The Good Shepherd

Introduction

Review a little about John’s Gospel

Written by apostle John

Though not specifically named all the evidence points to Him as an eyewitness who wrote it down.

John is set apart from the other gospels in style and content

Written to a Jewish audience

John 20:31 NIV

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Riff on bad guys and good guys in movies and how the line hae been blurred. Especially when you see the guy you are supposed to be cheering for doing bad guy things.

Read today’s text: John 10:1-21

Key Points

1. Jesus makes a distinction between the “bad guys” and the “good guy”.

Jesus starts with “very truly” which means you can bank on it.

If you remember back in chapter 9 he called the Jews blind and in there blindness they are guilty in their sin.

He’s making a clear distinction here. The are thieves and robbers who will try and infiltrate the flock.

Coming in thru the window instead of the door.

He identifies at the Good Shepherd (implies that there are bad ones out there)

What is job of an actual shepherd?

What attributes does Jesus attribute to The Good Shepherd

a. He calls them by name vs. 3

So this is interesting;

The concept of naming was extremely important to the biblical writers because names were declarations of the nature of living creatures. When Adam named the creatures and even Eve, he identified each one’s nature (Gen 2:18–23). Moreover, shifts in names such as from Abram to Abraham and from Jacob to Israel were identifications of shifts in the nature or the circumstances of a person (cf. Gen 17:4–7; 32:26–30).

Moreover, it is the shepherd who knows the name of the sheep and not the reverse. To know the name of God was thought by the ancients to be a way of controlling one’s relationship with God (cf. Exod 3:13–14). So ancient people wore amulets with the name of their gods inscribed or etched on them. But God’s response to Moses’ question in Exodus 3 meant that it was not humanity’s role to know the personal specifications of God. Mortals merely needed to know that God is or will be, depending on how one interprets the “I am” statement of God in Exodus. But knowing the nature of God is God’s prerogative alone. The Johannine message, however, is that the logos has made him known (John 1:18).

b. He leads them vs. 3 (picture of authority)

(by contrast they the sheep do not know the voice and they do not follow;)

How to money handlers recognize a counterfeit? By being exposed to the real thing

c. The thief wants only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus talks about life in it’s fullness (life that is full of life)

The Greek perisson means “that which goes way beyond necessity.” John wanted all his readers to know that the gift of Jesus is life beyond our wildest dreams.

d. He lays down his life for the sheep vs. 11

(contrast the hired man, he runs off)

e. He is loved by the Father vs. 17

f. After laying down his life he can, by his own authority, take it up again.

This Good Shepherd was prophesied about

Isaiah 40:10–11 NIV

See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

and who can forget

Psalm 23:1 NIV

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Jesus makes another clear distinction...

2. Jesus makes a distinction between the gate and any other way to enter the sheep fold.

The front door is the door you come in when you enter a residence.

Who comes in the window? A criminal, someone who is not welcome.

Some would see this as very narrow minded. And it’s not the only time Jesus makes such a claim.

John 14:6 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

When Jesus said, “I am the Way,” He clearly intended to exclude all other ways, so beware lest you perish in any one of them!

The Last Message For The Year, Volume 56, Sermon #3230 - John 6:37

Charles Spurgeon

3. Jesus clears up any distinctions that anyone may have been making about him and the Father.

I am not saying that there are not distinctions within the God-head

The father is The Father, the son is The Son, and the spirit is The Spirit. They are eternally distinct but one in nature…God

There are tons of verse’s where God is depicted as Israels shepherd

When Jacob bless Joseph he said

Genesis 49:24–25 NIV

But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb.

Jeremiah 31:10 NIV

“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’

Psalm 80:1 NIV

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

Zechariah 9:16 NIV

The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.

Jesus is saying to the doubters, I am the Shepherd that the the fathers and prophets of old talked about when they talked about God. So as far as that goes there is no distinction.

The ultimate proof is that he lays down his life and takes it up again. Who can that? No one, only God.

Application/Implication

1. Be on your guard against “bad shepherds”.

You’ve heard of wolves in sheep clothing.

That’s why Paul gives us guidelines for godly men to be elder 1 Timothy 3:2-7

1 Timothy 3:2–7 (NIV)

Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

God takes this very seriously and so should we.

To the elders of Israel he says

Ezekiel 34:1–3 NIV

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.

2. Know the Shepherd’s voice.

Once a scammer called my Granny claiming to be a grand child and asking for money because they were stranded in AZ. At first she thought it might be me but then she listened closer to my voice, the voice on the other end of the line called her Grandma, not Granny. She new my voice and this was an imposter.

3. Even after hearing and seeing all that Jesus has said and done there are still going to be people who have doubts.

John 10:19–21 NIV

The Jews who heard these words were again divided. Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

-So even after Jesus made all these distinctions people still thought he was crazy.

-Jesus will cause divisions.

Matthew 10:34–36 NIV

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

-When Jesus makes distinctions it will cause division so don’t be surprised when you see people getting angry when people are asked to make a distinction between the holy and the profane.

I want to end on positive note so here is an extra implication point.

4. You have access to eternal life. You can be saved.

Jesus says come to me and I will give you rest.

Peter reminds us Acts 4:12

Acts 4:12 NIV

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”