May 13,2012
Lesson Scripture
John 10:7-18
Lesson Focus:
You are lost without
the Good Shepherd
INTRODUCTION. This week’s lesson comes after the healing and conversion of the man born blind. In verses 1-6 of chapter 10, Jesus presents a scene that was familiar to His listeners. Sheepfolds were walled enclosures, either next to buildings or in the open country where sheep were housed at night. In verse 6, Jesus identified this text as a parable emphasizing the contrast between the Good Shepherd of God’s flock and the unworthy shepherds, or the Jewish religious leaders. A parable is simply an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The main focus of the lesson is that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who cares for us and brings us into an intimate relationship with Him.
(vs. 7). Earlier in this discourse in verse 1, Jesus referred to Himself as the door of the sheepfold. After Jesus identified what He was teaching as a parable in verse 6, now in this verse, He repeated it as John wrote, “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” It was common for a shepherd to lie down in front of the opening of the sheepfold so the sheep could not leave without his knowledge. In addition, the shepherd served as a barrier to protect against any wild animals or thieves that might try to get in to the sheep. Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep” and as such He is the only means of entry into the family of God (see John 14:6). Therefore, there is no other way to get into the family of God except through Jesus, the Door. He alone, died and paid the penalty for our sins, and it is only by receiving Him as our personal Saviour can we become part of God’s family and have our eternal destination settled.
(vs. 8).Jesus continued to say “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.”When Jesus said,“All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers,” He was not talking about the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist because they had prophesied His coming. Jesus was referring to the false prophets, false messiahs, and religious charlatans who tried to lead God’s people astray.He also certainly included the current religious rulers of Israel who tried to draw believers away from Him. Jesus called these devious men “thieves and robbers.”But even though they tried to lead God’s people astray,“the sheep did not hear them.”There were still some in Jesus’ day who were listening to His message and becoming believers in Him. Note: Historically, those who truly belonged to God did not follow the imposters. However, this does not mean that the imposters had no followers. Sometimes they attracted many, but those who followed them were not true sheep (see John 10:26-27). The popularity of cultists, many of whom even invoke the name of Jesus Christ, reminds us that spiritual “thieves and robbers” are still active. The true sheep of God must be able to recognize the Shepherd’s voice by studying God’s Word to be sure that those who teach them come by the Door.
(vs.9) Jesus again said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”As the Door, Jesus clearly stated that anyone who enters (the family of God) through Him was saved.Jesus’ reference to being saved refers to spiritual salvation, where there is safety from Satan and eternal destruction.We are guaranteed heaven and salvation from hell when we receive Jesus as our personal Saviour. In addition to being saved, Jesus said whoever enters by Him would also “go in and out and find pasture.”The phrase “in and out” refers to the new freedom and satisfaction the believer enjoys in his new life.Christ came to provide the “green pastures” and “still waters” of which David wrote (see Psalms 23:2).Those who feed on His Word find satisfaction and growth.Note: Judaism in Jesus’ day had bound men to legalism and had done nothing to free them from the slavery of sin. Jesus provided freedom from both the law and sin (see John 8:34-36; Galatians 3:13). Jesus’ invitation to enter God’s family through Him contrasted sharply with the Pharisees’ policy of excommunicating all who disagreed with them (see John 9:22, 34).
(vs. 10).Referring back to the thieves and robbers, Jesus said,“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”Jesus contrasted the purposes of the thief with His own.The thief had no purpose in mind except “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”In the same way, spiritual impostors use people for their own advancement and destroy them when they threaten their own personal interests. Jesus, on the other hand came“that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”The abundance that Jesus spoke of is not earthly wealth, but the spiritual resources that enable believers to be content in any circumstance(see Philippians 4:12-13).Note:The contrast with the thief and Jesus is striking.The thief came to take; Jesus came to give.The thief would destroy life if necessary; Jesus came to give life.The thief came to deprive us of life and property; Jesus came to give in abundance.
(John 10:11). At this point in His teaching, Jesus said “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”The word “good” means “honorable”or“excellent.”Jesus went on to say that “the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”Every shepherd faced certain dangers in his occupation.Thieves and robbers might appear with clubs or knives in an attempt to steal the shepherd’s sheep.In addition, wild animals were always lurking about looking for food. Good shepherds were willing to put their lives on the line to protect their sheep.As our “Good Shepherd” Jesus was willing to do that for His sheep.The false teachers referred to earlier in verse 8 would never be willing to sacrifice their lives for their followers. Note: The life of a shepherd could be dangerous as illustrated by David’s fights with at least one lion and one bear (see I Samuel 17:34-35). Jesus, however, is the epitome of a good shepherd, willing to give His life in order to save His sheep.
(vs. 12). In order to better convey the relationship of the good Shepherd to His sheep, Jesus introduced the hireling into His illustration. He said “But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.” The false teachers and selfish leaders of Israel were like hired servants instead of effective leaders. A hireling is one who works solely to be paid. Unlike the true Shepherd, the hireling has no personal concern for the sheep because the sheep are not his own. He tends to the sheep because he can earn money by doing so. His own interests come before the welfare of the sheep if the two conflict. Since the sheep don’t belong to the hireling, when he “seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.” When the hireling sees a wolf coming, he flees to protect himself and gives no thought to defending the sheep. The wolf runs among the sheep, killing some and scattering the rest.
(vs. 13). Here Jesus gives an additional reason why the hireling won’t protect the sheep in the face of adversity. He said, “The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.” This described the attitudes and behaviors of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. They had little or no concern for the people. They were more concerned about having the people adhere to their traditions than to see them have a meaningful relationship with God.
(vs. 14). As the good Shepherd, Jesus said “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” This is a reciprocal relationship. The good Shepherd knows His sheep and they know Him. The word translated “know” refers to knowledge gained by experience. It means that Jesus maintains a loving knowledge of each member of the flock and his needs. In the other half of the relationship Jesus says I “am known of mine.” In other words, He is known by those who belong to Him. The Christian therefore, grows in the same kind of intimate knowledge that the Lord has of him.
(vs. 15). The example Jesus gave to illustrate this closeness between the good Shepherd and the sheep was His relationship with His father. Jesus said “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” The Father and the Son know each other intimately and have for eternity past. Christianity is a reflection of this relationship. The reciprocal knowledge of Father and Son was also based on experience---an experience that spanned all the ages of eternity.
(John 10:16). In this verse, Jesus expanded further on His illustration in order to teach another truth. He said “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” The good Shepherd has “other sheep which are not of this fold.” By this Jesus meant that He had other sheep who were not from Israel. This is a reference to Gentiles. There were multitudes of Gentiles outside of Israel (non-Jews) who were still unbelievers at that time. However, Jesus said “them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice.” Jesus offered salvation to the Jews first, but He always intended to offer salvation to Gentiles as well. There would be many Gentiles who would hear the gospel and respond in faith allowing Jesus to bring them into God’s family along with Jews “and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” This means that there would be a single flock under one true Shepherd. All believers are united in Christ and no longer separated. This is the church of God (see I Corinthians 10:32). Note: Even as Jesus was ministering to Jews, He spoke of a salvation that had no barriers. Believers of all races could be saved (see John 3:16; 12:32). Distinctions between Jews and Gentiles would eventually be erased, and they would worship God together (see Ephesians 2:11-16; 3:6).
(vs. 17). Here Jesus says “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.” Again Jesus speaks of laying down His life for the sheep (see vss. 11, 15), but this time He adds that He is doing it voluntarily. Because of Jesus’ obedience to death, the Father has a special love for Him. This loving relationship is a perfect example of the relationship we should have with God and with each other. The Jewish leaders thought they were putting Jesus to death, and the Romans thought they were the ones carrying it out. And certainly Satan thought that he was gaining the ultimate victory by successfully killing the Son of God. But Jesus made it perfectly clear that none of those things were true. He voluntarily gave up His own life, and He had the power to take it back again.
(vs. 18). In our final verse, Jesus continued His discourse regarding His voluntary death. He said “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” Since He is God, there is no human or spiritual power that can take His life from Him. He laid it down by Hs own choice because this was the Father’s plan for the redemption of those He created. Once the work of redemption was completed through His death, He could take His life back through His resurrection. We can see Jesus’ deity here, for only God can give life and have the authority Jesus claimed here. He is God, just as His Father is God.
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