JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD KNOWS HIS SHEEP

John 10:1-21                        Key Verse: 10:14-15

“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.”

As I reviewed my life in 2024 according to our key verse Romans 12:1-2, I could not but give thanks to God for His transformation work among us and through us, answering our prayers for each of our members. Even though some are not here, they told me that their lives are transformed though not all of them. If I share all of them, we have to spent time all day and night. I believe that you also have so many things to share, and we will set aside time for it, either individually or in a group. As I pray for our ministry direction for 2025, God inspired me with the question, to what should we be transformed as we renew our minds through meditating on God’s word, beginning from me. As Jesus asked Peter to take care of His sheep, Jesus wants us to be a good shepherd of God’s flock. How? Thank God that Jesus showed us the best model of the good shepherd. There are two parts.

   I. I Am The Gate (1-10)
Verses 1-6 is the figure of speech and verses 7-13 is its interpretations. Therefore, I will go deeper into the second part of the passage. Look at verses 1-6. A shepherd enters by the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the shepherd knows his sheep by name. As the sheep listens to the voice of their shepherd they come out. Then the shepherd leads ahead of them and his sheep follow him, listening his voice because they know his voice. He leads them to green pasture to eat grasses and to find rest. But a thief and a robber does not enter by the gate but climbs in another way because they want to kill and destroy them. The sheep do not listen to them because they are not their shepherd but strangers. Rather, they run away from them. Jesus spoke this figure of speech for the Pharisees, but they did not understand them. 
Yet, Jesus did not give up on them but explained the meaning of it for them to understand. Look at verse 7 and 9, “Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” Jesus is the gate. What does it mean? There are two meanings. First, Jesus is the gate of salvation. Whoever enters through Jesus will be saved because he is the gate of salvation. Since the Fall, all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, living in sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Gal 5:19-21). God is holy and righteous; therefore, he has to punish sin. The wages of our sin is death. It is not just physical death but spiritual death, which is eternal condemnation. Therefore, we are dead in our trespasses and sins, and become the object of God’s wrath, waiting for eternal punishment after death in the fiery lake of burning surfer. But God so loved all sinners in the world and sent his one and only Son to die on the cross to receive God’s wrath on our behalf. Moreover, he promised that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus not only died for our sins but also rose again from death to save us not only from our sins but also from the power of death and of Satan, giving us the eternal life in the kingdom of God. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus became the gate of our salvation. Amen! 
Secondly, Jesus is the gate to have life to the full. Look at 9b and 10b, “They will come in and go out, and find pasture…  I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Just as a shepherd enters and brings the sheep in and out of the gate in order to lead them to the green pasture so that they can eat grasses to the full, those, who enter through Jesus the gate, will find spiritual green pasture and have life to the full. Have you seen a sheep grassing to their fill? How happy and satisfied they look? They will leap for joy and perfect protection. When we enter our lives through Jesus Christ everyday, we are guaranteed to have green grasses and have it to the full, leaping for joy from above. Having life to the full may mean full of Jesus, full potential as King David said, “My cup overflows.” I can testify that God has blessed our members to be their full potential. Therefore, a shepherd should lead their flock to Jesus, the gate of salvation. 
But there are people who do not. Look at verse 8 and 10a, “All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Here the thieves and robbers are those who claim to be the gate, the way of salvation, before Jesus came to this world. They are false Messiahs. Their intention is not to save the sheep but to steal and kill and destroy. Therefore, the sheep have not listened to them. In history, however, there have been so many people who claimed to be the gate. Even today, there are more than thousands who claim to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Then, what about the people who have listened to those false Messiahs, following them? They are not Jesus’ sheep, who listen to strangers’ voice.

   II. I Am The Good Shepherd (11-21)

Now Jesus compared himself with the good shepherd. Look at verse 11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” As Jesus compared himself with the good shepherd, we are compared with his sheep. A sheep is the most vulnerable, defenseless and directionless. While all other animals have either a defense mechanism or an offensive one. With no horn and short legs, they cannot run away from a wolf or bear or lions. They have short eye sight, so they only follow either a shepherd or other sheep even if to the cliff. While all other animals have a natural instinct to find good grass from poisonous ones, while a sheep does. When they fall, they cannot even stand up by itself due to floppy wool if no one helps them. Therefore, they are totally lost without a shepherd and dependent on their shepherd. Thankfully, God gave them at least one good thing, ears to hear. They can distinguish their shepherd’s voice from a stranger’s. To a sheep, their shepherd is their lifeline.

Jesus said that he is the good shepherd because he laid down his life for the sheep. While we are still sinners, Christ died for us in order to save us from our sin and death. Jesus gave two reasons why he gave his life for his sheep. First, I know my sheep and they know me. Look at verse 14-15, “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.” Jesus claimed that he is the good shepherd because he knows his sheep, and his sheep know him. Here the word, ‘know’ means intimately knowing just as God the Father knows Jesus and he knows the Father. Of course, Jesus knows each one of us. Jesus came down to this world so that we come to know him and be saved. Jesus knows who we are. We are created in God’s image but became like sheep gone astray, totally helpless and hopeless. Jesus knew his disciples, who followed him but did not understand why Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross. Even the day before his crucifixion, the disciples were fighting with the topic who is the greatest. Peter would deny him three times and all others will run away when he was arrested, but when the Holy Spirit comes, they will be changed and will be powerful witnesses and go to the ends of the earth. For that purpose, the good shepherd is ready to save us with his life.  

Here is a good example of the good shepherd in the Old Testament. David was a shepherd boy. While taking care of his father’s sheep, he had to lay down his life for the sheep. Probably, at the beginning of taking care of his father’s sheep, David did not know what to do with a bear or a lion mauling his sheep. But he did not give up but learned how to use a sling shot. Yet, it was not easy to go after a bear and a lion when they took his sheep away. He could overcome fear and fought against them with his sling shot until he saved his sheep from the mouth of a bear and of a lion. It is because he loved his sheep as his own children. When he was rescuing his sheep, he experienced God’s hands with him. Later in his life when his life was on the verge of death by King Saul, David compared himself as the sheep and God with the good shepherd, saving him from the valley of death and in the midst of evil, leading him to green pastures, the path of righteousness and comfort. He believed that goodness and mercy will follow him all the day of his life and he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. David was a good sheep to God, listening to his voice and a good shepherd to his sheep, saving them from the ferocious animals and his people from their enemies. May God help each one of us to be a good sheep to God so that we come to know Him more and grow to be a good shepherd!

Secondly, Jesus obeyed His father’s command voluntarily. Look at verses 16-18. It was God’s will for Jesus to die not only for the Jews but also all the future disciples, including the gentiles, as it was prophesied many times so that there will be one new race under one shepherd, Jesus. Among many prophesies, Isaiah may be one of the best, 53:4-6 says, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus knew what was coming; being treated like a criminal, slapped and spit on his face, being beaten and crowned with thorns, being tried and whipped 39 times cruelly, carried the heavy cross and finally crucified like a murder with being made fun of and tempted to come down. In order to obey God’s will, he prayed all night until his sweat becomes drops of blood, saying, “If possible, take this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” Jesus voluntarily obeyed God’s will to suffer and die. Thank you, Jesus for setting a good example for us to follow.

Often many people think that God should move my heart so that it is easy to obey God’s will. But it is not the case according to Jesus’ example, voluntarily obeying God’s will. It is because God’s will is often against our ways, easy and convenient, earthly and flesh desires. In order for us to obey the will of God voluntarily, we probably have to deny our natural desires and follow Jesus, praying, “If possible, take this cup of suffering from me, please. Yet not my will but yours be done.”  

Yet Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who were called to be the good shepherd for the flocks of God. Look at verse 12-13, “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.” The hired person looks the same the good shepherd at the peaceful time. But when the wolf attacks the sheep, he would not fight for the sheep but abandon them and run away. It is because they do not have ownership. They do not care whether the sheep are mangled and died. They want to save themselves first. It does not mean that they are evil but just a little selfish caring for themselves first, saying, “I cannot risk my life for one or two sheep. There are many other live sheep, who need my care.” Here the hired hand is the Pharisees who supposed to be a shepherd for God’s flock. In the previous passage, however, they did not care for the blind to be healed but tried to make him to deny that Jesus healed him. They concerned about their political positions more than their sheep, thus planned to kill Jesus, their political opponent. (Lk 11:45-57) In Eze 34, God promised to punish such shepherds who only take care of themselves, not caring for the weak, healing the sick and searching for the lost.

God sent many flocks under my care, but one after another left for one reason and another. In stead of searching for them, I also made excuses, saying I have no time and there are many who need my care. May God forgive my hired hand mentality and help me to find them and restore them, knowing them by listening to them first.

Through today’s passage, we learned Jesus is the gate and the good shepherd, who gave his life for the sheep. May God help us to be a good sheep to our good shepherd Jesus through knowing him deeper and follow his good example to be the good shepherd of God’s flock under our care, giving our lives, overcoming hired shepherd mentality. May God raise 12 shepherds who can take care of one lost soul in 2025, beginning from me.