The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 5/20/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“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 is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. “For this reason, the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

                                                                                 John 10:11–21 (NASB95)

In our last message on John chapter 10, Jesus stirred up the “hornets’ nest” by describing the Pharisees as thieves and robbers who enter the sheepfold by climbing over the wall. They have come to kill, steal, and robber the sheep owner, entering the sheepfold through unauthorized means. By contrast, Jesus offers Himself as the true Shepherd who enters through the sheep door because He has been recognized by the doorkeeper and has authority to enter the sheepfold. Once in the sheepfold, He calls His sheep because they know His voice but flee from the sound of a stranger’s voice.

In this week’s message, Jesus continues to build His case as The Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep, unlike the hired hand who seeks only his own benefit at the expense of the sheep. Jesus has been given authority over His life, He can lay it down and He can take it up again. At this statement, there is once again a divide among the people, some saying he has a demon and is insane. Still others see that Jesus speaks words of sanity and grace, something that an insane demon-possessed person would not be able to do.

Jesus states that the hired hand is not a shepherd, for he flees when he sees the wolf coming. However, The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. His sheep know Him; He is known by the Owner, His Father, who has given Him full authority to lay down His life and to take it up again. For this reason, the Jews were divided once again – some saying He had a demon.

As Christ followers, we must stay close to The Good Shepherd, for our enemy seeks to steal us away from Him. He has been given full authority to give His life away, and to take it back up again. Because of this, many will be divided over one man giving His life to save many.

In this message, we seek to answer the question, “Why must the Christ follower remain close to The Good Shepherd?”

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

1). The first reason the Christ follower must remain close to the good shepherd is because The Good Shepherd is a true shepherd.

He lays down His life for the sheep, He is known by His sheep, and He has been given full authority by His Father.

As Jesus lays claim to being the Good Shepherd, He is clear as to WHY He is the Good Shepherd – the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The ‘good’ shepherd show himself as the Good Shepherd because of His care for the sheep, not His own. A shepherd’s life was dangerous at times – wild animals were common in the countryside of Israel – lions, bears, and wolves all wandered freely, seeking their next meal. Thus, the Good Shepherd may indeed need to risk His life for His sheep.

The major difference between Yeshua and those who came before Him is that Yeshua owns the sheep, and the others came as “hired hands” to care for the sheep – they are only shepherds because they draw an income and gain benefits as they care for the sheep. The hired hand who does the job because he is paid, does not have an investment in the sheep as does the true shepherd. When danger comes, the hired hand will flee!

The hired hand is not evil, as the thief or the robber, yet the hired hand has no personal connection or concern for the sheep. He does his duty well in the “normal” course of the day, but should danger arise, he looks after himself first. The Good Shepherd has been born to be shepherd, the sheep belong to Him, and He, in turn, belongs to the sheep. By contrast, the hired hand is a false shepherd – he is unfaithful and irresponsible – who has no sense of responsibility to or for the sheep.

Yeshua, as the Good Shepherd, is set apart from the hired hand because He enters at the door. Yeshua can enter at the door because He is recognized by the doorkeeper, who allows Him to enter. As the Good Shepherd, the sheep recognize His voice and freely follow Him. As the Good Shepherd, Yeshua is willing to lay down His life for the sheep. The Good Shepherd faces danger while the hired hand flees in the face of danger. The Good Shepherd defends the sheep while the hired hand seeks after his own safety. Finally, the Good Shepherd has genuine care and concern for the sheep while the hired hand seeks only for his own welfare.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

Beyond your salvation, how has Yeshua laid down His life for you during this season of life?

As the Good Shepherd, what “danger” has Yeshua defended against for you recently?

How have you felt the care and concern of the Good Shepherd this week?

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

2). The second reason the Christ follower must remain close to the good shepherd is because The Good Shepherd is a known Shepherd.

He is known by His sheep, He is known by the Owner, and He is known by sheep He will bring into the fold.

As Yeshua continues to build His case as the Good Shepherd, He points out that He knows the sheep, and more importantly, He is known by the sheep. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep by name, individually and personally. He knows their joy and sorrow, their trials, and blessings. The Good Shepherd knows the wanderings and stumbling’s of His sheep as well as the needs and lack of His sheep. But the Good Shepherd is also known by His sheep. The sheep know His love and care; they know His companionship and leadership. The sheep know His experience and knowledge; they know His concern and guidance.

The mark of a good shepherd is knowing his sheep and being known by his sheep. But Yeshua also knows the Owner – God the Father – and is known by the Owner, again, God the Father. The Greek word used here is in the present tense of ginosko, meaning “a timeless force,” – this is a complete and absolute understanding on part of both the Father and the Son. This knowledge, which the Father and the Son share in the eternal order, is extended to those whom the Son calls, “My own.” Thus, Yeshua knows the Father and the Father knows Yeshua, the son, in a perfect intimate knowledge and relationship. Yeshua has been sent by the Father, from the very heart of the Father.

Finally, Yeshua as the Good Shepherd, knows and is known by other sheep He will bring into the fold. As a way of reminder, we must remember when studying John 10, to view it through the context of Ezekiel 34 – a condemnation of the shepherds of Israel. In this context, the other sheep refers, first, to the nation of Israel. This means the northern kingdom, known as the House of Israel, or as the “Lost Tribes of Israel,” and the southern kingdom, known as the House of Judah, must be reconciled, and become one. By extension then, this would also refer to the unity of Israel and the nations as established in John 3:16-17.

These are the sheep that Yeshua, the Good Shepherd, lays down His life for. He fights for them and protects them. It is His calling and His purpose to stand ready to face the enemy of His sheep. As the Good Shepherd, Yeshua laid down His life only to take it up again. This speaks of the death and resurrection – that He died for the Jew and Christ follower alike, to have life and life eternal. He faced our enemy on the cross and defeated him, that we might be free from his influence, free from sin, free from death, and free from the grave.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

As the Good Shepherd, Yeshua knows His sheep. He knows them individually and personally, calling them by name. To what have you heard Yeshua calling you by name this week?

Yeshua has a complete and absolute understanding of the Father. What has Yeshua given you clarity of understanding about the Father recently?

It is the calling and purpose of Yeshua to stand ready to face the enemies of His sheep. How do you sense Yeshua “standing ready” to fight your enemies?

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

3). The third reason the Christ follower must remain close to The Good Shepherd is because He has been given full authority by the Father.

He has authority to lay down His life, to take His life up again, and His authority causes division among people.

That the Father loves the Son goes without question, yet Jesus says the Father loves Him because He laid down His life, so that He can “take it up again.” Thus, the Father loves the Son because of His selfless devotion and adoration to the will of the Father – even when it means laying down His life. The Father loves the Son because He willingly laid down His life for the sheep – Yeshua could not have done a greater good for the sheep – and this greatly pleased the Owner of the sheep, thus the Owner of the sheep – God the Father – gave Yeshua full authority over His life.

Jesus makes the point that no one is taking His life, His is laying it down on His own initiative. The Father loves the Son for His willingness to die in order to save the lives of those who place their faith and trust in Him. Jesus lays down His life on His own and on His own he will also take up His life again. Jesus is claiming authority to control His life – to control His death and beyond. He would die on the cross willingly, of His own initiative, and at the resurrection, He would take His life up again – on His own initiative. This authority, Jesus says, comes from His Father!

Once again, the people are divided over Yeshua, and, once again, the charges of demon-possession and insanity are leveled. However, there are still those present in the crowd who question such charges, stating a demon could not perform such works. To be demon-possessed and insane would be to act under the control of a demon. Those who are thus possessed would express the mind and consciousness of the demon or demons that are indwelling them. However, there are those who realize that Yeshua speaks words of sanity and grace – these are certainly not compatible with demon-possession.

For the Christ follower, it is at the resurrection, when Jesus took up His life again, that He gifted us freedom from death and the grave. He removed our sin to replace it with His righteousness. He willingly died, sacrificing Himself in our place – all under His own initiative – with full authority from the Father. He did this to show His love and adoration for the Father, and in obedience to His Father, thus honoring the Father through His death. His first and ultimate purpose is to glorify the Father – and we are the recipients of His love and obedience to the Father – eternal life through the Son.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

How are you “laying down your life” for the gospel message of Jesus?

Yeshua has been given full authority by the Father – authority in heaven and on earth. How are you experiencing the authority of Yeshua in your life this week?

Yeshua willingly sacrificed His life for the salvation of the Christ follower. How are you living a sacrificial life for the kingdom of God?

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

The Good Shepherd gave His life for His sheep. What is pictured here is the Shepherd fighting predators – lions, bears, and wolves – to save the lives of His sheep. At His death on the cross, this became a spiritual battle – a spiritual battle the Christ follower must face and fight daily. But, once again, the Good Shepherd has already won the battle for those who have placed their faith and trust in Him. His resurrection defeated our enemy, Satan, described as a “roaring lion;” the war is over, even though the battle continues.

The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. The hired hand does his job simply to get paid but flees at the first sign of danger. Our Good Shepherd, Yeshua, stands in the face of danger because He is committed to His sheep. He is committed to our safety and security. He is committed to our daily needs of “food and water,” as well as shelter and other daily necessities. He is committed to leading and guiding us daily as we seek to grow and mature in faith. The Good Shepherd is committed to giving us life – abundant life that leads to eternal life in His care and concern, for our Good Shepherd is committed to His sheep.

However, no amount of commitment will keep us safe, secure, and fully cared for if we do not stay close to our Good Shepherd. If we chase after things of the world, things that promise an abundant life in the here and now but forfeit our eternal life, we place ourselves in danger, for the isolated sheep, separated from the flock, is easy pickings for the enemy. We must surround ourselves with other sheep, for the daily battles we face in the world will surely grind us down and discourage us. If we try to fight these spiritual battles on our own we will fail, it is that simple. We need other sheep but most importantly, we need our Good Shepherd.

No matter how hard we try and explain who Jesus is and why He came, there will always be a division among the people. Some will simply not believe He is the only way to heaven or to God the Father. Others will not believe He is the Son of God. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for many is that One Man has claimed to give His life for all people. That is just too much for some. And yet, the offer is made until the person simply stops listening to the offer and rejects it for the last time. Time is short, the world is growing darker by the hour, or at least it seems that way. We must be bold in our faith and loving in our words, for there is still time for those who hear the sound of His voice but have not yet come to know His voice.

We do all things for the glory of God through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 10:22-42