Are You Called to be one of His Sheep or One of His Shepherds?

John 10:1-21 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

Parable of the Good Shepherd

10 “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 thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This 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 the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ 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 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 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 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, ¹⁵ even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

¹⁹ A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰ Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” ²¹ Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

The first thing that occurs to me when I think of this analogy of sheep and shepherd describing our relationship with the Lord is that it speaks much more of the character of Jesus than it does of us. There is not a lot that is complimentary about being compared to sheep. It is though quite an accurate description of the many ways that the Lord watches over us and cares for us.

When Jesus speaks of the sheep knowing the shepherds voice, to really understand the power of this illustration we need to understand some of the basics of shepherding in Jesus day. There were times when various shepherds would bring their individual flocks to the same area. For instance when the sheep needed to be watered at a well, the flocks would come together and become intermingled. It would seem that this might create a huge problem for the shepherds to sort out. All that the shepherd would do though, when it was time to move on, was to start out calling to his sheep. Each shepherd had a song or a call to his sheep and the sheep belonging to the shepherd would hear the voice of the shepherd, seperate from the other flocks and follow their shepherd. By using this illustration Jesus was saying that their was a seperation between those who followed Him and those who didn't. Followers of Christ recognize the voice of their shepherd, their Lord and Savior calling them amidst the many voices in the world.  

Jesus says:  “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 hear them. ⁹ I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.    This is much like what He says in John 14:6, where He says:     “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.    This idea that Jesus is and was the only way to the Father, the only way to salvation and eternal life was no less popular then when Jesus first said it than it is today. Those who want to go their own way, those who are not willing to admit or recognize their need of a savior will say there are other ways, either through living well or following another voice that we can experience eternal life and fellowship with God.  Jesus says though:       The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.     Every other belief system that promotes another way to God borrows from the truth of God's word. The devil is a liar, he is unable to create because all ceation comes from God. The philosophies of false religions will take the truth of God's word and twist it or change it to accommodate some form of a lie. A lie that is meant to steal, kill and destroy those who follow it. Jesus says He came that we would have life, and have it abundantly. 

Much of what has been taught in and by  the church has actually done more to steal, kill and destroy than it has to bring about the abundant life we are supposed to have and live. Jesus didn't die on the cross just so that we could get through this life and have eternity in heaven. Jesus came to restore that which was lost. He came teaching and preaching that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Jesus came to restore us to all that was lost to sin. That includes fellowship with God now, not just in the future. It includes a restoration of the dominion that Adam was originally given over creation.

Jesus says: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  

Doing greater works than those that Jesus did, that's the abundant life we are called to and promised in Christ. Jesus opened blind eyes, caused the lame to walk, raised the dead, commanded creation and multiplied food to feed thousands. We have been told a lie that we are to silently suffer through this life awaiting a glorious eternity. That's not what Jesus said. We are to take up our cross daily, dying to self to follow Jesus. But Jesus didn't stay on the cross and He didn't stay in the grave. Jesus was raised from the grave and walk this earth again in the power of the resurrection. He calls us to walk in that same power here on earth. That's what it means to fulfill His prayer,    Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth  as it is in heaven.

Jesus closes this comparrison of Himself as our shepherd with evidence of His authority and authenticity. He says:    “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep..... For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”       It wasn't the Jewish religious leaders who killed Jesus. It was the Roman government who killed Jesus. Jesus laid down His own life for His sheep. He laid it down at the commandment of the Father. Because Jesus laid down His own life He had the authority to take it up again. Jesus voice is the only voice that calls to us having conquered the grave. Every other false teacher, philosopher and leader remained bodily in the grave. Jesus grave was empty. He was not and is not a ghost. He walked this earth in the power of the resurrection authenticizing all that He said.

Today's text ends with these words:      A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰ Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” ²¹ Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”        Jesus always has and always will create divisions among men.     Those who believed Jesus was who He said He was defended Him by the evidence of the signs and miracles He worked. Jesus will still cause divisions among men today. If the church wants to affirm it's authority to a doubting world we need like Jesus to walk in the fullness of the authority He has restored to us.

In Mark 16 Jesus says:   “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. ¹⁷ These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, that You have more than saved me for an eternity of fellowship with You. As if that is not more than I deserve. But You have restored me and called me to live an abundant, powerfilled life of authority here and now. May I be faithful in You to walk in the fullness of that calling.   Amen