05032020 – John 10. 1-10
Just in the way of some background info…young Hebrew boys of the first century would memorize THE ENTIRE TORAH.
Yep, the COMPLETE books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And they would be TESTED on it, too!
And you thought MY CONFIRMATION classes WERE challenging or hard!
All Hebrew MALES would have been able to connect Jesus’ words with the book of Numbers.
There it says, “that the Lord God would appoint someone “who shall GO OUT before them and COME IN before them, who shall LEAD THEM OUT and BRING THEM IN.”
Then, get this: Hebrew males who, after their initial instruction, went on to become rabbis or sought more advanced instruction would have MEMORIZED the entire HEBREW BIBLE by the time they were 18 YEARS OF AGE!
There were a lot of people who would have remembered the prophet Jeremiah’s words about “BAD SHEPHERDS” who “destroy and scatter the sheep!”
The prophets EZEKIEL, MICAH, and ZECHARIAH talked of the various “would-be-or-wanna-be-shepherds” who scattered the sheep and DID NOT feed them.
The use of “SHEPHERD” was also a widely and WELL-ESTABLISHED “positive image” to describe the role of G*D, certain KING’S, MOSES (himself), and other LEADERS in THE CARE-OF-THE-PEOPLE.
“SHEEP” was a metaphorical way of talking about the “PEOPLE OF GOD…” and had been, for centuries and centuries…
It was the Prophet ISAIAH who wrote, “All WE like sheep have gone astray: WE have turned every one to his OWN WAY, and the Lord has laid on HIS SERVANT the sins of us ALL.”
So it was, in the “Mediterranean culture,” that the idea of a “GOOD SHEPHERD” was an “honorable way” of describing a “good leader!”
The people listening to Jesus knew this and could resonate with what he was saying! Kind-of…
All of this is just about setting our CONTEXT for today…
Jesus ATTEMPTED to use these “well-known” and “long understood metaphors” to explain “HIS ROLE in the world.”
Jesus REALLY liked using METAPHORS! They made the people THINK and tied them into their historic PAST.
So, Jesus goes on to say that people who are going to A FARM must go in through the FRONT GATE.
IF they try to sneak in any other way, they are just thieves or poachers or random kids running amok on someone else’s property.
THE SHEPHERD also goes through the FRONT GATE, to tend to his sheep, be it on the farm, be it in a cave, or a sheep pen kind-of-structure-out-in-the-hills somewhere.
Safe inside, the sheep KNOW him and FOLLOW the sound of his voice. I don’t know if you know this, but sheep are HERDING animals and are NATURAL FOLLOWERS.
Also, just for the record: often the sheep of MORE THAN ONE SHEPHERD would be enclosed in the SAME PEN for safety AT NIGHT.
But it was also said that EACH SHEPHERD could identify HIS SHEEP, and would give them each A NAME.
In the morning when it was time for the sheep to be SEPARATED and TAKEN OUT to graze, the shepherd would CALL HIS SHEEP out of the combined flock BY NAME.
And because they KNEW HIS VOICE, they would come JUST TO HIM. Again, they are “natural followers…”
The Gospel explains that Jesus is using FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE to describe himself, but the people listening still DO NOT understand what he meant.
What else is NEW right?
SO, Jesus is FORCED to try again!
He got in their faces, a little bit and tried another route. I AM THE GATE, he boldly said.
“I came, that they MAY HAVE LIFE, and have it ABUNDANTLY.”
Jesus desires that you have a PLENTIFUL life, a GENEROUS life, an OVER-FLOWING life, and an INEXHAUSTIBLE, BOUNTEOUS, SUPER-ABUNDANT life.
A life that is FILLED with the BLESSINGS from on HIGH. A rich life. A full life. A good life. THAT IS WHY JESUS CAME.
SO, it begs the question…Do you KNOW JESUS? When he CALLS will you respond? Are you FOLLOWING him? Do you know the sound of his VOICE?
Just who is it that you are following?
Is it the GOOD SHEPHERD?
You see, the choice has ALWAYS BEEN – YOURS!
Amen.