John 10:1-21
Sunday Morning Bible Study
February 25, 1996
Introduction
Jesus had been teaching in the temple since early morning.
When the crowd began to react a little violently, Jesus left the temple, and came across a blind man, whom He healed.
This ended up getting the blind man into all sorts of trouble, so much that he ended up getting excommunicated for claiming that Jesus was okay.
Now -
He's going to tell a short story that has some deeper meaning.
The story, or allegory, that Jesus uses was one familiar to the people of that day, in their culture.
The story is one that takes place in the morning, when a shepherd would take his flock out to the pastures.
In the evening, it was a common practice for shepherds to take their flocks to a single location for shelter and protection.
The shelter was called a sheepfold, and was typically a large stone wall, without a roof, with a single entrance into it.
In the East, shepherds worked differently than they do here in the west.
In the west, sheep are driven by the shepherd.
In the east, the shepherd leads the flock, and they follow him.
In the east, sheep were given names, as we do to dogs and pets.
The shepherd was so familiar with his sheep, that he would know them all by name, and they would know the sound of his voice.
When the sheep came in for the night, several flocks from various shepherds would all share the same sheepfold for the night.
A shepherd's flock was so familiar with their master's voice, that in the morning when he called out to his flock, only the one shepherd's flock would respond, and they would come to the door of the sheepfold and be led out to the pasture by the shepherd.
It's this setting that Jesus describes in His story.
:1-5 The story of the good shepherd
:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you
Who is Jesus talking to?
We finished chapter nine with Jesus talking to a group of people gathered around the man healed of blindness.
In particular, there is a group of Pharisees that Jesus has just called "blind".
»John 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
He's addressing these religious men, who lay claim to being the spiritual ones of Israel, as shepherds of the flock, and the guides and rulers of the people.
Jesus is now going to tell a story, an allegory about shepherds, about those who are over the flock of God.
:3 the porter
A gatekeeper.
Someone who was hired to stand guard at the door to the sheepfold at night.
:6-9 Jesus is the Door
:6 This parable spake Jesus
Actually "parable" is an unfortunate translation in the King James.
The normal Greek work for parable (parabole) isn't the one used here.
Parables are a distinct type of story that follow certain patterns and rules for interpretation.
Instead, Jesus uses another word (paroimia), that could be translated "figure of speech" or "allegory".
The reason I bring this up is because as you're going to see, Jesus is going to take this story and look at it in an unusualy way, from two different perspectives.
First He's going to look at it as though He's the doorway to the sheepfold.
Secondly He's going to look at it as though He's the shepherd.
:6 they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them
These Pharisees standing before Jesus didn't quite know what to make of what Jesus is telling them.
And some of us may have a little trouble making it out as well, but don't worry, because Jesus Himself is going to clarify much of what He's just said.
One clarification:
Who are the sheep? What is the sheepfold?
It's important to understand the what the sheepfold represents, and who the sheep are.
I almost fell into a misunderstanding of what this story was about, and had to rewrite half of my sermon.
To properly understand this, we need to keep in mind what the context of the story is.
Jesus has been ministering in the temple to the people since dawn.
And some of those people have started to believe in Him.
They are starting to follow Him.
Even most recently, a blind Jewish man, sitting at the gate of the temple, has been healed, and has come to believe in Jesus.
The sheepfold for the most part is the nation of Israel, the people who were coming into the temple.
It's also going to be simply a place of safety.
The sheep are the people, and there will be several flocks spending the night in the sheepfold.
Some of the people will be of the flock of Jesus, and will follow Him out of the fold when He calls them, just as some of the Jews started to follow Jesus, and especially this blind man as he followed Jesus.
:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers
Remember how Jesus told the story:
»1 He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Jesus is saying that all the previous "shepherds" such as the scribes and Pharisees who were not coming to the sheep by way of Jesus, or by way of trusting in the Messiah to come, were thieves and robbers.
:8 but the sheep did not hear them
Remember how the sheep of a particular shepherd will only respond to their master's voice.
Those in the sheepfold of Israel who belonged to Jesus did not respond to the voices of these thieves and robbers.
:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved
Jesus, as the doorway itself into the sheepfold, was the way into the place of safety.
Outside there are wolves and thieves.
Outside there is danger.
But inside the sheepfold, there is safety, and that safety is only in Jesus.
Point:
Jesus is the only Way!
This goes back to the very basics of the gospel.
Why is Jesus the ONLY way?
Simply because He is the only one who has taken care of our sins.
That's the whole problem between man and God.
Man has had no way to sufficiently deal with his sins.
God isn't looking for you to have enough good deeds to balance your bad ones.
He wants you bad ones paid for, and the only payment for sin is death.
And only Jesus could pay that debt for you, by dying on the cross in your place.
Anyone trying to find true safety in eternity without Jesus is going to find they have a problem with their sins when they have to come face to face with God.
God's going to ask how you intend to pay for your sins.
If you insist on paying for them yourself, you'll have to die eternally, and that means going to hell.
If you have already asked Jesus to pay for your sins, then there's no problem, the bill has been paid!
:9 and shall go in and out, and find pasture
Just as sheep follow their shepherd into the fold at night for safety, and then go out into the fields in the daytime, so those who come to Jesus will follow Him.
They'll find good feeding grounds with Jesus, and find satisfaction in their souls.
:10-18 Jesus is the good Shepherd
:10 I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly
There is a crazy perception that people have of "Christians".
They get this crazy idea that being a Christian means never having any fun, and that life is going to be boring, dull, and hard.
Somehow the world must have this idea that waking up in the morning with a headache and being sick to your stomach is a sign of having had a fun night.
Somehow the world must think that having venereal disease must be a great time.
If you're following someone other than Jesus, you're going to find yourself ripped off in life, and ultimately your life will end in the most horrible kind of death.
But when you're following Jesus, you're going to find that things start coming together.
You start discovering that all along God has had a plan for your life.
You're going to find that there is a real reason for living.
You're going to find such joy, peace, fulfillment, and love like you've never known before.
We call it "the abundant life".
Look at what our Shepherd does for us:
»Psalm 23:1-6 <<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
And it seems that this is only scratching the surface of what God has for us.
:11 I am the good shepherd
We see now that we've transitioned in our interpretation of the story, and instead of being a door, Jesus is now the shepherd.
But not just any shepherd, but The Good Shepherd.
:11 the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep
Again, this is why a person has to go through Jesus to be saved.
Because He gave His life for us.
:12 an hireling
a hired hand, a hired servant.
We now have a third type of individual introduced to the sheep.
:10-13 The thief ... the hireling ... the shepherd
Lesson:
Three types of ministries.
Jesus lays out three kinds of people that are going to come in contact with the sheep.
Specifically, He's contrasting Himself with the Pharisees.
But to me, I also see this as three kinds of people in ministry.
Not just "professional" ministry, but any kind of ministry.
As we look at this, I would challenge you to examine your own ministry, and why you're in it.
1) The thief
He's out to steal, kill, and destroy. (vs.10)
And he's a person who doesn't come through the "door", who doesn't bring people to Jesus.
It might be a person who stands in a pulpit and dispenses nice words, maybe even a little psychological help, but never brings people to Jesus.
It might be a person who is in a ministry of helping the poor or less fortunate, but never brings Jesus into the picture.
Without leading people to Jesus, you're really only ripping people off.
Without giving them eternal life, you're not giving them any kind of life.
2) The hireling
This is someone who works for the shepherd.
But he's only in it for the job. (vs.12-13)
He's only in it for what benefit he can get out of it.
It might be for the money, like a paycheck.
It might be for the attention that comes back to you when you do nice things for others.
Ezekiel writes about these "bad shepherds":
»Ezekiel 34:2b-4 ... Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
One of the key attributes of the hireling is that when tough times get going, so does he.
This is the person that when you start having troubles and trials, and need some help, he's not there.
3) The shepherd
He's in the ministry for the sake of the sheep. (vs.10,11,13)
He's there to help the sheep have an "abundant" life (vs.10)
He's willing to lay down his own life for the sheep (vs.11)
He's willing to do whatever is necessary to protect the flock.
Fact: Domestic sheep depend on humans for protection. They are very timid. A sheet of paper blown by the wind will frighten them. A thunderstorm may throw them into a panic. They may drown without a struggle if they are scared while crossing a stream. Fire in a building where sheep are kept may destroy a whole flock, because they are too frightened to flee.
He's there because he loves the sheep.
Wow! Who can ever do all that?
Jesus is our shepherd
The best that any of the rest of us can be are simply "undershepherds".
It's to these that Peter writes:
»1Peter 5:1-4 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Where are you in your ministry?
Are you a thief, a hireling, or a shepherd?
:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep
Remember the story:
»3 he calleth his own sheep by name
A good shepherd knows which sheep are his.
A good shepherd even has names for all his sheep.
Lesson:
You are known
There are times when I can feel kind of lost and insignificant.
Like when you're newly hired at work, and even the boss can't remember what your name is.
Some of you know what it's like to be rejected by people who are very close to you.
Some of you have been through or are going through the pain of divorce.
It's at times like this that we can feel so lost and lonely.
We have this desire in us to be picked out of a crowd by someone important and to be recognized as a somebody.
We want to be that man or lady on Let's Make A Deal that Monty Hall calls down to the stage as the camera zooms in on your face.
And the most amazing thing in the world is that the King of the Universe, God Himself, not only is aware of your existence, but He knows your name, knows everything about you, and is madly in love with you to boot!
Wow!
David writes:
»Psalm 139:1-6 <<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
»Psalm 139:16-18 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
:14 and am known of mine
Remember the story:
»4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Keep in mind the context now, that Jesus is talking about how some people have responded to His teaching in the temple and have begun to believe in Him.
And then there's the blind man, who was healed, and now believes in Jesus.
The ones that belong to Jesus are going to be the ones who respond to His voice.
How do you know if you belong to Jesus?
You'll respond to His voice!
You'll give your heart to Jesus!
And if you don't now, I believe there may still be a day when the truth will suddenly dawn on you, and you'll wonder why you've been so blind.
Illustration:
A famous actor was once the guest of honor at a social gathering where he received many requests to recite favorite excerpts from various literary works. An old preacher who happened to be there asked the actor to recite the twenty-third Psalm. The actor agreed on the condition that the preacher would also recite it. The actor's recitation was beautifully intoned with great dramatic emphasis for which he received lengthy applause. The preacher's voice was rough and broken from many years of preaching, and his diction was anything but polished. But when he finished there was not a dry eye in the room. When someone asked the actor what made the difference, he replied "I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd."
:15 As the Father knoweth me ...
We've already covered this in previous messages.
:16 other sheep I have, which are not of this fold
People who are into UFO's will tell us that Jesus is talking about people on other planets.
The Mormons use this to refer to the Indians in America, and so Jesus had to go to America to preach to the Indians, and hence the Book of Mormon.
But you don't have to go that far away to understand what Jesus is saying here.
Keep in mind what we've already seen:
What is the sheepfold?
It's the nation of Israel.
What would the "other fold" be?
It's the Gentiles.
When Jesus came, He came primarily to the Jews, the "house of Israel".
The gospel wouldn't go out to non-Jews until God had first given the Jews a chance to accept their Messiah.
:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself
Jesus was not caught by surprise and nailed to a cross.
He came very purposefully to lay down His life as a sacrifice, to pay the price of our sins.
:19-21 Division among the Jews
:19-21 a division
So a further division continues among the Jews.
They don't know what to make of Him. Some follow, some don't.
Extra stuff - but wrong interpretation
Lesson:
Come into the sheepfold!
The sheepfold is a very good picture of what the church is supposed to be.
There's a reason why God has churches!
Protection:
The sheepfold is where you come to get protection from the outside world.
You don't live your whole life in the sheepfold, but you come here to get a break from the attacks and pressure of the world.
There's lots of wolves and predators out there, and church is to be a place of safety and protection.
One of the strategies of the wolf is to get a sheep away from the flock where there's strength in numbers.
Inspection:
The sheepfold is where the sheep are examined.
Like a doctor examining his patients, a shepherd examines his sheep as they come in one by one through the door.
If there's illness or wounds, that's where they're discovered.
Encouragement:
The sheepfold is where you get warm during the night.
It's a big, bad, cold, cruel world out there.
There's not a lot of places to receive comfort for a person who's trying to follow Jesus.
But here in the sheepfold as the sheep snuggle up together, we can help keep each other warm.
The importance of committment to a single group.
It's not that other groups are bad, not at all.
It's just that much of the greatest benefits don't come until you dig in and commit yourself.
I'm not talking about committing to giving money.
I'm talking about committing yourself to get to know this group of people, and letting them get to know you.
It's not until you allow yourself to get close enough to other solid, walking Christians, that you start to experience the true blessings of fellowship.
Some of you have been hurt by other churches who have gotten off track of what a church is supposed to be.
And you have built up a certain amount of distrust in churches all together.
I understand it may take time, but you need to move in the direction of finding that one sheepfold to commit to, whether it's here or another place.
Some of you have just never liked the idea of letting others get too close to you.
You don't want people seeing what you're really like.
But if you're going to ever be a Christian who follows Jesus ("the Way, the Truth, and the Life"), and who worships God properly ("in Spirit and in Truth"), you're going to have to sooner or later be honest with yourself, and be honest with others.
God's way is to put you with other people to encourage you.
How do I "get into the fold"?
I know that it can be hard for some of us to break into a group.
Deb and I grew up in the Lord in a church where everybody knew everybody, and the thing they did best was fellowship.
When we started attending Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, we were overwhelmed with the size, and didn't know how to meet people.
I'm not really a very outgoing kind of guy.
When we started going to Calvary Anaheim, I started going to band practice as a way to get to know people, and it seemed like it took a year before I even learned people's last names!
1) Pick a small group and jump in.
Take one of the small Bible Studies.
Come to one of the prayer meetings.
2) Get dangerous and invite a family out to lunch after church!
3) Get involved in a ministry.
If you're ready to serve, dive in.
There's hardly a better way to start to get to know people than to teach their children's Sunday School class.
Or hang out with the guys who set up and tear down the chairs and stage.
4) Stick to it.
Sometimes it takes a while.
Sometimes some of us take a while to crack open a little.