“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.”}}
(b). JESUS IS THE SEEKING SHEPHERD
You will note the prophecy at the end of that Ezekiel passage – {{“Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out,”}} and it was Jesus Himself who came to seek and to save the lost sheep of Israel, and in fulfillment of that prophecy. He is the Shepherd of Israel. The Lord wants only genuine shepherds, but He Himself, came as the genuine Shepherd. He is actually the Shepherd of Psalm 23 when David wrote, “The Lord is my Shepherd”. The Shepherd speaks about shepherding. The true shepherd is legitimate, and the legitimate shepherd enters the sheepfold by the door, which is more of a gateway, if you remember from the message on “I am the DOOR”. The false shepherd comes by a devious path and tries to enter the fold by climbing over the top. Jesus calls such, thieves and robbers.
We are all familiar with the parable of The Lost Sheep from Luke 15, but in fact that shepherd there is the Lord Jesus Christ. Even one struggling sheep is important to Him and He searched and sought that sheep to bring the soul into His sheepfold. I thank my Saviour that He sought me, found me, and added me to His sheepfold.
Years ago I came upon a quote but in trying to find its source for this message, I have not been successful, but this is the quote – [[“I imagine an enemy, who wants to steal the sheep, will not do it through the front door, but by the most devious means possible. What does this mean for us? Well we must know the sheepfold well; know all the gaps; know where extra effort needs to be made to heal the breaches. Also we must clear the place of obstructions of unconfessed sin where a thief can hide waiting for the opportune time. We must also eradicate the opportunities given to the thief to carry out the works of darkness - the ladders of temptation must be addressed; the vines of tinkering must be cut down; the shovels of doubt removed, and the overhanging trees of laxity and carelessness trimmed. Light must be shed, for where there is light, it dispels the darkness and chases the thief away. And what is our light? Well Christ is, but the word of God is the light - both lamp and light. Lastly, perhaps short accounts need to be taken i.e. more regular patrols of personal and church assessment undertaken.”]]
Satan is the real source of false shepherds and counterfeits, and of every device and scheme that would harm the sheep. We should know the real work of the enemy. All too often we concede to the things of the evil one without a true separation from what is dangerous or suspect, and here we could address ourselves. The devil is not a plaything with pitchfork and horns about whom jokes can be made. That is the devil's lie. I understand that in wartime, and now in business it seems, it was said you must know your enemy - at least we should know the enemy - because Paul, in 2Corinthians 2 v 11, says we are not ignorant of his devices. This is the quote: {{“in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”}} We ought to consider very carefully what his schemes are, and pay attention to them, because Paul says we are not ignorant of his schemes, but too many Christians are not even aware of his schemes. That is not in the message today, for it is a subject all by itself. Satan is the enemy of souls and his true purpose is only to kill and destroy. Also, his full attention is for the downfall of Christians and to render them useless in the work of the kingdom of God. Today we face humanism and all the resultant fruits of that. We face all sorts of movements that are brightly dressed but their purpose has been drafted by the evil one.
It is sad that the enemy is also in the churches and he has placed his false shepherds there. They scatter the sheep and prey on them, not in any way pray for them. Praise the Lord for the Seeking Shepherd.
[B]. JESUS THE TRUE SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP
We will look at a few verses from John 10. {{John 10 v 3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10 v 4 When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”}}
A visitor to Palestine wrote of his observations there – quote:
[[Several flocks sometimes are allowed to mix. More than one flock may be kept in the same fold, and often flocks are mixed while being watered at a well. For the time being, no attempt is made to separate them. When it becomes necessary to separate several flocks of sheep, one shepherd after another will stand up and cry out clearly, a call of his own choosing. The sheep lift up their heads, and after a general scramble, begin following each one, his own shepherd. They are thoroughly familiar with their own shepherd's tone of voice. Strangers have often used the same call, but their attempts to get the sheep to follow them always fail.
Part of the intimacy between shepherd and sheep is the names he gives to his sheep. JESUS said concerning the shepherd of his day: "He calls his own sheep by name" (John 10:3). Today, the eastern shepherd delights to give names to certain of his sheep, and if his flock is not too large, all of his sheep may be given names. He knows them by means of certain individual characteristics. He names one: "Pure White"; another, "Striped"; another, "Black"; another, "Brown"; and still another, "Gray-eared." All this indicates the tender affection which he has for every one of his flock.]] end of quote
When we learn of the intimate relationship that exists between the shepherd and his sheep, the figure of the Lord as our Shepherd of His people takes on new meaning. He is tender-hearted and knows each of us by name. Our names are in heaven, carefully guarded by the Lord Himself. As sons and daughters we are named. His intention towards us is always pure and gracious and loving.
In verse 4, you see it says, “he goes before them”. The Eastern shepherd never drives his sheep as does the Western shepherd. He always leads them, often going before them. This does not mean that the shepherd is always in front of his sheep. Although he may be usually in that position when travelling, he often walks by their side, and sometimes follows behind, especially if the flock is headed for the fold in the evening. From the rear he can gather any stragglers, and protect such from a sly attack from a wild animal.
One of the most beautiful hymns that fits this account so well is “When We Walk With The Lord”. I quote the first and last stanzas.
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do;
Where He sends, we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.
{{"He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake" (Psalm 23 v 3)}} is one of the lovely treasures from that Psalm. The skill of the shepherd, and personal relationship to the sheep, is clearly seen when he guides them along narrow paths. The grain fields are seldom fenced or hedged in Bible lands, and sometimes only a narrow path runs between the pasture and these fields. The sheep are forbidden to eat in the fields where crops are growing. Thus in guiding the sheep along such a path, the shepherd must not allow any of the animals to get into the forbidden area, because if he does, he must pay damages to the owner of the grain. One Syrian shepherd was known to have guided a flock of one hundred and fifty sheep without any help, along such a narrow path for quite a distance, without letting a single sheep go where it was not allowed to go.
This message will be split into two because of the size. We have just finished Part 1. In Part 2, we will look at the Lord Jesus as The Good Shepherd and the Sacrificial Shepherd. The Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep.
God bless you all
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
