John 10:11 (NASB)
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
Teaching
Jesus is the good Sheperd, as is recorded in John's Gospel. Other biblical authors also understood Him to be that Shepherd of our souls (see Hebr 13:20; 1 Pet 2:25; 5:4). As we have seen last week in The Lord is your Shepherd, God is our Shepherd who cares for us, leads us, and protects us. A shepherd in Scripture is a leader, a guide, and person who protects others. God, the good Shepherd of Psalm 23, is the foremost Shepherd, the model for other leaders to follow. The reason why David could be king was because he first was a shepherd. Hence, he did not rule over the people as corrupt leaders did, but he led the people by exmaple, self-sacrifice, and care and protection.
The main reason Jesus can claim to be 'the good Shepherd' is because He 'lays down His life for the sheep.' Selflessness is the key to being a good leader. Jesus died for our sins at the cross, a most brutal and agonising death - He did it for us; He laid down His life in death for us so that we could find peace and reconciliation with God (see Rom 5). He is 'the God of peace,' who raised Jesus, the 'great Shepherd,' from the dead in order to redeem us, as well as equip us to obey Him and thus do His will, yet by the power of the Spirit, that is, God working in us (Hebr 13:20-21). The death of Jesus was not just a redemption for eternal life, but also a way to empower us to live holy, righteous, and effective on earth.
In John 10 Jesus was, of course, alluding to Psalm 23. His audience, when hearing of the 'good shepherd,' would immediately think of Psalm 23. The Jewish people were very familiar with their holy Scriptures, having been raised by them from a very early age. They would thus associate Jesus with divine characteristics found in the psalm in which David had described God. But the audience would not only think of Jesus as the good shepherd of Psalm 23, but two other crucial passages from the prophets would come to mind: Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34. These were famous passages about false shepherds, corrupt leaders who sought their own welfare at the expense of the people's. They would feed themselves rather than 'the sheep' under their care. Leadership, in the Bible, is not about ruling, but about serving (cf. Mk 10:42-45). Yes, a leader leads, but by good example, not compulsion; by selflessness, not by self-interest; by humility, not by arrogance; by following God himself, not by telling people what to do without doing it himself (cf. 1 Pet 5; Mt 23).
How do I know that the audience would have thought of these three passages? Well, Psalm 23 is obvious - it is well-known to believers today, and so it was then (even more so). But consider John 9: there we find that a bild person was healed; Jesus restored His sight. Yet some of the religious leaders were upset because Jesus didn't play by their rules. After the dispute, Jesus makes a remarkable statement.
These are tough words, and the religious leaders still didn't get it! The healing of the blind man wasn't just a miracle in itself; it served beyond that as a sign to illustrate spiritual blindess. Some people could not see Jesus for who He was - the Son of God, God in the flesh (person), the Saviour of the world, the King of the Jews, to name but a few titles of Jesus in John's Gospel. Jesus used the miracle as an 'object lesson' to demonstrate that He did not only come to restore physical sight, but also spiritual sight - so that people could see who He truly was - and find salvation through it. John's Gospel has the purpose of inspiring faith in Jesus so that people will find eternal life by it (see John 20:30-31). This pattern of miracle followed by discourse in relation to it, is found throughout John's Gospel. Jesus was implicidly rebuking the spiritual leaders who opposed Him for their spiritual blindness, while He affirmed that the humble, like the blind man, would not only be healed physically, but be restored to accurate spiritual sight.
A 'shepherd,' in that context of a dispute on Jesus' identity, would clearly refer to leaders. Hence, the continued opposition against Jesus. It is ever to sad that when people are confronted with their ignorance and blindness that they won't humble themselves and be set free, but rather fight to the death and remain in their spiritual darkness. Jesus knew that the good leaders are those who will genuinely and selflessly take care of others; 'hired shepherds' would not give that kind of sacrifice. Yet Jesus truly is the 'owner of the sheep,' and hence willing to protect them at any price. Jesus is like David who would chase a lion or bear whenever a sheep's life was at stake. Jesus came to save that which is lost (Lk 19:10). As the good Shepherd He will lead you besides 'still waters' and 'green pastures' (i.e., provision, abundance, health) when you hear His voice and follow Him (Jn 10:27). Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (Jn 3:16-17), yet people who refuse to acknowledge Him and humble themselves, won't see who He is - and thus miss the salvation He offered to a suffering world. Why don't you take some time this week to reflect on Jesus in John's Gospel?
Application
Timeless Truth: Jesus is your good Shepherd, who laid down His life to redeem you, guide you, and empower you in life.
Did you humble yourself to recognise the good Shepherd? Were you healed of spiritual blindness? If not, you have the chance to do so: humble yourself like the blind man and ask Jesus to heal you. Through it, you will find 'recovery of sight,' which the Messiah brought (Lk 4:18-19). Once you can see like the man born blind and can say with him, 'Lord, I believe' (Jn 9:38), and continue to be humble for it is the only way to live your life. Unless we are converted and become humble like children, we won't be part of God's kingdom - neither in this life, nor in the life to come (Mt 18:1ff). The psalmist said that he won't go into matters of pride and arrogance, but be content with knowing God and serving Him; with such an approach to life, he was at peace like a weaned child (Ps 131). Have you recently seen a weaned child? I do not know of a more peaceful sight to behold than a weaned child asleep - there is simply no worry whatsoever! God wants us to learn to live like that. Jesus can make it happen for you; as the good Shepherd He will take care of you, protect you, and guide you on the right path. Don't seek to be wise in your own eyes; be humble before God, seek Him, follow His word, and be content and at peace like a weaned child. God bless you with His Shalom (peace, health, fullness, etc)!
Discussion
(1) Did you humble yourself to receive spiritual sight?
(2) Are you willing to live a life of humility before God so that you can be at peace with Him and with yourself?
(3) What does Psalm 131 speak into your own situation in life? (share if it's not too private)
The main reason Jesus can claim to be 'the good Shepherd' is because He 'lays down His life for the sheep.' Selflessness is the key to being a good leader. Jesus died for our sins at the cross, a most brutal and agonising death - He did it for us; He laid down His life in death for us so that we could find peace and reconciliation with God (see Rom 5). He is 'the God of peace,' who raised Jesus, the 'great Shepherd,' from the dead in order to redeem us, as well as equip us to obey Him and thus do His will, yet by the power of the Spirit, that is, God working in us (Hebr 13:20-21). The death of Jesus was not just a redemption for eternal life, but also a way to empower us to live holy, righteous, and effective on earth.
In John 10 Jesus was, of course, alluding to Psalm 23. His audience, when hearing of the 'good shepherd,' would immediately think of Psalm 23. The Jewish people were very familiar with their holy Scriptures, having been raised by them from a very early age. They would thus associate Jesus with divine characteristics found in the psalm in which David had described God. But the audience would not only think of Jesus as the good shepherd of Psalm 23, but two other crucial passages from the prophets would come to mind: Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34. These were famous passages about false shepherds, corrupt leaders who sought their own welfare at the expense of the people's. They would feed themselves rather than 'the sheep' under their care. Leadership, in the Bible, is not about ruling, but about serving (cf. Mk 10:42-45). Yes, a leader leads, but by good example, not compulsion; by selflessness, not by self-interest; by humility, not by arrogance; by following God himself, not by telling people what to do without doing it himself (cf. 1 Pet 5; Mt 23).
How do I know that the audience would have thought of these three passages? Well, Psalm 23 is obvious - it is well-known to believers today, and so it was then (even more so). But consider John 9: there we find that a bild person was healed; Jesus restored His sight. Yet some of the religious leaders were upset because Jesus didn't play by their rules. After the dispute, Jesus makes a remarkable statement.
John 9:39 (NASB)
And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."
These are tough words, and the religious leaders still didn't get it! The healing of the blind man wasn't just a miracle in itself; it served beyond that as a sign to illustrate spiritual blindess. Some people could not see Jesus for who He was - the Son of God, God in the flesh (person), the Saviour of the world, the King of the Jews, to name but a few titles of Jesus in John's Gospel. Jesus used the miracle as an 'object lesson' to demonstrate that He did not only come to restore physical sight, but also spiritual sight - so that people could see who He truly was - and find salvation through it. John's Gospel has the purpose of inspiring faith in Jesus so that people will find eternal life by it (see John 20:30-31). This pattern of miracle followed by discourse in relation to it, is found throughout John's Gospel. Jesus was implicidly rebuking the spiritual leaders who opposed Him for their spiritual blindness, while He affirmed that the humble, like the blind man, would not only be healed physically, but be restored to accurate spiritual sight.
A 'shepherd,' in that context of a dispute on Jesus' identity, would clearly refer to leaders. Hence, the continued opposition against Jesus. It is ever to sad that when people are confronted with their ignorance and blindness that they won't humble themselves and be set free, but rather fight to the death and remain in their spiritual darkness. Jesus knew that the good leaders are those who will genuinely and selflessly take care of others; 'hired shepherds' would not give that kind of sacrifice. Yet Jesus truly is the 'owner of the sheep,' and hence willing to protect them at any price. Jesus is like David who would chase a lion or bear whenever a sheep's life was at stake. Jesus came to save that which is lost (Lk 19:10). As the good Shepherd He will lead you besides 'still waters' and 'green pastures' (i.e., provision, abundance, health) when you hear His voice and follow Him (Jn 10:27). Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (Jn 3:16-17), yet people who refuse to acknowledge Him and humble themselves, won't see who He is - and thus miss the salvation He offered to a suffering world. Why don't you take some time this week to reflect on Jesus in John's Gospel?
Application
Timeless Truth: Jesus is your good Shepherd, who laid down His life to redeem you, guide you, and empower you in life.
Did you humble yourself to recognise the good Shepherd? Were you healed of spiritual blindness? If not, you have the chance to do so: humble yourself like the blind man and ask Jesus to heal you. Through it, you will find 'recovery of sight,' which the Messiah brought (Lk 4:18-19). Once you can see like the man born blind and can say with him, 'Lord, I believe' (Jn 9:38), and continue to be humble for it is the only way to live your life. Unless we are converted and become humble like children, we won't be part of God's kingdom - neither in this life, nor in the life to come (Mt 18:1ff). The psalmist said that he won't go into matters of pride and arrogance, but be content with knowing God and serving Him; with such an approach to life, he was at peace like a weaned child (Ps 131). Have you recently seen a weaned child? I do not know of a more peaceful sight to behold than a weaned child asleep - there is simply no worry whatsoever! God wants us to learn to live like that. Jesus can make it happen for you; as the good Shepherd He will take care of you, protect you, and guide you on the right path. Don't seek to be wise in your own eyes; be humble before God, seek Him, follow His word, and be content and at peace like a weaned child. God bless you with His Shalom (peace, health, fullness, etc)!
Discussion
(1) Did you humble yourself to receive spiritual sight?
(2) Are you willing to live a life of humility before God so that you can be at peace with Him and with yourself?
(3) What does Psalm 131 speak into your own situation in life? (share if it's not too private)
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