whatever He allows to us is for the best

I’m telling you, this isn’t always easy. But it is always worth it!

The Good Shepherd is calling us.

And how do we know that He really is good?

There’s a contrast made between “hired hands” and the Good Shepherd. The first quality of the “good” shepherd is His willingness to sacrifice himself for the sheep.

Having just promised abundant life to others, Jesus spoke of the giving up of his own. On the face of it this would seem to put the sheep immediately at risk, but Jesus went beyond the metaphor to point to a deep spiritual truth.

He drew attention to a voluntary act of sacrifice which would benefit the sheep (11). The death of the shepherd is seen as an act on behalf of others. The contrast between this and the act of the hired shepherd who runs away (12) brings out vividly the nature of the sacrifice of Jesus and His goodness and faithfulness toward us

In other words, the good Shepherd's genuine concern and love for His sheep is seen most vividly in the act of His life sacrifice for us on the cross.

It’s not just that God the Father places Jesus over us as Shepherd and forces His hand

The Lord’s love for us and care for us goes beyond our comprehension.

Not only is He inviting us into life but He also made it possible by surrendering His own life

This is our Good Shepherd and He truly is good!

Jesus provides.

We can't miss the context of 9:13-41.  It is the "throwing out" of the healed man that causes Jesus to begin his teaching.

In some ways, these false shepherds, thieves, and robbers are the point of His teaching.

Many of us in this room have been hurt by the church, and many have been hurt by leaders in the church. Shepherds who were supposed to tend, care, support, and love us and who did not. And I am deeply sorry over that.

Christ loves His church intimately and deeply and for someone to cause pain for you in that area is saddening and scary.

And so here is my promise to you, I will shepherd you the best I know how and the best I can, but at the end of the day, I am not the Good Shepherd. I am merely a man who has been called by Him.

I will probably fail you, I will probably let you down.

The call here is not to follow a shepherd

The call is to know and follow the Good Shepherd

But Jesus has made that claim that He is the Good Shepherd. It is He who is calling you, and it is Jesus that you should follow.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who truly cares for us.

"Hired hands" that care for us will ultimately let us down, but we BELONG to Jesus. He will care for us, no matter what.

Sometimes it can feel as if He doesn't care, or if He does, He must be unable to stop the suffering we feel.

Jesus has proven His love for us once and for all by laying down His life for His sheep.

Romans 5:8, John 15:13, Romans 8:32, 1 John 3:16

We must fight to keep our eyes on our Good Shepherd who will never leave us or let us down.