John 10 Jesus is the Good Shepherd WC
McCarter
Introduction
On
one occasion, which is recorded in John 9, Jesus hid Himself and left the
temple after a major conflict with the Jewish leaders who had decided to stone
Him to death. As He was leaving, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. To
answer a question which His disciples had asked, Jesus said that the man had
been born blind so that the works of God could be revealed in Him. Then Jesus
spat on the ground and may mud with the saliva and dirt. He took the mud, put
it on the blind man’s eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The
man did what the Lord commanded and came back seeing. Of course, this stirred
up quite the commotion among the people.
When
the man gave his testimony of the miracle, he told the people that a man called
Jesus had healed him. Well, the man was taken before the Pharisees who had
previously decided to stone Jesus to death. They immediately stated that Jesus
was not of God because He healed the man on a Sabbath. The Pharisees even
called in the man’s parents to validate the claims that the man had been born
blind and could now see. Although the Pharisees continued their attacks against
Jesus, the man would not back down to his claims that Jesus was a healer and prophet.
So, the Pharisees excommunicated him from the synagogue (which is to say that
he was cut off from the community).
Later,
when He had heard that the man had been cast out, Jesus went and found the man.
It was then that the man confessed his faith in Jesus and worshiped Him. There
were some Pharisees who were present when Jesus and the healed man met up
again. They were not happy at all when Jesus said, “For judgment I have come
into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may
be made blind.” It is in this context that Jesus says what He does in chapter
ten.
READ Scripture- This is the Word of God
Stranger vs. Shepherd (1-6)
Based
on the context, which I rehearsed in the introduction, the speech of chapter
ten is first and foremost a criticism of the Pharisees. Yet, we can learn many
things about Christ as Good Shepherd and about ourselves as sheep in the flock
of God.
“Most
assuredly, I say to you” is the famous “Verily, Verily, I say unto you” of the
KJV. This reflects the Greek which says, “Ἀμὴν
ἀμὴν
λέγω ὑμῖν”
(Amen, Amen). It is an emphatic statement which serves to catch the hearers’
attention. The “you” of this passage is, first and foremost, the Pharisees who
are seen here as terrible shepherds of Israel. Jesus is about to contrast the
Jewish leaders of His day with Himself; it is stranger vs. Shepherd.
Jesus
puts the Pharisees in the camp of “strangers.” They are frauds. They pose as
shepherds of the flock of God, but they are only in it for themselves. Notice all
of the descriptions that Jesus uses for them through the passage:
He
who does not enter the sheepfold by the door
Climbs up another way
Thief and robber
The sheep will not follow a stranger
The sheep flee from him
The sheep do not know the voice of
strangers.
On
the other hand, Jesus refers to Himself in many positive ways by putting
Himself in the category of true “shepherds”:
He
who enters by the door
The shepherd of the sheep
To him the doorkeeper opens
The sheep hear his voice
He calls his own sheep by name
He leads his own sheep out
He goes before them
The sheep follow him
The sheep know his voice.
Verse
six tells us that this was an illustration, but no one knew what the Lord was
talking about. This is common, especially in the Gospel of John. Jesus often
teaches in figurative ways, sometimes so that the audience can’t understand Him
and sometimes the audience should understand, but they are too dull to
comprehend the simple truth.
I AM the Door of the Sheep (7-10)
The
next paragraph appears to be an explanation of what was said in verses one
through six. The people did not understand, so the Lord continues the
discussion of the sheep and the door. He is not ready to tell them bluntly the
truth of their corrupt leadership, but He continues to talk figuratively. To
begin this explanation the Lord says again, “Verily, verily, I say unto you”
(Listen up).
At
the end of verse seven we have the third of seven “I AM” statements in the
Gospel of John. Jesus says, “I AM the door of the sheep.” We know that this is
important because John records it as emphatic in the original language. It is,
“ἐγώ εἰμι” which simply means, “I, I am” (ἐγώ means I, and εἰμι
means I am). When something is repeated back-to-back in Greek it is for
emphasis. To put it simply, the Lord is saying that He is uniquely and opposed to all others the one door of the sheep.
This is a significant statement. First, Jesus is saying that He is divine. He
is equating Himself with Yahweh. This Greek statement is equivalent to the
Hebrew that God used to reveal His personal name to Moses at the burning bush.
Moses asked, “Who shall I say is sending me?” The Lord responded, “Tell Pharaoh
that I AM is sending you.” You see, Jesus has already said this to the Jews,
and He did not mix words in John 8:58 when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Of course, Jesus says very clearly again in
this tenth chapter verse 30, “I and My Father are one.” In response to that
comment, the Jews were going to stone Him because they realized that He was
claiming to be God (verse 33).
Second,
what does it mean for Jesus to be the door? Almost all commentators will point
you to this: In those days, there was a walled enclosure, or a cave, or out in
the field the shepherd would form a sheepfold and the shepherd would sleep in
the entryway and function as a door. He wanted to keep the sheep from getting
out and discourage any wild animals from getting in. This, of course, was for
the benefit of the sheep so that they would not get lost, injured, or killed. I
think we can understand this simply. What does it mean to be a door or gate?
The thieves and robbers went through illegitimate ways (they climbed through
windows), but Jesus is the door.
Jesus
says that all who come by Him are saved. He makes this a salvation metaphor. If
you are going to be saved, you are going to have to go through Him. He is the
legitimate entryway for salvation. This is just another way of saying what He
says in many other places in the Gospels. He is exclusively the way to
salvation.
What
does it mean to find pasture? It means that you will be fed, you will find
rest, and you will be led by the shepherd. The thief does not do that. The
thieves come to kill, steal, and destroy which is language that is usually
reserved for Satan himself. Jesus is veiling His criticism of the Pharisees.
They are like their father, the devil. They were only looking out for
themselves.
What
does it mean for the shepherd to provide life? It means he is going to get them
to food, water, rest, safety, and all the rest. He will care for them. Jesus is
teaching at the end of verse ten that He offers life not only in this age but
in the age to come. He offers eternal life.
I AM the Good Shepherd (11-16)
In
the last paragraph of our sermon text today, Jesus uses another metaphor. He is
no longer the Door, but now He is the Good Shepherd. What makes Him so good? He
dies for the sheep. You see, this makes sense from a literal, physical
perspective and of course it makes sense from a Christian perspective.
Shepherds who own a flock are willing to lay down their lives for the
preservation of their sheep. It is their family’s livelihood and long-term
investment. While Jesus is not dependent on us, we are totally dependent on
Him, and we needed Him to lay down His life for our sakes.
The
Lord is the Good Shepherd because He lays down His life for the sheep. He is
referring to His substitutionary atonement on the cross. The wolf of the wrath
of God was coming after us, but Christ through Himself in between.
The
last line refers to global missions. There are people from all over the planet
who will hear the call of the Good Shepherd and come into His fold. Verse 16
still stands true and active today.
Conclusion and Christian
Application
I
only have two questions for you as we conclude this sermon. These two questions
are simple, but they are as serious as any question that may be posed to you
(if not more serious).
(1) (Look at v3) Do you hear Christ’s
voice? I don’t mean audibly. I mean, do you hear His voice when you read the
Scriptures? Do you hear His voice when His word is taught? Do you hear His
voice in your day-to-day life and routine as He guides you by His Spirit?
(2) (Look at v4) Do you follow Christ?
This second question is linked to the first. If you are a sheep that belongs to
Christ, then you know His voice, and when He calls, you go running to obey His
word.
(3) (Look at v14) Do you know Christ?
The last question sums up them all. In order to receive the benefits of the Good
Shepherd’s accomplishments, you must know Him.