John 10:11-21

John 10:11-21

“I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd sets down his life for the sake of the sheep.  The hired hand who is not a shepherd – of whom the sheep are not his own – sees the wolf while coming and abandons the sheep and flees.  And the wolf seizes and scatters them.  I am the good shepherd and I know my own and my own know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.  And I set down my life for the sake of the sheep.  But I also have sheep who are not out of this fold.  And it is necessary that I also bring them and they will hear my voice.  And they will become one flock into one shepherd.  Because of this the Father loves me, because I set down my life in order that I should again receive it.  No one takes it from me, but I set it down from myself.  I have authority to set it down and I have authority to again take it up.  I received this commandment from my Father.”  A schism again became in the Jews because of these words.  And many out of them said, “He has a demon and He is insane.  Why do you listen to Him?”  Others were saying, “These words are not of one possessed by a demon.  Are demons powerful enough to open the eyes of a blind man?”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Here is a neat portion of the economy of Christ.  Under the old religious system, the sheep die for the sins of the people.  Sacrifices were made because the people are sinful.  Yet in Christ’s economy the shepherd dies for the sheep.  This is why I do not say that Jesus was “betrayed.”  Jesus handed His life over voluntarily for the sake of the sheep.  The blessed economy of Christ is that through the sacrifice of the shepherd, the sheep can know life.

What life has Christ bought you?  What does that life look like for you?

Second Thought:

The really neat part about this thought is that the shepherd is given the ability to take up His life again.  Jesus lays His life down knowing that He will pick it up again!  Jesus does not stay dead, He is risen!  The shepherd is more powerful than death; He has defeated death.  If the shepherd is not defeated by death, then we know that the sheep in His flock need not be defeated by death, either.

How does Christ’s resurrection impact your daily life?

Third Thought:

The shepherd knows the sheep and the sheep know Him.  As the Father knows the Son, so the sheep also know the Son.  In this passage you can hear the relational bridge created through Christ.  Because of our sin, there exists a chasm between creation and the Father.  But through Christ, creation can know the Father.  We know the Son; the Father knows the Son.  Through Christ, we come to know the Father.

What does relationship look like to you?  What does it mean to you that you can be in a relationship with the Father?

Fourth Thought:

Once more we see that a schism develops over Christ’s words.  This is the third time that we hear that Jesus brought schism among the religious.  (John 7:43 and John 9:16 are the other places).  Again Jesus is accused of having a demon.  (See John 7:20 and John 8:48, 52.)  Here’s a neat thought that ties this section back to yesterday’s reading.  If Jesus is the door, should we not expect division?  What do doors do but allow access and prevent access?  Is not the purpose of the door to separate?  In Matthew 25:31-46 we hear that Jesus separates the sheep from the goats.  Of course there was division.  Division follows those who tell God’s truth.  God’s truth divides those who humble themselves to it from those who refuse to be humble before it.

Into which division do you fall?  Does Jesus ask for too much and you think Him insane?  Do you submit to Him and do as He asks?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 10:22-30