Parable of The Good Shepherd
(John 10:1-18 NASB)
Parable of the Good Shepherd
1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold
of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is ?a?a thief and a robber.
2 "But he who enters by the door is ?a?a shepherd of the sheep.
3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear ?a?his voice, and he
calls his own sheep by name and ?b?leads them out.
4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep
follow him because they know ?a?his voice.
5 "A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they
do not know ?a?the voice of strangers."
6 This ?a?figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand
what those things were which He had been saying to them.
7 So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am ?a?the door of
the sheep.
8 "All who came before Me are ?a?thieves and robbers, but the sheep did
not hear them.
9 "?a?I am the door; if anyone enters through 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
?a?may have life, and ?1?have it abundantly.
11 "?a?I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd ?b?lays down His life for
the sheep.
12 "He who is a hired hand, and not a ?a?shepherd, who is not the owner of
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 is not concerned about the
sheep.
14 "?a?I am the good shepherd, and ?b?I know My own and My own know
Me,
15 even as ?a?the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and ?b?I lay
down My life for the sheep.
16 "I have ?a?other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also,
and they will hear My voice; and they will become ?b?one flock with ?c?one
shepherd.
17 "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I ?a?lay down My life so
that I may take it again.
18 "?a?No one has taken it away from Me, but I ?b?lay it down on My own
initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.
?c?This commandment I received from My Father."
[1]
This is taught in Scripture: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep"
(John 10:15); "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends" (15:13); "being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for
that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in
one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (11:51-52); "Christ loved the
church and gave himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). [2]
Jesus, the Good Shepherd (10:11-18)
10:11 Many times the Lord Jesus used the expression "I am," one of the titles of
Deity. Each time He was making a claim to equality with God the Father. Here he
presented Himself as the good shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep.
Ordinarily, the sheep were called upon to lay down their lives for the shepherd. But
the Lord Jesus died for the flock.
-- When blood from a victim must flow,
-- This Shepherd by pity was led,
-- To stand between us and the foe,
-- And willingly died in our stead.
- Thomas Kelly
10:12 A hireling is one who serves for money. For instance, a shepherd might pay
someone else to take care of his sheep. The Pharisees were hire lings. Their interest
in the people was prompted by the money they received in return. The hireling did
not own the sheep. When danger came, he ran away and left the sheep to the
mercy of the wolf.
10:13 We do what we do because we are what we are. The hireling served for
pay. He did not care about the sheep. He was more interested in his own welfare
than in their good. There are many hirelings in the church today-men who choose
the ministry as a comfortable occupation, without true love for God's sheep.
10:14 Again the Lord speaks of Himself as the good shepherd. Good (?Gk.?,
kalos) here means "ideal, worthy, choice, excellent." He is all of these. Then He
speaks of the very intimate relationship that exists between Himself and His sheep.
He knows His own, and His own know Him. This is a very wonderful truth.
10:15 It is unfortunate that this verse is punctuated as a new sentence. Actually, it is
better read as follows: "... and I know My sheep, and am known by My own, just
as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father." This is truly a thrilling truth! The
Lord compared His relationship with the sheep with the relationship that existed be
tween Himself and His Father. The same union, communion, intimacy, and
knowledge that there is between the Father and the Son also exists between the
Shepherd and the sheep. "And I lay down My life for the sheep," He said. Again
we have one of the many statements of the Lord Jesus in which He looked forward
to the time when He would die on the cross as a Substitute for sinners.
10:16 Verse 16 is the key to the entire chapter. The other sheep to whom the Lord
referred here were the Gentiles. His coming into the world was especially in
connection with the sheep of Israel, but He also had in mind the salvation of
Gentiles. The Gentile sheep were not of the Jewish fold. But the great heart of
compassion of the Lord Jesus went out to these sheep as well, and He was under
divine compulsion to bring them to Himself. He knew that they would be more
ready than the Jewish people to hear His voice.
In the latter part of the verse there is the very important change from the fold of
Judaism to the flock of Christianity. This verse gives a little preview of the fact that
in Christ, Jew and Gentile would be made one, and that the for mer distinctions
between these peoples would disappear.
10:17 In verses 17 and 18, the Lord Jesus explained what He would do in order to
bring both elect Jews and Gentiles to Himself. He looked forward to the time of His
death, burial, and resurrection. These words would be utterly out of place were the
Lord Jesus a mere man. He spoke of laying down His life and taking it again by His
own power. He could only do this because He is God. The Father loved the Lord
Jesus because of His willingness to die and rise again, in order that lost sheep might
be saved.
10:18 No one could take the Lord's life from Him. He is God, and is thus greater
than all the murderous plots of His creatures. He had power in Himself to lay down
His life, and He also had power to take it again. But did not men kill the Lord
Jesus? They did. This is clearly stated in Acts 2:23 and in 1 Thessalonians 2:15.
The Lord Jesus allowed them to do it, and this was an exhibition of His power to
lay down His life. Furthermore, He "gave up His Spirit" (John 19:30) as an act of
His own strength and will.
"This command I have received from My Father," He said. The Father had
commissioned or instructed the Lord to lay down His life and to rise again from
among the dead. His death and resurrection were essential acts in fulfillment of the
Father's will. Therefore, He became obedient unto death, and rose again the third
day, according to the Scriptures.
[3]
Practicality
The reason John wrote this book is given in verse 31 of chapter 20. "But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through his name." That is why I love this Gospel. When
someone says he doesn't know if he believes Jesus is really God, I can say, "Invest
two hours of your life reading the Gospel of John straight through. Ask the Lord to
show you if He's real. And, believe me, He will!" Because John was written so
people might believe that Jesus is God, I think it is the most powerful tract you can
share with anyone. I suggest you have on hand many copies of John's Gospel in
order to share with people who are skeptical or questioning.
The second reason John wrote his Gospel was, "that believing ye might have life
through his name." He wrote it for those of us who already believe. The Greek
word translated "believing" speaks of a continual action. Therefore, John is saying
the more we believe, the more life we will experience. Thus, John wrote to
convince the skeptic, but also to provoke the believer toward a continual, growing
belief in the Savior.
"By your love shall all men know you are My disciples," said Jesus (John 13:35).
As we study this Gospel of love, my prayer is that, like its author, we will be
transformed and changed from glory to greater glory as we fall in love with Jesus all
over again.
[4]
Shepherds never drove the sheep, never beat the sheep, never pushed the sheep.
They led the sheep. Go to Israel today, and you'll see shepherds just walking along
with a stream of sheep following right behind them. Americans tend to drive
themselves and others. Not so a Middle-Eastern shepherd. So, too, Jesus, the
Good Shepherd, doesn't drive me. He leads me. In other words, He goes first
through the valley of the shadow of death before He ever asks me to go through it.
Scripture declares that Jesus, our Shepherd, our Leader, was tempted in all points
like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Consequently, there is nothing you
will ever face He hasn't felt or isn't feeling presently. Gang, Jesus doesn't send you
into battle or drive you into any given trial. He doesn't pontificate or preach. He
leads.[5]
Jesus was the Good Shepherd who left the ninety and nine to find one who was lost
(Matthew 18:12). He was the Great Communicator who conversed with one
woman at a well (John 4:7). He was the gifted Teacher who sought out one man in
a tree (Luke 19:5).[6]
Jesus, the Good Shepherd. In another statement asserting his identity as the
Messiah, Jesus claimed to be the Good Shepherd (cf. Psalm 23). John describes
this illustration in great detail in chapter 10 of his Gospel, in one of the strongest
identifications of Jesus Christ with God. The Good Shepherd gives his life for his
sheep. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep, and the sheep know him. The Good
Shepherd gives his sheep eternal life and will protect them successfully at all costs.
Paralleling his own shepherd like ministry with that of the Father, Jesus concludes
his discussion by declaring, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). [7]
Can we consider one last analogy from the Bible? How about the sheep with the
shepherd? Many times Scripture calls us the flock of God. "We are his people, the
sheep he tends" (Ps. 100:3). We needn't know much about sheep to know that the
shepherd never leaves the flock. If we see a flock coming down the path, we know
a shepherd is nearby. If we see a Christian ahead, we can know the same. The
Good Shepherd never leaves his sheep. "Even though I walk through a very dark
valley, I will not be afraid, because you are with me" (Ps. 23:4).
God is as near to you as the vine is to the branch, as present within you as God was
in the temple, as intimate with you as a husband with a wife, and as devoted to you
as a shepherd to his sheep.
[8]
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a John 10:8
a John 10:11f
a John 10:4f, 16, 27
b John 10:9
a John 10:5, 16, 27
a John 10:4, 16, 27
a John 16:25, 29; 2 Pet 2:22
a John 10:1f, 9
a Jer 23:1f; Ezek 34:2ff; John 10:1
a John 10:1f, 9
a John 5:40
1 Or have abundance
a Is 40:11; Ezek 34:11-16, 23; John 10:14; Heb 13:20; 1 Pet 5:4; Rev 7:17
b John 10:15, 17, 18; 15:13; 1 John 3:16
a John 10:2
a John 10:11
b John 10:27
a Matt 11:27; Luke 10:22
b John 10:11, 17, 18
a Is 56:8
b John 11:52; 17:20f; Eph 2:13-18; 1 Pet 2:25
c Ezek 34:23; 37:24
a John 10:11, 15, 18
a Matt 26:53; John 2:19; 5:26
b John 10:11, 15, 17
c John 14:31; 15:10; Phil 2:8; Heb 5:8
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 10:1). LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation.
[2]Shedd, W. G. T., & Gomes, A. W. (2003). Dogmatic theology. "First one-
volume edition (3 vols. in 1)"--Jacket. (3rd ed.) (746). Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R
Pub.
Gk. Greek
[3]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary :
Old and New Testaments (Jn 10:11). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[4]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (434). Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson.
[5]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (521). Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson.
[6]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (609). Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson.
[7]McDowell, J. (1997, c1991). Josh McDowell's handbook on apologetics
(electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[8]Lucado, M. (2001, c1998). Just like Jesus (electronic ed.) (68). Nashville:
Word Publishing.
--
There's no hurry? :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrmDWn6awMA
"The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield
to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he
cannot bear scorn."
Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.
http://john-14-6.com/john-14-6.pdf
My Christian Bible Study Collection - http://Bibleweb.Info/
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