All right, well this morning we're finally coming back to our long-running sermon series
through the Gospel of John.
We started this series back around Christmas of 2019, and we've been kind of just working
through really slow, sometimes verse by verse.
For those of you who were there right from the start, I don't expect that you'll remember
everything that we've seen and discovered in John.
In fact, I don't even remember everything I've said.
But in case you want to go back and refer to a previous message, you can find them all
on the church website, and we're going to continue the story this fall.
So if you have your Bible with you, please open it up to John chapter 10.
It's a familiar passage to many of us who have been in the church a long time, and this is
Jesus talking here.
We're going to start by reading the first 10 verses.
This is Jesus.
Very truly, I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate,
but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper 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.
But they will never follow a stranger.
In fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.
Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore, Jesus said again,
Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved.
They will come in and go out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
Father in heaven, as we look into your word, we pray and ask that you would open our eyes to see.
We ask that you would help us to take something good from this
and that you would strengthen our faith in you.
We ask this in your name.
Amen.
Well, as we come to these words of Jesus this morning,
the first thing that we want to figure out here is who Jesus is talking to
and what's going on here.
Verse 1 in the NIV says,
Very truly, I tell you Pharisees.
Now, in the original language, it doesn't say Pharisees,
and neither do most translations.
It just says, I tell you, plural.
But the NIV, I think, is on the right track
in trying to help us understand who Jesus is talking to.
We might assume that because it's a new chapter,
that this is a fresh story about Jesus
and that what's here is different from what was in chapter 9.
But actually, the chapter divisions, as some of you know,
were added to the Bible over a thousand years
after the New Testament was written.
So if you can bring yourself to kind of ignore those chapters and titles
and just kind of read back and forth from chapter 9 to chapter 10,
you'll notice that what happens in chapter 10
is just a continuation of the story from chapter 9.
So what happened back in chapter 9?
I'm not going to re-preach those three messages,
but basically we heard about how Jesus healed a man
who had been blind from birth.
And then we heard about how the Pharisees
conducted their own investigation of his healing.
They questioned the man repeatedly,
and they did not want to accept that Jesus, their rival,
had actually performed an amazing miracle,
something that only God can do.
And they wore this poor man out
trying to find some way to discredit this miracle
to the point where the man eventually got fed up
and told them what he really thought about Jesus.
And then they insulted the man,
and they excommunicated him from the synagogue.
They kicked him out.
And then we heard how Jesus, after that,
went and found this man who had been blind,
and Jesus revealed himself to the man,
that he was the Messiah,
the one who had healed him.
And the man believed and worshipped Jesus.
But back in chapter 9, verse 40,
we read that at that same time,
some Pharisees who were with Jesus
heard him say this and asked,
what, are we blind too?
Jesus responded to them.
He said, if you were blind,
you would not be guilty of sin.
But now that you claim you can see,
your guilt remains.
Very truly, I tell you.
So you see how it just flows right from
chapter 9 into chapter 10.
So this is the scene.
The blind man is there.
The man who was blind,
he's now healed.
Jesus is there.
And the Pharisees are there.
And there's been this exchange.
And Jesus is going to continue to speak
to the Pharisees.
And what does he say?
Verse 1.
He says,
Very truly, I tell you,
anyone who does not enter the sheep pen
by the gate,
but climbs in by some other way,
is a thief and a robber.
So as he's talking to these Pharisees,
these religious leaders,
Jesus launches into a sort of parable.
Kind of a figure of speech,
John tells us in verse 6.
Jesus used this figure of speech.
Maybe not quite the same
as some of Jesus' other parables,
but maybe kind of like an analogy.
And yeah,
he uses the everyday common stuff
of sheep farming to make his point.
And so we're going to try and walk with Jesus
through this and understand
a little bit of the common,
everyday stuff of sheep farming
back in the first century.
And then we'll try and see
what Jesus' point is in all this.
What's he saying to them?
So verse 1.
Very truly,
I tell you,
anyone who does not enter the sheep pen
by the gate,
but climbs in by some other way,
is a thief
and a robber.
Let's start with the sheep pen.
Here's a picture of a sheep pen
or a sheep fold.
This is probably what Jesus had in mind.
Apparently it was common for them
to make them out of stones like this.
And there'd often,
there of course would be an entrance
for the sheep to get in.
And sometimes it'd be a little fancier
and it would have a gate.
And basically the idea was
that you could put the sheep in there
and keep them all in one place
and it would provide shelter for them.
And they would be safe,
especially at night.
So Jesus says,
anyone who does not enter the sheep pen
by the gate,
but climbs in by some other way,
is a thief
and a robber.
The one who enters by the gate
is the shepherd of the sheep.
So basically Jesus is saying
that there's a way to know
who is the shepherd of the sheep
and who is not.
Kind of like this,
you know,
if you were to see this
as you're walking by
your neighbor's house
or driving by
your neighbor's acreage,
you're probably going to wonder
what's going on there.
Could be that they locked themselves out.
But in ancient times,
they probably didn't have locks
on the sheep gate.
So you can know
who the shepherd is
versus who the thief is,
whether or not
they're using the gate.
If you see someone
in the middle of the night
dressed in black
slipping over the wall,
odds are pretty good
that they're up to no good.
Maybe they're slipping in
to pull a little heist.
Verse 3,
Jesus says,
the gatekeeper opens the gate
for him,
the shepherd,
and the sheep listen
to his voice.
He calls his own sheep
by name
and leads them out.
And the emphasis here
is on the shepherd.
It's to him
that the gatekeeper opens,
not to anybody else.
So there's another way
to recognize
who the true shepherd is,
whether or not
the gatekeeper recognizes him
and opens the gate for him.
Jesus then gives a third way
to know who
the true shepherd
of the sheep is
in this same verse.
And the sheep
listen to his voice.
And probably the sense
of listen there
is not just that they hear it,
but that they respond to it.
The shepherd calls
or gives his commands
and they respond,
they move,
they come,
or whatever it is
that he has told them to do.
They do it.
And this kind of seems
to be the main thrust
of Jesus' analogy.
He's giving a whole bunch
of different ways
that we can tell
the difference
between the true shepherd
of the sheep
and one who is not
the true shepherd
of the sheep.
Between the rightful owner
of the flock
or the imposter
who's trying to make off
with some of the plunder.
So three different ways
he's already given us
and then there are
a few more.
It says that he calls
his own sheep
by name
and leads them out.
So a fourth way
to know who the true shepherd is,
he calls them by name.
There is a bond
between shepherd
and sheep
that can be easily recognized.
He calls them by name.
There's a lot of significance
in naming things.
Traditionally,
you would name things
by their unique characteristics.
The things that set
those things apart
from other things.
And so my grandparents' dog
we called Skippy
because from the time
Skippy was a puppy,
he kind of skipped along
on the grass.
He ran in a funny way.
The true shepherd
has that kind of a bond
with his sheep.
He has spent enough time
with them
to know their unique characteristics.
Enough to name them.
And so that sheep
with the floppy ear
over there
is called Floppy.
And that one
that likes to roll around
is called Dusty.
And he leads them out,
says Jesus.
When the shepherd says,
all right guys,
let's go get you guys
some food.
And walks out the door,
they get up
and they go.
They follow him.
So Jesus says,
you know the true shepherd
from the thief
because the true shepherd
calls the sheep
by their names.
And it's obvious
that he knows them.
They listen to his voice.
They do what he says.
There's that bond,
that relationship.
Verse 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.
But they will never
follow a stranger.
In fact,
they will run away from him
because they do not recognize
a stranger's voice.
Kind of along the same lines
as what we've already heard,
but kind of spelled out
in more detail.
The shepherd goes out the gate
leading them
and continues on
in the field
or wherever they're going
and the sheep follow.
Jesus says,
it's because they recognize
the shepherd's voice.
In contrast,
the stranger,
they won't follow
the stranger.
The stranger may call,
but the sheep
will run away from him.
They don't know him.
They don't recognize
his voice.
Now,
if this was all
Jesus had said
right here,
we'd probably all
be scratching our heads
wondering,
what is Jesus
talking about?
In fact,
that's exactly
what the Pharisees
were doing.
In verse 6,
right after this,
John tells us,
Jesus used this figure
of speech,
but the Pharisees
did not understand
what he was telling them.
What does all this
have to do with anything?
Why are you telling us
about sheep
and pens
and shepherds
and thieves?
I bet you they were
listening very carefully,
like,
is all of this
some clever way
of trying to
insult us
or say something
against us?
What does Jesus
mean by all this?
And we'll get to
unpacking it
in a minute,
but first,
Jesus has more
to say.
I'm going to read
from verse 7
to verse 11.
Therefore,
Jesus said again,
Very truly,
I tell you,
I am the gate
for the sheep.
All who have
come before me
are thieves
and robbers,
but the sheep
have not listened
to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters
through me
will be saved.
They will come in
and go out
and find pasture.
The thief
comes only
to steal
and kill
and destroy.
I have come
that they may
have life
and have it
to the full.
I am the
good shepherd.
shepherd.
Okay,
so here
in verse 7
and in
verse 9
as Jesus
continues,
he tells
them that
he is
the gate.
It's kind
of a strange
thing.
We're not
expecting maybe
Jesus to say
that.
I am the
gate for
the sheep.
He says it
twice.
We're going
to come back
to that
in a couple
weeks.
But for now
we want to
focus more
on this idea
of the true
shepherd versus
the thieves
and robbers.
So we're just
going to look
at verse 8
and verse 10
of this section.
In verse 8
Jesus says
this,
All who have
come before
me are thieves
and robbers,
but the sheep
have not
listened to
them.
That's quite a
statement to
make.
All who have
come before
me are thieves
and robbers.
There's a fair
bit of discussion
here.
But most
Christians agree
that Jesus
when he says
all who came
before me
does not mean
all is in
every person.
He's not
referring to
the faithful
prophets
and priests
and kings,
men like
Abraham and
Moses and
Isaiah.
He's not
calling them
thieves and
robbers.
He's already
talked about
them in the
pages that
came before
this as
being some
of the
faithful men
whom God
sent.
So all
probably refers
to the many
who have
arisen in
the past
and have
taken up
a role of
leadership
in Israel
but were
not chosen
by God
or sent
by God.
I'm guessing
that Jesus
is talking
about false
prophets,
illegitimate
priests,
and wicked
kings.
prophets.
Let's look
for a moment
back to
what God
said hundreds
of years
earlier through
the prophet
Ezekiel.
Ezekiel chapter
34.
This is
Ezekiel
writing,
The word
of the Lord
came to
me,
Son of
man,
prophesy
against the
shepherds
of Israel.
Prophesy
and say
to them,
this is what
the sovereign
Lord says,
Woe to
you shepherds
of Israel
who only
take care
of yourselves.
Should not
shepherds
take care
of the
flock?
You eat
the curds,
clothe
yourselves
with the
wool,
and slaughter
the choice
animals,
but you
do not
take care
of the
flock.
You have
not strengthened
the weak
or healed
the sick
or bound
up the
injured.
You have
not brought
back the
strays or
searched for
the lost.
You have
ruled them
harshly
and brutally.
So they
were scattered
because there
was no
shepherd.
And when
they were
scattered,
they became
food for
all the
wild animals.
My sheep
wandered over
all the
mountains and
on every
high hill.
They were
scattered over
the whole
earth and
no one
searched or
looked for
them.
Therefore,
you shepherds,
hear the
word of the
Lord.
As surely
as I live,
declares the
sovereign Lord,
shepherd,
because my
flock lacks a
shepherd and
so has been
food for all
the wild
animals.
And because my
shepherds did
not search for
my flock but
cared for
themselves rather
than for my
flock,
therefore you
shepherds hear
the word of
the Lord.
This is what the
sovereign Lord
says.
I am against
the shepherds
and will hold
them accountable
for my flock.
I will remove
them from
tending the
flock so that
the shepherds
can no longer
feed themselves.
I will rescue
my flock from
their mouths and
it will no longer
be food for
them.
For this is what
the sovereign
Lord says.
I myself will
search for my
sheep and look
after them.
As a shepherd
looks after his
scattered flock when
he is with them,
so will I look
after my sheep.
I will rescue
them from all
the places where
they were scattered
on a day of
clouds and
darkness.
I will bring
them out from
the nations and
gather them from
the countries and
I will bring them
into their own
land.
I will pasture
them on the
mountains of
Israel, in the
ravines and in
all the settlements
in the land.
I will tend them
in a good pasture
and the mountain
heights of Israel
will be their
grazing land.
There they will
lie down in good
grazing land and
there they will
feed in a rich
pasture on the
mountains of
Israel.
I myself will
tend my sheep
and have them
lie down, declares
the sovereign
Lord.
I will search for
the lost and
bring back the
strays.
I will bind up
the injured and
strengthen the
weak.
I will shepherd
the flock with
justice.
Now there's a lot
there, but I
think it helps us
understand what
Jesus is talking
about here.
the leaders or
the shepherds of
Israel is who
the Lord was
speaking against
through Ezekiel.
Not the good
kind of leaders
like King David,
but the wicked
ones.
The ones who
use their
positions of
leadership just
for personal
gain.
The ones who
took from the
sheep so that
they could live
in comfort and
luxury.
Think of men
like Samuel's
sons or King
Ahab or men
like the bunch
of false
prophets that
Micah prophesied
about.
These are the
people that I
think Jesus has
in mind and
there were lots
of them.
When he says
all who came
before me are
thieves and
robbers, it's
these kinds of
people that he's
talking about.
But Jesus
says the sheep
have not listened
to them.
All along, the
true faith-filled
people of God
through the ages
did not listen
to those wicked
men.
They knew that
they were corrupt.
They knew that
they were wicked
leaders.
They weren't
led astray.
Are you beginning
to see where
Jesus is going
with this?
And here's the
clue.
The sheep have
not listened
to them.
this man who
had been blind
has just had
this investigation
with the
shepherds of
Israel, the
religious leaders,
the Pharisees.
They've been
trying to tell
him how he
should be
thinking about
Jesus and
shepherd and
guide him to
certain conclusions
about Jesus.
But even
though they're
in positions of
spiritual authority
and leadership,
the man who
had been blind
won't listen
to them.
How utterly
frustrating.
In fact, the
Pharisees even
said to the man,
how dare you
lecture us?
And instead,
they come out
the door and
find him on
his face
worshiping
Jesus.
and he
just accepts
every word
that Jesus
says.
It's as though
Jesus is
saying,
you want to
know why
this man
and others
will not
listen to
you,
Pharisees?
It's because
you Pharisees
are thieves
and robbers.
You are not
the ones
whom God
has appointed
to be the
shepherd of
his flock.
And so they
don't listen
to you.
Verse 10,
Jesus goes
on.
He says,
the thief
comes only
to steal
and kill
and destroy.
That's the
only time
he comes
around,
is for that
purpose.
I have
come that
they,
the sheep,
may have
life and
have it to
the full.
I am the
shepherd,
the good
one.
Jesus
finally lays
it on the
table.
You want
to know
the big
difference
between me
and you,
Pharisees?
He doesn't
say it that
directly.
It's all
in the
analogy.
The thief,
you guys
come only
to steal
and kill
and destroy.
But I
have come
so that
they,
people like
him,
the man
who had
been blind,
might have
life and
have it to
the full.
You Pharisees
are in
it for
yourselves.
And when
you come
around,
it's to
take from
my people.
It results
in nothing
but loss
and damage
and hurt
and destruction
for my
people.
But I
have come
so that
they might
have life
and have
it to
the full.
And Jesus
flat out
tells them,
I am
the shepherd,
the true
shepherd,
the good
shepherd.
This, I
think, is
the meaning
of this
parable of
Jesus.
There are
thieves,
robbers,
strangers,
imposters.
That's the
Pharisees.
That's all
the corrupt,
wicked leaders
of Israel
over the
ages.
And then
there is the
true shepherd.
That's
Jesus,
the one
sent from
heaven by
God to
shepherd his
people.
There's the
Pharisees who
burden the
people and
find religious
ways to
take from
the people
who don't
give a rip
about the
weak or
the sick
or the
injured.
And then
there's Jesus
who loves the
sheep dearly.
He has
come to
shepherd the
flock,
to search
for the
lost,
to bring
back the
strays,
to bind
up the
injured and
strengthen
the weak.
And lead
them into
good pasture.
We'll get to
next week,
what Jesus
means when
he says,
I am the
good shepherd.
But for
this morning,
we're focusing
on this
truth that
Jesus is
the true
shepherd.
He's not
like the
Pharisees,
who were
thieves and
robbers.
He is the
one to whom
the sheep
really belong.
The one
whom God
has appointed
and sent
to shepherd
his flock.
And unlike
the thieves
and robbers,
as we see
in this
verse,
Jesus,
the true
shepherd,
actually cares
for the
sheep.
He loves
them.
What a
contrast we
see here.
Jesus'
disciples didn't
have a whole
lot of
compassion for
the man who
had been
blind.
They were
busy arguing
about who
sinned that
he got that
way.
The Pharisees
had nothing
but pride
and contempt
and insults
for that
man,
man.
Especially
when he
wouldn't
cooperate
with them
and falsify
his own
miraculous
healing.
But Jesus
truly loved
that man.
Not only
did he
heal him,
but he
revealed
himself to
him.
He went
out and
found him
and brought
him into
the flock.
Jesus says,
I have
come so
that people
like him,
my sheep,
may have
life.
And not
just any
old life,
not just a
bare minimum
disappointment
filled kind
of life,
but life
to the
full,
says Jesus.
Life the
way it was
meant to
be,
long ago
in the
beginning
when God
created us
for relationship
with him
kind of
life.
The
prosperity
gospel has
abused this
verse greatly.
So I do
want to say
a couple
words about
that here.
Jesus is
not saying
that he
came to
make us
all rich
with earthly
riches.
That's not
what life
to the
full means.
Most of
us know
that.
It is
what some
people in
our world
think of
when they
hear this
verse,
but not
God.
However,
at the
same time,
we shouldn't
try to
eliminate all
possibility of
material
blessing
from this
promise
that Jesus
gave.
The life
that Jesus
has come
to give
us may
include some
of that
here and
now.
What did
Paul tell
Timothy?
1 Timothy
chapter 6
verse 17.
He said,
command those
who are rich
in this
present world
not to be
arrogant,
nor to put
their hope
in wealth,
which is so
uncertain,
but to
put their
hope in
God,
who richly
provides us
with everything
for our
enjoyment.
You hear
that?
He says,
command them,
those who are
rich,
to do good,
to be rich
in good
deeds,
and to be
generous
and willing
to share.
In this
way,
those who are
rich will
lay up
treasure for
themselves as
a firm
foundation for
the coming
age,
so that
they may
take hold
of the
life that
is truly
life.
Notice that
Paul makes
it very clear
that worldly
wealth,
at least in
part,
is intended
to meet
our needs,
even to
increase our
joy,
so long as
we receive it
as a gift
from God
that it is.
But part
of the
abundant
life,
the full
life,
also includes
being generous
with whatever
he has
given us
and willing
to share.
So life
to the full
is not just
about having
whatever we
want or
having lots
of money
or stuff.
Sometimes
God will
provide us
with that
out of his
generosity
and goodness
and for our
enjoyment.
But maybe
I could say
it this way,
part of
the fullest
life that
God gives
is learning
to enjoy
whatever he
gives us,
whether spiritual
or material,
as a gift
from him
and being
willing to
joyfully
share and
give away
to meet
the needs
of others
and to
bless others.
So the
thief cares
only about
himself.
He doesn't
care what
it costs
you.
He's only
there to
take from
you.
Jesus
says,
it's the
opposite
with me.
I have
come to
give to
you the
life that
you need
and even
more.
the
fullest
possible
expression
of life
that you
could
ever
have.
A
life
that's
deep,
rich,
vibrant,
and full.
That's
the difference
between the
true shepherd
and the
phonies,
the
imposters,
the con
men,
and the
thieves.
Well,
how do we
apply all
this to
ourselves
today?
There's
so much
in these
ten
verses.
We could
find some
helpful
wisdom about
how to
identify
dangerous
spiritual
imposters
in churches
and in
ministries
today.
We could
focus in
on that
very special
relationship
between
shepherd and
sheep and
talk about
how we
who believe
in Jesus
must listen
to our
shepherd and
follow his
voice and
obey his
commands.
we could
talk about
how Jesus,
our true
shepherd,
knows us
intimately
and deeply
exactly what's
going on in
our hearts
and thoughts
and lives.
But here's
what's on my
heart this
morning,
maybe a
little bit
of a
different
angle.
I don't
know if
any of
you watched
the leadership
debate on
Thursday night.
I did.
I watched
the major
party leaders
trade barbs
and take
shots at
each other.
all the
while trying
to convince
me why I
should vote
for their
political
party.
And I
couldn't help
but wonder,
is this the
best that
we've got
to lead
our nation
in the
coming weeks,
years?
They're all
promising to
be that
ideal shepherd,
leader,
prime minister
that Canada
needs right
now.
And don't
vote for those
other guys
because they
won't keep
any of their
promises.
They've all
shown that
they're just
in it for
themselves.
They're all
saying that
about each
other.
But I
think we
see through
that,
don't we?
And we
know that
truly they're
all in it
for themselves.
They're all
playing the
political game,
trying to
say enough
of what
people want
to hear in
order to
secure their
vote and
hopefully get
to that
position of
greatest
prominence and
influence in
the nation.
I didn't get
a sense from
any of them
that they
really,
truly cared
about the
Canadian people
or really
understood what
is best for
the people
that they're
seeking to
govern and
lead.
This one
over here
would take
half of my
hard-earned
money if I
was super
rich and
then vilify
me as a
greedy
billionaire.
That one
over there
thinks it's
good for
women to
continue to
have the
choice to
kill me if
I'm a
seven-month-old
baby in
my mother's
womb.
Most of
them think
that I
should lose
my job if
I'm employed
by the
irredeemable
oil extraction
industry.
Almost all
of them seem
to believe that
the greatest
threat to
mankind is
climate change
caused by
human pollution.
I mean,
seriously,
is this the
best that
we've got to
lead our
nation?
I don't know
about you,
but a deep
longing was
stirred up in
my soul
from watching
this for the
true shepherd,
the one who
truly cares
about me
and knows
what's going
on in my
life,
the one who
only ever
speaks the
truth and
always keeps
his promises
100%,
the one to
whom I
belong,
the one who
will shepherd
his flock
with justice
and provide
for their
every need.
God's flock,
the one who
gives life
to the
full,
something that
can never
be taken
away.
Jesus is
the true
shepherd of
God's flock,
God's people,
and the good
news is this,
he is not
done shepherding
his flock
yet.
He's coming
back,
and when he
does,
he will lead,
he will shepherd,
and he will
govern like
the Pharisees
never could,
like all of
those people
on Thursday
night never
can and
never will,
and his
kingdom will
last forever.
Do you know
the true
shepherd,
the one who
deeply cares
for you?
Are you one
of his sheep?
If you are,
you have this
hope and this
confidence that
Jesus gives,
and if not,
then the best
you've got are
the men and
women you
saw on Thursday
night.
I'll have
Jesus as my
shepherd.
Will you?
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven,
thank you.
Thank you
again for
sending Jesus.
Thank you
that you love
us,
that you
know us,
thank you
that you
have come
to lead
us,
to guide
us,
to help
us,
to heal
us,
and all
those wonderful
things that
we heard.
We long
for that
day when
Jesus will
return.
Help us to
have our hope
and our
confidence and
our focus
on that,
even as we
go to the
ballot boxes
this coming
weekend.
We ask
this in
Jesus' name.
Amen.