Part of the Flock

Introduction

Introduction

This story needs to be understood as a continuation of the story that was just told. Jesus wants everyone in this picture to understand the reason that he came and truly who he is. The pharisees are confused by the healing that just occurred with the blind man in chapter 9 and now Jesus is coming in response to what just happened. Let’s recap quickly what happened from John chapter 9. I almost feel like this is one of those “in last week’s episode” moments.

(Explain John chapter 9 and the meaning quickly)

John 10:1–21 NIV

“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. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 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. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 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. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 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.” 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?”

Now most translations agree about the boundaries of this area of John chapter 10. They all find this to be an extremely important point that Jesus is making. Alright so what we have here is an interesting metaphor that Jesus is giving us and for those of us who haven’t lived in Antiquity (the ancient times) it might be a little difficult to comprehend. In fact it might almost seem insulting to be compared to a lowly, stinky, most often times annoying, sheep. Is this all that Jesus thinks of me? Is this all my value is? I thought that I was some sort of prized possession for God. Now before you let your thoughts get a grip of you I want to break this down together. So what I want to do today is talk about what Jesus is talking about and hopefully we receive some new revelations in our life that our going to propel us into more of what God has for our lives.

1) Access to the Kingdom (God)

What is really interesting is God was seen as the Israelites Shepard. It would have started very early with the Exodus, but it seemed to carry itself throughout Israelite history and now Jesus is making this same connection. This would have been so frustrating all the more to these Pharisee dudes. Not only was Jesus calling them bad Shepards or leaders here but he was actually saying he was the true Shepard. He was God and the only way to truly understand and have access to the Kingdom of God and to have access to God the father was through him.

There is an epidemic in societies, cultures, and religions today. They seem to offer some sort of “in” or access or belonging to something that we are missing in our lives and while it might fulfill us for just a moment or make us feel as if we belong the truth is it is just a cover up. That hole in our heart does not get filled.

Mark 7:15 NIV

Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

This verse speaks so powerfly against what society, culture, and religion offer us. Apart from Christ humans feels unclean on the inside even if we are not aware of it. That is why so many people look to external things to make them feel satisfied on the inside. We look to possessions and beauty products. We look to money and fame hoping that somehow it will satisfy this uneasiness within us, but it is all useless. Why? Because just like Jesus says nothing that enters a man can defile him, and nothing that enters a man will be able to make him clean or satisfied either. So what do we do?

Look what Jesus says in verse

John 10:7 NIV

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

The only way to access the flock, the kingdom, the family of God is through Jesus Christ. He is the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Jesus. Western culture doesn’t like to hear this today in 2019, but it is the absolute truth. I know we don’t like to talk about it, but apart from Jesus there is no salvation. There is no heaven. There is only what we deserve and that is unfortunately hell.

Now I briefly mentioned there was this problem that Jesus was addressing with the pharisees. He was saying how messed up the sheep really were left in the hands of people like them. They were wolves, thieves, and robbers. They were hands that didn’t really care about the well being of the sheep at all and truthfully today the world that we live in ain’t that much different.

The pharisees are very similar to what religion and culture today offer us as well. Jesus is saying that you don’t actually truly care for the sheep and as soon as it is not in your interest you would abandon them in a heart beat. This is what culture, society, and religion offer us in the same. As soon as we aren’t in the interest we are abandoned and essentially left to die, but this is not the heart of Jesus towards us at all.

Through Jesus we have access, but that access was not cheap. In fact that access actually cost Jesus everything, but His love was so immense that he himself was willing to give it all up to protect his sheep.

So what does that mean for us? Well Jesus actually says in order to follow him we will need to lay down our life just as he laid down his life. This is something the pharisees were never able to do, but it was something the disciples were able to do and because they did it it changed their life completely. You want to see radical change in your life be willing to let go of everything for the sake of knowing him. You say David its not that easy. You are right and here is the beauty of having access to the family of God. Jesus isn’t asking for perfection He is asking for willingness. He is asking for a faith that is saying I don’t have it all together and might never will you help me where I am week Jesus?

3) The beauty of the flock

So then what does this leave us with? Well I am glad you asked, because we actually have this beautiful family of sheep that we get to be a part of. Can everyone give me a baaaamen?

Not only is his devotion to the sheep such that he is willing to die for them while others flee from danger (vv. 11–13, 17), but he knows them deeply—so deeply that in 10:15 an appropriate analogy for this knowledge is Jesus’ relationship to his Father. As Jesus is in the Father, so the disciple is in Christ (cf. 14:20, 24). I mean isn’t this just crazy to think about? That same intimacy that Jesus has with the Father and Jesus has with the Spirit Jesus has with us when we enter the family of God? Like that closeness is so intimate and we get to share in it. Wow. That means all the benefits that the Father shares with the son the Father shares with us. That means the power that the Son had access to on His earthly ministry from the Spirit we have access to.

I mean how could Jesus take such imperfect unworthy people and say this is how close I want to be with you and how initimate I want our relationship to be.

In ancient culture Shepards would often time give sheep personal names and the sheep would physically be able to know the voice of the Shepard. This is exactly what Jesus offers us and I think that is so cool because Jesus is saying this is about the individual personally.

God is so personal and he strongly wants a personal encounter with you. He doesn’t just want you to fit into a group of people and conform to a certain standard, but he wants that closeness with you personally.

Outro

I want to talk about the Greek word here used for Shepard.

ποιμήν (poimen) - This word Shepard carries with it more than just someone who watches sheep. It is someone who cares so deeply about their sheep that they would give their life for the sheep. They would leave the 99 to find the one. They would fight the thief and the wolf to save and protect these sheep. So that these sheep could have life. So that these sheep could thrive. So that these sheep can experience safety and protection. This is the weight that this word carries when it is talking about Jesus the good Shepard. It wasn’t the fact that the Shepard was just willing to lay down his life for his sheep if the opportunity arose, but Jesus came with the mission that he as a Shepard WOULD die for the sheep. His purpose wasn’t ruling and popularity. His purpose was death and the grave so that in Him we might have forgiveness and life. Now we model our lives after him. You think you can’t lead, but this is exactly what Jesus called you and I to do. To be raised as a generation of Shepard willing to lay down your life for those sheep in the world who are still lost.