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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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GOSPEL OF JOHN Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert 11. Good
Shepherd Discourse 10:1–21 [14
- (Jn 10:1-42) 3/31/10] a) Contextual
and Literary Connection (1) In
Chapter 10, Jesus will begin His Good Shepherd Discourse, which obviously
will include imagery of sheep and shepherds. Not only were the Jewish people
a pastoral people, but the OT is saturated with pastoral and shepherd imagery
(Ps. 23:1; 28:9; 80:1; Is. 40:11; Je 3:15; cf. Is. 56:9–12; Jer. 23:1–4;
25:32–38; Ezek. 34:12, 23, 24; 37:24 Ze 11:16; 13:7
cp. Mt 26:31; He 13:20; 1Pe 2:25; 5:4). Jesus spoke in vv. 1–30 using a
sustained metaphor based on first century sheep ranching. (MSB) (2) We do not know exactly where Jesus was
located when He gave the Good Shepherd Discourse. However, we know that
Jesus’ last position was probably near the Temple because He found the healed
blind man who had just been thrown out of the Temple (Jn 9:35). The Temple
was located near the Sheep Gate according to Nehemiah 3:1, who strategically
had the priests, who lived near the Temple, repair
the Sheep Gate. It could very well be conceivable that Jesus was near the
sheep market when He gave His discourse with live object lessons. b) The
Shepherd Calls His Flock (10:1-6) (1) At night,
the sheep were kept in a pen that was guarded by a doorkeeper. His job was to
keep predators and thieves away from the sheep. Anyone who attempted to come
in any other way than the door, would be someone who
meant to do harm to the sheep (1). (2) Come morning, the Shepherds would come in
through the door and gather their own sheep (2). The doorkeeper would let the
shepherd in and the sheep would come to the Shepherd’s call (3). The Shepherd
would lead the flock into the pasture land by continuing to call with his
voice, which they knew (4). The sheep would not follow any one else and in
fact would run from a stranger (5). (3) Having used this “figure of speech” (paroimía - para - aside & oimos - way, i.e. veiled language, enigma, figure of
speech, in John's Gospel a manner of
speaking that conceals symbolic meaning and needs interpretation, FRI),
the people did not understand. Their ignorance was not because they did not
understand the metaphor of shepherds and sheep, but because they did not
understand the spiritual truths behind them (6). c) Jesus’
Third “I AM” statement (“I AM the Door of the Sheep” (10:7-10) (1) Jesus
therefore explained his figures of speech. It is at this point that Jesus
states His third “I AM” statement by saying, “I AM the door of the Sheep”
(7). Jesus is the door to the sheep pen. (2) Those who were
before Him, were the religious leaders who were spiritually blind (9:40-41).
They were thieves and robbers (8) because they did not help the sheep of
Israel to come to God, but turned them away from the Messiah, calling Him a “sinner”
(9:16, 24). (3) Jesus Himself is the door to salvation.
Anyone who enters “through” (dia with gentive - agency) Christ by faith in His work on the
cross, will be saved (9). Furthermore, that believer who believes by faith
will find “pasture,” a metaphor for eternal life, spiritual growth, and
abundant (perissós - what exceeds
usual expectation cp. Ep 3:20) life (10). d) Jesus’
Fourth “I AM” statement (“I AM the Good Shepherd” (10:11-14) (1) In
another metaphor, Jesus makes His fourth “I AM” statement, “I am the good
shepherd” (11). Why is Jesus the Good Shepherd? He is the Good Shepherd
because He lays down His life for His sheep. This refers to Christ’s
substitutionary atonement on the cross. Five times in Ch. 10 the phrase “lays
down His life” is used (11,15,17,18 twice) and one
other time in 15:13 (cp. Also 1Jn 3:16). (2) Jesus speaks of a “hired hand” who probably represents the religious leaders who are only
serving for money and have no real interest in caring for the sheep’s safety
(12-13). In an ironic sense the religious leaders are also the wolves from
which they were to protect the flock. (3) Jesus states again that He is the Good
Shepherd and knows His own sheep and they know Him (14). Obviously, these
religious leaders were not His sheep nor were they “drawn” to be sheep (Jn
6:44 cp. 6:64-65). The Good shepherd will have a close relationship with His
sheep even as He has a close relationship with the Father (15). This
closeness was illustrated in that He laid down His life for the sheep. (4) There are other sheep, which are not from
the fold of Israel, which Jesus must bring in, namely the Gentiles (16). They
will hear His voice and there will be one flock with Christ as their
Shepherd. Those who come to Christ in this age are part of the bride of
Christ, whether they are Jew or Gentile (Ga 3:28; Ep 2:14; Co 3:11). This
does not suggest that God has a future plan for Israel (Ro 9:27; 11:1, 11,
26). (5) Jesus predicted His death four times (11,
14, 17, 18), saying that He would voluntarily lay (tithemi
- to place, set, or lay )
His life down (i.e. voluntary substitutionary atonement). However, Jesus also
had the power and authority to take it up again, a reference to His
resurrection (17-18). It is another declaration of deity in that the all three
members of the Godhead play a part in the resurrection of Christ (Father: Jn
5:24; Spirit: Ro 8:11; Son: Jn 10:17-18). (6) The people were divided after hearing these
truths explained. Some thought He was demon-possessed or insane. Others
argued that Jesus had given sight to the blind, a Messianic sign (19-21). 12. Feast of
Dedication 10:22–42 a) The Feast
of Dedication is now called Hanukkah, which commemorated the re-consecration
of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 165 b.c. after its desecration in 168
b.c.
by Antiochus IV (Epiphanes). Two months had passed
since Jesus confronted the Jews (7:1-10:21, at the Feast of Tabernacles -
7:2) (22-23). b) The Jews wanted Christ to tell them
plainly whether he was the Messiah or not. Jesus had explained His figurative
speech (24). c) Jesus once again told them to look at His
works and they would testify to that he was the messiah (25). d) However, they did not believe because they
were not His sheep (cp. 14). His sheep would hear His voice and follow Him
(27). Those who come to Jesus by faith are His sheep, have eternal life, will
never perish, and cannot be snatched (harpazō
- seize, catch, or snatch, cp. 1Th 4:17) from His hand. He emphatically
declares that His sheep cannot be snatched away from the Father’s hand
(28-29). Jesus and the Father are one in the Godhead and will not allow
anything to happen to His sheep (30). e) It was at this statement the Jews picked
up stones to stone Him. They were not stoning Him for His works, but for His
blasphemy, claiming to be God (31-33). They correctly understood His
declaration of deity, but incorrectly reject Him as the Son of God. f) Jesus quoted Ps 82:6 where human judges
were called “gods.” These were unjust judges who were sarcastically called
“gods” by God and in no way referred to their divinity. However, Jesus wanted
the Jews to admit that they were sarcastically denying his deity when He in
fact was the Son of God. He was to be judged on His works (37-38). They
attempted to seize (piázō -
seize with hostile intent) Him but it was not His hour yet and He eluded
them (39). He went to the Jordan, where the people believed everything John
the Baptist said about Jesus, and many believed (40-41). |
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