John 9:35-38
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
What a remarkable scene ...ordinary man face to face with the Son of God. One on one with the Creator...The Good Shepherd.
Back in chapter 8 of John, Jesus was teaching His disciples in the Temple and the Pharisees had brought Him an adultness woman and they tried to contradict Jesus in His teaching but, without saying a word Jesus wrote something in the sand and the Bible says they were being convicted by their own conscience by Jesus and they left the temple one by one
The Pharisees were keepers of the law of Moses...they were righteous leaders but, righteous in their own minds.
They tried to stone Jesus to death but, He had gotten away from them and on His way out of the Temple Jesus saw a man blind and the Bible says and Jesus had compassion on him.
You might remember the story...Jesus spat on the ground and made clay and placed it on the blind man's eyes and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam and he washed and he was healed of his blindness.
There have been many sermons preached on why Jesus spit in the dirt and made mud and placed it on the man eyes.
I believe once again Jesus was contradicting the Pharisees.
You see everyone knows that saliva has some healing power....
The Pharisees had written a law that they were to be no healing on the Sabbath ..this was the Sabbath day.
Pharisees had made many laws for people to follow...they even had a book that the scribes kept that was called midrash.
It was a bunch of laws and rules the Pharisees had added to the law of Moses. It was a Jewish commentary for everyone to go by.
Gods law had been added to by these people...stretched out proportion...was impossible for any man to follow except for our Lord Jesus
You remember Apostle Paul was a Pharisee....Paul had people executed for following our Lord.
But, he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and Paul was blinded by His appearance ...but, after 3 days he was healed ....physically and spiritually ...as they say...the rest is history.
The Pharisees were blinded to Jesus and his forgiveness by grace.
They were set in their own self righteous way and wanted everyone else the same or you would pay a price...sometimes the ultimate price of death.
How can anyone live a life more abundant ...as Jesus called it if we are caught up in the slavery of the law?
We needed a Shepherd to lead us out of that slavery.
That's what Jesus died for....that's what He came to defeat.
Sad but true ...some are still held captive by laws....never enjoyed the freedom of being free from sin and living an abundant life.
Still believe that being good and doing good deeds will get them honor before God......they need a Shepherd..a good Shepherd
Not only did Jesus heal the blind man in John chapter 9 physically but, most of all spiritually.
The once blind man belief grew in Christ...in verse 11 when the Pharisees ask who heal him of his blindness...he said a man named Jesus ......then in verse 17 he called Jesus a prophet....and then in verse 38 called him Lord.
Spiritual blindness is a healing and growing process.
Once we are captive by manmade laws and regulations ...we are a prisoner to its power.
But, the day we ask Jesus in our life ...those chains of legalism and slavery should be replaced by grace and mercy.
We met Him as a man called Jesus....then we see there is something very powerful and special about Him.
Then when we call Him Lord Then we began to depend on Him as our Good Shepherd.
You know, Jesus could have been born in royalty like He deserved...but, He chose to be born in the little town of Bethlehem.
He could have spent His first night on this earth He created in a warm Palace among kings and great leaders but, He chose a manger in a cold stable.
His birth could have been announced to leaders of the world... kings and royalty. But, He chose the shepherds that were watching their sheep in a field.
Paul said it like this in Philippians 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men
(Made himself of no reputation) that comes from a Greek word keno..which means ...emptied ....He emptied Himself but, of what?
He laid down his Heavenly credentials.....He had limitations...self limitations...He was all man but, He was all God...
...He could have spoke this world out of existence at anytime but, Paul said in verse 8 of Philippians chapter 2 he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The people labeled Jesus as the king of Jews they thought He came to save them from the Roman Empire but, Jesus humbled Himself and preferred to be call The Good Shepherd.
Turn to John chapter 10 chapter 1
John 10:1-6
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
This is a continuation of a conversation with the blind man back in John chapter 9...you can see after the once blind man acknowledges that Jesus is Lord in verse 38 of John 9 then ....in verse John 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Jesus begins to explain just who He was and what He came to do and they still didn't understand. They should have understood the duty and the definition of a shepherd.
In verse 1 Jesus said , He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
A sheepfold was a pen or coral that was made of stone and some were as much as 10 feet high and with only one door...one way in and one way out.
The shepherds would use these to put sheep in as they traveled to protect them as they rest for the night.
Jesus is a illustration of a Good Shepherd...He came to protect those that would come into His sheepfold.
Just as the blind man could now see that Jesus was Lord.....because most important Jesus healed him spiritually. The once blind man said..."I believed and worshiped Him"
When the Pharisees ask if they were blind also.....Jesus told them in verse 41 of John chapter 9 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth
Jesus was saying because they couldn't see their sin it remained and was blinded.
Thought it was kind of interesting that Pharisees is a Hebrew word which means "separatists"
They separated themselves from others and look down on them because of their self-righteousness.
They was not shepherds....they came as a thief and a robber. Jesus said in verse 1
They were placing people under bondage and slavery because of their own self centered righteousness with their own laws and commandments to go by.
The Pharisees were an illustration of a robber or thief
Jesus said in verse 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep....3 To him the porter openeth;
Jesus said that a good shepherd would lead his sheep in through the door....remember there was only one door in that sheepfold
A shepherd would have to go into the sheepfold first so his sheep would follow.
Sometimes a shepherd would travel for days with the sheep that he had bought or an owner would hire a shepherd to bring them to the place for the owner.
They would come into town sometimes to rest overnight and to eat.....there would be a sheepfold there close to town for the shepherds to use a ..sometimes a porter which is a trusted shepherd to watch several flocks of sheep ...
maybe as many as 5 or 6 different flocks of sheep would be in that sheepfold.
After the shepherd would get up from his rest the next morning he would go to the sheepfold to get his sheep and be on his way.
No branding iron and no fancy tags on their ears to identify them.
...how in the world was the shepherds going separate them from the others?
Verse 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Jesus said the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Jesus said in in verse 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
The porter represents the Holy Spirit.....Jesus said the porter openeth the door....why, because he knows the shepherd.
Remember the porter saw the shepherd lead his sheep in the sheepfold.
Pastors, Preachers, Evangelist, Sunday school teachers can teach the word of God till they are blue in the face but, the Holy Spirit has to open the door to someone's heart
Love In Christ Jesus, Ronnie Miller www.themillersbiblestudy.com
