April 10, 2005Reverend
Rich KnightCategory
- New Testament OverviewJohn 10:1- 18My name is John. I was one of the 12 disciples.
We’re going to look at something I’ve recently written. If you’re following
along it’s in Chapter 10 of the book that humbly bears my name. It’s not a book
about me. That would not be worth making all the copies & circulating them.
It’s about our Shepherd, Jesus.Three other reliable gospels have been written -
Matthew, Mark & Luke.From what I can tell, Matthew & Luke based their
books on Mark and incorporated almost all of Mark in their gospels. I affirm
the accuracy of those 3 gospels. They have each given us a faithful &
reliable account of the life, ministry & teachings of Jesus.It’s the job of eyewitnesses like myself to certify
the accuracy of the gospels. People forget that there are still eyewitnesses
living who heard Jesus speak, who can verify the accuracy of what’s written
about him.Many consider me to be first and foremost among these
eyewitnesses. I was Jesus’ best friend upon this earth. Some call me, “The
disciples whom Jesus loved.” Others call me part of Jesus’ Inner Circle,
consisting of Peter, James & John. Throughout his ministry he would call us
to be with him, just the 3 of us at special, significant times, such as at the
Transfiguration & in the Garden of Gethsemane. We
knew Jesus well. We spent nearly every day with him for 3 years. We knew his
heart. We felt his soul. In fact, at the Last Supper I rested my head upon his shoulder,
his chest, as we reclined at the table. I literally heard his heartbeat. I pray
that you would hear the heartbeat of Jesus through my message this day.Well, our churches have had Matthew, Mark & Luke
for some time now. They have been widely distributed and are widely read as you
know. But I felt something was missing - a significant part of Jesus’
teachings, the teachings that fully explore his divine nature. Certainly the
other Gospels contain this - Jesus is called the “Son of God,” he calms storms,
he forgives sins, he allows the disciples to worship him. But we also heard a
number of teachings where his main theme was his identity and our identity in
him. I recorded 7 of these teachings.Some people have begun to call these teachings The
“I Am” statements - I am the Bread of
Life, I am the Resurrection & the Life, I am the Vine - You are the
Branches, I am the Light of the World, I am the Way, the Truth & the Life.Let me share one teaching with you this morning
where Jesus gave 2 of these “I Am” statements.READ JOHN 10:1-18What a shepherd we have in Jesus!Shepherds as you know are a common sight in our
country. Much of Judea is known for its rough,
rocky terrain, especially the central plain of Israel stretching for 35 miles
north and south and about 15 miles across. The most common sight in this region
is the shepherd and his sheep. Oh, some people look down at shepherds. The
Pharisees call them People of the Land
and often don’t have much to do with shepherds. But most people know that
shepherds are the backbone of our economy, and they’re known for their hard
work and devotion to the sheep - they’re never off duty.You know, it’s rather ironic that the Pharisees look
down upon Shepherds because in the Hebrew Scriptures God’s love, God’s care is
often compared to that of a shepherd.“The Lord is my
Shepherd,” wrote the great King.(Ps. 23)“We are his
people and the sheep of his pasture.”(Ps. 100)Ps. 80 - “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a
flock.”Our greatest prophet Isaiah even said that the Messiah would be like a shepherd - “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he
will gather the lambs in his arms. He will be shepherding the flock of the Lord
faithfully and righteously.”What a shepherd we have in Jesus.Vs. 3 “He calls
his own by name.”Jesus
always called us by name.“Andrew,
James, Bartholomew, come follow me.”“Zacheaus,
I am coming to your house tonight.”“Lazarus,
come out!”“Martha,
Martha, you are worried about so many things.”“Peter,
do you love me? Feed my sheep.”Jesus knows each of us by name. That’s the job of
the shepherd. Shepherds give names to their sheep, particularly Judean
shepherds whose sheep are used for wool. The sheep are often with their
shepherd for years. And so they gave them names, often descriptive, such as
“Brown-leg” or “Black-ear.”You know sometimes you come across those long
passages in scripture where there’s a list of names. Occasionally
there’s a famous name in there - a David, a Solomon, but mostly there’s just
average people like you and me. Yet God knows each of us by name.In the book of Numbers, the 4th book of the Torah, the Israelites were struggling &
wandering in the wilderness. God tells the people to take a census, so that
they might know that even in the wilderness they have a Shepherd who watches
out for his sheep and who lovingly counts every last one, because every last
one matters to the Shepherd.God knows you by name. What a Shepherd we have in
Jesus.Vs. 3“He calls his own sheep and leads them out.”The image here is a common sheepfold where several
flocks might bed down for the night together. In the morning one by one each
Shepherd stands at the opening and calls his sheep by name. They recognize the
Shepherd’s voice, their Shepherd’s voice and they go out to him.Vs 5“When he has brought out all his own, he
goes ahead of them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”The
Shepherd goes out ahead of them.Have you ever thought about Jesus
going out ahead you?When
you leave this place this morning, Jesus is already out there.He
goes before you.You
have tomorrow to face. But
Jesus is already there. He goes before you.You
have uncertainty to face. But Jesus goes before you.You
don’t which way to turn. But Jesus is going out ahead of you.The
songs says, “I don’t know what the future
holds, but I know who holds the future and my life is in his hands.”He
goes before you.What
a Shepherd we have in Jesus.I noted here at this point that not everyone
understood what Jesus was saying. That happened
sometimes to Jesus. He spoke in parables, in metaphors, in figures of speech.
So he explored the metaphor even further.Vs. 7 - “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for
the sheep. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and
find pasture.”“I am the
gate.”This is one of those “I Am” passages. It’s the
hardest one to understand unless you know about those sheepfolds out in the
wilderness. Stone walls, using the side of mountains, with no gates. The
shepherd would lie down at the opening.The Shepherd would be the gate for the sheepfold. No
one would get in or out without him knowing.When you go to God through Jesus - through the Cross, through the Resurrection, through his gift of Grace
- when you enter the gates through him, you know you’re in the fold. Can you
get in other ways?Probably, Yes. I
believe so. But with Jesus you can be sure you’re in the fold.Illustration. It’s like wandering around the
Arabian dessert. You might stumble into the Holy Land, especially if you’re south
of the Dead Sea.You could wander into Israel and not
even know it. But if you went further north and crossed at the Jordan River and entered the gates of Jericho, you’d know
for sure that you were in the Promised Land.Jesus is a sure and trusted gate into God’s Land of Promise. The
Apostle Paul says, “Through Christ we
have access to the Father.” The letter to the Hebrews says, “Jesus is a new and living way” to God.What a Shepherd we have in Jesus.Vs. 10 - “I have come that they may have life and
have it abundantly.”Jesus
has come that you may have life and have it abundantly.The Greek word I used there means,
“Superabundantly!”God’s
desire for your life is not less life, but more life.-
not less purpose but more purpose-
not less joy but more joy-
not less of who you are but more of who you really are-
not less freedom through rules & regulations but more freedom through obedience-
not less life - more life!A Great Saint once said, “The Glory of God is a human being fully alive!”(St. Irenaeus)“I have come that they may have life
and have it abundantly.” What a Shepherd we have in
Jesus.Vs. 11 - “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd
lays down his life for his sheep.”The
word I used for “Good” is Kalos. Kalos is not just good in an average way.“That’s good.” Kalos is good in a pure and
beautiful way.Jesus
is the beautiful shepherd. There is an attractiveness, a beauty to our
Shepherd.“Beautiful
Savior.”“Precious Lord Jesus.”“The
Bright Morning Star.”“The Lilly of the
Valley.”“His
Name is wonderful. Jesus my Lord.”Jesus said, The way you can tell the Good
Shepherd from the hired hand is the way he puts his life on the line for
his sheep. Shepherds were often called to do this. Wolves attacked, hungry for
sheep. Thieves tried to steel the sheep. The hired hand would flee because the
sheep did not belong to him. He was only the hired hand. But the Shepherd would
use his rod & staff and risk his life to protect his sheep. “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”Jesus of course not only risked his life for his
sheep, he laid his life down for his sheep. What a beautiful Shepherd we have
in Jesus.One last sentence - Vs. 14 - “I am the Good Shepherd. I know
my own and my own know me.”“My own.”Are there any more beautiful words than
those?“My own.”Jesus has called you his own.What
have you to fear?Jesus has called you his own.What
can’t you face?Jesus has called you his own.Can
you ever say you’re lost?Jesus has called you his own.What a Shepherd we have in Jesus!Illustration. Boat Story. Once there was a boy who made a small toy boat. He worked hard on it
and was justifiably proud of it. He took it out to a nearby lake for its maiden
voyage. But suddenly the wind kicked up and caught the sail of the boat and
carried it out of the cove out into the lake. The boy couldn’t catch up to the
boat and it was lost. Several weeks later the boy was walking through the
village where he lived and he saw a store where his boat was being displayed.
“Mister, you found my boat! This is great!” The man said back, “I found that
boat and I invested a lot of time cleaning it up and restoring it. If you’d
like it, you can buy it.” The boy was once again sad. But he went home and did
quite a few chores around the house and saved up his money. One day he went
back to the toy store and bought his boat back. As he walked out of the store,
the boys grinning from ear to ear, looked at his boat and said, “Now you’re
twice mine - once because I made you and twice because I bought you back.”We twice belong to God. Once because he created us
and all human life. And twice, because through the death and resurrection of
Christ, God has bought us back.Let’s pray:Lord Jesus, Great Shepherd of the
Sheep, thank you that you call us by name and we are yours. Teach us to hear
your voice, to hear you calling, to follow to where you already are. Thank you
that you are a beautiful Savior. Thank you for the treasure we have in you.
Amen.
