Read John 10:1-42. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 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 in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.
Digging Deeper
When we hear someone repeating phrase, “I want you” or “I need you” the listener can’t ignore those words as not being important. Those words cue us in to be ready to hear a request. It is something that we need to consider and put in the forefront of our minds.
In John 10, the word, shepherd is cited 5 times and the word, sheep is cited 16 times in various contexts. Four times the word, “I AM” is cited in the chapter. Twice as I AM the Door/Gate and twice as I AM the Good Shepherd.
When a lamb or sheep cries out in distress or am lost, the shepherd recognizes the voice of that lamb or sheep. When a shepherd calls his sheep, the sheep recognizes the voice of his shepherd and responds by going towards him. The sheep know that the shepherd will lead them to green pastures and still waters. They feel safe as the shepherd leads them because he protects and cares from them. The continual singing or whistling by the shepherd enables the sheep to recognize the shepherd’s voice.
What distinguishes a hired shepherd, and the owner of the sheep is not just his voice, but his willingness to protect the sheep from wolves. A hired shepherd has a good chance of fleeing for his life in times of danger. The result is that sheep are scattered and even some are killed by the predator. But a good shepherd stands his ground and is even willing to risk his life for the sheep to protect them from wolves.
Jesus claims that He is The Door and The Good Shepherd of the sheep. It is through Him that the sheep finds life and life more abundantly even eternal life. The hired shepherd does the minimal amount of work for the sheep, he just wants his wages. On the other hand, the Good Shepherd does His best for the sheep.
How do we know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and not a hired worker? The difference is discovered in their willingness to lay their own lives for the sheep. Jesus just doesn’t teach how a sheep is to live a moral life, but offers the sheep life and life more abundantly. He doesn’t teach them rules for life but gives them a personal relationship with the Giver of Life who gives them eternal life.
There will be those individuals who are more interested in the rules of life than the Giver of Life. There will be hired shepherds who serve or stay in the ministry for the benefits from their local church while there are genuine shepherds who serve regardless of the pay or benefits.
As one looks at the leaders of your church, do you see your pastor or pastor staff as hired workers because the church pays their salary? Do you hire and fire them if they disagree with you or don’t perform to your expectations? Do you ever sit down with your pastor or the pastoral staff to ask how they are doing and what can the church do to help them in overseeing and caring for the people of the church? Assessment is necessary for accountability, but just don’t look at those responses and numbers. Ask God to give you a heart of wisdom in assessing the situation of the pastor who is doing his or her best to shepherd the sheep under his care.
Every genuine shepherd knows that one day, (s)he will stand before the Lord and give an account of how s(he) cared for His sheep. The sheep do not belong to the pastor. It’s not the pastor who “built” the church. The church and the sheep all belong to the Lord.
A pastor who goes over and beyond the required job description in caring for his sheep may be considered a genuine shepherd from the Lord. The sheep will listen to his voice for he has demonstrated genuine care and love of the Lord.
-Kingston