Good Shepherd

Well, good morning, those of you who are here in person and those who are online.

We're glad you have joined us.

Peter, thank you for those words.

I feel like we should just stop and meditate on those.

I don't need to preach.

I will anyway, but thank you for those.

I really appreciate them.

As we go to God's Word this morning, will you join me in prayer?

Lord, we thank you that as we gather this morning, Lord, we gather to know you more.

And we gather because you have been at work, Lord, being the loving Savior that we have just sung about.

Lord, we pray now that by your Spirit you would open our hearts and our minds to receive your Word.

Lord, I pray for your enabling power so that I might speak clearly.

And Lord, that you might use this time, Lord, to draw us closer to you.

We pray these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So as Pastor Nick mentioned, it's Palm Sunday.

And on that day many, many years ago, the crowds gathered and lined the streets of Jerusalem

and laid down palm fronds and coats in honor of Jesus who rode in on a donkey.

The expectations were high.

People were looking for a king.

A king who would come and rescue them from Roman oppression.

A king who would come and free the nation of Israel to have independence again.

A king who would come like the king of old.

King David, the great shepherd king.

The one of whom it said in 2 Samuel 5,

It was you who led out and brought in Israel.

And the Lord said to you,

You shall be a shepherd of my people Israel.

And you shall be prince over Israel.

These people longed for someone who would come and lead them out and lead them in in victory.

One who would come to deliver them.

One that they could follow with confidence,

knowing that he would lead them to life and security.

I wonder if your heart resonates with that longing this morning.

Do you long for someone to come and to take you by the hand?

To raise you up?

To lead you out of darkness and into life and into light?

It's worth recognizing how easily our hearts look for this.

And how we latch on to things.

Sometimes we latch on to a religious leader.

Or a political head of state.

Sometimes we just latch on to the social leader of our high school group.

Or a mom's group.

We latch on to others to follow.

Because we know we need it.

Or maybe in this 21st century, we don't.

Because we are desperate to be the captains of our own ship.

And we latch on to ourselves to lead us into life.

And we deny our need for anyone else.

And yet, as this pandemic has so painfully shown many of us,

we end up suffering alone.

We don't choose well, often, when we look for leaders.

When we look for someone to follow.

When we look for someone to latch on to.

We don't know.

We don't know.

But we do need it.

And God has spoken into this human longing.

He has spoken by sending His Son, Jesus.

Which leads us to our text this morning.

We are in John.

The Gospel of John.

John 10 · chapter mention

Chapter 10.

We are continuing in our series in the first 11 chapters of John.

Remember, last week, Pastor Nick preached on Jesus coming to the blind man and healing him.

Bringing sight to someone who had been blind from birth.

But then also, how that provoked controversy with the religious leaders.

Because Jesus did not fit into their paradigms.

Of how God would bring this life and light to the world.

In our passage this morning, in John 10, we see that Jesus alone is the good shepherd we need to lead us into life.

We'll look at this in two sections.

Verses 1 through 21.

Jesus being the good shepherd.

And verses 22 through 42.

How Jesus alone can be that for us.

So, let's look at these sections in sequence.

If you have your Bibles at home, or if you want to read along on the screen, we're going to read verses 1 through 21 first.

And reflect on that for a few minutes.

So, read along with me.

John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

I'm sorry.

Chapter 10, verse 1.

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 out 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 the strangers.

This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So, Jesus said, 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 come that they might have life.

I 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 is 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 a 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.

And there was again a division among the Jews because of these words.

Many of them said, he has a demon and is insane.

Why listen to him?

And others said, these are not the words of a demon.

These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon.

Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?

As we've seen in John, Jesus is using rich metaphors to try to help us understand who he is.

And he comes to us in this passage and he says, I am the good shepherd who leads us to life.

And we're going to walk through the passage and make some observations about what Jesus says.

Verses 1 through 5, Jesus simply paints a picture of what a sheepfold in the first century would look like.

It was often a pen or an enclosure.

Sometimes it would be a natural thing like a cave.

It might be put up against a house on the backside or on the side of a house with usually a single entrance.

And it might hold multiple flocks from multiple shepherds.

He describes how the sheep know their shepherd.

So that when a shepherd comes and he calls them out, they have a relationship and they know.

And the shepherd knows the sheep and the sheep know the shepherd.

And so the shepherd would come and give his whistle or his signal.

And his sheep would come out and the rest would stay.

And he says, and this is the relationship between healthy sheep and shepherds.

When people try to come in by another way.

Or people try to come and take other sheep that are not their own.

They're thieves and robbers.

And so helpfully, John in verse 6 points out, he used this as a figure of speech.

So we know this is a metaphor.

This is helpful.

John hasn't always told us that.

But here, it's very clear.

He uses the finger of speech to help us understand what a lot of Old Testament Jews would have already understood some of.

Because this image of shepherd and sheep is a very well established one in the Old Testament.

I want to spend a few minutes just laying out a few of the scriptures, not even exhaustively, that point to or use this imagery.

So back in Numbers 27.

So we're at the people of Israel have been wandering in the wilderness.

They've come to the edge of the promised land.

And God tells Moses, because of his disobedience and faithlessness, he is not going to enter into the promised land.

And Moses says this to God,

Let the Lord 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, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as a sheep that have no shepherd.

Psalm 23 is a well-known psalm that many, many of us have heard.

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.

In the prophets in Isaiah chapter 40, as Isaiah is beginning to look ahead to the renewing and what it will take for God to renew his people.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

He says,

Say to the cities of Judah,

Behold your God.

He will tend his flock like a shepherd.

He will gather the lambs in his arms.

He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young.

And as Andrew read earlier in Ezekiel 34,

this is in the context of judgment of the exile when God had come and removed Israel from the promised land because of their faithlessness and disobedience.

And yet he said,

and he specifically in that chapter is condemning the leaders of Israel because they had not led the people to worship God,

but it led them astray to worship other gods.

And he says,

Those shepherds have been faithless,

but I,

your God,

will be your faithful shepherd.

But then he says later in that chapter,

in verse 23 of Exodus 34,

And I will set up over them.

This is a prediction coming in the future.

I will set up over them one shepherd,

my servant David,

and he shall feed them,

and 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.

Now friends,

this was written long after David was dead and in his grave.

He was not talking about the resurrection of David.

He was talking about one in the line of David who would come and fulfill this.

So Jesus steps into this long history and says,

I am the good shepherd who has come to lead you to life.

And he says four things about him,

and I want to move quickly through these because there's a lot to go here.

First, he says,

I am the way to life.

I am the door.

In verses 7 through 10,

he says,

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.

But I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus has come to lead his sheep to life.

When he leads them out to eat the grass,

that is their life.

If they don't eat,

they die.

Think about what Jesus has done to the people that he's encountered.

In chapter 9,

the blind man.

In chapter 5,

the cripple at the pool of Bethesda.

The crowds in chapter 6,

who he fed food,

bread from heaven,

manna,

and then reminded them of a greater food.

The Samaritan woman who comes out for water in the heat of the day.

Jesus offers a greater water.

When Jesus comes,

he brings life to his sheep.

He is reversing the curse of death.

He is fixing the fallenness of the world.

And he says,

following me will lead you to life.

In contrast to the leaders of the day,

in contrast to the Pharisees who are contending with him in chapter 9,

he says,

follow me and I will lead you to life.

That's the first thing he says.

The second thing he says is in verse 14.

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.

Jesus says,

I am the good shepherd who knows who are mine.

And again,

in this context,

the Old Testament people of Israel,

the greatest privilege was to be God's people,

to be God's flock.

And Jesus says,

I know my flock

because I know the Father.

And he's being provocative when he says this.

He says,

if you don't know me,

you don't know my Father.

And these Jews were claiming to know him

and yet reject Jesus.

Claiming to know God

and yet rejecting Jesus.

So Jesus comes with this image to say,

I know them.

I know my own.

And if you're rejecting me,

don't fool yourself that you are my own.

But he says,

but to all who do listen,

to those who follow me,

they are my own.

And verse 3 reminds us,

I know them by name.

Friends,

do you know what it's like?

Do you remember what it's like

to walk into a room

and have someone know you by name?

To walk into school the first day

after a long summer

and for your friend to say,

hey, Matt,

it's great to see you.

To walk into a family reunion,

your in-laws family reunion

where you've never been before

and have the host come up and say,

wow, Matt,

it's great to have you here.

We're so glad you're a part of this family.

When you are welcomed

is one who is known.

There's a sense of belonging,

a sense of identity,

a sense of welcoming,

a sense of safety and of comfort.

Jesus says,

I am the good shepherd

and I know my own.

The third thing that he says

in verse 16

is that he will gather

all of his own to himself.

And I have other sheep

that are not of this fold.

I must bring them in also

so that they will listen to my voice

so there will be one flock

and one shepherd.

And again,

the Jewish people thought

that they were,

because they were physically

the descendants of Abraham,

the special people.

And Jesus is reminding them

as he has in multiple other ways.

No,

the people of God

are going to come from

every tribe and tongue and nation.

It's not just going to come

from the people of Israel.

It's going to come from

everyone,

everywhere.

And they're not going to have

to come and find me

because I'm going to take

the initiative to go

and find them

and bring them in.

I'm going to find

the scattered people

throughout the world

and I'm going to call them in

to the people of God,

which will ultimately

be the church.

Friends,

wandering sheep

don't find their ways home.

Shepherds have to go

and find them

and bring them back.

And Jesus says,

I'm going to go

and find those of you

who are looking for me

and I'm going to draw you in

and I'm going to bring you back

with love and devotion

and sacrifice.

And my people will be one flock

and they will be led

by one shepherd.

Friends,

in the kingdom of God,

in Jesus,

under Jesus shepherding,

there is no insider,

no outsider.

There is no ethnic policy.

There is no income restriction.

There is no educational barriers.

All are welcome.

Finally,

the fourth thing

and the most important thing

that Jesus says

about his shepherding

is that he says

repeatedly throughout this

that he is a good shepherd

because he will lay down

his life for his sheep

so that they might live.

This is the extended contrast

in verses 11 through 18.

I will lay down my sheep.

He repeats it four times

in those verses.

And he contrasts it.

He contrasts it with hired hands.

A hired hand is someone

who is brought in

but doesn't know his sheep.

And he does not care for them.

And when they're out in the fields

and danger comes

and the wolves come

to attack the sheep,

the hired hand says,

well, this is too much.

I don't really care enough

about this sheep to die.

And the hired hand runs away

and the sheep are ravaged

by the wolves.

Jesus is not a hired hand.

Jesus comes

and with great love

he says,

I am willing to lay down

my life for the sheep.

I will trade my life

for yours.

This is a rebuke

of the leaders

who sought to consolidate

their own power

rather than receiving Jesus

who had come from God.

Jesus comes

and he says

to these people

on this day

and to us today,

I have come

to lay down my life

for you.

To rescue you

from the wolves.

To rescue you

from the false leaders

that will lead you astray

into paths

that are not life.

And even more so

to lead you

out of the darkness

of sin

and out of the slavery

to fear of death.

Your greatest enemies,

the wolves that most have

the ability

to destroy your soul.

I will come

and I will lay down

my life.

In the book of John

we are close

to the end.

The turning point.

If you've ever thought

through the map

of the book of John

the first 11 chapters

all happen

within like 3 years.

The last 11 chapters

have it in 7 days.

And it's all heading

towards the cross.

And Jesus knows that

and he's saying

I am coming

to lay down my life

at the cross for you.

I will die in your place.

I will die for your sin.

And I will rise again

to be eternally

your good shepherd

who can lead you to life.

Jesus declares

that he is

the good shepherd.

And he offers

an invitation.

Will you hear his voice?

Will you respond?

Will you come to him

and follow him?

And we see in verses

19 through 21

that the people

are divided.

Some people look at him

and say

you're crazy.

You are a possessed man.

Whatever you are thinking

that's ridiculous.

I'm not listening to you.

But others look

at his works

and say

could someone

who had healed

a blind man

be powered

by the devil?

That's not one

who brings

death

but life.

So Jesus

says

I am the good shepherd.

But he goes on

in this conversation

with the people

in verses 22

through 41

Jesus explains more

of the basis

on how he can be

the good shepherd.

Why he alone

is the good shepherd.

And it's linked

specifically

to his relationship

with God the Father.

So let's read

verses 22

through 41

together.

It will be

on the screen here

you can read it

along at home.

Chapter 10

verse 22.

At that time

the feast of dedication

took place in Jerusalem.

it was winter

and Jesus

was walking

in the temple

in the colonnade

of Solomon.

So the Jews

gathered around him

and said to him

how long

will you keep us

in suspense?

If you are the Christ

tell us plainly.

And Jesus

answered them

I told you

and you did not believe.

The works

that I do

in my Father's name

bear witness

about me.

But you do not believe

because you are not

part of my flock.

My sheep

hear my voice

and I know them

and they follow me.

I give them

eternal life

and they will

never perish

and no one

will snatch them

out of my hand.

My Father

who has given

them to me

is greater

than all

and no one

is able to

snatch them

out of the

Father's hand.

I and the

Father are one.

The Jews

picked up stones

again to stone

him.

Jesus answered

them

I have shown

you many good

works from the

Father.

For which of

these are you

going to stone

me?

And Jesus

answered them

it is not

for a good

work that we

are going to

stone you

but for

blasphemy

because you

being a man

make yourself

God.

Jesus answered

them

is it not

written in

your law

I said

you are

gods

if he

called them

gods

to whom

the word

of God

came

and the

scripture

cannot be

broken

do you

say of

him

who

father

consecrated

and sent

into the

world

you are

blaspheming

because I

said I

am the

son of

God

if I

am not

doing the

works of

my father

then do

not believe

me

but if I

do them

even though

you do

not believe

me

believe the

works

that you

may know

and understand

that the

father is

in me

and I

am in

the father

again they

sought to

arrest him

but he

escaped from

their hands

he went

away across

the Jordan

to the place

where John

had been

baptizing at

first

and there

he remained

and many

came to

him

and they

said

John

did no

sign

but everything

that John

said about

this man

was true

and many

believed

in him

there

in this

in this

interaction

with the

leaders

Jesus is

explaining

how he

can be

and must

be the

only

good

shepherd

for us

the timing

is a feast

of dedication

which is not

a feast

you will find

in the

Old Testament

law

but it

comes from

the history

of the

Jewish

people

when in

173

BC

the Roman

emperor

Antiochus

Epiphanes

IV

invaded

Rome

desecrated

the temple

sacrificed

a pig

on the

altar

and did

great

damage

a few

years later

there was

a rebellion

the Maccabees

rose up

against Roman

rule

and pushed

out the

Romans

and they

rededicated

the temple

and when

they

rededicated

the temple

that's what

he's talking

about here

it's the

feast of

dedications

also called

the festival

of lights

which is also

called

Hanukkah

which is

probably

what many

of you

know it

as

so this

is where

we're at

in the

in the

Jewish

calendar

in the

year

and the

people

come

with a

question

are you

the

deliverer

just as

we celebrate

this

deliverance

from

Rome

are you

the

deliverer

the one

that God

has anointed

the one

that we

are waiting

for

and at

the heart

of his

answer

is verse

30

I

and the

father

are one

what does

this mean

well there's

been a lot

of ink

spilled

throughout

history

on this

one

theologically

but let's

make a few

observations

first of

all

the oneness

includes

both a

distinction

there's a

father

and there's

Jesus

and they're

separate

and yet

he says

we are

one

and there's

an ongoing

theological

discussion

throughout

history

about whether

this is

the unity

of purpose

or oneness

of purpose

or whether

it's a

oneness

of a

greater

oneness

of essence

I'm not

going to

answer that

question

today

it's way

too deep

to try

to get

into the

weeds

of it

but

clearly

Jesus

is saying

we have

a oneness

of purpose

and I

think that

there's

at least

signs

that he's

pointing to

what we

would now

understand to

be the

doctrine of

the Trinity

that God

the God

of the Bible

is one

God

a unified

God

in three

persons

and those

three persons

are co-equal

in value

they have

different roles

in the Trinity

but this is

why we

worship

in the

Christian

church

a triune

God

Bible verses

like this

where show

clear distinction

and yet

absolute

commitment

to the

unity

of God

as one

and friends

rather than

trying to

sort out

the hairs

I hope

that this

morning

at least

we can

stop

and revel

in the

mystery

and the

wonder

of the

word of

God

made

flesh

that we

can think

about this

being God

come to

earth

taking on

human form

so that

he might

accomplish

a redemption

for us

that God

had determined

before the

beginning of

the world

and that

we would

worship

him

and one

of the

reasons I

don't want

to spend

all my

time talking

about that

is that's

not Jesus

purpose in

bringing this

up

Jesus purpose

in bringing

it up in

this context

is to say

you want to

know why

I'm the

good shepherd

why I'm

the fulfillment

of all those

Old Testament

prophecies

it's because

I'm from

God

he has sent

me and he

and I are

one in

working together

and he says

three things

about that

first he appeals

to his good

works as

proof

you see

this in

verse 25

and 32

and 37

and 38

do you want

to know

who I am

look at

what I've

done

simply stop

and look

at what I

have done

he says

the source

of my power

is not

demonic

because I

bring life

to all

who interact

with me

the source

of my

goodness

as a good

shepherd

is that I

am one

with the

father

you have

seen

these

you cannot

deny

them

and if

you were

here this

morning

you're

exploring

who Jesus

is

or you're

wondering

who Jesus

is

I encourage

you look

at what

he's done

and pay

a lot of

attention

next week

as we

celebrate

good

Friday

and as we

celebrate

Easter

and we

think about

his death

and his

resurrection

for these

are the

greatest

works that

Jesus

will

do

and Jesus

is preparing

us to

see those

things

so that's

the first

thing he

says

the second

thing he

says

is that

my

oneness

with the

father

anchors

the security

of my

sheep

I am a

good shepherd

because I am

one with the

father

so verse 28

I give them

eternal life

and they will

never perish

and no one

will statch

them out of

my hand

my father

who has

given them

to me

is greater

than all

and no one

is able to

snatch them

out of the

father's

hand

pastor

John

Piper says

this about

this passage

speaking in the

words of

Jesus

the father

and I

are one

no one

can take

you from

me

because I

am stronger

than all

and no one

can take you

from my

father

because my

father is

stronger than

all

when you

are in

my

hand

you are

in his

hands

when you

are in

his

hand

you are

in my

hand

our

omnipotence

and our

unity

are your

safety

and your

salvation

friends

what great

comfort

this is

to know

Jesus as a

good shepherd

our relationship

with God

is secured

based on

his

initiative

him

finding us

and drawing

us in

him

knowing us

and calling

us to be

him

because our

salvation

is dependent

on his

work in

our hearts

we have

great security

and great

joy

and great

comfort

the wonderful

thing about

this truth

is that

the confidence

we have

is not

because this

is an

abstract

system

of logic

and of

theology

but it

is a

trust

in a

person

our good

shepherd

who has

come to

save us

so in

just a

minute we

will sing

when I

fear my

faith will

fail

Christ will

hold me

fast

when the

tempter

would prevail

he will

hold me

fast

I could

never keep

my hold

through life's

fearful path

for my

love is

often

cold

he

must

hold me

fast

Jesus

says

because I

am one

with the

father

if you

follow me

as your

good shepherd

I will

hold you

fast

the final

thing that

he says

here

the final

thing that

happens in

this is

that his

claim to

oneness

provokes a

response

you see it

in verse

31

they pick up

stones again

to stone

him

for blasphemy

how dare you

call yourself

God

and he

challenges

them

and this

doesn't seem

like a

great theological

debate

it actually

seems like

it might be

a debate

tactic

to say

well wait

a minute

in Psalm

82

6

the

psalmist

refers to

the people

of God

who received

the revelation

at Sinai

that's the

context of

that verse

that they

are like

gods

little g

gods

and if

God is

willing to

do that

in his

word

why are

you

stoning

me

for calling

myself

the son

of God

that doesn't

make any

sense

at all

as one

commentator

says

in the

heat of

their

opposition

to what

Jesus

is saying

they are

partly

right

that is

he does

make himself

equal to

God

they're

partly

wrong

his

equality

with

God

does not

make him

a rival

to God

which is

what they

think

and they're

profoundly

mistaken

because they

don't understand

that the drift

of their own

scriptures

reveals how

he is the

fulfillment

of them

and they have

not known

God well

enough to

perceive

that this

revelation

that he

is

and brings

in

is continuity

with

and a

capstone

of the

revelation

that he's

already

provided

that Jesus

is the

fulfillment

of all

the things

that these

people have

been longing

for

and they're

rejecting him

because they

don't understand

them

and again

there is a

divided response

in verse 38

they seek to

arrest him

verse 39

I'm sorry

verse 40

through 42

people come

out

though the

religious leaders

seek to

squelch

Jesus

the people

hear

and they

long

and they

say

John never

did a sign

but this

man he is

everything that

John said

he would be

he is the

lamb of God

who takes

away the

sin of the

world

he is the

one to

bring life

and friends

this is the

this is then

the question

for all of

us

how do

we respond

Jesus

in verse

37 and

38

says this

look at the

works that I

do

if I didn't

do them

then they'll

believe in me

but if I

did

see the

father in

them

believe that

I am one

with the

father

and because

I am one

with the

father

I am a

good shepherd

and come

and believe

in me

for those

of you who

are here

this morning

and you

have already

said yes

to Jesus

know what

great comfort

it is

to know him

means that he

knows you

and if he

knows you

he will never

let you go

take great

comfort

in his love

for you

in his knowing

your name

and him

holding you

fast

and the

call

the call

for us

who are

seeking

the call

for us

who are

wondering

who he

is

look at

his words

look at

his works

look most

importantly

at his

death

and

resurrection

because what

we proclaim

this morning

is that the

good shepherd

has come

and he

calls us

to turn

to him

and in

faith

come to

him

and find

him to be

our good

shepherd

let's pray

lord we

thank you

this morning

for this

word

we thank you

for the

encouragement

that it

is

lord we

pray that

we would

find comfort

in you

lord we

pray for

those who

are seeking

lord that

they would

lord behold

your goodness

and embrace

you as their

good shepherd

we pray these

things in

jesus name

amen

very soon

you

thank you

for the

DP

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