JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD
John 10:1-18
Key verse 10:11
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John chapter 10 is a continuation of chapter 9. In chapter 9 Jesus heals a man who was born blind. When Jesus healed this man, he could see and begin a new life. He could see the beautiful world that God had created. He could see his mother’s face. However, the Pharisees could not believe that this man was healed even though he testified to them. They tried to make the man deny it and they said that Jesus was a sinner for doing this miracle on the Sabbath. They harassed this man and finally when he didn’t give them the answer they wanted, they threw him out of the synagogue.
Jesus then found this man and helped him to worship him by revealing himself as the Son of Man. Though Jesus led this man to salvation, his heart was still not satisfied. His heart was heavy when he thought about the Pharisees and their treatment of this man. So Jesus spoke these words to them in order to reveal himself to them that he is the good shepherd who came to lay down his life for the sheep
This morning, Jesus wants to help us to believe that he is the good shepherd. He compares the hired hand or false shepherd with the good shepherd. He wants us to recognize that he is the good shepherd and believe that he is the good shepherd. This morning, let us find out how Jesus is our shepherd and how he became the good shepherd. May God help you to personally accept that Jesus is your good shepherd so you may listen to his voice and follow his example and have life to the full.
Part I. Jesus is our shepherd. (1-6)
Let’s read verses 1-2, “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. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.” Jesus begins his message by comparing the thieves and robbers with the shepherd. The religious leaders were the thieves and robbers. They tried to steal the joy from the man born blind had received from his healing. They tried to rob him of the new life of salvation that Jesus had gave him. Instead of coming through the gate for the sheep to see, to help the sheep and to serve the sheep and take care of the sheep, these religious leaders came over the fence, climbing in and scaring and frightening the sheep by trying to exercise their power and authority over them.
But what about the shepherd? How does the shepherd enter? He enters through the gate. This shows that he has nothing to hide and his motives are clear. His motive is to take care of the sheep. His concern is only for the sheep’s well being. Let’s read verses 3-4, “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. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
In ancient times, sheep were a big industry for the people who lived in rural areas. It was common to see shepherds with their sheep, and seeing them leading their sheep to graze in the fields. For modern people like us, it is hard to picture this shepherd and sheep scene unless we grew up in a country setting or a very rural setting where there was this type of environment.
But the picture here is that God is the shepherd and we are his sheep. God’s heart is that of a shepherd who takes care of the sheep. This means that we are sheep. What are sheep like? They are woolly and fluffy and cute creatures who mostly think about eating. They are defenseless creatures and nearsighted and not very smart. However, as long as they are eating, they are happy. Sometimes they get lost in sheep heaven as they are eating away. Suddenly, they can become lost while they graze in order to find more grass or clover to eat. Other times, when they wander, they can become food to a hungry wolf. Sheep are known to wander very easily and to fall in a hole or off a cliff. Sheep really need a shepherd to lead them and to guide them and to protect them.
What Jesus is emphasizing here is a Biblical truth. We are all sheep and he is our shepherd with whom we dearly need to survive. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…” Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” And Psalm 95:7 says, “For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”
The important thing first here for us to accept is that we are sheep. So we see this is not some UBF terminology or lingo. It is Biblical. We are sheep. Sheep need the shepherd. Sheep need a shepherd to lead them, guide them, help them, watch over them and to protect them. You really can’t separate sheep and the shepherd. Sheep have been domesticated for so long that they need a shepherd. Likewise, we need Jesus as our shepherd. We need his care, his protection, his leading, and his guiding. However there are many people who like to say, “I am my own man! I don’t need anyone’s help!” They deny God thinking they can take care of themselves. However, those who think that way are wandering sheep. They become slaves of anxiety and fear. When a person denies that he needs the shepherd Jesus he becomes a restless wanderer going from one activity to the next and going from one relationship to the next.
But as long as we recognize that we need Jesus as our shepherd then we can have a deep sense of peace and security. As long as sheep have a shepherd, they are kept safe and secure. This is why each of us must come to recognize that we are sheep who need his love and who need his care and guidance.
Jesus always viewed people as sheep who need a shepherd. He recognized that this was man’s problem because of man’s fundamental sin problem. In Mark chapter 6, when Jesus and his disciples were getting ready to take some much needed rest and relaxation, a large crowd came to Jesus to get his help. When Jesus saw this large crowd coming towards him, he did not tell them to get lost. He did not scatter them and get angry at them for disturbing his quiet time with his disciples. Mark 6:34 says that he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus saw the crowds of people as shepherdless people because they had no one to lead them into the truths of God. They had no one to teach them the way of salvation. They had no one who truly understood them and who were committed to help them and guide them their entire life.
In King David’s time, before Jesus, King David recognized God as his shepherd through many hardships and trials. From the time David killed the giant Goliath, King Saul grew jealous of him and tried to kill him. David eventually became like a fugitive always on the run. At times it appeared that Saul and his men would capture David and kill him. However, God rescued David every time.
Though David was a man of many talents; he was a musician and a warrior and later a king, he came to experience that the help of men is worthless. He could not rely on himself or men. He learned that God is his shepherd who is his true source of protection and security and rest. He later wrote many psalms to show how the Lord had helped him through troubling times. Through his hardships he came to know the Lord as his shepherd. He wrote the famous Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want…he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul…He guides me in paths of righteousness…Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me...”
Now here in John chapter 10:3-4, Jesus shows some ways that he is our shepherd. Look again at verse 3 and 4. The shepherd calls the sheep and they listen to his voice. The sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice. Look at verse 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.”
Shepherd Steve said that this past week he went to the barn area on campus and saw some sheep. He took some grass in hands and was ready to give it to the sheep to eat. As he came to the fence, he began to say, “Here sheep, have some grass to eat.” However, the sheep did not recognize his voice and ran way in the opposite direction.” Shepherd Steve was clearly a stranger to that sheep. Perhaps he needs to spend more time talking to that sheep so that sheep could become comfortable with him.
Likewise, we need to learn to recognize Jesus’ voice. Jesus speaks through the Bible, and through his servants who bring us the word of God. If we are his sheep we will learn to humbly listen to his voice. We will be able to discern what is good and what is evil. We will begin to be able to follow the way of salvation with Jesus. When I was first approached to study the Bible at UM by Missionary Esther Lee, I could not understand what she was saying. So at first, I did not appear interested. However, I was kind of shocked when I thought what I heard was a great concern coming from her mouth. It was like a rebuke. This got my attention. Though her English was really English, but Konglish, I later realized it was God speaking through her so that I could come to know Jesus as my shepherd. I came to experience that Jesus’ voice through the Bible is the way of salvation and life.
How is Jesus our shepherd? Not only by his voice, but because he also knows us by name. The shepherd knows his sheep by name and calls his own sheep by their name. How happy the sheep is to hear his name being called by his shepherd!! “Here Fluffy!! Come here Fluffy!!” The sheep is happy to follow and his eyes light up and he smiles. He feels important. To the Hebrew people, name implied their character and who they are. This means that when Jesus calls us by name, he knows everything about us. He knows us better then we know even ourselves. In the Bible, God always calls his people by name. he said to Abram, “Hey, Abram, leave your country….” Abram means exalted father. God later changed his name to Abraham which means father of many nations. For example, I heard the name Simon means “sand.” But when Jesus saw Simon for the first time, he called him Peter which means “rock.” How could he change the name his parents gave him? It was because Jesus knew him well.
Jesus saw Simon with vision that he would be a spiritual rock, unshakeable and faithful and strong, not like shifting sand as he was at that time. Because Jesus knows us by name and knows where we are and where we go; he even knows our thoughts, then we can have complete trust and security in him that he is watching over us and is with us.
Everyone wants someone who knows them and understands them. One major complaint among spouses is their saying that, ‘You don’t understand me!” However Jesus knows us and Jesus understands us. Even though there are well over 6 billion people in the world, Jesus knows us completely even better than our parents. This is why we should come to trust him as our shepherd and learn to listen very carefully to his voice. Then when we do, he will begin to lead us and show us the way out of our unproductive lives of sin. He will lead us into a fruitful and blessed and glorious life of faith. Read verse 6. They still didn’t understand what he was telling them.
Part 2. “I am the Gate.” (7-10)
In these verses Jesus teaches us a few things about himself as our shepherd. First, he is the gate. Let’s read verse 7-9. In the time of Jesus, at least 26 people claimed that they were the Messiah. But none of them could lead men to salvation. Most of them were politicians or gurus, zealots or some kind of mystics. They could not be the gate for the sheep because they are not the promised savior.
But Jesus is the gate because through faith in him we can approach the Father and have salvation. John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” Look at his promises. He says we will come in and go out and find pasture. Jesus truly nourishes and satisfies our hungry and thirsty souls. Jesus truly gives us life abundant. Let’s read verse 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.”
What is this full life that Jesus is talking about? What is full life? We all want full life. This kind of life might be a successful life. It might be a materially wealthy life. But it all really isn’t these things. These things in life without Jesus leave us half full and half empty. The full life Jesus is talking about here is life with him. Believing him as our shepherd. Then our cup overflows. If he is in our hearts and we are having fellowship with him and serving him, then we are experiencing the full life with him.
Part 3. “I am the Good Shepherd.” (11-18)
In verse 11 Jesus declares himself to be the good shepherd. Let’s read verse 11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This fact or evidence that Jesus laid down his life for the sheep shows us why he is the good shepherd. In these verses 11-18, the words, “I lay down my life for the sheep”, are repeated five times.
Jesus is the good shepherd because he gave his life for unworthy sinners who did not love him or worship him or care about him. From the beginning of his life on this earth, Jesus was already laying down his life for us. He did it first by leaving heaven and then coming to be born in a manger, most humble place. He lived a very poor life in a country that was under Roman occupation.
Right before he started his ministry he had to fight against the devil. Though he was hungry and had not eaten for 40 days, he did not give in to the devil. As he began his ministry, and healed those who needed healing, he became full of love that did not fail for them. He did not turn away any that sought him. He healed a man with leprosy by touching him. He helped a Gerasene demoniac. He fed the 5,000 people. He went out of his way to help a Samaritan woman. Jesus served the most unloveliest people. He served the despised and rejected people. He gave his life, night and day, in hopes that they would somehow recognize his unconditional love.
He healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath. By doing so, he risked his life. One time he healed 10 people with leprosy. But only one came back to give him thanks. When he went to his own home town to bless them and help them, he could not do anything because they rejected him. They even tried to drive him off a cliff and kill him. Though Jesus came to serve and not be served, it seemed the sheep were very unthankful.
However, Jesus is the good shepherd because his love is unconditional. It says that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus never gave up when the sheep were slow to understand. He patiently taught his disciples the meaning of the feeding of the 5,000 by feeding 4,000 people not much later. He kept teaching the disciples the meaning of his coming by telling them about his coming suffering, death and resurrection. Even though they did not understand what he was saying, he kept telling them again and again. Even though they had their own ides and plans, Jesus was patient with them.
In verses 12-13, Jesus mentions the hired hand. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. His motive is for his own benefit. He doesn’t care about the sheep when it appears that his life will be in danger. He is only in it for profit.
But Jesus is the good shepherd and the only good shepherd because he alone died and shed his life giving blood on the cross to save us and give us everlasting life. He did not do anything for his own personal gain and profit. It was all for us. No one else could do this. Godly men can lead us to come to know. But Godly men can not be the one’s to bring us to salvation. Therefore no one can say that they are a good shepherd. There is only one good shepherd, Jesus Christ.
How did Jesus view his coming death? It was not forced upon him. Verse 18 says, “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.” Jesus was very willing to die for us. He was very willing to die for us so that he could point us the way to God’s kingdom.
In verse 16, Jesus talks about other sheep. Let’s read verse 16. Jesus saw through his death that he would bring all people to him. Jesus saw the whole world as his sheep. He wants to be the shepherd of all nations. Finally, Jesus talks about himself being a good sheep to God. Let’s read verse 14-15. We see that Jesus was able to be a good shepherd for us because he loved God. He obeyed God and wanted to please God. This is the first step for us to be a good shepherd. We must first be a good sheep to God.
So don’t give God a hard time. Go to him and get to know him and learn from him. Come to know what his voice sounds like as you read the Bible so that you may come to follow his gracious and gentle leading. Then come and learn from him and be a good shepherd like Jesus. This is God’s will for us all. Jesus our good shepherd wants us to learn and be like him, good shepherds for our times. May God help you to know his love deeply.