Jesus Said

I am the Good ShepherdAdapted from “I Am” series by K.

Edward "Ed" Skidmorehttp://www.sermoncentral.com/

print_friendly.asp?SermonID=90230

John 10:1 ESV "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way,

that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper

opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads

them out.

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep

follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the

voice of strangers." 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door

of the sheep.

8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters

by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief

comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have

it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down

his life for the sheep.

12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep,

sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches

them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares

nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows

me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and

they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may 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 I have

authority to take it up again.

This charge I have received from my Father.”19 There was again a division

among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, "He has a

demon, and is insane; why listen to him?" 21 Others said, "These are not the

words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" 22 At that time the Feast of

Dedication took place at Jerusalem.

It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of

Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are

the Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do

not believe.

The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do

not believe because you are not among my fold. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and

I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out

of my hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30

I and the Father are one.”

We’ve been looking at the “I AM” statements of Jesus. Jesus said “I am the bread of life” in John chapter 6. In

Chapters 8 & 9 He said “I am the light of the world.”

Jesus next “I am…” statement falls on the heels of the previous one, and

seems to be the next point in Jesus’ argument with the blind Pharisees who don’t recognize Jesus as the light of the

world. They ask Jesus if he is saying that they are blind. John 9:41 ESV Jesus

said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you

say, 'We see,' your guilt remains.

That forms the pivot point for what will follow in chapter 10. In his attempt to

reach his audience with the truth, Jesus uses another word picture. In chapter 10,

Jesus uses an example that was very familiar to everyone who was listening.

Raising sheep was a big part of the economy in Israel, and everyone knew

the dangers sheep faced in the area and the value of a dedicated, skilled

shepherd. In the beginning of chapter 10, Jesus takes the opportunity to contrast the Good Shepherd with strangers, hired

hands, thieves and robbers.

John 10:1 ESV "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way,

that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper

opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads

them out.

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep

follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the

voice of strangers.”When Jesus said these words he was

making two distinct and important points; the first one related to the blind

man he had just healed.

Before the man-born-blind was healed he was an outcast from the fellowship of

believers and had to beg for a living. When Jesus’ men asked, “Is his

blindness because of his sin or that of his parents?” That was no doubt what the blind man had heard time and time

again. Instead of caring about his condition, people simply used him as a

point of departure for theological discussions on sin and related illness.

The standard Jewish notion was that illness was punishment for some past sin. That’s what Job’s friends told him

when they found him in such a predicament. He was frustrated because

he knew that wasn’t true. Sadly, when Jesus healed him, the man wound up cast out of the synagogue as a heretic

for giving credit to Jesus as healer.

The man went from outcast due to illness, to outcast due to beliefs in one day’s time. The leaders had cast out a

sheep of the flock of Israel, not because he was a bad sheep, but because they were bad shepherds. Jesus made the

comparison between the Good Shepherd and hired hands, thieves and robbers, to show that the shepherds of Israel were

abusing the sheep.

The second intention of Jesus’ words was to show that the Good shepherd

(prophesied in Ezekiel 34) has finally made his appearance.

Ezekiel 34:15 ESV I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord

GOD.

The Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel, in the 34th chapter of his prophetic letter

contrasted the false shepherds of Israel with the true shepherd who would

someday come to lead the sheep himself and to judge all false shepherds

according to their evil deeds.

There is a direct connection between the prophecies of Ezekiel 34, the shepherd’s psalm of David (Psalm 23), and the words

of Jesus in John 10. When Jesus told the crowds, “I am the Good Shepherd,” they may have been

looking out to the hills around Jerusalem where it was common to see

flocks of sheep grazing under the watchful eye of a shepherd.

He was trying to make things as simple as he could, but vs. 6 tells us: 6 This

figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7a So Jesus again said

to them,So Jesus decides to explain another

way. This time, He told them “I am the door, (gate, entrance, portal.)”

Now, that may seem confusing unless you understand that a good Shepherd

WAS the gate for his sheep. The typical sheep fold of that time was an enclosure

made of rocks with a small opening at one end. The shepherd would literally lay down in that opening to guard it thereby making him a human gate of

sorts.

Nothing entered or exited the sheep fold without the shepherd’s knowledge and

permission. As long as he lived the sheep were safe and secure, for he was their security. Even though the hirelings

would see danger and run away, the good shepherd stayed at the entrance to

the fold and protected every sheep inside it.

He was literally willing to lay down his life for his sheep and they knew it. As long as the shepherd was there the

sheep were safe and secure. They gladly followed the shepherd anywhere he went knowing they were safe and happy in his

presence.

Enter through Me6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what

he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I

am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers,

but the sheep did not listen to them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes

only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it

abundantly.Pay attention to the words in verse 9, for

they speak volumes about Jesus position and mission on earth. As the

Shepherd, Jesus represents safety and security; as the door Jesus represents

authority and power.

Those who enter into the fold through the official door have a right to be there. Any other way in represents falsehood and deceit. Those who enter in through the door are saved. Though the words saved or salvation may have lost their luster in our society these days, the truth is that whatever is “saved” is

“delivered safe and sound.”

The good shepherd literally saves his sheep every day of their lives. His

salvation is not a one time event, but the every day experience of life with the

shepherd.

Trust Me

John 10:11 ESV I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for

the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own

the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He

flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

This is what it means to enter in through the door. The sheep who enters into or out of the fold by that way is connected to the shepherd himself. Any other way represents falsehood, thievery, and the

danger of catastrophe.

The Good Shepherd can be trusted to protect His flock because he loves his

flock and lives sacrificially in their behalf. Others are more interested in

what they can get out of the flock (hirelings, thieves, etc.) than in what

they can contribute to the welfare of the flock.

Once again, Jesus is comparing himself as the Good Shepherd to the leaders of Israel in that day who cared nothing for

the welfare of the flock.They had demonstrated their lack of concern when they kicked the newly

healed blind man out of the synagogue just for giving Jesus credit for his

healing.

He was a lamb forced out of the official sheepfold of his day, but gladly

welcomed into the fold of the Good shepherd. Many others would follow in

his steps in time to come.

Listen to Me

John 10:14 ESV I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the

sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them

also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10:27 ESV My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they

will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are

one."

The words we have just read reiterate some of what Jesus has said before, but he says something here that excites me

for it speaks of me directly. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of

this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will

be one flock, one shepherd.

Jesus was speaking about me… and you too for that matter. He was speaking

about Gentiles all over the world who didn’t qualify to enter the Jewish sheep fold, but would qualify to enter into the

fold Jesus was shepherding.

You see, the church, the fold of the Good Shepherd, is made up of people from every tribe, every race, every caste (or

outcast), every nation. That is why in the church we must make reaching out to a lost and dying world our first priority.

Jesus cared about every sheep including those not in the original

Jewish fold. I’m glad he cared about people like me and included me in his

fold.

He also made me an under-shepherd entrusted with the task of introducing

others to the fold of the good shepherd. Those who hear the shepherd’s voice can enter that same fold, through the

gate which is the shepherd himself. The point is that the shepherd’s task is now my task as well. And yours too for that

matter.

We learn from history our own nation, America, was created by God fearing

people to be “One Nation Under God.” Jesus did not come just for Americans,

just as He did not come just for the Jews. Jesus came for all those who will Enter through Him, Follow Him, Trust

Him , and Listen to Him. We have unity with One Flock and One Shepherd.

We, the church, are the flock of Christ. We have heard the Good Shepherd’s

voice and recognized it is the voice of our shepherd.

We follow him wherever he goes. When we entered the sheepfold, he was the

gate through which we entered.

He is everything to us: Our savior, our guide, our protector, our healer, our

nourishment, our refreshment. Everything we need we find in the good shepherd himself. He isn’t just the gate

into the fold of the church; he is also the gate into eternal life itself.

He has already welcomed me into his flock and will someday welcome me into the new Jerusalem, the eternal fold of all who belong to him. I look forward to that day when Jesus, the good Shepherd, will

gather all his flock to be with himself forever. The Good Shepherd will speak, and all his sheep will hear his voice and

follow him.