I am the Sheep gate
Notes
Transcript
Background:
Last week Pastor Walter Brigman did a great job preaching John 9 - the healing of the Blind man. John recorded this passage in such a way that their can be no doubt the passage was not about the blind man. Instead Jesus used this platform of healing as a means to illustrate spiritual blindness.
Shortly after this teaching, yet still connected to this same event Jesus makes this strange but startling statement:
1 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.
Introduction:
In this passage, Jesus uses two different scenes to illustrate ideas about himself. The first is that of a sheep gate.
Trans: Lets read this portion together.
1 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”
6 Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
Scene # 1 - The Sheep Pen
Scene # 1 - The Sheep Pen
Often this passage is misunderstood. The tendency is to compare the sheep pen to heaven. Then in return make this passage about those trying to circumvent the gospel and come in some other way.
While that would make a great illustration this is not what Jesus is saying in this passage.
In middle eastern culture often neighbors would build a communal courtyard in the front of their homes for livestock specifically sheep. They did this for economic reasons. In many cases people were not wealthy and only owned a few sheep per household. Instead of each building his own pen. They would build a community pen as courtyard in front of everyone’s home. In the evening each shepherd would lead his sheep back to the pen for safety during the night. Then they would come and collect their sheep every morning.
Now this leads us to this imagery.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.
Sheep will imprint on their shepherd. Even though their was many sheep in this communal pen only those belonging to the shepherd will come. In this way the sheep our easily gathered.
5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”
Question: So What was Jesus saying?
The sheep fold is the nation of Israel. Jesus came in through the door.
4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Jesus came through the prescribed method (the door). He was born of a virgin and lived a perfect sinless life(under the Law).
In this way, the father opened the gate for him to lead the sheep of Israel. The gatekeeper recognized him as the true shepherd. He is the only son of God, the only one the father recognized as the true shepherd.
Jesus was leading them out of the Judaism into a relationship with the father.
4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.
Trans: but there were others of whom the father didn’t approve trying to lead the sheep. Jesus calls them thieves and robbers. It was only Jesus that came perfectly through the law. The religious leaders were not the true shepherds of Israel.
1 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
You see when a thief would come to steal sheep. The sheep would not recognize him and instead of following after the them. They would run from them.
5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”
So the thieves would have to employ other methods to gather sheep. The religious leaders did this through deception and intimidation.
Application:
I began to think about this principle. How did Jesus gather the sheep of Israel. He did it through the proclamation of truth, the gospel message.
How often are we quick to believe that the gospel message is not effective in gathering sheep? But Jesus claimed those who gather sheep some other way, are thieves and robbers.
I am not saying that we do not build platform by which to preach the gospel, Feeding the hungry, taking care of orphans and widows. etc. But if we try to gather sheep at the expense of truth and the Gospel message, than we are not acting like the shepherd we are playing the part of thieves.
People are not saved because they see us do good things. This is nearly our platform to present. The are saved by the preaching and teaching of the gospel message.
13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher?
That word preacher is not referring to pastors but rather messengers. That’s you and me. You see the gospel not only still works to transform man’s heart. It is the only way men and woman come to Christ. They must hear and receive the gospel message.
If our works gather a crowd and yet we fail to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. We are thieves and robbers. Do you preach the truth from the platform of your good works?
Scene # 2 - Jesus the Gate, The Good Shepherd
Scene # 2 - Jesus the Gate, The Good Shepherd
Introduction. Vs. 6 tells us the people listening did not understand. So Jesus gave them another illustration.
7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.
9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.
10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them.
13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,
15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.
17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Scene # 2 The Grazing Pen
Scene # 2 The Grazing Pen
As sheep would eat it would often become necessary to bring them further and further away to find good grazing pastures. However, this would cause them to be left out in the open giving wild animals and thieves a easier opportunity to eat or steal them.
So they would build a stone structure to heard the sheep into at night to protect them from these predators and thieves. The shepherd would then sleep across the entrance to the stone structure to ensure that anything that would harm the sheep would have to come through him. This is the backdrop for Jesus next illustration.
In this passage Jesus make four statements about Himself.
#1 He dies for His sheep
#1 He dies for His sheep
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
This is more than a metaphor. A good shepherd was expected to fight for the flock. However, Jesus victory fought for the sheep would not come through war or battle but through his laying down of His life. He would sacrifice himself so that the sheep my live.
#2 He knows His sheep
#2 He knows His sheep
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,
No one can deceive Jesus. In other words, there does not exist a person that can pretend his way into the fold of God. To know is much more than intellectual awareness. He knows us personally, intimately. Those whom he does not “know” are not his sheep.
23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’
So those that do not have this relationship with him are not his sheep. How do you know if you are His sheep, You have a relationship with Christ.
He knows all of his sheep by name.
3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
To the believer this is a great comfort. God has called you by name. He knows you. He sees you. He is leading you.
#3 His flock will be gathered
#3 His flock will be gathered
16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Jesus makes and interesting statement here. He says, he has sheep in another pen. Unfortunately I have heard this verse used to defend aliens or life on other planets.
I assure you there is know such mystery in this passage. Jesus is hinting that he has sheep outside of Judaism. He is hinting that the gentiles who choose to recognize His call will also be brought safely into his flock. He is saying that it was always predestined that the gospel would be taken to the gentile nations. In fact this is where so much confusion comes about in Ephesians about predestination. Paul is telling a mixed group of Jew and gentiles believers that it was always His will, predestined, for the gentiles to be saved as well.
In this we see that there is one flock and one shepherd.
I tell you recognizing the one flock, one shepherd is the key to eliminating racism within God’s people. In fact, I will tell you the only place where it is possible to eliminate racism is withing God’s flock.
#4 He will take up His life again.
#4 He will take up His life again.
17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Jesus is making the claim that he will resurrect himself. His life is not something that can be taken against his will. He is not fragile that he cannot prevent himself from being killed. He is God. Rather he chooses to lay it down. Since it is he that chooses to lay it down. He can choose to take it up again. This is granted to Him by the will of the Father.
This should bring us great Hope. That Jesus loves us enough to lay down his life for you. But not Just lay it down but has the power to raise it back up again.
In this we know that death is final.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,
5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
Application:
If the Good shepherd loves you enough to lay down his life for you, knows your name, and wants you to know him, then why would we be afraid to fully surrender our lives to Him?
If the Good shepherd loves you enough to lay down his life for you, knows your name, and wants you to know him, then why would we be afraid to fully surrender our lives to Him?