John 10

John 10:1-18

allegory…don’t press the details and get sidetracked, keep it zoomed out.

vs 1-5 is the general point. remaining portion is expounding/explaining the first 5 verses.

Throughout OT story, we have shepherds being represented by:

Leaders like Moses - shepherd among the sheep

Kings like David - steward using power to protect

Bad Shepherds in Ezekiel - selfish instead serving

Jesus cares enough to speak about the evil that is trying to sabotage our life.

Jesus named the evil and the it’s threat to steal, kill, & destroy.

it gives us permission to name it too… the evil and sin done to us, by us, or around us.

illus: name enemy, so you know how to treat them, biblically.

often, the thing that keeps us from flourishing, is unfinished healing in our soul

Thieves (kleptai) were known for stealth: using deceit, treachery, and secrecy to take what they wanted.

(Later in John’s gospel, this same word is used for Judas, who steals from the kitty and sells out Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

deceit and trickery

boss who strings you along until he gets the credit

a friendship that is got you co-depended but not mutually committed to you.

Robbers (lēstai), on the other hand, were violent: brigands who would assault you on the open road, using weapons, force, and intimidation to get their way.

overpower you.

the abuser who threatened your silence

the step-dad who forced you to behave

the mom who verbally is critical and harsh in her tone in an attempt to control you.

Hired Hands: Those who run, abandon, or abdicate responsibility. Those who were supposed to protect us, but didn’t.

the dad too caught in his own insecurities to give you a sense of belonging

the mentor who left you hanging

the friend who bailed when you failed.

We can name the evil, too. The THIEF (capital T) is behind it all.

He will name the sin, not sugarcoat it.

Ezek 34 - was an indictment on the bad shepherds acting more like hired hands.

Ezekiel 34:2–5 (CSB)

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock? 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. 5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd; they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered.

Ezekiel 34:11–16 (CSB)

11 “ ‘For this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them. 12 As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered…

15 I will tend my flock and let them lie down.

16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak…

God of Israel came to confront the wicked leaders and rescue his scattered people — to gather, guide, and care for them as their mighty shepherd-king. Jesus is that Shepherd.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, lays down His life to be our salvation.

He lays down His life in service & sacrifice

he provides himself as a lamb.

no one forced him to lay down his life.

He is the gate - filter for what/who is true…keeps our mind stayed on Him

He is the entry point…no one comes to the FATHER, except through Him.

John 14:6 “6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Ezekiel 34:17 (CSB)

17 “ ‘As for you, my flock, the Lord God says this: Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats.

Matthew 25:31–34 (CSB)

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Two parts to Him laying down His life: SALVATION & SUSTENANCE.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, lays down His life to be our sustenance.

John 10:14-18

We are known by Him because He bought us, so we belong to Him.

sheep & gentiles

Narrow…door (gate).

Luke 13:22–30 CSB

22 He went through one town and village after another, teaching and making his way to Jerusalem. 23 “Lord,” someone asked him, “are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won’t be able 25 once the homeowner gets up and shuts the door. Then you will stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up for us!’ He will answer you, ‘I don’t know you or where you’re from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you’re from. Get away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown out. 29 They will come from east and west, from north and south, to share the banquet in the kingdom of God. 30 Note this: Some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

illus: Not guilty by association; we think we are accepted or saved by association. False.

He provides abundant life

…he knows our name

…relational KNOWING.

cares, provided, sets free

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads us with His voice.

1. His voice is the word & Spirit speaking

lots of guides trying to shepherd you through the week:

news pundent

wall street journal

drake

your classmates and snap chat

shorts on youtube

2. His voice is tender not toxic.

illus: Ancient NE shepherds led from from with their voice. Western shepherds drive the sheep from behind.

3. He guides us down the path to abundant life.

He doesn’t follow us; we follow him.

hear and obey the voice.

Jesus is the shepherd who sympathizes with us.

Jesus is the shepherd who steers us to abundant life.

Jesus is the shepherd who sacrifices for our life.

Jesus is the shepherd who serves us.

Jesus is the shepherd who saves us from the evil one.

Everything we face, He faced.

“Sometimes it’s not until you experience the good that you realize how awful the bad really was. Sometimes it’s when the lamb is in the embrace of the shepherd that its nervous system calms down and the threat is most vividly seen.”

“You can go to Jesus. He knows firsthand what you’ve experienced. He was abused and abandoned. He was beaten and betrayed. He was stabbed in the back and pierced in the side. He was left hanging, then ditched all alone in the grave. There’s an intimacy to be found with him in your suffering.” God Is on Your Side, Joshua Ryan Butler

The voice of the Good Shepherd is a soft tone - so you can come close, be embraced by Him and He can bind up your wounds and calm your fears.

Micah 5:4 (CSB)

4 He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.

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Talk it Over (being honest & open with friends, a spouse, or your Group)

The message was about the Jesus, the Good Shepherd. What is one idea from Sunday’s message that impacted you?

Read John 10 as a group. What is the Holy Spirit saying through these verses?

When you hear the word “shepherd,” what comes to your mind?

What are the main points emphasized by Jesus in John 10:1-5 regarding shepherds?

How does understanding Jesus as the Good Shepherd change your perspective on your relationship with Him?

How can we personally respond to Jesus laying down His life for us?

Read Luke 13:22-30. What is the Holy Spirit telling us within these verses?