28th April 2022 – John 10:11-18
"11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may 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 I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”"
John 10:11-18
The metaphor changes once more in 11, and Jesus now speaks of Himself as the good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. This is an immensely rich concept, with associations of different kinds. We must see, for one thing, a link with the words of the previous verse, 'I am come that they might have life...', for it is the death Jesus died that is the source of that abundant life. His coming was a coming to die, and it was by dying that He won life for all His own. It is salutary for us to remember this integral connection between the blessings and enrichments of grace and His death on the cross. All possible blessings have their origin in and flow from Calvary. It is interesting to note that the 'shepherd' metaphor has its roots in the Old Testament Scriptures, where the reference is, not to the priests, or religious leaders, but to the rulers of the people, as is clear in passages such as Ezekiel 34-36, where the failure of the kings of Israel and Judah is the subject of the prophet's censure. This is not, of course, to say that it has no application to religious or spiritual leadership; it is simply that the kings were meant to be spiritual shepherds of their people as well as their political and constitutional monarchs. It was the fact that they were 'hirelings', not having a real care for the people committed to them, that brought upon them the anger and chastisement of the Lord. This is the real point of contact between the Old Testament picture and the scribes and Pharisees of our Lord's Day whose treatment of the man born blind is an eloquent symbol of their 'hireling' status.
27th April 2022 – John 10:7-10
“7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door.…
26th April 2022 – John 10:1-6
““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd…
25th April 2022 – John 10:1-6
““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd…
24th April 2022 – John 10:1-6
““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd…
23rd April 2022 – John 9:35-41
“35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have…
22nd April 2022 – John 9:25-34
“25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”…
21st April 2022 – John 9:25-34
“25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”…
20th April 2022 – John 9:13-25
“13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he…
19th April 2022 – John 9:8-12
“8 The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept…