John 10.1-21 Jesus the Shepherd

  • Sam Ford
  • Jan 20, 2008
  • Series: Gospel According to John

John 10 - Jesus the Shepherd

January 20, 2008

Sam Ford

 

Shepherds get a bad wrap.

In our IPOD, Internet, Hybrid Car, Wi-Fi, Heated Car Seat, type on a computer all day cubicle rich world, it is probably hard for us city-folk to really get a picture of what it meant to be a Shepherd.  We don't view being a Shepherd as something desirable, rather, almost as a punishment-not too many people getting degrees in SHEPHERDING around here.  Think about it.  I remember when I was a little kid and we had some sort of Harvest Carnival at Church because they were all scared we would worship Satan if we actually celebrated "Halloween."  It was a costume party where you would dress up as a biblical characters-I still can't find where there are cowboys and medieval knights in the Bible-as long as you didn't wear some "demon mask" you were considered ok.  Didn't see too many Shepherds there...well none...well one, me-the UKNOWN SHEPHERD..  Whenever kids gather to perform the Christmas play, being the Shepherd is akin to being some extra in a movie that has zero lines and is there just to fill in the scene.

 

Shepherds get a bad wrap today.  They're viewed as anything but manly.  In the perspective of more than one manly man, Shepherds are those soft-spoken, quasi-dress wearing, sentimental, effeminate girly men who have their arms full of cuddly lambs.  And the adjective, as we understand it today, "GOOD", doesn't help to alter any of these misconceptions.

 

Today, however, I'll argue that Shepherds were manly men, tough guys, hard working, risk taking, wise and compassionate warriors whose job was at times quite dangerous. Consider what David told Saul as he defended his request to fight Goliath:

 

1Samuel 17.34ff

.... And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God."

 

The Shepherds are by nature MANLY

The Shepherds are Prepared:

  • Scrip = bag made of the skin of an animal to carry his food

The Shepherds have Weapons:

  • Sling = judges 20.16 (sling a stone at a hair and not miss), used as a weapon of offense and defense.
  • Staff = short wooden club which had a lump of wood at the end often with studded nails, slit in it to put a leather throng through and hang from a belt

The Shepherds Care for their Sheep

  • Rod = Like a Shepherd's crook to catch and pull back sheep that were straying. 
  • At the end of the day, the sheep would go back into the fold and each sheep would pass under the rod and the Shepherd would quickly examine it to see if it had received any kind of injury throughout the day.

 

God's Shepherds (Leaders of the Church)

There is a reason why we name Jesus Christ the Senior Pastor of our church.  The Bible is clear that God is the THE Shepherd of his people who are sheep.

 

 

Psalm 95

6      Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

          let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

7      For he is our God,

          and we are the people of his pasture,

          and the sheep of his hand.

 

Psalm 100.3

3      Know that the Lord, he is God!

          It is he who made us, and we are his;

          we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 

 

In the Old Testament the term shepherd was not only used as a term for God; but it also came to mean a title for the leaders of Israel.  They were the appointed "undershepherds of God" charged with the responsibility of protecting, feeding, and otherwise leading Israel when they were in the wilderness.   In the New Testament, the term Shepherd is synonymous with "pastor".  In Ephesians 4.11 and in Jesus discussion with Peter in John 21 - we find that pastors are in the business of shepherding the sheep, feeding, protecting, and caring for the flock that God gives them. 

 

Bad Shepherds (Wolves in Sheeps Clothing)

John chapter 10 ends a dialogue between Jesus, a blind man who can see, and some Jewish leaders who just kicked this guy out of their church.  Jesus begins a lengthy monologue where he juxtaposes the TRUE SHEPHERD with the FALSE ONES who, although charged with protecting, feeding, and leading the flock have failed.

 

I'm afraid today's church has made similar mistakes to the Jews.  There has been a lot of pain caused by church leaders and supposed pastors who were charged with SHEPHERDING the FLOCK and either abandoned them or abused them.  Leaders in churches who were supposed to have led, protected, and cared instead, misdirected, crushed, and ignored. 

 

Ezekiel 34.1-6

The word of the Lord came to me: 2  "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. 6 My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

 

Our Shepherds and Our Sheep

With the backdrop of this incredibly broken and harmful Jewish leadership, Jesus sets himself in contrast to say I AM THE TRUE SHEPHERD.  These shepherds, and ANY that do not point to the cross are either POWERHUNGRY or POWERLESS and all their sheep are lost in the confusion of religion that can only bring fear, despair, and rob people of life.    Jesus is the MANLY True Shepherd who leads, protects, cares for, and willing dies to save us to life now and forever!

 

Read John 10.1-21

 

SHEEP, SHEPHERDS, and CHARLATANS (v 1-6)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

 

The Sheepfold

Historically and literally, the FOLD could be a part of a family courtyard; in view of v.3, it is better to think of a larger, independent enclosure, where several families kept their sheep, hiring an under-shepherd to guard the gate.  Sometimes this was a partial circle of stones, other times a cave.  Those who are authorized to enter would do so of course through the gate.

 

Those whose interest is stealing or wounding the sheep would avoid the gate; he climbs in by some other way.  The fold is intended to protect the sheep, but outside of the fold there is no protection except what the shepherd can provide.

 

Who's in the "fold"?

The true sheep and the true shepherd enter through the door, but Jesus says that there are those that come into the fold (the place of protection) and are there to destroy. There are a lot of people who come into the fold, but not all of them are part of the God's flock. 

 

What kinds of people come in? Some sheep and a bunch of dogs.

1.      Sheep - people who have legitimate needs that require patient and loving support.  Examples of sheep include widows, orphans, and those who are seriously ill or fighting addictions.  Sheep need to be loved and served; sheep who eventually love and serve themselves!

2.      St. Bernards/Big Dogs - people who appear to have the potential to have fruitful ministry, but they lack dependability, humility, or maturity.  Big lazy dogs like this need to be rebuked, and if they do not repent, they must be strategically ignored until they commit to no longer being a waste of time and effort.

3.      Barking Cats/Small Dogs - Disgruntled people who continually complain about whatever they are unhappy about.  These little excuses for dogs need to stop barking at everything that passes, or the pastors must invest in shocking bark collars before they overwhelm everyone and everything else in the church with their noise.

4.      Rabid Dogs/Sick Dogs are evil people sent by the Satan (the evilest dogs there is) on a mission to destroy the church through anything from sexual sin to starting rumors.  Leaders must put these dogs down quick with a gun, preferably a glock, before they bite people and infect them with deadly disease...that makes them rabid too.

5.      Wolves/Attack Dogs are false teachers whom Satan sends into the church to devour Jesus' sheep.  Wolves need to be quickly identified, rebuked, and if they are unrepentant, they must be shot before their false teaching destroys people in the church.  Matthew 5.15-20: 15  "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

 

How do wolves get in?  The leaders fail to protect the sheep.

 

Who's in the flock?  There are True SHEEP in the fold...

The WOLVES do not fool God's true Sheep.  The True Shepherd leads and the true sheep follow...the others spend their time doing anything and everything but following.  They either leave, hang around and harm the flock, or slow it down enough to make it ineffective.

 

  • The TRUE sheep do are not fooled by the voice of the stranger:When the true sheep hear the voice of Jesus, the true shepherd, they follow and do not flee.  They are not deceived by the pretend shepherds or influenced by the counterfeit sheep. 

 

  • They TRUE sheep are not fooled because they are known by name: They are not fooled because Jesus calls them with a very specific voice.  Saul, on the Road to Damascus was called by Jesus...by name. 

 

  • The TRUE sheep following the Shepherd who leads from in front: The stranger does not lead, they only point.  They do not go before you, the sit behind you yelling and encouraging you to sin. 

 

 "This passage ought to strike us with the deepest shame; first, because we are so ill accustomed to the voice of our Shepherd, that there are hardly any who do not listen to it with indifference; and, next, because we are so slow and indolent to follow him.J CALVIN"

 

I AM THE DOOR (v 7-10)

7 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Bread/Bread giver; Truth/Speaker of Truth; Way/Shows way; High Priest/Sacrifice.

 

How do you get into the flock?

There are a lot of ways to sneak into the fold, to make it look like you're a sheep, but there is only ONE way to truly become one of God's sheep-enter through the door that is Jesus.  If you would have asked these "RELIGIOUS PEOPLE" what makes them right with God, what gives them the right to be in God's flock-their answer would be ‘I'm Jewish.'  OR, today it might be, "I'm a church-goer."   There are more than ‘wolves' in sheeps clothing...

 

2Timothy 3.2-5

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

 

The "other" WAY is of the false shepherd whose intent is to kill (religion)

When you're in the fold...you SEE WHAT PEOPLE WANT you to SEE.  These religious guys look like sheep, but they didn't come through the door that is Jesus, their thieves.  They have come to STEAL that which GOD gives away freely.  They refused to put their faith in Jesus as the covering for their sin, they put faith in their own self-righteousness.  They believed that they could be "GOOD ENOUGH" and that others could be "BAD ENOUGH." Man centered religion  or righteousness based on works robs us of life.

 

The WAY of the true Shepherd brings Abundant Life

Psalm 23.1-3

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2           He makes me lie down in green pastures.

     He leads me beside still waters.

3           He restores my soul.

     He leads me in paths of righteousness

          for his name's sake.

 

Religion says, if I obey, God will love me. Gospel says, God loves you, I can obey.

Religion has good people & bad people. Gospel has only repentant and unrepentant people.

Religion depends on what I do. Gospel depends on what Jesus has done.

Religion makes God something to be feared.  The Gospel makes God someone to be loved.

Religion is about me. Gospel is about Jesus.

Religion ends in pride or despair. Gospel ends in humble joy.

Religion says deprive yourself of life today, so that you do not face death tomorrow; the Gospel saves me from death tomorrow, and says enjoy life today!

 

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD (v11-18)

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep14 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; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

Jesus continues his condemnation of these religious leaders by declaring himself the GOOD SHEPHERD and all but directly naming them HIRED HANDS who run at first sight of danger. We learn a few things, deeply theological things from this:

 

The Sheep are in mortal danger now and in the future.  (TOTAL DEPRAVITY)

The implication is that if the Shepherd does not lay down his life, then the sheep will die.  In fact, the danger is so certain and peril that NOTHING but the death of the Shepherd will in fact save.  This is contrasts starkly with the view of the Jews and anyone who ascribes to a works based system...you don't understand SIN.  The death of the Shepherd is not just a ‘good example' (look at how much I love you, as I jump off a cliff) it is necessary.    

 

The "Hired Hand" flees when danger comes (WEAK SHEPHERD/SAVIOR/IDOL)

Who is the hired hand-anyone or anything other than the CREATOR...the true Shepherd.  Anyone or anything that you turn to for your guidance, your protection, and overall joy and security.  Whether it be religion, a relationship, food, job, beauty, what happens when the wolf comes.  Is that thing able to protect you?

 

The Good Shepherd/Jesus cares for his sheep.  (UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION/GRACE)

Why does the Shepherd care for his sheep? We're definitely not lovable.  He doesn't love us because we are LOVEABLE.  He loves us because he chooses to love us.   He knows them and His sheep know Him.  Knowing Jesus means much more than having personal information or knowledge, it describes a personal fellowship.  It is knowing in the sense of an INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP, so unique that Jesus equates it with his own relationship with the Father.      

 

The Good Shepherd/Jesus WILLINGLY dies for his own sheep. (LOVE)

Jesus is not forced into this situation.  Even though many, perhaps all, of the sheep have wandered off on their own, he risks it all to save them.  In other words, the Shepherd does not have to save his sheep-it's not his job-love and sacrifice are aspects of his character not results of obligation.  Have you ever met a Shepherd who you sensed was just a "professional?"

 

The Good Shepherd dies to save his own sheep...not all the sheep (DEF. ATONEMENT)

The Bible says that Jesus dies for the sheep.  The question is, does the Shepherd die for all sheep in the same way?  If yes, then that ability to choose God is open to all men and all sheep either choose to obey the voice or not. They choose to listen or ignore and, in essence, decide to bring themselves to faith or not.  Men have become "savable" but they are not necessarily saved.

 

If no, if the Shepherd dies for his own sheep in a unique way, then we believe that the Shepherd doesn't die so that everyone gets the OPPORTUNITY to hear the Shepherd.  He dies and in fact to remove God's Wrath from his sheep and secure very ability to believe!

  • He gives SIGHT to all of the blind or some of the blind to see God
  • He enables ALL sheep to sheep to hear HIS voice or just some.
  • Later, in 10.26 Jesus says, "You do not believe because you are not part of my flock." Being a sheep enables you to become a believer. 

 

1Timothy 4.10

10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

 

I believe the Bible teaches that our salvation is wholly dependent upon God's moving toward me that I might move toward him.  It is a faith that is, at it's core, God-centered versus man-centered beginning with salvation and extending to every aspect of my life. 

 

The Good Shepherd/Jesus' voice is irresistable.  (IRRESISTABLE GRACE/MERCY)

Who are these sheep?  The ones who hear the voice of God...the voice powerful enough to break through any resistance we might have.  Sheep wander.  But there are those who wander without restraint, and those who wander with the voice of God there haunting them. Yes, in some sense, we all have God's Law written on our hearts.  But there is a difference between the Shepherd saying don't do this...and a Shepherd you can hear calling you. It is God's MERCY that brings you to faith...eventually.  Even if we wander, his TRUE SHEEP recognize his voice-he calls them by NAME...sometimes he whispers and sometimes he yells (Saul Saul Acts 9).

 

CONCLUSION the REACTION of the JEWS and YOURS

19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said,  "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?" 21 Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

It's not surprise that Jesus causes division "again"

Unfortunately, what is probably all too common for many people, the Jews are really good at identifying what Jesus IS NOT, but never get so far to declare what or WHO HE IS.  Their opinion, even those who are defending him, is nothing more than a declaration that he's not a demon...

 

The fact is that God, Jesus, is a Shepherd.  And as Charles Spurgeon said, there is much more to the person of Jesus than a Shepherd, but the fact that He is describe as a Shepherd, gives us insight into How God wants us to view him...

 

Ezekiel 34.11-16

11 "For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 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, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

 

Perhaps you're hearing his voice today....                                   

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