"I Am The Good Shepherd” – He Laid Down His Life - John 10 – Part 1 Series

“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD” – HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE - John 10 – PART 1

[A]. OPENING UP THE SUBJECT

It would be a most interesting exercise to put 10 theologians together and ask them, “Which is the most important of the I AMs found in the Gospel of John?” What would your answer be?

One would argue that it has to be, “I am the Way the truth and the life, for without the way we have nowhere to go.” Another might say, “It has to be, “I am the Resurrection and the Life, because if Christ was not raised then our faith is in vain, and it is all useless.” Yet another might say, “It has to be, “I am the Door, for if there was no Door, then there is no entry to heaven or eternal life.” Lastly, another could say, “It must be the claim, I am the Good Shepherd for the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep, and without that there would be no salvation. People would remain lost.”

Of course all the “I AMs” are important and without one, the others would not have their meaning. We have an all-inclusive Saviour who is all things to us. Praise God.

The I AM of this discourse also includes I AM the Door which is done separately but there is a little bit of overlapping. John 10 actually carries on from the previous chapter where Jesus is speaking with the Pharisees. These were always associated with the scribes, and these two groups represented the falseness of the Jewish religion, the persecutors of truth, and of THE TRUTH. These men were false teachers and served only themselves. John 10 applies to these hypocritical teachers of Israel.

(a). JESUS IS THE SHEPHERD

{{John 10 v 1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber, John 10:2 but he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.”}}

What Jesus is explaining here, is the role of a true shepherd of the sheep, and that is in contrast with the actions of the false ones, but more than that, we will see that Jesus is the Shepherd; and even more, the Good Shepherd. He had been speaking to the Pharisees at the end of chapter 9 and told them they were blind and sinful. These blind leaders of the blind should have known the scriptures, and they were meant to have had in their care, the men and women of Israel, but they were robbers of the things of God, and were false shepherds to the people. They cared not for the sheep, but only for themselves; for the praise of men, and to glory in their own importance.

A true shepherd gave of himself, his time and concern and personal comfort for the welfare of the sheep. If there was trouble, even at night, he would go out to seek the best for his sheep. The false shepherd would say, “I might look at that tomorrow,” as he did not want his own comfort disturbed. The concern of a good shepherd is seen in the parable of The Lost Sheep.

The Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’s time were exactly the same bunch, that in practice, Ezekiel had to contend with. This is the significant passage –

{{Ezekiel 34 v 2–11: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them, and they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill, and My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth; and there was no one to search or seek for them.”’” Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: “As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I shall demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep, so the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I shall deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be food for them,”’” for thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.”}}