I Am: The Good Shepherd
Notes
Transcript
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
That time I listened to the person who was not in charge…Did the wrong thing at the wrong time and reaped the consequences.
Jesus is again teaching and gives his 4th I Am statement. I am The Good Shepherd.
Religious leaders were known as Shepherds of Israel.
The context of chapter 9 of John leaves Jesus revealing how blind the shepherds of Israel are of Jesus’s identity.
The religious leaders are not looking for God to act in God’s own way but awaiting God to act in their expected way-- a political leader and not a savior.
Leaders are often metaphorically referred to as shepherds of those they are responsible for. Outside the nt, poimēn is used to refer to political leaders (Homer, Iliad 1.263; 2.243), good and bad leaders of Israel (Isa 63:11 lxx; Ezek 34:8 lxx), angels (Shepherd of Hermas 5:3, 8) and God himself (Isa 40:11 lxx; Ezek 34:12 lxx).11 Craig A. Smith, “Church Leadership,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
Jesus contrasts his leadership with that of those who are “hired hands”
The teachers of Israel, who have rejected the healing of the man born blind in chapter 9 are the same group Jesus has launched into this discourse with.
Jesus does not run away when the wolf comes but rather gets involved.
Why? Because Jesus is personally invested in the life of the sheep. He is their creator. The father cares for his children.
Jesus has something to lose unlike the hired hand.
Why has Jesus come?
Ezekiel 34, God, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel brings about the accusation that the shepherds have refused to care for the people in their midst but rather were more concerned with their own power.
So that the sheep who know his voice will have life and life to the full.
Because of sin, God has acted to restore the relationship. The blade that was broken shall be remade.--Tolkien
In the film The Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of The Ring, we are introduced to the famed sword of old Narsil. It lays in pieces after the enemy smashes the sword of the king. The sword’s remnant is what King Isildur wielded to cut the ring from Sauron’s hand.
This is Tolkien’s use of metaphor of the fall of humankind to sin. We are broken underfoot of the enemy.
The world calls to us.
Sin entices us.
False shepherds try to lead us away from God.
Jesus Saves us.
Ezekiel 34:14–16 “I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.”
How will this take place?
“Very bright was that sword when it was made whole again; the light of the sun shone redly in it, and the light of the moon shone cold, and its edge was hard and keen. And Aragorn gave it a new name and called it Andúril, Flame of the West.” J.R.R. TOLKIEN
‘As is the way when God has renewed and restored us, to forget our past defeats and charge into new victories. We were broken underfoot by the enemy but God gave us new strength.
“Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” Acts 3:21
Thank you God for renewing else, restoring us, giving us new life, and making us something new and better’.--Full Armor Studio
2. Jesus Tends us.
“I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”” Isaiah 1:26
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
We follow Jesus.
John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
Do you recognize the voice of the one calling you? Or are you concerned about the other voices that this world offers you?
3. Jesus Leads us.
Jesus calls to his sheep, he comes to our aid, and brings us into salvation.
Matthew 9:36 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
“But these are written so that you may believe… and that through believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).
