John 10:42 “And in that place many believed in
Jesus.”
Scripture John 10:1-42
"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by
some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by
the gate is the
shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought
out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because
they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run
away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they
did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore
Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the
sheep. All
who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen
to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in
and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full. "I am the good shepherd. The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not
the shepherd who owns 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.
The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep. (the
hired hand vs the owner of a business - great
thing about the church - you care about your church) "I am
the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep
know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for
the sheep. 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. The reason my Father loves me
is that I lay down
my life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I
lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it
down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my
Father."
19 At these
words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"
But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.
Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" Can such a man let the dogs out? mp3
“Who let the dogs out”
STORY of
Rex letting the dogs out (compare at end to Jesus letting the dogs in to
heaven)
The importance of
understanding the setting:
The gate - The
watchmen - The pen - The sheep
- The desert - The
shepherd
22 Then came the
Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. HANUKKUH: Israel’s
enemy destroyed their holy place of worship. The Syrian leader sacrificed a pig
to Zeus on the
altar on which only sanctified animals were to be sacrificed to
YHWH. This was ultra blasphemy. A small group of priests known as the Maccabees
organized an army and set about liberating the temple from the Syrians. Having
driven them out, they were now left with the task of restoring the temple which
meant rebuilding it and most importantly sanctifying it holy to God. Of prime
importance was the relighting of the lamp which was to burn “perpetually.” Jesus is the light of the world - but also a
shepherd - the listeners would immediately know his references to Ez 34. And
the messiah as a good shepherd. Ezek 34:7-16
"'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 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, therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the
Lord: 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.
"'For this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As
a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look
after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were
scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the
nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their
own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in
all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the
mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down
in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the
mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,
declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the
strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and
the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
John
10:23 It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple
area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying,
"How long will you keep us in suspense? If you
are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in
my Father's name speak for me, but you do not
believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep
listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one
can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who
has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my
Father's hand. I and the Father are one." 31
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For
which of these do you stone me?"
"We
are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews,
"but
for
blasphemy,
because you, a mere man, claim to be God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? If
he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came — and the Scripture cannot
be broken—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent
into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's
Son'? Do not believe me unless I do what my
Father does. But if I do it, even though you do
not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the
Father is in me, and I in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped
their grasp.
40 Then Jesus
went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the
early days. Here he stayed 41 and
many people came to him. They said, "Though
John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was
true." 42 And in that
place many believed in Jesus.
VIDEO: Bluefishtv - the lost sheep
Rex let the dogs out - Jesus lets the sheep in!
·
Jesus is the good shepherd!
·
I am an under-shepherd!
·
You Fathers,
are an Oikos shepherd! You are not an Ez
34 shepherd, rather a Christ-like shepherd - you care for your flock as God
cares for you.
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