1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,560 So this morning, we have been in the book of John, 2 00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:09,120 and it's my favorite book of all the books in the Bible. 3 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:15,240 I really love, it was the book that I was introduced to 4 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:20,680 when I was exploring faith, and I met with a pastor 5 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,160 who became my youth pastor and very dear to me, 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,800 and he encouraged me to read the book of John, 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:29,360 and that's where I started. 8 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,200 And so it is a key piece to my faith journey. 9 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,280 It is the place where I remember God speaking to me 10 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,160 specifically in terms of faith. 11 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:44,760 And so I believe God had been speaking to me 12 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,600 in many ways prior to that, and I can look back on that now 13 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,640 and see evidence of the Lord's presence in my life. 14 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,360 But the book of John is where I feel like I met Jesus, 15 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,000 and so it is a special place in my heart. 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,000 And the passage that we're talking about today 17 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:08,200 is not explicitly connected to it, 18 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,960 but it is expressive of meeting the Lord 19 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:15,120 and the salvation he offers to all of us. 20 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,320 So I'm grateful for that. 21 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,680 Greg initially offered me two different passages. 22 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,760 I could either preach from John 10 or John 11, 23 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,840 and up until yesterday, I wasn't sure 24 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:29,760 which one you were gonna get, 25 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:34,600 because I was just gone for a few weeks 26 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,720 doing some conferences with families that work overseas. 27 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,320 I am pastor to the kids of these families, 28 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:45,440 and so I do these programs, and this week, 29 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,440 we spent the whole week in the book of John. 30 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,400 So we really dug into a lot of different things in the book, 31 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,200 and between chapters 10 and 11, 32 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,440 I had a lot of information that I wasn't really sure 33 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,880 where I was gonna end up, and so I ran two parallel sermons, 34 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:01,480 and it's almost like you could have had 35 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,360 a choose-your-own adventure today, guys. 36 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,520 But there was some chatter even about 37 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:10,360 maybe I should have you guys bid $5 per message 38 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:11,560 to see which one you wanted 39 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,120 so I could raise funds for my work 40 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,520 that I do outside of this church. 41 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,520 I'm not gonna do that, but it was a good idea. 42 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:22,760 So instead of giving you a choose-your-own adventure, 43 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:27,680 I landed on, in the end, I landed on John 10, 44 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,720 and so that's where we're gonna be today, guys, 45 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:32,280 John 10 and the Good Shepherd. 46 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,800 I have not been following well what people have been, 47 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,880 what our other preachers have shared 48 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,880 over the last few weeks, so I may be redundant, 49 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,080 or you could just chalk it up to an opportunity 50 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:56,080 to reaffirm what you know and get it deeper into you 51 00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:57,640 if there's stuff that you're like, 52 00:02:57,640 --> 00:02:59,240 yeah, yeah, yeah, we covered this. 53 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:04,360 But the Book of John, in the Book of John, 54 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,080 the author really wanted the readers to know, 55 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:11,040 the author had an agenda, and most authors of these books 56 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:16,040 did have an agenda, they wanted to record a lineage, 57 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:21,040 or record events, or convey a particular message 58 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,760 of Jesus to a group of readers. 59 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:27,720 There was an audience that was very specific. 60 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:32,720 So in the Book of John, the author really wanted to 61 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:39,160 emphasize the point that Jesus was the Son of God. 62 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:43,140 That was his main thrust with this. 63 00:03:43,140 --> 00:03:45,300 So he wanted the readers to understand 64 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:47,680 that this was in fact the promised Messiah. 65 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,560 And the writer does this in a couple ways. 66 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:56,560 The writer put forth multiple stories of vetted 67 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:01,600 and who would be recognized sources that if these people 68 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,760 believe that Jesus was the Son of God, then he must be. 69 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,720 So trusted Jews, even a Pharisee recognized 70 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:11,940 that there was something to this Jesus character. 71 00:04:11,940 --> 00:04:14,800 A dove settled on Jesus at his baptism. 72 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,240 John even recognized the John the Baptist 73 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:22,240 that Jesus was greater than he was. 74 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,640 And so there were these sources that the author wanted 75 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:30,360 to point out as vetted and trusted. 76 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,520 But then, also there's a series of passages 77 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:38,900 in which the author wanted to highlight moments 78 00:04:38,900 --> 00:04:42,680 where Jesus himself testified to his own sonship. 79 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:47,680 And anytime Jesus did this, it was always in specific 80 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,520 reference and attention was given to the Father. 81 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,040 Never, ever, ever, ever does Jesus refer to himself 82 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,840 as the Son of God without also in conjunction, 83 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:01,880 directly giving honor and attention to the Father. 84 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,740 And so in the Book of John, we see Jesus giving 85 00:05:04,740 --> 00:05:08,480 these statements of who he is and they're always followed 86 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,800 by who he is in the Father. 87 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,600 And so he does it by way of these I am statements. 88 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,760 So I am the bread of life, I am the gate, 89 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:20,620 the good shepherd, the light of the world, 90 00:05:20,620 --> 00:05:22,360 I am the resurrection and the life, 91 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:23,880 I am the way, the truth and the life, 92 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:25,860 I am the true vine. 93 00:05:26,860 --> 00:05:30,180 And they were always stated with authority 94 00:05:30,180 --> 00:05:33,040 because he had been given authority 95 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,320 with statements he recognized like, 96 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,920 this command I received from my Father, 97 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:40,760 for I have come not to do my will, 98 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,240 but to do the will of him who sent me. 99 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,160 I am not alone, I stand with the Father who sent me. 100 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,120 I am one who testifies for myself, 101 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,040 my other witness is the Father who sent me. 102 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,720 I said this for the benefit of the people standing here 103 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:57,060 that they may believe that the Father has sent me. 104 00:05:57,060 --> 00:06:00,000 So anytime Jesus acknowledged I am, 105 00:06:00,900 --> 00:06:04,200 it was always I am because of the Father. 106 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,680 And the hearers, the listeners to this, 107 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,880 if they were Jewish, they would have had 108 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,320 a switch flip in their heads 109 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:16,880 because they would have known the book of Exodus 110 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,360 and they would have known that God said to Moses, 111 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,160 I am who I am. 112 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,520 And so when Moses asked, what am I to tell the people, 113 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,620 God said, this is what you are to say to the Israelites, 114 00:06:32,620 --> 00:06:36,000 I am has sent you. 115 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,920 So the language Jesus uses is pretty important. 116 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:45,280 So anyone who had been hearing Jesus preach the good news, 117 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:47,360 any who had been walking with him 118 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,680 following this developing story of this person 119 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:54,220 roaming across Galilee and Judea, 120 00:06:55,260 --> 00:06:58,760 anybody who had happened to be in earshot, 121 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,380 any who happened to be leaders in the Jewish law 122 00:07:01,380 --> 00:07:04,580 who were already trying so hard to trap Jesus, 123 00:07:04,580 --> 00:07:06,720 they would have noted this connection 124 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,220 and some of them were quite offended by it. 125 00:07:10,220 --> 00:07:12,980 Who does this person say he is? 126 00:07:12,980 --> 00:07:16,320 Who is this I am trying to recognize 127 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,980 or trying to state that God has sent him? 128 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,280 So this puts us in John 10 today 129 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,480 and I'm gonna give you a little setup from John 9 130 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,920 so we know where we are. 131 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,080 Jesus had been in the area of Jerusalem 132 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,960 and he had just healed a man of blindness 133 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,520 and this man had been blind since birth. 134 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,680 Not only did Jesus heal him but he did so on the Sabbath. 135 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,520 Huge no no. 136 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,160 So the Pharisees were livid. 137 00:07:44,140 --> 00:07:46,680 They were livid because he was getting away with it. 138 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:48,640 They weren't livid because he did it. 139 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:49,720 They didn't care. 140 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,760 Like they weren't really feeling so protective of the, 141 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:57,200 but if Jesus is doing this it's gonna let people know 142 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:58,760 that they can do things on the Sabbath 143 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:00,300 and all things are gonna run amok 144 00:08:00,300 --> 00:08:01,960 and it's gonna be a big problem. 145 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,960 So they sent the man who was healed 146 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:12,000 and his family through this whole gauntlet of questions 147 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:16,140 and even when the man testified to Jesus healing him 148 00:08:16,140 --> 00:08:18,480 and explained the whole thing, 149 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,040 the Pharisees did not believe him. 150 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,600 So this is where we find ourselves when we come to John 10. 151 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,480 So I invite you to take a posture of attention 152 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,520 to God's word with me as Jesus tells a story 153 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:32,720 to the Pharisees. 154 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,080 If that is through standing I invite you to do that. 155 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,640 Otherwise, let's give the scriptures our full attention. 156 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,000 I'm gonna read from John 10 157 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:45,100 and I'm gonna read verses one through 21. 158 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,960 Very truly I tell you Pharisees, 159 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,840 anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate 160 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,200 but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 161 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,860 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 162 00:09:00,860 --> 00:09:02,900 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him 163 00:09:02,900 --> 00:09:04,800 and the sheep listen to his voice. 164 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,200 He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 165 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,880 And when he has brought out all his own 166 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,000 he goes on ahead of them and his sheep follow him 167 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:15,280 because they know his voice 168 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,520 but they will never follow a stranger. 169 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:18,920 In fact, they will run away from him 170 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,760 because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. 171 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:23,520 Jesus used this figure of speech 172 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:25,680 but the Pharisees did not understand 173 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:27,420 what he was telling them. 174 00:09:27,420 --> 00:09:30,240 Therefore Jesus said again, very truly I tell you, 175 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,000 I am the gate for the sheep. 176 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,360 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers 177 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:39,080 but the sheep have not listened to them. 178 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,880 I am the gate. 179 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,360 Whoever enters through me will be saved. 180 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,380 They will come in and go out and find pasture. 181 00:09:47,380 --> 00:09:50,440 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 182 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:52,360 I have come that they may have life 183 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,400 and have it to the full. 184 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,480 I am the good shepherd. 185 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,180 The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 186 00:10:00,180 --> 00:10:01,760 The hired hand is not the shepherd 187 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:03,880 and does not own the sheep. 188 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:05,740 So when he sees the wolf coming 189 00:10:05,740 --> 00:10:07,440 he abandons the sheep and runs away. 190 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,800 Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 191 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:11,880 The man runs away because he has a hired hand 192 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:13,680 and cares nothing for the sheep. 193 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:16,740 I am the good shepherd. 194 00:10:16,740 --> 00:10:19,360 I know my sheep and my sheep know me. 195 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:22,680 Just as the father knows me and I know the father 196 00:10:22,680 --> 00:10:24,680 and I lay down my life for the sheep 197 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:26,700 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen 198 00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:27,860 I must bring them. 199 00:10:27,860 --> 00:10:30,240 This is a reference to the Gentiles. 200 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,160 They too will listen to my voice 201 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:34,600 and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 202 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,320 The reason my father loves me is that I lay down my life 203 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:38,480 only to take it up again. 204 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:42,140 No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord. 205 00:10:42,140 --> 00:10:45,820 I have authority to lay it down 206 00:10:45,820 --> 00:10:47,760 and authority to take it up again. 207 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,840 This command I received from my father. 208 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:54,960 So the Jews who heard these words again 209 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,240 were, these words were again divided 210 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,560 and many of them said, he is demon possessed 211 00:10:59,560 --> 00:11:00,640 and raving mad. 212 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:02,320 Why listen to him? 213 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:04,240 But others said, these are not the sayings 214 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:05,840 of a man possessed by a demon. 215 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,040 Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? 216 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,040 May God add his blessing to his word. 217 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:11,880 Let's pray. 218 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,820 Lord please use your word today to bring us light 219 00:11:15,820 --> 00:11:17,760 and transform us by it. 220 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:18,600 Amen. 221 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:19,420 You may be seated. 222 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,760 So Jesus is stating I am the gate 223 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:27,960 and I am the good shepherd. 224 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:30,000 Guys we get a double play here. 225 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:30,860 How exciting. 226 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,360 Jesus is getting real serious with this 227 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,740 because he stated two things that he was here. 228 00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:40,160 So I am the gate. 229 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,320 The use of the gate was what differentiated 230 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,920 a shepherd from a thief. 231 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,560 If someone was greeted by the watchman at the gate 232 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:49,920 as he went into the sheepfold, 233 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,320 people would know that he was the shepherd 234 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:54,640 or owner of some sheep within that fold. 235 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:58,160 But someone trying to avoid being seen 236 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:00,100 would climb over the fence. 237 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:03,480 The behavior of the sheep at the gate 238 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,140 would also make it clear whether they were being cared for 239 00:12:06,140 --> 00:12:08,960 by a shepherd or stolen by an enemy. 240 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:10,200 Who has a dog at home? 241 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:13,720 What does that dog do when you come home? 242 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,000 Yeah, gets real excited, right? 243 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:19,320 That dog gets real excited. 244 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:22,400 What does that dog do when a stranger comes to the door 245 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:24,780 or when the UPS guy comes? 246 00:12:24,780 --> 00:12:29,780 Yeah, not a fan, not a fan of the stranger. 247 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,640 This is a good parallel for us. 248 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:37,520 So if the sheep came out peacefully following a shepherd, 249 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:41,240 they were his flock and familiar with his voice. 250 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:42,800 But if the sheep were frightened and running away 251 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:44,200 from the person trying to lead them, 252 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,720 he was a stranger and probably a thief. 253 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:51,400 So Jesus here describes himself as the gate for the sheep. 254 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:53,480 Leaving the Pharisees to start wondering 255 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:55,960 who they might be in this story. 256 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,760 Jesus stating himself as the gate 257 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:00,740 in contrast to the robbers, 258 00:13:00,740 --> 00:13:03,520 makes him the protector of the sheep 259 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:06,200 from the thieves and the robbers. 260 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:08,880 So by describing himself as the gate, 261 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:12,400 he is promising his hearers a few things. 262 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,000 He's promising them salvation, 263 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,200 entering, anyone entering into God's presence 264 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,560 through him will be saved. 265 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:21,800 He's offering them protection. 266 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,280 The shepherd would protect the sheep as they grazed 267 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,920 and as they returned to the fold. 268 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,480 And he's offering them satisfaction. 269 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:32,680 A few chapters back, Jesus had earlier told 270 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:35,400 the Samaritan woman of the satisfaction 271 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,880 provided by the water he gives, 272 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:39,600 that he gives living water. 273 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,400 He had also spoken of the satisfying bread he provides 274 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:46,080 when he says, I am the bread of life. 275 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:50,080 Here he promises that those who enter through him 276 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,360 will find pasture. 277 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:54,400 And what is the pasture for the sheep? 278 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,940 It is the place where they find food 279 00:13:56,940 --> 00:13:58,880 and nourishment and health. 280 00:13:59,860 --> 00:14:02,440 So Jesus is asking his hearers to compare 281 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:06,600 the life he offers with that offered by the thieves 282 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,480 and the robbers mentioned in 10 eight. 283 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:16,280 Whose only motives are to steal, kill and destroy. 284 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,880 He goes on to say, I am the good shepherd. 285 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,360 So in speaking of himself as the gate, 286 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:24,320 Jesus had already spoken of himself 287 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,560 as having some shepherd responsibilities. 288 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,240 And so it's no surprise when he makes this next, 289 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:33,640 I am claim, I am the good shepherd. 290 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,120 And as the shepherd, he sets himself against 291 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:40,280 not just the robber, but even the hired hands. 292 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:42,800 The hired hands may have slightly more concern 293 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,000 for the sheep than a thief does, 294 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:49,420 but their concern comes nowhere near that of a shepherd. 295 00:14:49,420 --> 00:14:51,560 Sheep in Palestine were vulnerable 296 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,000 to attack by a number of predators. 297 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:55,520 There were not only dangerous to the sheep, 298 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:56,820 but the humans also. 299 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:02,320 One of these, prominent of these was a wolf. 300 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:06,680 So when a hired hand saw a wolf coming, he's just 301 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:10,520 a hired hand, he's gonna leave those sheep behind 302 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,160 and make a run for it to save himself. 303 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:16,440 The hired hand, no matter what he knows about the sheep, 304 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,980 he will not have the same commitment to them 305 00:15:18,980 --> 00:15:19,960 as the shepherd. 306 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,400 Jesus is the good shepherd. 307 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,320 He is not just one good shepherd among a host of others. 308 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:32,620 He is the good shepherd. 309 00:15:32,620 --> 00:15:36,160 The Greek word translated here also suggests 310 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:40,280 that he is both effective and gracious. 311 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:44,460 He cares for the sheep with love and knows them, 312 00:15:44,460 --> 00:15:45,740 and knows them well. 313 00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:49,640 Church, where have we in the last year 314 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:51,980 come face to face with the word good? 315 00:15:54,660 --> 00:15:57,660 Though John, yes, though John is written in Greek, 316 00:15:57,660 --> 00:16:00,000 there are some crossovers with Hebrew, 317 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,520 and the word here would have been put through the lenses 318 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,680 of the Hebrew word tov. 319 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,540 So Jesus is the good shepherd. 320 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,620 Jesus' opponents thought of themselves 321 00:16:15,620 --> 00:16:18,820 as the legitimate shepherds of God's people. 322 00:16:18,820 --> 00:16:22,440 It was not uncommon for leaders in that region as a whole 323 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:27,240 to be spoken of as shepherds, and the word had long been used 324 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,480 to describe some of the faith's leaders as such as well. 325 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:34,820 So in Psalm 77 20, it says, 326 00:16:34,820 --> 00:16:37,160 "'You lead your people like a flock 327 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,740 "'by the hand of Moses and Aaron.' 328 00:16:39,740 --> 00:16:42,360 "'Moses would have been seen as a shepherd.' 329 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,480 "'In 2 Samuel 5, too, in the past, 330 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,240 "'while Saul was king over you,' 331 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:48,580 and this is speaking of David, 332 00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:51,440 "'you were the one who led Israel 333 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:52,760 "'on their military campaigns, 334 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:53,780 "'and the Lord said to you, 335 00:16:53,780 --> 00:16:56,760 "'You will shepherd my people Israel, 336 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:58,280 "'and you will become their ruler.' 337 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,880 "'And of course, even God himself is a shepherd.'" 338 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:03,640 Psalm 23, one through three, 339 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:05,640 "'The Lord is my shepherd. 340 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:07,080 "'I lack nothing. 341 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:09,820 "'He makes me lie down in green pastures. 342 00:17:09,820 --> 00:17:11,680 "'He leads me beside quiet waters. 343 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:13,460 "'He refreshes my soul.'" 344 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:19,600 So Jesus challenged the leaders' opinions of themselves. 345 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,400 He was implying that they were not shepherds, 346 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,380 but that they were strangers. 347 00:17:25,380 --> 00:17:28,640 The sheep did not know, and that they were thieves. 348 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:32,800 Jesus was now saying that the people, 349 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,520 like the once blind man, represented the sheep 350 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,560 that recognized the voice of the true shepherd. 351 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:42,560 And by contrast, the Jewish leaders were blind 352 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,340 and unreceptive to the words of Jesus. 353 00:17:45,340 --> 00:17:49,160 They were neither good shepherds nor God's sheep. 354 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:53,640 They did not even understand what Jesus was telling them. 355 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,360 So much like their difficulty in understanding 356 00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:00,800 the blind man's clear and specific testimony 357 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,120 to Jesus' miraculous work in his life, 358 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:04,520 saying to the leaders, 359 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,220 "'I've told you already, and you did not listen.'" 360 00:18:08,220 --> 00:18:10,320 They had questioned him over and over. 361 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,700 "'I told you already and you didn't listen. 362 00:18:12,700 --> 00:18:14,680 "'Why do you want to hear it again? 363 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,000 "'You're not gonna get it the third or the fourth 364 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:18,900 "'or the fifth time, I tell you, 365 00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:20,980 "'because you don't want to.'" 366 00:18:20,980 --> 00:18:23,980 Jesus is declaring himself to the Pharisees 367 00:18:23,980 --> 00:18:26,520 in language that they should know. 368 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:28,200 I am. 369 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,800 And they still respond with division 370 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,120 and uncertainty and questions. 371 00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:40,040 So y'all, it's picnic and outdoor food season. 372 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:44,120 Have you ever been somewhere where there was food? 373 00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:46,440 Mm-hmm, this is the question we asked earlier. 374 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:49,040 And you put an unmarked item on your plate, 375 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,920 thinking it was something familiar, 376 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,240 a dessert accidentally set with the entrees perhaps, 377 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,560 and it looks a little bit like the other. 378 00:18:58,560 --> 00:18:59,860 So you go to take a bite, 379 00:18:59,860 --> 00:19:02,420 and it's not the thing you believed it to be. 380 00:19:02,420 --> 00:19:04,320 Your brain doesn't know what to do. 381 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:05,320 It's confused. 382 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:07,200 It expected one thing, 383 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:08,920 you were ready for the one thing, 384 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,000 fully believing that what you were about to put in your mouth 385 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,640 was the thing you thought it was. 386 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,080 And then when it wasn't, 387 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:17,800 you didn't quite know what you were dealing with. 388 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,560 Someone sees your confusion, they come over to you. 389 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:26,480 Oh, that's the pastry that Aunt Marge brought. 390 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:27,840 That should be over here. 391 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,040 You're like, yeah, it should. 392 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,720 And then it's like a revelation. 393 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,080 Once you realize what it is, you can taste it. 394 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:36,640 Oh yeah, there's the cinnamon. 395 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:40,640 That's the, that's this, that's this. 396 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:43,840 The flavors make sense once you know what it is. 397 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:44,920 Now you recognize it. 398 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:48,280 But it took a minute when you thought it was the other thing. 399 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,360 And you know, the family event where everyone was drinking 400 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:54,480 from the same glass of clear plastic cups, 401 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:56,240 or with the same kind of clear plastic cups. 402 00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:00,520 And I went to go drink my water at this family event. 403 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:03,540 It was not my water, but my mother's martini. 404 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,280 That was a moment that I was drinking something 405 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:10,880 that I did not expect to drink. 406 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:13,020 And I'm still traumatized by it. 407 00:20:13,020 --> 00:20:15,640 It was a core memory and it wasn't a good one. 408 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:17,960 But those moments where you expect one thing, 409 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:19,600 you are certain it is this thing. 410 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,600 And when it is something else, your brain doesn't move. 411 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,200 Like it doesn't know what to do. 412 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,440 It can be confusing and it can leave you disillusioned. 413 00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:33,640 But the Pharisees, they were unwilling. 414 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,560 The Pharisees' only agenda was to get this man gone. 415 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,040 Jesus was disruptive, he was problematic, 416 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:41,360 and he needed to be dealt with. 417 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:45,360 All the while, there are the blind that can now see 418 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:47,340 finding life and joy and healing 419 00:20:47,340 --> 00:20:49,560 because they were open to the possibilities 420 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:52,940 of who this Christ could be. 421 00:20:52,940 --> 00:20:56,880 And the Pharisees could not take joy in that, 422 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:58,380 but only saw it as a problem. 423 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:01,560 So weren't those Pharisees gonna be wrecked 424 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,080 when Jesus went on to stress that he has other sheep 425 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:08,920 that are not of his pen that would be invited to be? 426 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:10,560 This was startling news for the Jews 427 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:11,960 and good news for the Gentiles. 428 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,800 God also has sheep from beyond the confines 429 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,320 of the Jewish people. 430 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:20,200 Gentiles, like the Samaritans, 431 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,400 from the Samaritan Women, chapter four, 432 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:27,360 who believe are also included in one flock of God 433 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:28,560 under one shepherd. 434 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,600 This would have really broke them. 435 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:33,160 And this is what I think about. 436 00:21:34,780 --> 00:21:37,080 From this story, I wonder, 437 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:40,240 what is God doing to change the paradigm 438 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,220 I once held hard to? 439 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:46,680 What is God doing to welcome and save and protect 440 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,440 and feed those who were previously unwelcomed, 441 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,400 unprotected, and malnourished in their souls? 442 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:58,200 Where has God offered a new paradigm 443 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,360 and I have not moved with it 444 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:05,240 because I thought this is what it's supposed to look like 445 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,000 and God is saying, this is what it is. 446 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,600 Also, where have I gate kept, 447 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:12,840 a gate that was not mine to keep? 448 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:15,800 I am not the gate. 449 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,280 The one who has made himself known is. 450 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:22,640 And so these are the things I think about 451 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:24,760 with this passage and this story. 452 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,720 Because quite often I have been the Pharisee, 453 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:33,720 not rejoicing in the one that was healed on the Sabbath, 454 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:36,320 but focusing on, but it was on the Sabbath. 455 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:37,920 It's not how it's supposed to be. 456 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:40,440 And Jesus is like, free yourself. 457 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:42,040 This is what we're doing now. 458 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:45,600 It's hard for us to imagine a life 459 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,880 in which shepherds are a part of a community. 460 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:50,520 I was going through, as I said, 461 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:51,840 I was going through this passage 462 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,520 with some of the kids I work with this last week 463 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,200 and asked them who lives in a place 464 00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,320 where shepherding is still an active occupation. 465 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,080 So the kids I work with are coming from 466 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:03,520 a lot of different countries. 467 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:05,320 We probably had some of them 468 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:06,160 from different countries. 469 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:07,600 We probably had seven countries represented 470 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,200 in my group alone of teens, 471 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,440 and more in the wider group of the kids program. 472 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:16,880 But some of them are coming from places 473 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,880 where shepherding is an active occupation 474 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,720 that they see around their communities. 475 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:25,320 And so it was interesting to see 476 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:27,640 who understood the paradigm of, 477 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,520 or the life of a shepherd among them. 478 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:34,400 But I was, so I was in Greece 479 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,440 and I was driving to the airport 480 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,760 and the directions took me through a smallish town 481 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,360 on the way on Friday morning. 482 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:44,000 And as I passed through this town, 483 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,680 I saw a man out with his herd of, 484 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,520 they were goats, but work with me on this 485 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:54,560 because he was still herding animals the size of sheep. 486 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:57,280 But he was a goat herder. 487 00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,160 So I think it's still applicable, herding. 488 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,480 So he was walking along with them 489 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,480 as they were grazing and eating the low branches 490 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:06,400 of the olive trees. 491 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:08,920 And he had a staff to help tap them 492 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,040 if they got a little bit out of line 493 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,040 to get them back into the direction he wanted them to go 494 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:16,280 when they pulled away from the others. 495 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:19,960 The road I was driving on was directly next to the sheep, 496 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,480 or excuse me, the goats, but they were safe. 497 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,120 Those goats were safe because the herder was alert 498 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:28,000 and engaged and he was guiding them. 499 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,000 All they had to think about was following his lead 500 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,160 and enjoying the food that he had led them to. 501 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:35,880 They were unbothered by the passing cars. 502 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:37,400 They were no threat. 503 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,840 The shepherd, or in this case, the goat herder was there. 504 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,000 And I appreciated the visual as I knew this passage 505 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,640 was potentially what I was gonna be preaching on. 506 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:50,680 It was very helpful to see, again, 507 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:55,680 we don't have the privilege of seeing shepherding among us 508 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,040 here where we live, 509 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:04,760 but I love this image of God as Jesus as the good shepherd, 510 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:13,240 as a protector, as the gate to where we find life, 511 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,880 as the one who leads us to nourishment for our souls. 512 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:22,640 And the joy of it is, really, 513 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:26,640 if we are open to watching how the Spirit moves, 514 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,680 is that it is offered not just to me, 515 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:32,320 but everyone I know has been invited 516 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,520 to enjoy the life of God, 517 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,320 has been invited to enjoy the protection of God 518 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:39,960 and experience that in their lives, 519 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:44,680 and has been invited to enjoy the nourishment of God. 520 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,080 So let's pray together 521 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,040 and hold these things in our hearts as we, 522 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,480 I'm just gonna give us a moment to grab hold 523 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,480 of just something from this morning 524 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,360 that the Lord has said that you might want to take 525 00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:02,600 into your week and carry as something to focus on, 526 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:25,880 and then I'll pray. 527 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:29,600 Lord, help us listen for and know your voice 528 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,480 as sheep that are following you. 529 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,560 Help us shift our own thinking away from being gatekeepers 530 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,400 to resting and being a part of your flock, 531 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:39,960 safe within your care. 532 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:46,320 And where you offer us and others life and salvation, 533 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:51,280 and where you offer us and others protection, 534 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,120 and where you offer us and others 535 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,240 nourishment and satisfaction. 536 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,240 Let us rejoice in what you offer so freely 537 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,600 and invite us to God. 538 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,400 You are the good shepherd and you lead us with love. 539 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:09,960 Help us follow well and listen for your voice 540 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:11,160 in our lives, God. 541 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:30,160 Amen.