I Am the Gate for the Sheep & I Am the Good Shepherd
Learn about the protective care and leadership of Jesus as the Gate for the Sheep and as the Good Shepherd.
Transcript
Today marks a big milestone for me. Greg, our lead pastor over both campuses, has been on sabbatical for almost a month and we’re still operating and more importantly, thriving! My goal is to get our first quarter reports soon to provide some data, but thank you to all of you for helping RiverLife thrive. While Greg has been out, I couldn’t have done it without such an awesome leadership and volunteer team. You are my muscle helping me out with what God invites us to do, so thank you.
Now, the idea of bringing the muscle means you need additional protection or support going into a fight, whether it’s figurative or literal. So, hypothetically speaking if you had to go into a fight, who would be your muscle? Who would give you the best chance to succeed? Who would you be confident in to protect you? For me, I think about all my favorite side characters from stories, shows, and movies who brought the muscle. Someone like the Green Ranger from Power Rangers would even out any fight. I love his determination to help even when his powers are drained. I think about Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead who was loyal to his group of friends. Rough around the edges, but selfless, resourceful, and compassionate to help others even though he was treated like an outsider. Or The Hulk from The Avengers. A great combination of the two I previously mentioned. Much, much greener and extremely rough around the edges, but with his unlimited strength, you can’t go wrong if you need to bring muscle into the fight.
This week, we continue the “I Am Jesus” series exploring 2 of Jesus’ statements that convey his promise to protect us. In John 10, Jesus says, “I am the gate for the sheep” and “I am the good shepherd” and there are a lot of descriptions that point to Jesus being our protector, but if I’m honest with you, when I think of a protector I think of a bodyguard. Someone strong, strategic, and skillful. Hearing Jesus say that he is our protector and then reference a shepherd and a gate doesn’t convey protection. If I’m honest, the image that I get is Farmer Hoggett from the 1995 hit, Babe. Farmer Hoggett is not the prototypical protector. But lets dive in to see what we can make of this. Like all the other “I Am” statements, they are things Jesus say that reveal to us his identity. So if you’re ready let’s jump in to see what Jesus is trying to reveal to us about his identity.
CONTEXT: Shepherd in the Old testament
Now, it’s important to understand the context of what’s going on. In the last 3 weeks, there’s been a direct reference to the Old Testament and today is no different. A shepherd was a common image in the Old Testament used to describe God. Genesis 48:15, Psalm 23, and Isaiah 40:10-11 all depict God as a shepherd. Shepherd is also used to describe all kinds of leader. The good, the bad, and the ugly We see an example in Numbers 27:16-17 and Jeremiah 23:1-4. This is what is says,
(Numbers)
“16 May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
(Jeremiah)
1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord.
2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.”
The image of a shepherd was used to describe a leader. We saw the contrast between a good and bad leader in Jeremiah so there was an expectation for leaders. They were expected to unite, care, and provide security for the people so they could thrive. Now, hold this thought for just a second cause we’ll come back to it.
CONTEXT: feast of dedication/Hanukkah
Now, John 10 took place close to the Festival of Dedication, which is also known as Hanukkah. This Jewish celebration is still practiced today, and it celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. Much of the historical information about Hanukkah that I’m going to share comes from the NIV Application Commentary. Hanukkah’s roots go back to 160 BC. Leading up to 160 BC, Greek influence also known as Hellenization caused many Jewish people to assimilate to the Greek way of life including cultural and religious practices. This meant some compromised or even abandoned their faith. Notably, Greek influence meant conquests over nations so the Greek king, Antiochus IV, invaded Jerusalem, captured the city, constructed a statue of Zeus in the Jewish temple, banning all Jewish religious practices.
There was resistance though. A group of Jewish fighters rebelled against Antiochus and Hellenization, recaptured Jerusalem’s temple, and rededicated it to God. Hanukkah is a Hebrew word meaning “dedication” and that’s why it’s referred to as The Feast of Dedication in John 10. Hanukkah also became a season where people reflected on hard questions about failed religious leadership. How and why did the priests compromise and abandon their leadership and faithfulness to God during this period? Where were the spiritual leaders? How do these historical events inform religious leaders today? Scholars believe that during the Festival of Dedications, the religious leaders would read passages like Ezekiel 34:2-10 to reflect on God’s standard of a religious leader. And keep in mind, leaders were referred to as shepherds. Here’s what Ezekiel says about leaders,
2 “Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. 7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
The religious leaders and the people would reflect and consider what a good shepherd or leader should be. Now, fast forward to Jon 10 and here comes Jesus declaring that he is the gate for the sheep and he is the good shepherd. He is the leader that the Jewish people are looking for. Pretty bold. “I am the gate for the sheep” and “I am the good shepherd” are two unique statements declaring that he is the leader they should expect and this is what he means. I’m going to start with the latter, “I am the good shepherd” and this will help us understand what it means when Jesus says, “I am the gate for the sheep”.
I Am the good shepherd
Let me re-read the portion of John 10 again where Jesus says that he is the good shepherd and highlight some things. This is what it says in verses 11-16,
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Three things I want to highlight:
The good shepherd protects the sheep by giving up his life for them.
The good shepherd and the sheep have a mutual relationship. They know each other.
The good shepherd is inclusive and adds more sheep to his flock.
Let’s start with the first.
The good shepherd protects the sheep.
When we contrast the good shepherd with the hired hand, the good shepherd cares for his flock.
This is also evident in two passages, Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34, mentioned earlier.
The good shepherd sacrifices his life when the wolf attacks so the flock can live.
The good shepherd is committed to the sheep even in danger. The good shepherd is selfless and sacrifices while the hired hand seeks self-preservation and self-interest.
Secondly, the good shepherd and sheep have a mutual relationship. They know each other.
The shepherd knows the name of each sheep.
The flock of sheep listens to the shepherd’s voice.
Lastly, The shepherd desires to add other sheep to his flock and have one flock.
The shepherd wants to create one flock of sheep with the sheep in his flock with other sheep outside his flock.
It doesn’t directly say it, but the meaning behind the sheep in the pen and the sheep that is outside describes the Jews and Gentiles. The sheep in the sheep pen are the Israelites, God’s chosen people, and the sheep that are not of the pen are outside the Jewish race. There is a desire to unite different kinds of people together.
So that’s the understanding we get when it comes to the image of the good shepherd. During a feast that reflected on previous leaders who ignored their responsibility to care for others, Jesus proclaimed that he was the leader who fit the mold of what a shepherd should be. And this understanding of the good shepherd helps us see what Jesus means when he says, “I am the gate for the sheep” in verse 7.
I Am the gate for the sheep
If I’m honest, when Jesus relates himself to a sheep gate, I didn’t think it was profound. I thought it sounded very dull. What’s so special about a gate? I realized I didn’t understand the context. Yes, a door isn’t all that exciting, but in its original context, this is what it means.
Shepherding during Jesus’ time meant the shepherd and his would wander the land and at night the shepherd would herd the flock into walled enclosures made of stone that were about waist high. There would be a small opening in the wall as the entrance and exit and sometimes the shepherd would close this off with resources he found or he, himself, would become the door. The shepherd would literally lay in front of the opening and be the door between the sheep in the enclosure and anything outside. This is significant because the shepherd put himself in harms way. We’re told that thieves, robbers, and even a wolf were dangers the shepherd faced, which represent detrimental things to our spiritual well-being. This is clear because John 10:10 says,
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The shepherd’s function is to protect and sheep and preserve their wellbeing, whereas the thief intends to harm the sheep. That’s what it means when Jesus says, “I am the gate for the sheep.” Jesus describes himself as the caring shepherd who is willing to do anything necessary to protect the people he cares for. He is committed to protecting those he cares for even if it means losing his life.
I often encode ideas by associating them with powerful images, so, what came to mind when I was studying this was the scene where the Tobey Maguire version of Spider-Man stops a runaway train. The only thing that separates safety from harm is Spider-Man. Jesus, the good shepherd, protects us, his flock, by standing in between anything dangerous. That’s what it means when Jesus says, “I am the gate for the sheep and “I am the good shepherd.”
APPLICATION
What does this mean for us? We’re told that we experience Jesus’ protection when we recognize who he is, and the primary way that we recognize him hearing his voice. All throughout John 10, we’re told of the mutual relationship between the shepherd and his flock. The shepherd’s care and protection for his sheep involves him knowing his sheep. He calls them by name and the sheep listen. The shepherd guides and leads his sheep and they follow. The shepherd guides and leads his sheep away from harm. He leads them to pastures where they can live, thrive, and grow. How do you hear him calling you? How do you hear him leading you? How do you hear him guiding you? How do you hear Jesus’ voice in your life?
I believe it could be an audible voice like how I’m speaking to you right now, but I think God often speaks to us through our inner voice, feelings, and thoughts coupled with his truth found in the Bible. John 10:3 says that Jesus calls us by name. He calls you by name and this is just my speculation, but I’d imagine that he gently calls by name in contrast to the aggressive thief. He calls you by name because he wants to lead you to a place to obey him. And obedience leads to life. So this morning, I trust that Jesus is calling you by name to follow him and obey him. And wherever he takes you, he promises to protect you. In a bit here, I’m going to pray for us, and I want us to take a moment to hear Jesus call us by name. I don’t know what you’re dealing with or the problems that you’re experiencing in your life. There might be a lot of noise in your mind about what you need to do, where you need to go, who you need to be, etc., but I want to take a minute and just simply listen. For me, I’ll often hear an inner voice gently calling my name and those are moments where I stay quiet and listen because I trust it’s Jesus inviting me to follow and obey him. So let me pray for us.
Jesus, you tell us in scripture that you call us by name. You invite us into a space where you lead us to experience life. Holy Spirit, I ask that you make yourself evident to us. Let us hear you call us by name.
Lead us where you want us to go. Be our shepherd and bless us with your promise in Psalm 23.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We thank you that you are the good shepherd. We pray and lift this in your name, Amen.