W E E K F I V E

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’ ~ John 10:11 ~

‘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.’ ~ John 10:14–15 ~

As you read John 10:11–42, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter.

What kind of person is safe and worthy of your trust?

Notice …

10:11 – 10:34

JOHN 10:11–42

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 sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.

18 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 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.

20 Many of them said, ‘He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?’

21 But others said, ‘These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’

Further conflict over Jesus’ claims

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,

23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.

24 The Jews who were there gathered round him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’

25 Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,

26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one will snatch them out of my hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no-one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and the Father are one.’

31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,

32 but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’

33 ‘We are not stoning you for any good work,’ they replied, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’

34 Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, “I have said you are ‘gods’”?

10:35 – 10:42

35 If he called them “gods”, to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—

36 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”?

37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.

38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.’

39 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 baptising in the early days. There he stayed,

41 and many people came to him. They said, ‘Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.’

42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Her story

Amy: ‘Vulnerable and fragile… she trusted his promise’

Amy, from North East India, grew up with her grandparents, as her parents were divorced when she was barely five years old. Each of her parents remarried and neither wanted her, leaving her feeling completely abandoned. Her other siblings, too, were distributed among the larger family. She finished school, but couldn’t study further as her grandparents did not have the means to educate her. She had a hard time surviving, so in her teens she left her village and went to South India in search of work. She did odd jobs here and there, managing to eke out a living for herself.

In the course of that time, she met a boy who became her boyfriend. Vulnerable and fragile as she already was, she trusted his promise of marriage and got sexually intimate with him. But when she got pregnant with his child, he abandoned her. Those were a difficult nine months and, under much duress, she managed to deliver the baby. Single and jobless, she was forced to put her baby up for adoption.

At that time, another man in that city who was from her community back home came to know of her situation, and he arranged for her to be taken in by an NGO. The day that Amy and the man walked into the organisation, she was weeping uncontrollably. When she heard that the NGO’s name was Esther, she broke down further. She had given away her baby 30 minutes before—and had named her Esther.

The organisation patiently travelled with Amy on the emotional rollercoaster that followed. She stayed for six months with them and went through vocational training. The team created a family environment where she was supported, and she felt loved and safe.

Amy received teaching on relationships, on what she meant to God and on how she could be restored. People were praying for restoration in her life and relationships. She eventually got a job that supported her. She forgave her parents. She was encouraged to reconcile with them. A couple of years down the line, she did reconnect with them. However, she never got her child back.

When she heard that the NGO’s name was Esther, she broke down further. She had given away her baby 30 minutes before—and had named her Esther.

Reflect

Love like no other

‘He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.’ – John 10:3

As the good shepherd, Jesus calls each sheep by name. The abused sheep is not unseen or unknown, but dearly loved. He leads her through life, guiding her footsteps, providing for her needs and familiarising her with his own voice. She is not a mistake or an inconvenience. As an earthly mother, Amy could not get her baby girl back, but the good shepherd, almighty and powerful, leaves behind the 99 other sheep to seek her out when she strays from his fold or gets lost along the way. Taking her up in his arms, he goes home rejoicing over this precious lamb that is precious and valuable to him.

‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ – John 10:10

Jesus had strong words for leaders, whether parents, teachers, husbands or employers, who would simply use a ‘sheep’ for their own purposes and abandon her when she became an inconvenience. Each girl child has been handcrafted by God, formed in his image and vested with significance and worth. A true shepherd, he pointed out, is one who treasures each sheep and invests in her growth and development.

‘The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’ – John 10:11

As the good shepherd, Jesus loved his sheep to death, cherishing their lives more than his own. His action speaks of love and value for each woman who has been made to feel irrelevant, insignificant or inferior. Her leader, the one who governs the stars and rules over nations, considers her so important that he would sacrifice himself in her place.

‘I know my sheep and my sheep know me.’ – John 10:14

Not only does this good shepherd keep tender watch over his sheep, but he also invites each one into an intimate relationship with himself. What is understood about Jesus as the good shepherd is also seen in a moving story from Ezekiel 16. From the moment the girl child drew her first breath, she was despised. No one had wanted this girl child, so they tossed her tiny body out into a field for her to die on her own. Helpless and abandoned, she cried and kicked about, calling with her infant lungs for someone to save her, accept her, wrap her in a warm blanket and to hold her to their bosom. Without love, she would shrivel and die.

A great king passing by noticed her and had pity on her. He provided for her basic needs, returning years later to check on her. He saw how she had grown up and needed clothes, so he covered her with his own garment. A third time, he returned and saw that she had become a grown woman who was still in need of love, so he betrothed himself to her, brought her home to his palace, washed her with his own hands and fed her with his own finest food. He dressed her in beautiful clothes and adorned her with costly jewellery, cherishing her as his own beloved and honouring her in front of his friends.

This story in Ezekiel 16, an allegory of God’s care for Israel, demonstrates his heart for every girl child born in human history. Jesus came to show what the Father is truly like, and in so doing he distinguished the way in which God cares for people from the way his corrupted image bearers do. Like the great king in the Ezekiel story, Jesus invites each unwanted woman to get to know him as he really is. Her experience of flawed leaders and lovers may have left her with a faulty view of her worth, but as she encounters the love of the good shepherd, she will begin to see herself through his eyes.

That love may come through a direct encounter with Jesus, but it can also flow to her through his representatives, the church. When each woman is treated with dignity, what the thief has sought to steal, kill and destroy is restored.

Jesus had strong words for leaders, whether parents, teachers, husbands or employers, who would simply use a ‘sheep’ for their own purposes and abandon her when she became an inconvenience.

Engage

What kind of person is safe and worthy of your trust?

  1. Identify
  1. Interpret
  1. Involve
  1. Intercede