Bible Study Materials

JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

by   03/06/2008  

Question


1. Read verses 1-6. What is the difference between a thief and the shepherd? What does the watchman do for the shepherd? What does the shepherd do for the sheep and how does the sheep respond? How does the sheep react toward a stranger? To whom and for what reason was Jesus telling this story? 2. Read verses 7-10. Who is the gate for the sheep? What is the blessing of those who enter through the gate? Why does the thief come? What is the coming purpose of Jesus? 3. Read verses 11-21. Who is the good shepherd and what does the good shepherd do for the sheep? How is the hired hand described? What is the relationship between Jesus and his sheep? Who are other sheep and what does Jesus want to do for them? Why does Jesus lay down his life? How did the Jews respond to this teaching of Jesus?


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Message


The Bible depicts God as the shepherd and the Israelites, in a broad sense, all mankind as his sheep. When all human shepherds were wicked and useless, the sovereign God promised that he himself would search for his sheep and look after them, bringing them out from the nations (Eze 34:11-13). At the right time he came and shepherded his sheep. In today’s passage Jesus declares, “I am the good shepherd.” This passage is excellent in describing the shepherd. May we understand Jesus’ teaching and accept him as our good shepherd. First, the good shepherd calls his own sheep by name (1-6). Look at verse 1. “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.” We wonder why Jesus started this beautiful chapter with such a negative statement. For Jesus’ heart must have been broken when he saw how the Pharisees treated a man blind from birth. They were supposed to be shepherds for the pitiful man. However, they treated him so badly and finally threw him out forcedly. They were like thieves and robbers. And then Jesus says, “The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listens to his voice.” We saw how Jesus approached the man born blind. Jesus opened his heart with the truth of God. And then he served the man, making the mud with the saliva to put on his eyes out of a shepherd heart. Jesus commanded him to go to the Siloam and wash, though Jesus knew that it was a hard command for him to do. Jesus loved him with his divine love so that he might experience the power of God. When the man was abandoned by all people and finally cast out of the community, Jesus came to him and helped him to be strong in faith believing in the Son of God. In this way Jesus was a shepherd for the man. God led the sheep to Jesus and the man listened to Jesus, the shepherd. Let’s think more of the shepherd and sheep relationship. Look at verse 3b. “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Each sheep has its name, and the shepherd calls the sheep by name. One’s name represents one’s whole being. Our shepherd God knows each of us and calls each one by name. Though the name of the blind man was not written in the Bible, Jesus knew him. Jesus knew his unique human circumstances and uniqueness in the person. Jesus knew him how sorrowful and fatalistic and despairing he had been. At the same time Jesus knew that a shining faith was buried in his deep heart. Most importantly Jesus knew God’s purpose for this particular person, which had to be displayed in his life. No one in the world knew his name, but Jesus knew his unique name and led him out to live in this world courageously for the glory of God. Our God knows our names. He even knows every bird in the mountains (Ps 50:11). Furthermore he knows the name of each star in the sky (Isa 40:26). Then how much more the name of each of his sheep, mankind, made in the image of God! No other god can do this. God knew Adam more than he knew himself. God knew Adam needed a wife as his life companion before he knew the need and brought the most suitable woman to him. God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Our shepherd God knew each of the names and led each one in a unique way that Abraham was a pioneer of God’s history, Isaac, a keeper of God’s blessing, and Jacob, expander of God’s work. God even knew Abraham’s wife, Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant, Hagar and watched over her in the desert when she became homeless. God promised to bless her son, Ishmael. Hagar was so encouraged by this God that she dared to give this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me” (Ge 16:13). When Nathanael came to Jesus through Philip’s invitation, Jesus said to him, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you” (Jn 1:48). God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5). May we hold onto the truth that even if the people of the world and the Prime Minster of Canada do not know my name, God knows my name. Look at verse 4. ““When he has brought out all his own, he goes on head of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Our shepherd Jesus goes on ahead of his sheep. Jesus went on ahead of the blind man in receiving rejection and abandonment. So Jesus could help him in the best way to build him up when he was thrown out of the community. Jesus suffered ahead of us (Heb 2:18). He suffered Satan’s battle ahead of us until he was crucified on the cross. So Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…” Our shepherd Jesus knows our way, going on head of us. So he says time and again, “Follow me.” He wants us to follow him who walks ahead of us. We can do so by hearing his voice through his word each week and each day. Second, the good shepherd is the gate (7-10). When the Jews could not understand the basic concept of the shepherd and sheep relationship, Jesus spoke directly, “I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” Jesus wanted the Pharisees to find themselves in the light of his words. He continued, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” Jesus is the gate. Let’s think about the importance of the gate. Each house has a gate through which people can go in and out. In every building there is a gate and only through the gate people can enter. The more important a building is, the stronger security system it has and one must enter only through the gate. Also, there is a gate to enter each nation. We must pass through the gate on the border to enter USA. Jesus said, “I am the gate.” Jesus is the gate to the kingdom of God. Since Man’s fall, the gate of God’s kingdom was shut. Genesis 3:24 says, “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Since then mankind have been seeking and searching for the gate to the Garden of Eden, philosophically, economically, scientifically, religiously, or in all possible ways. Yet, it was not the matter of searching and seeking, but the matter of God’s opening. King David was one of those who sought the gate. In his prophetic vision he said in Psalm 118:19-20, “Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.” At his right, promised time, God in his mercy sent his Son Jesus. Now Jesus declared, “I am the gate.” It was the time of God’s revelation in history. This revelatory message was given to the Pharisees. If they had rejected him to the end, there would have been no gate to God’s kingdom for them. But whoever enters through the gate Jesus will be saved. In truth Jesus is the gate of salvation for all people. Praise God for the gate to his kingdom opened for us. Look at 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.” Our shepherd Jesus does not want his sheep to be miserable in this world and then enter the kingdom of God afterward. He wants us to have life, and have it to the full. He makes us happy, joyful, peaceful and full of hope and vision along with meaningful and willing suffering for him. At the beginning of his ministry he came to the wedding at Cana in Galilee with his disciples and blessed the wedding. It was the first miracle, which implied that he came to bless human life. His last miracle was that he visited a funeral home and went to the graveyard and raised the dead in the cave of the tomb. He thus brought victory over death to mankind. So he truly makes our lives abundant and victorious. Our lives are happy indeed because of Jesus our shepherd. Third, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (11-21). Look at verse 11. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus has been showing his life as the good shepherd. He was the good shepherd to Nicodemus giving him the spiritual truth. He was the good shepherd to a Samaritan woman, lonely and thirsty because of her husband problem. Jesus offered her a spring of water welling up to the eternal life that quenched her thirsty soul. He was the good shepherd to 38 year invalid, raising him up from the paralysis. He was the good shepherd to a man born blind. Now Jesus verbally declared, “I am the good shepherd.” Jesus is the good shepherd whom all mankind have been seeking for. And then he added, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This is the final clear distinction of the good shepherd. In this part the phrase “lay…down” is written 5 times. The climax of the life of the good shepherd is laying down his life for the sheep. One’s life is most precious. Once Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” But Jesus was willing to forfeit his life for his sheep. His death would not be a helpless death but willing and sacrificial death for his sheep. His love is as strong as death (Song of songs 8:6b). Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” His is the greatest one as long as love exists. No one laid down his life for us. But Jesus did. No one could stop him from loving us until he laid down his life for us. It shows he is the only good shepherd for us. This is the inevitable evidence of the good shepherd Jesus’ love. His love knows no limit. His love endures forever. There have been some glimpses of the good shepherd image. When his nephew Lot became a POW, Abraham, an old man, engaged in a big war against powerful nations of that time for Lot. He invested all his wealth and his 318 trained men and even risked his life. He fought until he rescued Lot. David was a good shepherd boy, who fought with lions and bears and killed them to protect the sheep under his care. When he became a king of Israel, he continually fought for his people. Once in a battle he was very close to death at the hand of his strong enemy Philistine. Then David’s men swiftly came and killed the Philistine, and protected the king. Afterward the men of David swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished” (2 Sa 21:17). It showed that David fought for his people to the end. David was a good shepherd. Finally, we see the complete image of the good shepherd in Jesus. Jesus the good shepherd indeed laid down his life on the cross. It was to rescue us from our strongest enemy, sin and Satan. Now in his dying love nothing can separate us from the good shepherd Jesus. Look at verses 14,15. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” The relationship between Jesus and his sheep is not one-sided, but mutual. So there is no deception in this relationship. Jesus compared this relationship with that between the Father and Jesus himself, which is a complete and perfect relationship. Jesus showed that while on earth his relationship with the Father was most important. Jesus puts that importance on his relationship with his sheep. It shows how much he treasures his sheep. He said specifically, “I lay down my life for the sheep.” In his love he had to say more and more, “I lay down my life”, “I lay it down of my own accord,” and “I have authority to lay it down.” The love of our good shepherd Jesus is the greatest news we ever heard. It is a biblical constant. This love is the most precious thing we must accept and treasure it in our lives, never letting it go. May we consider our relationship with our good shepherd Jesus most important and live as his sheep in this world, listening to his voice and following him. Look at verse 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.” This is the hope and dream of the good shepherd Jesus and also the hope of all people in the world. In this hope and vision Jesus endeavoured to raise his disciples who would become shepherds of God’s flock. In John 21 Jesus reinstated him as a shepherd, saying 3 times, “Feed my lamb,” “Take care of my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” Later, as an elder, St. Peter said to the suffering early Christians, “Be shepherds of God’s flock…” Jesus’ hope and vision, “One flock and one shepherd,” will be fulfilled as we grow to be shepherds for God’s flock of sheep. May God raise shepherds and shepherdesses in U of T and each campus in Canada and in the world. We thank and praise God for Jesus, the good shepherd. He laid down his life for us, and knows each of our names and leads us. In his sacrificial love, may we live as his sheep and grow as shepherds for God’s flock.


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