John 10:1-21 – The Good Shepherd



  • Intro:
  • Many people are turned off to the Christian faith and/or participation in church by people in
    the church who they perceive as greedy, hypocritical, or evil.
    o Sometimes this perception is faulty as they are reacting sinfully to a disagreement
    or to a teaching of Scripture that made them feel convicted (a “shoot the
    messenger” approach).
    o All too often, the cause of offense truly is someone who claims to be a Christian but
    whose life is characterized by sinful actions & attitudes.
    ▪ This is especially damaging when it comes from someone in a position of
    spiritual leadership or authority.
    ▪ In chapter 9 we met a man who was belittled, insulted, condemned, &
    excommunicated by religious leaders (see verses 28-34).
    ▪ These religious leaders claimed to know God, but by their words, actions,
    and attitudes they showed themselves to be spiritually blind.
  • Rather than becoming bitter and rejecting anything having to do with God, this man comes
    to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
    o As Jesus continues to teach in chapter 10, he is going to contrast himself with
    spiritual leaders (like these Pharisees) who are dangerous and up to no good.
    o If you are hearing this this morning and have been hurt by ungodly spiritual leaders, I
    urge you to not let their sin turn you away from Jesus…they do not represent him.
    o (1-2) Jesus describes such spiritual leaders as people who are as shady as someone
    climbing over the sheep pen wall instead of going in through the gate.
    ▪ Jesus is going to use a series of sheep & shepherd-related illustrations to
    teach about himself and our relationship with him.
    ▪ In contrast to the actions of thieves & robbers masquerading as shepherds,
    Jesus is the good shepherd.
    ▪ Note: All the pictures of shepherds in today’s slideshow are from Israel (from
    the last 100 years, but some aspects of shepherding remain unchanged).
    (2-6) Jesus Calls His Sheep
  • (2-4) The picture: a sheep pen that holds sheep belonging to several different people.
    o The hired watchman recognizes the shepherd and lets him in.
    o He calls the sheep that belong to him; they recognize his voice and follow him.
    o For a shepherd in Israel, sheep are not herded by dogs or driven like cattle but
    willingly follow only the one they recognize as their caretaker.
  • The point: those who belong to Jesus respond to his call and follow him.
    o The people who respond in faith to Jesus (like the man he healed in chapter 9) show
    that they belong to his flock.
    ▪ They are drawn out of their old way of life, like the sheep following their
    shepherd out of the big holding pen.
    ▪ For this man (and many of the original followers of Jesus) it meant being set
    apart from Jewish society in general as they are called by Jesus the Messiah.
    o The response to this calling is a work of God: In John 6:37-40…44 Jesus promised
    that he will save those who belong to him because the Father will draw them to him.
  • This should be comforting.
    o It is comforting to know that if you have trusted in Jesus as your Savior, that means
    God has always been working in your life for your good & his glory (Romans 8:28-30).
    ▪ Even before you responded to his call, he was working in your life.
    ▪ The course of your life has not been dictated by random chance but by the
    will of Almighty God who loves you and gave himself for you.
    ▪ This call is more than a general offer of salvation and God happens to know
    who will respond.
    ▪ He has drawn you into a personal relationship: he knows you by name.
    ▪ He even has a special personal name just for you that will be part of the
    blessings and glory of living in his eternal kingdom (Revelation 2:17b).
    o It is comforting because it relieves us of shouldering responsibility that belongs to
    God alone.
    ▪ When it comes to our Christian witness, it is not our responsibility to argue
    or badger people into being saved…only God can change hearts.
    ▪ Our responsibility is to share the Gospel (Romans 10:9-11), because that is
    part of how God draws people to himself (Romans 10:13-15).
    ▪ At the right time God will use it to draw his own to himself as he works in
    their heart (see Acts 13:48 & 16:14).
    o If you are hearing this today and have never trusted Jesus as your savior, I urge you to
    accept this invitation to forgiveness of sins and a new life.
    ▪ You are not hearing this by accident.
    ▪ Perhaps even now God is drawing you to faith in Jesus. Listen to the
    shepherd’s voice.
    o Unfortunately, there are many other voices calling to us.
  • (5) Those who belong to Jesus reject any competing claims that offer spiritual
    enlightenment, moral guidance, the good things in life, or the perfect society.
    o Like sheep who follow only their shepherd’s voice, our absolute loyalty belongs to
    Jesus alone.
    o Any time you find yourself giving any other person, organization, or ideology
    unquestioning allegiance that should set off alarms in your mind.
    ▪ E.g. Beware of automatically accepting, supporting, justifying, and
    defending something just because it came out of your favorite political party.
    ▪ E.g. Beware of adopting a belief or action purely because you think it would
    benefit the US or whatever other national, ethnic, or economic group you
    identify with.
    o Beware of any preacher, teacher, pundit, or celebrity who offers spiritual or moral
    guidance for life that does not point you to Jesus and align with his Word.
    ▪ That is not someone you should be allowing influence in your life.
    ▪ Those who follow Jesus must not follow those who do not walk in his
    footsteps.
  • (6) There will be people who don’t understand or accept this, like the religious leaders Jesus
    is speaking to in this passage.
    o Unquestioningly following Jesus and his Word may get you labeled naïve, foolish,
    narrow-minded, hateful, etc.
    o Sheep or sheeple (sheep + people) is generally considered an insult, implying a
    person who unquestioningly follows someone else’s lead.
    o As long as that “someone else” is Jesus, I will gladly accept that insult as a
    compliment.
    (7-10) Jesus Is the Door for His Sheep
  • The picture: When caring for his individual flock, the shepherd guarded the entryway to the
    pen (often by sleeping in front of it). He controlled who was in and who was out.
    o He was the one who let in only the sheep who were part of his flock.
    o He took care of them while keeping out all others that might try to harm them.
    o He led them to places where they could find plenty of food and be healthy &
    content.
  • The point: Jesus is the only way to be part of God’s family & live the full life that we were
    created to live (cf. John 1:11-13, 14:6).
  • Anyone else claiming to offer a different way to “the good life” or “the ideal society” is a thief
    and a killer.
    o Thief: they try to steal God’s glory (and often get rich off their followers).
    o Killer: their path ultimately leads to eternal death rather than eternal life. Even if they
    are sincere, they are sincerely & destructively wrong (cf. Proverbs 14:12).
    o Lying, deadly paths can take a variety of forms.
    ▪ Other paths to salvation/heaven/a blessed afterlife.
  • Belief in reincarnation
  • Rituals/sacraments
  • Church attendance/membership
  • Just trying really hard to do more good than bad.
    ▪ Other means of pursuing inner peace, protection, spiritual guidance, or
    enlightenment
  • Transcendental meditation
  • Mind-altering drugs
  • Fortunetelling (tarot, astrology, palm reading…)
  • Good luck charms
  • Protective crystals
  • Talking to spirits (seances, Ouija boards, channeling…)
    ▪ A worldview that rejects the eternal: The only focus is on the here and now.
  • Perhaps pursuing hedonistic pleasure (if it feels good, do it).
  • Perhaps focusing exclusively on social causes & political activism
    with no concern for what comes after this life on earth.
    o We who belong to Jesus must not try to “supplement” our spirituality with the ways
    of those whom Jesus describes as thieves & robbers who come to kill & destroy.
    ▪ Remember (v.5), the sheep will never follow anyone but the shepherd
    (phrased in the strongest possible negation).
    ▪ People who do not themselves follow the good shepherd are not equipped
    to help you follow him.
  • Only in Jesus can we have the full life that God wants us to have.
    o We won’t necessarily have “the good life” by the world’s definition (in spite of what
    you hear from prosperity gospel preachers) – We have something better.
    o In this world we have:
    ▪ Our Heavenly Father who loves us and works all things for our good
    ▪ Peace & joy no matter what is going on
    ▪ The indwelling Holy Spirit who gives us comfort, understanding of God’s
    Word, and the ability to do what is truly pleasing to God.
    ▪ An assurance of the world to come (cf. John 6:40).
    o In the world to come “life to the full” is experienced in all its glory. We have
    (paraphrasing Randy Alcorn):
    ▪ Perfect resurrected bodies…
    ▪ …to live in a perfect resurrected/remade universe…
    ▪ …in the very presence of our resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…
    ▪ …for eternity with no pain, sorrow, sickness, death, or any of the other things
    that sin brought in the world.
    o In the third shepherd illustration, Jesus tells us how he provides this for us.
    (11-18) Jesus Dies for His Sheep…and Returns to Life
  • (11-13) The picture: A good shepherd willingly risks his life for his sheep.
    o He stands his ground and protects them in life-threatening situations, even if he is
    armed with just a stick, a sling, and some rocks.
    o This is in contrast to someone who is in it primarily for personal gain and abandons
    the sheep if things get too difficult or dangerous.
  • (14-18) The point: Jesus truly cares for those who belong to him.
    o His ministry is not about gaining power, prestige, and wealth.
    ▪ Power and prestige are what the Pharisees were all about.
    ▪ There have always been spiritual leaders who use the ministry as a means of
    personal enrichment (extreme examples: $65M jet & $10M mansion).
    ▪ Should the finances, fame, or adoration of the masses dry up, these kinds of
    leaders usually leave behind hurting, disillusioned people.
    o (14-16) As the Good Shepherd, Jesus has a personal relationship with his sheep and
    with his Father.
    ▪ He came to bring those who belong to him into the loving relationship that
    has always existed between God the Father and God the Son.
    ▪ That includes not just the Jewish nation who had been waiting for a Savior for
    centuries, but other sheep as well: the Gentiles (including us!).
    o (17-18) He didn’t just risk his life for us, he willingly gave it up.
    ▪ This is part of the loving relationship between the Father and the Son: the
    plan to save fallen humanity through the Son’s willing self-sacrifice.
    ▪ When wicked men killed Jesus, it was not a cosmic accident that God made
    good use of, but the fulfillment of God’s sovereign plan as he turns even the
    worst sin of mankind to his glorious purpose (Acts 4:27-28, 2:22-24).
    o Jesus makes it clear that, unlike a merely human shepherd who dies defending his
    sheep, he will not stay dead.
    ▪ By his own authority/power and the will of the Father he will return to life.
    ▪ He will break the power of death over all who trust in him.
    ▪ Proof of this authority and power is coming in the next chapter.
    (19-21) Conclusion: The Crowd Is Divided
  • As before, some claim Jesus is demon possessed and insane; these are the ones who do
    not recognize the voice of the shepherd.
  • Some are interested.
    o What Jesus is saying doesn’t sound like the rantings of a madman, and he seems to
    have tremendous power from God.
    o They have not necessarily taken the step of following the shepherd yet (like the blind
    man Jesus healed in chapter 9), but they are thinking about it.
  • As John leaves the question hanging, it invites us to ask “What about me?”
    o What do I believe about Jesus?
    o Regardless of other religious people out there who I find offensive, hypocritical, and
    gross, what about Jesus and the claims and promises he has made? Do I trust him?
    Applications
  • Trust Jesus to forgive your sins and transform your life.
    o He is the door of the sheep: the only way to a right relationship with God.
    o He died for our sins, like a shepherd defending his sheep to the death…willingly
    giving himself in our place.
    o He returned to life, defeating death on our behalf.
  • Follow Jesus, not the spiritual and moral guides he would describe as thieves & killers.
    o Do not let wicked shepherds turn you away from the Good Shepherd.
    ▪ Do not become disillusioned by looking at them instead of at Jesus.
    ▪ Do not be fooled into following their teachings and example.
    o Remember, if someone is not a true follower of the Good Shepherd, they are not
    equipped to help you follow in the steps of the Good Shepherd.
    o Jesus’ sheep follow him and no one else.
  • Remind yourself of what it means that Jesus is your Good Shepherd.
    o This is one of those “something you should know and meditate on” rather than
    “something you should do” applications.
    ▪ Meditate: to think about this truth and all that it implies
    ▪ Good music is one way of bringing Scriptural truths to our mind in a way that
    is memorable and engages our emotions.
    ▪ I have a bonus song list to help you think through some of the truths in this
    chapter – some things you should know if you have trusted in Jesus.
    o Know that you have been called by the Good Shepherd and drawn into a relationship
    with him by your Heavenly Father – Grace Has Called My Name (Kathryn Scott).
    o Know that Almighty God knows you by name:
    He Knows My Name (Francesca Battistelli)
    o Know that nothing can change that – more on that aspect of it next week:
    I Belong (Kathryn Scott)
    o Know that the Good Shepherd give life to the full: the life you were created to live:
    This Is What I Was Made For (Rend Collective)
    o Know that he died to do away with your sin
    My Sin Is Nailed to the Cross (Rend Collective)
    o Know that he returned to life, breaking death’s power over you
    His Heart Beats (Andrew Peterson)

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