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Sunday Sermon Outline
STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN- PART 51
Chapter 10- brings us to a monologue (as
opposed to the earlier dialogue) by Jesus, attributing to Himself the
characteristics of a “good shepherd”
(vs.14). The passage, a
record of Jesus’ last public address, is a marvelous comfort to readers and a
gracious break from the previous conflict of chap.
7-9. The location is difficult to determine
and may be the same place and crowd of ch.9 (note vs.21)—although it may reflect
a later address at the Feast of the Dedication (vs.22) that occurred in
the winter (December). The passage should be read in the light
of such as (negatively) Jere.23:1-4; Isaiah 56:9-12 and Ezekiel 34; (positively)
Psalms 23:1 and 80:1. “Jesus uses the figure
of the Good Shepherd to differentiate His ministry from
that of false
shepherds, and to stress the voluntary nature of His sacrifice for
men.”- Leon Morris. The figure of a “shepherd” was
well-known to the people of and, as seen in OT references, would
be a easily grasped in expressing Jesus’ identity. In the synoptic gospels are two
references by Jesus to shepherding- Matt.18:12-13 and Luke 15:3-7. Also note Heb.
13:20 and I Peter 2:25, 5:4.
Chap.10,
verses 1-6-“most assuredly” (literally= amen,amen)- a remark intended to introduce
important and weighty statements.
“he who does not enter
the sheepfold….is a thief and a robber.” During overnight, sheep belonging to
several shepherds would be herded into a rock-wall
compound with only one legitimate entrance,
guarded by a “doorkeeper”. Thorny
plants and bushes would be allowed to grow along the top of the walls to
discourage violators. “thief”- one who uses trickery “robber”-one
using violence The genuine shepherd enters legitimately
through the gate (vs.2) and is deliberately contrasted with others (vs.5 “strangers”). The sheep respond to the genuine
shepherd’s voice (vs.3) as he calls them and leads
them. In the context where the healed
blind man has been put out of the synagogue by “false” shepherds, that same man
has responded to Jesus (9:35-38) as His Shepherd. “they know his voice”- points both to the
authenticity of Jesus as Savior and the responsiveness of
the believer to the Holy Spirit’s call for salvation. Sheep are not responsive to a stranger
(use of double negative)-
vs.5. Vs.6 has “parable”—yet
the word is paroimian,
usually meaning ‘allegory’. These listeners missed the real
meaning intended by Jesus’ words. Concerning vs.2- “he who enters by the
door is the shepherd…” serves to remind us of that Jesus is
authentically the Shepherd as seen in: 1) born of
a woman, under the law- Gal.4:4, 2) to the
house of Israel- Lk.1:32,33; 19:9-10; John 1:11 3) to
confirm promises made to 4) to
fulfill the Law- Matt. 1:22, 5) to
fulfill scripture- Luke 24:26-27 and 24:44-46 page 6 6) to call
the sheep- John 10:3; Matt. 7) to give
His life for the sheep- John Chapter
10, verses 7-13- Jesus changes the figure from “shepherd” to
“door of the
sheep” again using emphasis (Most
assuredly). This may be
done to emphasize the exclusive
nature of His identity as Savior. [Postmodernism focuses on the inclusive aspects
of religious teaching as in ‘all are going to the same place, but using
different paths’] “all who came before me are thieves and
robbers…”—by comparison to the excellent and caring actions of Jesus,
as the Good Shepherd, other ‘shepherds’ were moral
failures! “I am the
door”- Jesus is distinctly and solely the only Way to eternal
life- 14:6—just as there was only
one door into the sheepfold.
“If anyone enters by
Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find
pasture”.- this language (pasture) is intended to
express the richness and fulfillment that accompanies the right relationship
with the Shepherd. The shepherd’s
responsibility is maintaining the health and well-being of the sheep by guiding
them to nutritious grazing- Psalm 23:1-3.
In vs.10, Jesus contrasts the illegitimate ‘shepherds’ and His own
provisions. “life” here is both
eternal and temporal—quantity and
quality! Vs.11 along with vs.14-15 are the core verses of this monologue. Here, Jesus introduces the great
sacrificial aspect of His work as Shepherd—“the good shepherd gives
his life for the sheep”- “gives” = tithasin—translated “lay down” in
vs. 15 & 17. Leon Morris says
the word “good” (kalos) has elements of the thought of
‘attractiveness’ in it. In
contrast, vs.12-13 describes the “hireling”=
shepherds who have only selfish or material interests, who
flee when a threat is present. They abandon the sheep when the sheep
most need protection and care. |