As I was pouring over the book and gospel of John again this week. Specifically, chapter ten is how Jesus is the good shepherd. I find this book in the Bible incredible and love reading it because it draws me in to see Jesus differently from how Matthew Mark and Luke show us, Jesus, in the synoptic gospels.
Whereas, John shows us Jesus whom he loved. John also reveals Jesus as the truth in a new light!
Jesus leads us out and goes before us so we do not stumble as a good shepherd does. He protects us from harm and the lies of the enemy.
Yet, we do have to take up our swords of the spirit to wield the power of truth over the enemy as a continuous battle to keep the enemy under our footstools.
Moreover, as I was pouring over this chapter it became clear to me that Jesus is the good shepherd. He not only lays down His own life for us, but He also knows us and we know Him by hearing His voice and recognizing it.
Jesus does not disguise His voice and neither can His voice be mistaken for someone else by His sheep. Because His voice is distinct and recognizable by us. We know Jesus intimately because we can draw close without hesitation.
I love how when Jesus speaks, He speaks up to silence the enemy.
Furthermore, in reading John chapter ten, I realized how as Jesus is sharing how He is the good shepherd to the Jews that were surrounding him, they did not believe what he was saying nor did they trust it. So the point is they did not recognize His voice as the truth.
If the Jews themselves were sheep they would flee because the things Jesus was saying turned the tables on everything they knew about the Jewish laws, Jewish customs, and such.
See sheep follow the shepherd because they know the shepherd's voice and recognize who the shepherd is. And everybody I have heard always says sheep are dumb.
Yet, I would differ. If sheep flee from stranger's voices and run to the protection of the shepherd. And if they only follow the shepherd because they know the shepherd's voice and trust that He will protect them.
Then I do not think they are so dumb after all. Maybe sheep are smarter than we give them credit for.
In Jesus, we are one flock united in the love of God and the Holy Spirit. He is the only shepherd of truth and light. Everything else fails and falls short of the glory of God.
And nothing can snatch us out of the hands of Jesus. Doesn't that just give you abundant peace in knowing we have a savior and shepherd that does not fail to protect us or love us? Some days that truth just takes my breath away.
See the other interesting thing about sheep recognizing the voice of the shepherd is, they are obedient to respond to the shepherd. They are quick to follow and submit to his authority.
This is exactly like how when we recognize Jesus speaking to us, and we know He is asking us to do something even if it looks foolish to others we become obedient to Him because we want to please Him.
The bottom line is when Jesus speaks to us, His voice is powerful and all things are possible through Him. And we need to remember Jesus is trustworthy and does not want to harm us. And His character is good.
So whatever hurts or baggage we may have from previous wounds or circumstances or experiences we have had may have shaped our view of God or Jesus as not being good. We need to leave those lies behind us.
And if something has happened to shape our view of God as not having good character. We need to leave it at the door and check it at baggage claim as lost I do not want it back anymore. Because these kinds of thoughts are false and not based on the Word of God, but opinions or false assumptions.
See as Christians and followers of Christ we need to be like sheep who hear, know, listen, recognize, and are obedient to respond to Jesus as He speaks to us. We need to be doers of the Word of God like sheep are doers of what the shepherd leads them to do.
Thus, Jesus not only speaks with authority He also accomplishes the will of the Father with authority. Jesus also walks in authority and humility. The staggering thing about Jesus's authority is it is used with compassion and love.
Let me just add, the other part I love about John chapter ten is how Jesus says He is the door of the sheep and the only way to become part of the sheepfold is through Him. Which points us back to (John 3:16-17).That the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ and accepting the gift of salvation.
See Jesus came to save us and give us eternal life. He came to give us eternal hope and salvation. Jesus is the shepherd that will protect us and will keep us from stumbling. Because Jesus cares for us and willingly laid down His life for us by dying on the cross.
Jesus is not like the hired hand in the parable of the good shepherd who wanders off to leave the sheep vulnerable to the attacks of wolves or other predators. Instead, Jesus is the one who holds us close to protect us from any attacks of the enemy.
Here are some reminders to reflect upon this week:
Jesus is the good shepherd
Jesus speaks with authority in love
Jesus is trustworthy
Jesus voice cannot be mistaken by His sheep who know Him
We are safe in Jesus and protected from harm
We are chosen by God for a purpose
Jesus leads us into all truth!
I encourage you to dig into the gospel of John especially chapter ten to see how Jesus is the good shepherd!
References:
English Standard Version Study Bible (2008) Crossway Publishing, Wheaton ILL,
Picture by: wix.com
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