John 10, Our Shepherd loves and cares for us greatly. We owe him so much, why can't we give him our time?

• Quick discussion of news of the week Jesus' wife
• Parchment is a 4th century document
• It is very poorly preserved and is missing over half of the words so that there is no idea about the topic, just words like Jesus and wife
• Discussion ignores Gnostics, lack of copying, and actual supporting information
• Discussion also ignores the fact that the NT calls the church the bride of Christ and that Jesus talked about a marriage supper of the lamb


John 10:1-18 (NIV) "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."  6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.


7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.


11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.


14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."


• This passage is different from others. It is not a parable. Jesus calls it a figure of speech
• (Constable, 2012) John called this teaching a figure of speech (Gr. paroimian) rather than a parable (Gr. parabole). Parables generally stress only one or a few points of comparison, but the sustained metaphors that follow develop many similarities. John did not include any Synoptic-style parables in his narrative.
• So, since the "sustained metaphor" contains many more similarities and contrasts. Let's list some of them and what they mean
• Shepherd -- he truly was ruler over the flock. They were under his authority and sovereignty
• Israel's teachers are called Shepherds in the OT. Jesus here suggests that they are thieves and robbers
• They were taking from the people and not giving
• They did not really offer true life (just because someone has a title, "reverend," or religious does not mean that he knows God and understands how one receives eternal life
• Jesus can protect his sheep completely
• Jesus offers full life to those who enter his fold
• A believer has a particular ability to recognize the voice of Jesus, probably through the Holy Spirit
• While normally a Shepherd would call his sheep with a distinctive sound or whistle, Jesus calls his by name, indicating a personal relationship
• Jesus leads his sheep. He goes with them. He does not send them out without his presence, and he goes first
• Jesus cares for his sheep
• Jesus will lay down his life for the sheep
• APPLICATION: We all have trust issues. Some are the result of our own poor choices. For those we need to repent. But in any case, we also need to trust our good Shepherd. He will not desert us. He will never leave us alone. Not only will he go with us, he will actually lead us
• Mormons like to use verse 16, but the meaning is much clearer, what is he referring to?
• Jesus is speaking to the Jews, the reference is to Gentiles
• Jesus is speaking about the church, Jew and Gentile, one flock and one shepherd


John 10:19-33 (NIV) At these words the Jews were again divided. 20 Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"


21 But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"


22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."


25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."


31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"


33 "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."


• Josh McDowell popularized this very argument that we see here, what is it?
• Jesus is either Lord, liar, or lunatic
• Demon-possessed would fit with liar, for who could make such statements to people and be lying if they were not evil?
• Raving mad is the lunatic
• The are two arguments against liar and lunatic
• These are not the words of a liar or lunatic
• The miracles are not the result of demonic power
• Josh McDowell added some other arguments that John might have used (given he wrote this about 90 AD), although not in a historical documentary of Jesus life
• We are not win the winter
• One commentator thought the setting was comparative to the frigid spiritual climate
• The area of Solomon's Colonnade would have protected hears from the weather
• In answer to the request to "tell us plainly," how does Jesus respond?
• He had repeatedly made the claim already
• He repeats the claim here (they pick up stones to stone him)
• Nor does he correct them when they repeat back the implication -- "you, a mere man, claim to be God"
• What does Jesus mean by verses 28 and 29?
• Eternal life comes through Jesus
• Eternal security is promised by the Father
• APPLICATION: You cannot lose your salvation. If you could, it would be earned because that would mean you lived good enough in life to keep it


John 10:34-39 (NIV) Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'?  35 If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came — and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."  39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.


• First of all we need to understand the term here and the context
• The term that is quoted can be used for "gods" and also for "judges"
• In fact, the word of God is given to the judges of Israel because they represent God in handing out sentences
• So, in one sense, even men take on the role of "gods" when they are judges
• Jesus' argument is that if the scripture talks about men as "gods" and the "sons of God," why are they stoning Jesus for claiming to be God and the Son of God
• On one sense, this seems to be a stalling tactic. The other sense is that what Jesus is claiming is completely different than being a mere Judge who represents God
• To make that matter even more clear, Jesus says to look at the miracles (judges did not have the power to make the blind see)
• Jesus also finishes the argument by saying that the Father is in him and he is in the Father. This somewhat invalidates the previous statement, because now he is clearly using the capital "G"
• And this is immediately recognized by the crowed as they try to sieze him
• APPLICATION: What does this mean for us today? Our shepherd is also our God. We are protected by him. He cares for us. How should we respond to such a shepherd? Out of love and thankfulness -- the opposite of neglect and disrespect. God is worth our time. If you don't think that then you don't understand all that he had done for you