Well, amen and good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in John chapter 10.
It's good to be back with you this morning. Last week we were wrapping up a trip to Memphis to see my niece graduate.
And I think about this time when I would have preferred to be opening God's Word with you.
So, I was in a minivan on Highway 22 in northern Alabama, which is just a mind-numbing stretch of road.
I would have really liked to have been doing this instead, so I'm glad that I'm here with you today.
Our text for today is John chapter 10, verses 1 through 6.
The Bible uses many titles to refer to Jesus Christ.
I propose to you that none is more precious than the title, Good Shepherd.
Lord willing, we're going to spend the next five weeks in John's Gospel in this chapter where Jesus refers to himself in this way.
Now, we covered all of chapter 9 in a single week, a couple of weeks ago.
So, you may go, why suddenly are we going to pump the brakes so much and slow down?
And the reason is the chiastic structure.
The literary structure of this chapter presses it in that direction.
So, really quickly, if you're unfamiliar with chiasms, it's a literary structure that allows you to take a text and fold it upon itself.
So, the first thing in the text corresponding with the last thing in the text and stepping toward a center of the text.
So, just quickly and broadly, I want to walk you through chapter 10 so you'll get why we're doing this.
And then we'll do a little bit of background and then read our text together.
So, firstly, the first section, today's text, verses 1 through 6.
The sheep hear the shepherd's voice.
So, kind of thematically, we're picking that up.
Then the corresponding part of it is the substantive part of the text, which is verses 19 through 42.
So, Lord willing, a month from now, we'll look at those verses together.
And there, we see Jesus saying again that his sheep hear his voice.
Next, verses 7 through 10, Jesus talks about him being the door for the sheep.
And correspondingly, verses 15 through 18, he talks about laying down his life for the sheep.
And then the central piece of it is Jesus declaring himself the good shepherd in verse 11 and in verse 14.
So, we'll take a look at each of those, and I won't talk about it at all today, past this, but verses 1 through 6, also chiastic.
And each of those breaks down in that way.
As we spend this time in John chapter 10, it has been my prayer that God would profit us greatly as we take it up.
So, before we read, allow me just a moment to connect the end of chapter 9 to the discourse that is before us.
In chapter 9, Jesus heals a man who was born blind.
As you have come to expect, this causes confusion and commotion.
So, the man is brought before the Pharisees and put through a series of examinations.
First him, then his parents, and then back to him again.
At the conclusion of this series of examinations, the man says, this is chapter 9 in verse 33,
If this man, referring to Jesus, were not from God, he could do nothing.
And they answered him.
This is a group of Pharisees he's brought before.
You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?
And they cast him out.
Verse 35, Jesus heard they had cast him out.
And having found him, he said,
Do you believe in the Son of Man?
He answered, And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?
Jesus said to him,
You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.
He said, Lord, I believe.
And he worshipped him.
So, Jesus welcomes the man that was born blind, that he had healed.
Verse 39, Jesus said,
For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.
Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things and said to him,
Are we also blind?
Jesus said to them,
If you were blind, you would have no guilt.
But now that you say, we see, your guilt remains.
So, we spent a minute of time talking about this text,
And noted that Jesus, having healed a blind man of his physical disability,
And then, much more importantly, of his spiritual disability,
Uses this sight language to expose the prideful Pharisees.
He's speaking here with a great deal of irony.
Similarly, in Mark chapter 2, verse 16 and 17,
We read,
And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors,
Said to his disciples,
Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them,
Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
So, it's these men that think they're righteous because of their careful observance of the law,
Which was not a perfect observance of the law.
See no need of a savior that Jesus is talking about here.
And so, it's in this context that Jesus goes on to speak in chapter 10.
He is speaking to these Pharisees.
Blind men who have been thrown out of the synagogue a seeing man.
So, John chapter 10, verses 1 through 6.
And I'm actually going to read all the way through verse 18,
Just to get our heads set into the discourse.
But before I do, I'll pray.
Father, would you help us as we take up your word together this morning?
Would you bless my feeble preparation and I'm sure my feeble delivery?
We want to rightly understand it.
We want to behold Jesus by it.
We want to be changed from one degree of glory to another for the sake of your name.
And so, it's in that name that we pray.
Amen.
Alright, John 10, beginning in verse 1.
Jesus says,
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way,
that man is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens.
The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.
This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So Jesus again said to them,
Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
All who come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door.
If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep,
sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
He flees because he has a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd.
I know my own, and my own know me.
Just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.
So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.
This charge I have received from my Father.
So Jesus, in chapter 10, employs a rich metaphor.
We have very little cultural context to enliven what is happening in this moment.
First century Jews were agrarian people.
The whole economy was based on livestock and fields and harvest.
First, the average person among us can see a cow eating grass in a field
and then order a burger in a drive-thru and make no mental connection between the two.
How does one get from there to there?
But not so with them.
Livestock were part of their daily experience.
Sheep being taken out to pasture and brought back into safety at night
would have happened regularly, happened right in front of them.
So this picture of sheep being called out and led would have been vivid in their minds.
This is strategic language that Jesus is employing here.
Further, and I would suggest more importantly,
it's a rich metaphor because of its biblical foundation.
I hope that we are a bit less lost at this point.
Perhaps you know your Old Testament well.
I hope so.
The men that Jesus is addressing most certainly would have known their Old Testament well.
Does anything leap into your mind when Jesus presents himself as a shepherd?
I hope something, something jumps up in your mind.
We read together Psalm 23 not that long ago.
Perhaps at least that text for you.
But if not, some time in the Old Testament is going to serve us well at this point.
So leave John 10 behind for just a moment
and join me in some quick sweeping Bible background
by joining me in Ezekiel chapter 34.
The blessed sound of turning pages.
Ezekiel 34.
I'm going to hop through this text a little bit just for the sake of time.
Listen to the words that Ezekiel recorded.
Verse 1.
The word of the Lord came to me.
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel.
Prophesy and say to them, even to the shepherds,
thus says the Lord God.
Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves.
Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
You eat the fat.
You clothe yourselves with wool.
You slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
The weak you have not strengthened.
The sick you have not healed.
The injured you have not bound up.
The strayed you have not brought back.
The lost you have not sought.
And with force and harshness you have ruled them.
So they were scattered.
Because there was no shepherd,
and they became food for all the wild beasts,
my sheep were scattered.
Skip to verse 11.
For thus says the Lord God,
Behold, I myself will search for my sheep,
and will seek them out.
As a shepherd seeks out his flock,
when he is among his sheep that have been scattered,
so will I seek out my sheep,
and I will rescue them from all places
where they have been scattered,
on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
And I will bring them out from the peoples,
and gather them from the countries,
and will bring them into their own land,
and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel,
by the ravines,
and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them with good pasture,
and on the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their grazing land.
There they shall lie down in good grazing land,
and on rich pasture they shall feed
on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep,
and I myself will make them lie down,
declares the Lord God.
Skip to verse 22.
I will rescue my flock.
They shall no longer be a prey,
and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
And I will set up over them one shepherd,
my servant David,
and he shall feed them.
He shall feed them and be their shepherd.
And I, the Lord, will be their God,
and my servant David shall be prince among them.
I am the Lord.
I have spoken.
I will make with them a covenant of peace
and banish wild beasts from the land
so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness
and sleep in the woods.
Shepherds who are taking advantage of the sheep,
we see in Ezekiel 34.
Sheep who are scattered.
A prince who protects and feeds.
The men Jesus is speaking to,
were they not blind,
should be perceiving all of this
as Jesus presents this metaphor.
This text should be alive in their minds.
However, this is not the only Old Testament text.
These men declared themselves disciples of Moses
in John chapter 9 and verse 28.
One might think they would recall the prayer of Moses
for a successor.
Numbers 27, verse 15 and following,
Moses spoke to the Lord saying,
Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh,
appoint a man over the congregation
who shall go out before them
and come in before them,
who shall lead them out and bring them in.
Language sound familiar?
That the congregation of the Lord
may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.
The next verse in Numbers 27
names Joshua as Moses' successor.
So we've got David as a type for Christ
and Ezekiel.
We've got Joshua now.
Jesus is the transliteration of the name Joshua
from Hebrew to Greek to English.
These connections ought to be being made.
Other Old Testament passages indict the priests
for not shepherding as they should.
Isaiah 56, verse 9 through 12.
Jeremiah 23, verse 1 through 4.
Chapter 25, verse 32 to 38.
Zechariah 11.
I'm just showing you that it's replete.
It's all throughout the text.
And the Old Testament presents God
as the ultimate shepherd of his people.
Psalm 23, Psalm 80, verse 1,
Isaiah 40, and verse 11.
Do you see how rich this metaphor is?
It's not random.
It's not offhanded.
Jesus is not shooting from the hip here at all.
He's saying some very, very clear things
to this group of men.
This is a metaphor.
It's laden with Old Testament teaching.
In a few short words,
he's bringing all of this up
to say to them that they are false shepherds
and that he is the true God
who will call out his people.
Now, in the back of your bulletin,
adults, it's not really for you,
but you might like to color too.
There's a cartoon.
And it's a quote from John Calvin.
This is in his preface
to Olivier Tannes' New Testament.
I hope I pronounced that correctly.
He said this quote,
So,
you rightly take up,
rightly study the Old Testament,
you will arrive at the conclusion
that Jesus is the Christ.
And that is the very point
that Jesus is making here.
He's not being cryptic in John 10.
He's indicting false religion
and false teachers.
They know exactly what's going on.
We'll see as we progress
through chapter 10.
But verse 6 records,
back in John 10,
this figure of speech
Jesus used with them,
but they did not understand
what he was saying to them.
And understanding all of that background,
John means for this to be striking to us.
How could these men not understand
the thing that he is saying
as he speaks of himself
as the shepherd?
This is how he begins the dialogue,
verse 1.
Truly, truly,
it's to say,
really, really,
listen, pay attention,
this is true,
I say to you,
he who does not enter
the sheepfold by the door,
but climbs in by another way,
that man is a thief
and a robber.
He's expounding on
what he has said at the end,
of chapter 9.
Now, the sheepfold
was a place
where a group of families
would bring their flocks
in at night
for protection.
Right?
Smaller flocks,
a group of people
partnering together
to put them into
a common pen
or perhaps a courtyard,
and a man,
often referred to
as an under-shepherd,
would be hired
to watch over them
throughout the night.
Now, the sheep
would be safe
from predators
in the sheepfold.
It was a structure
designed to keep wolves
out,
but not safe
from a thief
and a robber.
So,
somebody would be hired
to look over
the space
and make sure
somebody didn't come in
and take out
what was not theirs.
Now,
these words,
thief and robber,
are too similar
in English
to ascertain
much of any
variance in them.
Isn't a thief
and a robber
just the very same thing?
But they could be
translated from the original
a thief
and an insurrectionist.
I don't pretend
to know exactly
what Jesus means
by these two words,
but perhaps he is suggesting
that the leader
who is not the shepherd
doesn't belong
among the sheep
as he gets in
and he stirs up,
but he means harm
and he causes rebellion.
Well,
whatever is meant here,
they are presented
as being harmful
and being entirely
unconcerned
about entering
the proper way.
Now,
I don't believe
that anybody
in my hearing,
I could be wrong,
but falls into this category
of false religion,
false teacher.
My assumption this morning
is that none of you
are presently
in the works
of trying to form
a cult of some kind.
At least I certainly hope
that that's not the case.
The strong indictment
of this text
really doesn't demand
a lot of our time,
but what does require
attention
is the juxtaposition
of the metaphor
which then infers
some warning
for us.
not this,
but this,
and here we have
such opportunity
to look
to Christ.
Verse 2 says,
but he who enters
by the door
is the shepherd
of the sheep.
Jesus
is the shepherd
of the sheep.
verse 1-6
might leave that
unclear,
but we know
this is the case
because he tells us
so in verse 11
and verse 14.
There he says,
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd
lays down his life
for the sheep.
Verse 14,
I am the good shepherd.
I know my own
and my own
know me.
It's the shepherd
that is granted
access
to the sheep
because he has
the authority
to come into the sheep.
He is the shepherd
and so it is to him
the gatekeeper,
this under-shepherd
opens.
He comes and knocks
and the gate
is opened
for the shepherd.
At once,
the gate is opened.
And what is it
that the shepherd
does
when the gate
is opened?
He calls his sheep.
What the shepherd
does is he gathers
to himself
his sheep.
The job of a shepherd
is to lead
sheep.
But notice,
not every sheep
in the sheepfold.
Therein lies
the inferred
warning.
Jesus calls
his
sheep.
Verse 3 goes on,
the sheep
hear his voice
and he calls
his own sheep
by name
and leads
them
out.
sheep.
Now,
sheep are
not the brightest
of animals.
They desperately
need shepherding
as they will not
stay alive long
without someone
watching over them.
I challenge you,
and you may know
of one,
I've never heard
of wild sheep.
I don't think
they exist.
I think they will
get eaten
and wiped out.
However,
to the sheep's
credit,
sheep can
and do
learn the voice
of their shepherd
and will loyally
follow
his voice.
This is still
a Near East
shepherding
practice,
to gather
small flocks
into larger
flocks
for protection
at night.
Shepherds will
team up together
to help
protect one
another's
sheep.
And in the morning,
each shepherd
calls to their
sheep,
and as they
go their
separate ways,
the sheep
will follow
their shepherd.
There is
not confusion
about which
sheep belong
to whom.
They don't have
to brand them
and figure out
how to sort
them out.
Again,
the sheep
know who
they are
to follow.
The Bible,
as we have
already noted,
uses this
sheep metaphor
for God's
people.
I think
it's very
healthy for
us to push
against a
highly
individualized
version of
Christianity.
We get that
me and
Jesus type
of culture.
Most of you
here are
members of
our church
and we've
pressed upon
you the
need for
that.
It's a
biblical
command that
you be
joined to
a group
of Christians.
This is
part of
God's
design for
healthy
Christian
living.
I want
you,
when you
think of
your salvation,
to be
caught up
into thoughts
that are
much grander
than just
you.
I want
you to
think of
peoples saved
for the
glory of
God.
Peoples from
all over the
world called
into local
assemblies to
love and
serve one
another.
But,
when the
Bible
individualizes
our salvation,
we should
pause,
just for a
moment,
to do the
very same.
people,
I find
these words
just
incredible.
The sheep
hear his
voice,
and he
calls his
own sheep
by name
and leads
them out.
This is a
variance on
the picture
of a
shepherd.
In reality,
he would say
something.
I don't know
what shepherds
say to sheep.
He'd give
some kind of
a command
or a
noise or
something,
and they
would hear
him and
they would
know it's
time to
move.
But here,
Jesus presents
himself as
calling them
individually by
name.
His sheep,
drawing them
together into
a flock and
leading them
out.
Now,
if at this
point the
question enters
your mind,
am I one
of his
sheep?
I want you
to know that
I do not
think that
question
unfair,
but I do
think that
it is the
wrong
question.
I would
say to
you rather,
if you're
unsure,
has Jesus
called me
by name,
you should
ask the
question,
do I
hear him
calling?
If so,
follow.
Don't ask
the other
question.
Do you
hear him
calling?
Follow.
You may
find that
you are
sitting here
this morning
as a
means of
Jesus
calling your
name.
I'm not
asking you
to audibly
hear him
call your
name.
You're in
church this
morning,
hearing the
gospel and
our prayers
and our
singing,
read,
preached.
You may
have been
born into a
family with
Christian parents
as a means
of Jesus
calling your
name.
Jesus
delights in
using ordinary
means for
extraordinary
ends.
do you
hear him
calling your
name?
Do you
find yourself
hearing the
gospel of
Jesus Christ?
Repent and
believe.
Follow.
He goes
on in
verse 4,
when he
has brought
out all
his own,
he goes
before them
and the
sheep follow
him for
they know
his voice.
sheep.
Now I
learned
something this
week about
shepherding that
I was unaware
of.
I thought I
had my head
wrapped around
it.
This is what I
learned.
Sheep that
are led
back and
forth from
familiar pasture
to familiar
pins or
enclosures
back to the
barn are
typically led
from behind.
Kind of the
normal picture,
at least in my
head, that we
have of shepherds
walking along
behind with the
staff, right,
giving little
corrections as
they go, but
from behind.
That's the
picture that
comes into
your mind
or not.
The shepherd's
concern is for
that occasional
straggler,
right, that
wanders off,
is distracted
by something.
But the
sheep generally
know the way
they are to
go.
Some of them
get out in
front and
lead, they
know the
place they're
going to,
and so off
places are
led from
the front.
Sheep don't
naturally
trust a
pathway.
You can't
put them
on a
road and
just expect
them to
walk down
the road,
or can
they comprehend
a destination?
You can't
tell them,
hey, we're
going over
there.
They don't
understand what
you might be
saying.
So the
shepherd sets
the example
and goes
before them,
leads out
ahead of
them.
this is
so
astoundingly
tender
and
merciful.
Jesus
says this
with
purpose.
He leads
them to a
place that
they have
not been,
and he
goes there
first.
My mind
leapt to
Hebrews
chapter 6,
verse 19
and following.
There the
author says,
we have
this as a
sure and
steadfast
anchor of
the soul,
a hope
that enters
into the
inner place
behind the
curtain,
where Jesus
has gone
as a
forerunner
on our
behalf.
Jesus goes
before us
into the
presence of
God that
we might
also go
there.
Jesus does
not lead
his people
anywhere
that he
has not
first
gone.
suffered,
died,
was raised.
What a
savior.
What a
shepherd.
This
reflection,
this little
piece so
far has
been worth
all the
time I
have spent
on these
brief
verses.
This was
the moment
that I
went,
oh,
this is
a good
text.
What a
blessing it
is that I
get to
open this
text and
talk about
it.
This
morning,
Jesus goes
before his
sheep.
He doesn't
prod us
from behind,
he leads
from the
front.
And what
do the
sheep do?
Notice,
the sheep
follow him
for they
know his
voice.
This is a
picture of
deep
trust.
The sheep
say,
this shepherd
has always
led us,
will we
will gladly
go wherever
he leads.
Spurgeon
once said,
this is also
in your
bulletin if
you care,
Jesus is
the good
shepherd going
before his
sheep,
bidding them
follow him,
and ever
leading them
onwards with
the sweet
word,
come.
The
obedience of
Jesus'
sheep
trusts
that wherever
he leads,
it will be
for their
ultimate
good.
We read
earlier,
Psalm 23,
as I've
already
mentioned.
Jesus is
the Lord
of Psalm
23.
Listen again
to these
words of
David.
The Lord
is my
shepherd,
I shall
not want.
He makes
me lie
down in
green
pastures.
He leads
me beside
still waters.
He restores
my soul.
He leads
me in
paths of
righteousness
for his
name's
sake.
Even
though I
walk
through the
valley of
the shadow
of death,
I will
fear no
evil,
for you
are with
me,
your rod
and your
staff.
They
comfort me.
You prepare
a table
before me
in the
presence of
my enemies.
You anoint
my head
with oil.
My cup
overflows.
Surely
goodness
and mercy
shall follow
me all the
days of my
life,
and I
shall dwell
in the
house of
the Lord
forever.
Satisfaction,
good provision
and safe
waters,
proper paths,
but notice
that the
way is
not always
easy.
However,
comfort,
goodness,
mercy,
and God's
presence belong
to those
who belong
to him.
This is
why the
sheep
follow him
for they
know
his voice.
It bears
saying that
this is a
text about
belonging.
Remember my
reference earlier
to the man
who was cast
out of the
synagogue,
and Jesus
comes and
finds him
and welcomes
him.
It's a text
about belonging,
not a text
about discerning
God's will.
not at all
what Jesus
is trying
to communicate
here.
He's saying
you either
are my
sheep
or you
are not
my
sheep.
I think
we should
be careful
at this
point
to not
spin the
metaphor
off in
a direction
that is
not
meant.
Some,
in an
effort to
discern
the voice
of Jesus,
have become
a thief
and a
robber,
thinking they
hear a
voice,
something
that,
some truth
that exists
outside the
text of
the Bible
and the
list is
endless,
it would
seem,
these days.
False
teachers,
false
religion.
That's not
what Jesus
is communicating.
He's talking
about belonging.
Knowing the
voice of the
shepherd in
this context
is about
hearing and
responding to
the call
of the
gospel.
Recognizing
our great
need of
a Savior
and him
presenting
himself to
us and
us following
him because
we know
his voice.
Be careful
not to make
it more
than that
or to
make it
any less
than that.
Verse
five,
a stranger,
Jesus says,
they will
not follow
but they
will flee
from him
for they
do not
know the
voice
of strangers.
Verse
five brings
me as a
minister of
the gospel
great comfort.
I hope it
does the
same for
you as
you seek
to share
the good
news with
others.
God's
people will
heed the
call of
the gospel.
God's
people will
not follow
the voice
of strangers
but as
the gospel
call is
made,
God's
people will
respond
in obedience.
And so
what are we
to do?
Be the
voice of
Jesus.
Open up
the text,
explain the
word,
share the
good news
with people
and trust
God's
saving
purpose.
This is why
I'm grateful
things like
this bolster
our confidence
that when we
gather together
as a
church,
we should
just open
and preach
the word.
Sing the
word,
pray the
word,
see the
word in
the ordinances
and just do
that week
in and
week out.
The
blessed
thing that
God is
about the
work of
saving
his people.
He has
sent to
us the
good
shepherd
and God's
people will
hear his
voice and
they will
respond
in obedience.
No need
to fly me
into this
room on
cables to
impress you
all,
land me
on the
stage,
jump dirt
bikes across
the stage,
or give
away a
car on
Easter Sunday.
He's going
to gather
and preach
the word
and send
you out
to do
the very
same
thing.
He's
calling people
by name
and those
sheep
will know
his voice
and they
will follow.
So whether
you have
confidence
this morning
that you
have been
called by
name and
are following
the good
shepherd or
you don't
have confidence
that this
is true
of you,
I want
you to
hear my
plea in
closing.
He is
a good
shepherd.
He has
gone before
us.
In him
there is
satisfaction
and good
provision
and safe
waters,
proper paths
that are not
always easy
but comfort
and goodness
and mercy
and his
presence.
So listen
and follow.
Let's pray.