A Sermon Manuscript by Adam Miller
Read: John 10:1-42
I don’t remember the actual event because I was too young when it happened, but my parents told me about this time when they took me to a sheep farm. As the shepherd was letting us into the sheepfold, he told my dad to watch the gate. He was holding me in his arms and a sheep noticed the door was opened and tried to make his exit. Not knowing what to do, my dad let the sheep go between his legs and just squeezed really hard to stop him. My dad didn’t realize just how strong sheep actually are. Like a cowboy in a rodeo, my dad and I went for a ride until the shepherd was able to rescue us.
It’s interesting to me that we are compared to sheep in the Bible. Sure, in the romanticized view they are cute and cuddly, but they’re actually quite stupid and helpless creatures. In a negative sense, we are told to stop acting like sheep when we blindly follow the mainstream media, what we read online, or aspiring politicians. However, sheep do have a few qualities that make them great examples to emulate: they know their shepherd, they follow his voice, and they run from anything that would cause them harm.
So, when Jesus says that He is the Good Shepherd, He wants us to know that we can trust Him to lead us where we need to go for safety, rest, and nourishment.
The Good Shepherd Knows His Sheep By Name
This passage follows a long encounter of Jesus with the religious leaders. Jesus had been teaching that He held the answer for eternal life. The Pharisees didn’t like this. So Jesus told them that He was the Light of the World. Those who could see Him would recognize Him, but those who were still in darkness would not be able to see the truth. When Jesus healed a blind man, the Pharisees refused to accept it. So Jesus told them that because of their sins they were blind.
It is after all of this that Jesus begins to describe a metaphor about sheep, the sheepfold, a shepherd, and some thieves.
First, He describes a simple scenario. The sheep are in the sheepfold. The thieves cannot get to the sheep through the gate because they would be recognized. So they have to climb over the walls in the cover of darkness. Furthermore, the sheep wouldn’t follow them willingly, so they will have to remove them by force. Not an easy feat. The sheep would be running around the sheepfold, baying and causing a ruckus. The shepherd, however, could just walk right up to the door, the guards would recognize him, and he could simply call out the sheep by name and they would follow Him.
Jesus is distinguishing Himself from the Pharisees who really wanted the sheep to follow them. They had to resort to deceit and manipulation. The religious leaders were angry at Jesus because the people flocked to His teaching.
The Pharisees don’t pick up on what Jesus is saying, so He tweeks the metaphor a little bit.
The Good Shepherd Protects His Sheep
There were two types of Sheepfolds in Jesus’ time. The first sheepfold was a communal pen where several shepherds could keep their sheep and hire a few guards to watch over them at night. When they would come for their sheep, they would call them out by name and the sheep would sort themselves out. The second type of sheepfold would be for a single flock out in the pastures. It was just a rock wall in a circle with a small opening for a door. The shepherd would sleep in the doorway in order to keep the sheep inside and the predators outside. This is likely what Jesus is referring to when He describes Himself as the door.
Jesus says that He is there to protect the sheep. The thieves are not looking to steal a few sheep so they can start their own herd. They’re not interested in going into the shepherding business. They’re hungry and they’re just looking for a quick and easy meal. They plan on killing the sheep. Likewise, the Pharisees are not interested in the well being of the people. They are only interested in satisfying their own desires, at the expense of others.
The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life for the Sheep
Jesus is not just the door, protecting the sheep from thieves, He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He draws another contrast by pointing out the difference between a good shepherd whose livelihood is tied into the herd with a few hired employees who are more concerned with their own well being over the flock.
I don’t think Jesus is referring to the Pharisees as hired hands. They were thieves in the previous two examples and here they are likely the wolves coming to devour the sheep. I think Jesus is referring to His disciples who think pretty highly of themselves, but will scatter as soon as Jesus is arrested.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who truly loves the sheep. He proves how much He cares by laying down His own life for them. The disciples will eventually learn to love the flock as Jesus loved them, but it will take the death of Jesus to teach them how much they, themselves, are loved.
The Good Shepherd Lives for the Sheep
As Jesus reiterates His points, He summarizes everything He has said so far. The Good Shepherd knows His Sheep and they know Him. He lays down His life for them and protects them from harm. But then He adds two key points. First, there are sheep that are outside of the fold. We are those sheep. The Pharisees were only concerned about protecting their Jewish traditions. Jesus came to bring salvation to the entire world. Secondly, as the Good Shepherd, Jesus lays down His own life, but He will take it back up again. This is the glorious hope of the resurrection. Our protector is not dead. Satan has not won. Our savior is alive and He has promised to always protect us.
The Good Shepherd Know Who Are Not His Sheep
A few months later, the Pharisees will corner Jesus and ask Him outright, “Are you the Messiah?” Interestingly enough, Jesus doesn’t answer the question, He just picks up where He left off with them before. He reiterates again that He is the Good Shepherd and His sheep know His voice and follow Him. The Pharisees did not recognize Jesus’ voice. They couldn’t see the light because they were blind to the truth. Jesus is holding out eternal life, but all they want to do is kill Him.
Sheep are skittish. They get frightened easily. But if we remember that we have a Good Shepherd who is always watching over us, we can rest assured that we are safe in His care. He holds us in His hands, and His Father, who is greater than all, has us in His hands as well. No one can separate us from the Love of God through Christ Jesus. He calls us by name, do we recognize His voice? Be comforted.
Adam Miller is the president and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church. This article is a condensed version of one of his sermons.