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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conflict - The Clash of Belief and Unbelief, The discourse on the Good Shepherd, Part XXXIII, John 10:11-15 - Lesson 80
Read Verses John 10:9,10, I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:11, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
In contrast to the false shepherds Jesus presents himself as the good shepherd, the only shepherd that truly cares for the sheep, the only shepherd that is worthy, the only excellent shepherd, the only shepherd that will give his life for the sheep.
Ezekiel also knew about the good shepherd when he said in Ezekiel 34:
Ezek 34:11,12,15,16,23,30,31, For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
So by saying that he is the good shepherd he affirms to the Pharisees that he is deity.
They knew David's 23rd Psalm.
They knew Ezekiel and Isaiah. He here identifies himself with Jehovah.
He here identifies himself with the redemption of the sheep.
He lays down his life for the sheep.
This is one of the scriptures which clearly defines the Atonement.
The good shepherd was not a martyr for a cause or a truth or as a moral example of self sacrifice.
He would give his life for a people.
He would give his life so that they might live.
Had he not been willing to lay down his life for the sheep there would have been no hope for them.
John 10:12,13, But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
The hired hand.
Nothing wrong with a hand for hire, but the hireling is not the shepherd of the sheep.
He does not have the heart of the shepherd.
He does not have the concern, he does not have the commitment.
There is a great difference between the shepherd of the sheep and the one hired to watch over the sheep.
The difference is revealed during hard times, during tough times when sacrifice is required.
The hireling may have thought of himself as a shepherd but when the test comes, the test reveals to him that he is a hireling.
The test comes when the wolf comes, when it gets personal, when total giving is called for, when perhaps it is a matter of life or death.
The hireling is more concerned about his own safety than the safety of the sheep.
He will not risk his life to defend the sheep against the wolves that he sees doing great damage to the flock.
You see then how good wolves are in revealing the character.
They are sent from God to ferret out the hireling.
He simply works for wages but his wages are not the strong tie to the sheep that the good shepherd has.
The good shepherd loves the sheep. The hireling loves his life.
He does not even love the shepherd, for if he loved the shepherd he would stay with the sheep as an under shepherd and not as a hireling.
Remember the discourse in John 21:15-17,
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
So the definition of a hireling is one who is there only for money, for gain.
The one who stays to defend the sheep stays because he loves the shepherd.
He is only capable of loving the sheep because he loves the shepherd.
This is the definition of an under shepherd.
(The Latin word transliterated "pastor" means shepherd.)
An under shepherd loves the shepherd, therefore he is capable of loving the sheep.
That is why Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him followed by the command to feed the sheep.
Peter, are you a hireling or are you an under shepherd?
The answer is connected to where your love is directed. God or mammon!
And when the under shepherd loves the shepherd he will feed the sheep in the pastures of the Word of God.
The diet will be varied but it will always be in the pastures of the Word of God.
And the under shepherd's desire should be to present the sheep that are under his care as healthy, fat sheep full from feeding from the pastures of Micah, John, Jude, Genesis, Revelation and the Psalms.
The sheep need all the pastures, all the different pastures in order for them to receive all the spiritual vitamins of the food that God provides.
John 10:14-15, I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
The true shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know the shepherd.
The true shepherd knows that the sheep are clean animals, they are harmless animals, and helpless animals.
He knows that they are gentle, and dependant animals that need care and that they are prone to wander.
But he also knows that they are useful animals that supply a crop of wool each year.
The true shepherd knows the names of the sheep, the habits of the sheep, he knows their personalities, their peculiarities, he knows their weaknesses, he knows their strengths.
The world cares not for sheep but to simply to use sheep for its wealth.
And being of the world the false shepherd also cares not to know the sheep.
It is of no value to know the sheep.
Knowing the sheep takes sacrifice and it takes commitment and concern.
The false shepherd only desires to use the sheep for his benefit and knowing the sheep does not contribute to that benefit.
Christ knows all of his sheep and all of Christ's sheep personally know him.
As Job in chapter 42 verse 5, said: I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
We who believe know our shepherd as the Savior of our soul.
He is our personal Savior.
As David said: The Lord is my shepherd!
Jesus describes this relationship as so intimate that he compares it to the relationship that he has with the Father.
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
The mutual knowledge of Christ and his sheep is like that which exists between the Father and the Son.
As the Father knows the Son and as the Son knows the Father, so Christ knows his sheep and his sheep know him.
And this knowledge, this intimate relationship extends to his laying down his life for the sheep.
And Christ expects the same from the sheep! Our lives are to be given for the shepherd!
It would be expected of such a relationship! |