The Good Shepherd for All
Scripture Reading: John 10: 11 - 18 (NIV)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I 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. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Message: The Good Shepherd for All
The Good Shepherd
Jesus made himself known to us through metaphors
Just think of a few of these through which Jesus made himself known to us: Bread of life… Light of the world… The true vine… The door… The way… The Truth… The Life…
Metaphors opens up possibilities of understanding
Through the work of Holy Spirit, we identify with certain elements of a metaphor
Beautiful things happen when get to discover who Jesus is from the way we identify with certain elements of a metaphor
And today, we heard Jesus describe himself as the Good Shepherd
We started this service with the well known Psalm 23
I am convinced that this Psalm is so popular because we identify with the vulnerability of a sheep that really needs a shepherd
You heard this Psalm at funerals, you say this Psalm when your life is in danger, you say this Psalm when you feel you have nowhere else to go…
And here Jesus comes along and says: I am the Good Shepherd!
The sheep knowing the voice of the Shepherd again emphasizes the relationship in this metaphor - it tells as story of sheep knowing that they need the Shepherd and from this position of vulnerability the sheep knows the voice of the Shepherd
The sheep know they can rely on the protection form the Shepherd… with the Shepherd, the sheep feel safe…
When Jesus says today that He is the Good Shepherd, He is inviting you to come to Him with your deepest vulnerability…
Sheep from another pen?
But verse 16 is peculiar - the reference to the sheep from another pen: “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 verse is fascinating in the sense that Jesus is telling his disciples that the close relationship between the Shepherd and sheep is not exclusive to them… there are other sheep… sheep from another pen…
Biblical scholars speculate that Jesus is referring to non-Jewish followers… those who come from another religious decent
Perhaps this was a side note of Jesus preparing his disciples for the great commission - expanding their thinking beyond what is familiar to them
For us today, we need to remind ourselves that we don’t have exclusive access to the Good Shepherd
As much as we can identify with the emotional connection between sheep and their Shepherd, we need to remind ourselves that He is Shepherd to others too!
Jesus is the Good Shepherd for other sheep too - those from a different pen, not just the ones that think and behave like we do…
Lay down his life - The real deal
The passage ends with Jesus explaining that He laid down his life willingly and of his own accord
It is a way for Jesus to bring home the idea that He is the real Good Shepherd
There are perhaps a lot of other “hired hands” out there that gives the impression of being reliable
But the proof a real shepherd is his willingness of laying down his life for his sheep
When it is dry and the sheep needs water, the real shepherd goes with the sheep to where the water is
When the predator comes to take the sheep, the real shepherd fights off the predator and don’t run away
Jesus is real deal - the Good Shepherd, not a hired hand
He lays down his life so that we can be safe
He leads us to life-giving waters…
Let us turn to the Good Shepherd today
Let us bring our weakness before Him
Let us hold on to the protection of the Good Shepherd remembering that He is there for everyone that listens to his voice and goes where He leads
He is truly the Good Shepherd for All!
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