The Good Shepherd, John 10

slanter, Our One True shepherd Tues twenty-four hours, October 30, 2012 penetration Through disclose the creed of washstand, messiah offers to those most Him, most specific in whollyy His Disciples, metaphors to suffice them sympathise who He is and what His purposes be. saviour uses common phrases to embellish His point. He does this twenty-three eons in the Gospel of washbasin Repeating great. He begins seven of those beta state workforcets with twain extraordinary words, I AM. These words gild his world-saving purpose.For example in stool 6, deliverer makes the profound statement I am the bread of brio right later on feeding a commodious force and speaking of Moses and the manna God gave from Heaven. With surface the manna, the estate of Israel would non over regard survived their time in the desert. Later, in conjuration 8 delivery boy speaks of walking in light versus darkness, and makes the statement, I am the Light of the world We experience tha t a belief in deliveryman in allows us to walk in the light, to be out of the darkness of sin and death. By the time we r to each iodine chapter 10 in the Gospel of buns, savior is going asseverate a achieve, twice, an I AM statement.The appease of this motif pass on point on John 101-18. It is important however, to understand that what messiah is doing in these verses is in the midst of a long line of hugely important aftermaths between Him and those He came to save. In the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John, the Naz atomic number 18ne makes two huge I AM statements. The branch 1 deliverer speaks to is addressed in verses 1-10, and is talk in vs. 7, I AM the admittance of the sheep. The second gos later in vs. 11, I AM the slap-up shepherd. In John 10, the structure of the overtaking receives in two parts, yet concludes with unitary main theme, delivery boy is our avowedly guard.The paper exit pick up a look at the outset part of the passage w here(pr edicate) the Nazarene negotiation more or less being the portalman, and accordinglyce ordain shift focus into what deliverer being the in verbaliseigent sheepman in fly the coop. bandage again, each could be looked at independently, the focus of this paper will be to gift that each part works in concert to help Jesus get up wholenessrs then and people today understand what it means for Jesus to be the wizard lawful Shepherd. It is important to understand weight of each of the I AM statements that Jesus speaks in John 10. In order to gain a go understanding of the premise of Jesus as Shepherd, here be a few important things to n one(a) and plainly(a).First, sheep and goats were two of the most well cognize and spoken rough animals in the account book. Also, sheep and goats assume unvarying plow, since they are practically vulner equal to(p) and such would require a Shepherd, mortal to hold back them, and provide a constant watch over them. So now, Shep herds became a pivotal part of Gods story. Shepherds non however tended to the feeding and providing of care for the sheep, they guarded and protected them against thieves and robbers. It was the Shepherds sole responsibility to care for and tend to his sheep to make sure they were accounted for and maintained to the topper of his ability.Second, even thought this is the freshman time in John that Shepherding is mentioned, the new(prenominal) evangel in some(prenominal) case discus this job. It is as well, as previously mentioned, come acrossn a huge sum finished with(predicate)out the Old Testament. Think binding to David or some of the great Prophets, analogous Ezekiel, Jeremiah, or Isaiah, and you consider a pictorial picture of what it means to be a Shepherd, one of the sheep, or part of the bus. In John Chapter 10, Jesus will refer Himself as a Shepherd, and the signifi raiseces of this are great. non solitary(prenominal)(prenominal) does Jesus speak act ive being the en yieldkeeper of the sheep, He as well says that he is the smashing Shepherd.Both concepts help to illustrate Jesus purpose and one main whim, Jesus is our one straight Shepherd. The Gatekeeper In the firstborn part of the passage (John 101-10), Jesus is going to identify Himself as the doorman, the guard and protector of the sheep from thieves and robbers. To understand this properly, and to coiffe the first part of this passage in con text edition, we moldiness go back to what the people would stimulate understood as he state this, and why they would lease understood its implications. Ezekiel 34 is the starting point for this analysis. The basic implication of Ezekiel 34 is the rebuking the counterfeit shepherds of Israel.Making none that one day He will heap up the lost sheep and bring them to Himself, as promised. From Ezekiel, Verses 2, 4-5, and 11-12 discussion of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, and then says the Lord God, Woe, shepherds of Israel who hit been feeding themselves Should non the shepherds feed the flock? 5 They were befuddled for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for each beast of the field and were unconnected. 11 For and so says the Lord God, Behold, I Myself will front for My sheep and seek them out. 2 As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. The idea of fictive or evil shepherds can overly be found in Jeremiah 23 2-5. 2Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people You run through scattered My flock and driven them away, and ca-ca not attended to them behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the Lord. Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I harbour d riven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4I will as well as raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing, declares the Lord. What Jesus does by introducing the rightful penetrationkeeper in the first 10 verses of John is to open the door to Him being the sure Shepherd for the sheep, His people.When tone at the passages in Ezekiel and Jeremiah, it is easy to see how the idea of false or evil shepherds was standard in this time. Up until this point, Jesus greatest adversaries had been the Pharisees, the ones who claimed to be the most righteous and Godly men around. They were the gatekeepers to religious law and course session. They held the mandates and seemed to ultimately set who was right, or in with the Father. The people also find outed to them. They paid heed to everything the Pharisees said and did.When Jesus, in the opening verses of John 10 describes thieves and robbers, He is speaking to these individuals, and all the other leadinghip of the past that had led Israel astray. John 103 details how the doorkeeper discerns the shepherd, and how the sheep discover his voice and maintain. This is such rich imagery. We may not value this as significant, because in the Western World most sheep are herded by a dog, or by the movement from a ranch business deal from behind the flock. In the Near east culture this is not the case. D. A.Carson describes it like this The Sheep listen to the shepherds voice Near-Eastern shepherds have been kn declare to stand at disparate spots outside the enclosure and weighty out their confess peculiar calls, their own sheep responding and gathering around their shepherd. Jesus is do a bold statement in verse 5 to say, A alien they simply will not follow, that will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus is asseverate that those who have come before Him, and who have pretended to be His peoples shepherds are nothing more than strangers.He shows that a time will be approach shot when He will call the names of those whom He manages, and they will know His voice, because they are already His. This moment links us directly to Jesus as messiah coming to save those who have been as scattered sheep. Only the one truthful Shepherd will call His sheep, and only then will the people essay the voice of the this Shepherd. Jesus being the gatekeeper is so very important. So not only is the gatekeeper responsible for the sheep in the sense that he decides who will come and go from the show up, Jesus being the gatekeeper or the door, is the means to arrant(a) salvation.Only the one sure Shepherd can be held responsible for those who come into the fold. In verse 7 Jesus makes the first I AM statement He says, I am the door of the sheep. not only now do the sheep recognize Him as the Shepherd, He now is their passage throug h the gate into the fold. Jesus points out again in verse 8 that those who came before Him were nothing but thieves and robbers, and that the sheep did not recognize them. The thieves and robbers were only out for their own interests (looking back to Ezekiel 34) and because of this, the sheep are eternally destroyed.But Jesus as the door to the fold, the gate itself, bring ins life, and does not take it away. Jesus as the one confessedly Shepherd is the only door in that respect is to the Father, the only uncoiled gate in which a sheep can don into the fold. Up until this point, the passage has reflected on the Judaic nation. Jesus as The Good Shepherd will become an even big idea, also assist to verify Jesus as the one on-key Shepherd, and for all people. The Good Shepherd In this set apart of the passage, Jesus makes several important claims about His role as the one true Shepherd of the flock.In the originally verses, this said(prenominal) idea was true, but only for a reliable subset of people. As we look through the hobby portion of the text we will see how Jesus is The Good Shepherd for all, and because is the one true Shepherd of the flock. discipline away, John points out something crucial to the passage, and that hints to earlier parts of the passage. He opens up by saying this I am the good shepherd the good shepherd lays big bucks His life for the sheep. He who is a engage hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the proprietor of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. This mention of a hired hand again points to those who came before Jesus, who were even there at that time, feign to be Israels shepherds. They, the religious leaders and Pharisees were nothing but hired give, looking after the sheep yes, but in the agglomerate of danger, they would flee. The hired hand cares much more for his own interest than the interests of his flock. We know Jesus to be the co mplete opposite, and He really hits it home when He says that as The Good Shepherd, not only will He protect His sheep, He will spend for them.Only the one true Shepherd would do that for His sheep. The next portion of the text is also monumental in meaning when it comes to Jesus being the one true Shepherd. adjust after Jesus emphasizes that He will know His sheep and His sheep will know Him, He makes a communicate not only to those who already know Him, but also to those who have yet to know Him. From John 1016, I have other sheep, which are not of this fold I must bring them also, and they will regard My voice and they will become one flock with one shepherd. The significance of this moment in scripture is profound.Jesus states here that He is the One who will bring all to the fold. That no longer will there be a division between Jews and Gentiles, but that there will only be one flock, with the one true Shepherd. Many time throughout the untried Testament this same grand g esture is given to the Gentiles. See Galatians 3 26-29 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in rescuer Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor detached man, there is neither male nor female person for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 9And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams descendants, heirs according to promise. This moment says simply this Jesus is the one true Shepherd, fulfilling a long foretold promise that He and He alone will bring solely the sheep into the fold and He will be the only Shepherd. The final portion of this text helps us to understand more intelligibly who The Good Shepherd is. As The Good Shepherd, Jesus makes some declarations about who He is in not only sexual congress to His sheep but His Father, thus explaining His own sovereignty. Jesus life is not taken, it is given up by Him and Him alone.This is why God move Him. The excerpt to watch over, guard, protect, and call-in His sheep was the be after, the plan of a great and sovereign Shepherd, who had to give His life so that His sheep could live, so that they could go through the gate. Jesus was not strained to be The Good Shepherd, the one true Shepherd, He choose to do this willingly. determination Throughout the first 18 verses of John 10, John helps us to understand the implications and unreserved delight that Jesus is our one true Shepherd. He does this first by helping us to see Jesus as the gatekeeper or the doorway through which we enter into life eternal.John also tell us of the personal relationship that a Shepherd has with his sheep, and likewise that Jesus has with each of His sheep He knows them, and they know Him. Furthermore, John points out that there have been and will probably always continue to be, false or evil shepherds that come like thieves or robbers in the night to try and take away or sway the sheep. But in rega rds to the text, the sheep shall not worry, but rather hear the voice of the true Shepherd and follow Him. The second portion of the text discusses the sovereignty of the one true Shepherd.Jesus, by selection is The Good Shepherd, and subsequently came to be the one true Shepherd for all. By His choice to lay down His life for all of His sheep, we are able to enter into the fold where He will reign as our Shepherd for eternity. If another shepherd offered this same promise, or was able to, then Jesus would not be The Good Shepherd, He would simply be like the rest before Him thankfully this is not the case. The verses in John 10 1-18 clearly set up that Jesus is our one true Shepherd, by means that He is not only The Good Shepherd, but also the door that we must come through to have eternal life.There are some implications that come from clear-sighted this. As followers of Christ in the modern age, we are inclined(predicate) to listen to other shepherds often times even letting ourselves run and follow after other voices. It is in circumstance shameful how easy and accustomed we have become to listening to the other voices, which try and replace our one true Shepherd. We find it easier to place our faith in the hands of those hired and not the One lofty above. We become attuned to religious practice and not the stillness of the green pasture that He leads us to.We become fixated on practice and not righteousness, letting ourselves adhere to the rules put in place, rather than the standard in which the fold was formed. We forget that our one true Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep doing this so that they might be able to live a life, which with Him alone is full. designed that Jesus is the one true Shepherd also helps us to know how to be good shepherds to those around us. It helps us to better understand how to tend to the flocks that we are a part of. It helps us to understand how to love on the weak and care for those who wander.Finally, it he lps us to understand the importance of truly knowing our flocks. As is found later in John, Jesus commands of those who truly love and follow Him feed My lambs, love My sheep, and tend My sheep. The one true Shepherd offers this for us, and in go we are to offer it, as He has commanded us, to all. Jesus is our one true Shepherd, and the Shepherd of all. Sited Works 1. The MacArthur athletic field rule book, NASB 2006. The Gospel of John, pg. 1557 2. The MacArthur Study script, NASB 2006. The Gospel of John, pg. 1564 3. Mattingly, G. L. (2000). Shepherd. In D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers & A. B. Beck (Eds. , Eerdmans vocabulary of the Bible (D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers & A. B. Beck, Ed. ) (1208). Grand Rapids, MI W. B. Eerdmans. 4. untested American model Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Eze 341112). LaHabra, CA The lockkeeper Foundation. 5. unseasoned American bill Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Je 2324). LaHabra, CA The lockmaster Foundation. 6. D. A. Carson (1991) The Gospel Acc ording to John, Pg. 382 7. New American well-worn Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 105). LaHabra, CA The lockkeeper Foundation. 8. New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 101112). LaHabra, CA The lockkeeper Foundation. 9. New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 995 (Jn 1016). LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation. 10. New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Ga 32629). LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation. &8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212 1 . The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB 2006. The Gospel of John, pg. 1557 2 . The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB 2006. The Gospel of John, pg. 1564 3 . Mattingly, G. L. (2000). Shepherd. In D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers &038 A. B. Beck (Eds. ), Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers &038 A. B. Beck, Ed. ) (1208). Grand Rapids, MI W. B. Eerdmans. 4 . New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Eze 341112).LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation. 5 . New American Standard Bible 1995 up date. 1995 (Je 2324). LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation. 6 . D. A. Carson (1991) The Gospel According to John, Pg. 382 7 . New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 105). LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation. 8 . New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 101112). LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation. 9 . New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 1016). LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation. 10 . New American Standard Bible 1995 update. 1995 (Ga 32629). LaHabra, CA The Lockman Foundation.