JESUS TEACHES ABOUT THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Notes
Transcript
JESUS TEACHES ABOUT THE GOOD SHEPHERD
JESUS TEACHES ABOUT THE GOOD SHEPHERD
John 10 is a continuation of John 9 where Jesus healed the blind man and Jesus affirms his Deity.
And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”
Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?”
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Jesus is comparing himself with the religious leaders: They are blind and with sin but Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares for the sheep.
An Allegory is a figure of speech
A parable is a story which illustrates a lesson
READ John 10:1-6 (Background)
This scene has a great deal of Old Testament background behind it.
God is often depicted as Israel’s shepherd (Gen 48:15; Pss 28:9, 80:1; Isa 40:11; Mic 5:4), who leads his people to safety and protects them (Ps 23; Ezek 34:11–16).
In contrast, the leaders are false shepherds who take the milk and wool for themselves and butcher the sheep for themselves (Ezek 34:3; cf. Isa 56:11; Jer 23:1–4).
As a result, the flock has been “scattered without a shepherd” (Ezek 34:5; cf. Matt 9:36; Mark 6:34).
Obviously, Jesus had in mind the Jewish authorities who had opposed the work of God and tried to steal his flock. This closely resembles false teachers or cult leaders in our own day, who superimpose their own “endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees” (1 Tim 1:4) over biblical truth[1]
In contrast the religious leaders pretend to bring the people to God while Jesus does bring people to God!
(Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John Illustration: The Shepherd and the Sheep (10:1–5) )
Shepherd calls his own sheep by name
Shepherd leads them out
Shepherd goes ahead of them
Sheep hear His voice
Sheep follows him
Sheep knows His voice
Sheep will not follow a stranger but flee
Sheep are not familiar with the voice of strangers
JESUS IS THE GATE THAT LEADS TO ABUNDANT LIFE (John 10:7-10)
Many shepherds would bring there flocks into a pen with one gate. The Gatekeeper would be the one in charge. A wall of about 3 feet would be erected in a circle with one gate. The Gatekeeper, which would be a shepherd, would sleep in the gate. This would give other Shepherds some time to rest themselves.
Sheep have the following characteristics:
They do not have a sense of direction and are easily preyed upon. Thus, they will not survive if a shepherd does not protect them.
A full-grown, unsheared sheep lying on its back with its belly facing up cannot stand up on its feet from that position. Unless assisted by the shepherd, it will die.
A sheep is easily scared. Thus, it will not lie on its side if it senses danger.
Sheep are also stubborn.
Because of these characteristics, a shepherd is a sheep’s way to life. If it does not follow its shepherd, it will face death.
(Hong, J. Y.-G. (2008). Building a House of Prayer: 18 Prayer Models for Approaching God’s Throne. (David A. Womack, Ed.) (p. 47). Alachua, FL: Bridge-Logos).
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Pasture: The word pasture in GK is “Nome” where we get the word Nomad. Sheep are wanderers, nomads moving from place to place. We are strangers in this world.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Jesus leads us down the right path, to pastures that lead us to eternal life.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Abundantly: per-is-sos' (in the sense of beyond); superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); by implication excessive.
As the gate, Jesus grants us safety from all the enemies that would destroy us for eternity in hell: sin, shame, and death. We are saved when we enter God’s presence by Christ. But we aren’t just saved in the past or for the future. Imagine sheep sitting in the sheepfold celebrating their safety from danger, only to die form starvation while inside the fold. That would be a tragedy! Christ provides safety from the dangers outside of the fold, but He also provides sustenance for those inside the fold. We aren’t just saved; we are satisfied in Him.
It’s not just a future reward in heaven, but we also get to enjoy the richness of life in relationship with God in Christ here and now!
QUESTION: Why is it necessary to trust in Jesus as the only Gate. Why are there not many ways to reach God?
ANSWER: Jesus is Deity, God. He knows all. All other religions provide salvation by works, Jesus provides salvation by faith in Him. Works based religion is based in self-righteousness which is contrary to God’s nature.
2. JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD WHO LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP (John 10 11-13)
Good Shepherd - meaning the noble, worthy, ideal shepherd.
The term “Shepherd” is used seven times in the gospel of John, “Good Shepherd” is used three, in verses 11 & 14.
A shepherd’s responsibilities is the wellbeing of the sheep.
Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John Explanation Regarding the Shepherd (10:11–18)
In contrast to the evil shepherds of Israel, the Good Shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep (10:11). This is an important passage, for it demonstrates Jesus’ awareness of the fact that he would die as an atoning sacrifice for mankind
Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John Explanation Regarding the Shepherd (10:11–18)
Shepherds often faced dangerous predators (cf. David’s statement in 1 Sam 17:34–37), but many were not willing to lose their lives in the process. None deliberately sacrificed themselves for their sheep; only Jesus gave himself as part of a divine purpose
The religious leaders were not willing to sacrifice themselves for there flock
But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
A hired hand had no investment in the sheep. A shepherd does, because they actually belong to Him.
It’s like the difference between owning a house and renting. Renting gives the responsibility of issues to the landlord. Owning, you take responsibility. Jesus takes responsibility for us.
QUESTION: What are the qualities of a good shepherd?
ANSWER:
Knowledge of the Word
Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
Bearing the fruit of the Spirit
Sacrifice of Love
3. JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD WHO KNOWS HIS SHEEP (John 10:14-18)
Now Jesus speaks of the extraordinary relationship between Jesus and His flock
The idea of “good” speaks of above the norm, or exceptional.
Jesus knows his sheep and His sheep know Him
to Know: GK ginōskō - to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge to become known to become acquainted with it is also a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
This speaks of a mutual indwelling and understanding.
This is parallel to the relationship Jesus had with His Father
even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Jesus has other sheep...
“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
The sheep is ment to be is the Jews. The ‘other sheep’ are the Gentiles who have yet to come into the kingdom.
This reflects John 3:16, for God “so loved the world”
They will become “one flock” with “one shepherd” --- this means we will be united with the Jews, God’s chosen people, “grafted in” as Paul put’s it in Romans.
NOTE: You can’t hate the Jews and be united with Christ anymore then you can hate donuts and own Dunkin’ Donuts!
Jesus has authority to give his life
“No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
No one killed Jesus, he gave his life as a ransom for many. He could not be killed because he was sinless. The wages of sin is death, but Jesus was sinless and he could not die unless he offered it up. Thank God he did!
John 10:19-21 concludes that this was a continuation of what happen in Chapter 9, the healing of the blind man.
SUMMARY
Jesus is the Gate that leads to abundant life
Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep
Jesus is the good shepherd who knows His sheep