The Good Shepherd

John 10:11-16

INTRO: Good morning church!

Please turn your Bibles to John 10:11-16, and I’ll begin reading at verse 11 where Jesus says, “11. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12. "But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13. "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14. "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15. "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16. "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” In these verses, Jesus identified Himself twice as the good shepherd.

Not only did Jesus identify Himself as the good shepherd, but He explained why He is the good shepherd. For one thing, Jesus gave His life for the sheep as He mentioned in verse 11. He also mentioned it in verse 15.

There's another reason why Jesus indicated that He's the good shepherd. He knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him. We learn that from verse 14. Jesus compared Himself to a hireling, that is, one who was hired to tend the sheep. The hireling doesn't care for the sheep because he doesn't have a close bond with them. He's simply doing a job. When danger approaches, he's not going to take on the danger. He's going to flee. Why? Because the hireling is concerned about their safety more than they are concerned about the sheep. What about the good shepherd? The good shepherd is going to stand there and he's going to take on that predator, whatever it is.

Why? Because he cares for his sheep, they are his. He loves his sheep, and his sheep know that. They know him; they depend on him and they listen to him. The hireling is not a reference to all who work for wages, the laborer being fully worthy of his hire; but it denotes a class of persons who merchandise holy things, not out of regard for sacred values, but purely from selfish and carnal motives. The wolf was Jesus’ usual designation of false teachers (Matthew 7:15f) and their operation always results in scattering the flock.

God appears throughout the Old Testament as the true shepherd of Israel. Let’s look at Psalms. “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalms 23:1). “We are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture” (Psalms 79:13). “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock;” (Psalms 80:1). “For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.” (Psalms 95:7).

The whole 34th chapter of Ezekiel contains the metaphor of God as the good shepherd and the false leaders as the evil shepherds. Since in the Old Testament the metaphor shows God as the true shepherd of Israel, how are we to understand Jesus saying, “I am the good shepherd”? It is a declaration that Jesus is God. We see that when the Pharisees finally realized what he meant, they attempted to stone him for blasphemy (John 10:33).

In today’s lesson, I would like to take a look at this statement that the Lord is the good shepherd. We will look at passages from each of the gospel accounts that demonstrate how Jesus is the good shepherd. Jesus declared in John 10 that He, Jesus, is the good shepherd, and He explained why. Let’s look at some additional passages in the gospel accounts that will let us see Him in action so to speak, and we will see that the Lord truly is the good shepherd not just a shepherd.

I. Let's begin with the gospel of Matthew chapter 9 and let’s see how Jesus demonstrated He is the good shepherd by sending His disciples out to reach lost sheep. He did that when He gave the limited commission.

A. We begin in Matthew 9:35, “… Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”

1. We see that Jesus reached many people during His ministry. Matthew emphasizes that particular point in his gospel. He makes several summary statements of the Lord's work, and he shows that Jesus traveled from place to place, taking advantage of opportunities to teach and preach, also to heal people of their various diseases and illnesses.
2. We do not know how many people were reached by Jesus Himself. There's no way we can know that, but in thinking about all the traveling that the Lord did I would suspect it was a fairly large number. This was in about three years or so. Jesus was devoted to reaching as many people as possible.

B. Even though the Lord taught many people Himself, we learn from verse 36 that He was not able to reach everyone. We are told in Matthew 9:36, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

1. Just a few verses earlier in Matthew 9:34 we see the opposition of the Pharisees “But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.''” This opposition was so evident and its consequence was confusion and distress among the people.
2. When Jesus observed the multitudes, He saw people who were still in need of what He was able to provide. He had reached many people himself, but He had not been able to reach everyone.

C. What did He do? Jesus got His disciples involved in finding lost sheep.

1. He first told His disciples to pray about the situation. Matthew 9:37-38, “Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.''”
2. Christ viewed the confusion and distress of the people and sent out His disciples to bear widespread testimony to the truth. The word "compassion" in verse 36 gives an insight into the benevolent and gracious heart of Christ. It indicated His love, pity, concern, and deep emotional feelings for the "lost sheep" of the house of Israel.
3. This takes us to the next chapter where we see that Jesus sent the disciples. Let's read a few verses beginning with verse one. Matthew 10:1-8, “1. And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3. Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4. Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 5. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6. "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7. "And as you go, preach, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8. "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

D. The Lord then had some additional instructions for the disciples as He sent them out, but for right now we're looking at the fact that although the Lord reached many people Himself, there were many more in need. He got His disciples involved in doing the work that He had been doing and He sent them out to the lost sheep. We call this the Limited Commission. He said, don’t go to the Gentiles, and don’t go to the Samaritans. Only go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In other words, they are to only go to the children of Israel, the Jewish people.

1. As we look at what the Lord did, we see Him demonstrating that He is the good shepherd. Conditions in Israel at that time were dark and discouraging. The leaders were notoriously corrupt. The King had appeared, but His enemies were determined to prevent His acceptance on the part of the people. Yet, the people were entitled to their chance.
2. The disciples’ purpose when sent forth was to counteract the poisonous campaign of the Pharisees and to arouse Israel to the acknowledgment and reception of their true King. Jesus sent them out to find lost sheep that he had not found. That's the sign of a good shepherd. He wants to rescue as many sheep as possible. So He sends out others to do the work with him and shows powerfully why He is the good shepherd.

II. Let us next turn to the gospel of Mark. We want to point out that Jesus showed how He is the good shepherd by calming a storm. This is one of the great miracles that the Lord was involved in during His ministry, providing evidence to show that He truly is the Son of God.

A. Mark 4:35f, “35. On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side.'' 36. Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?'' 39. Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!'' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?'' 41. And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!''”
B. The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful lake. In the time of Christ it was surrounded by at least a dozen towns and was the most densely populated area of Palestine. It is thirteen miles long, six miles wide, pear-shaped; and the surface lies 700 feet below sea level. Steep mountains rise along both the western and eastern shores. It is fed by the Jordan River which enters at the north end and exits at the south where it resumes its course to the Dead Sea. The water is fresh and sweet, abounds with fish, and is edged with sparkling pebbly beaches.

1. Because the lake lies below sea level and is bordered by mountains, it is subject to very severe and sudden storms, such as the one related here. The wind can come down the mountains and can cause strong storms very quickly on the Sea of Galilee, and they can be quite rough.

C. Our Lord with His disciples, are going across in a fishing boat, and a great storm arose. Jesus demonstrated His divine power by causing the wind to cease, and then the sea became calm. The disciples were present, and they were greatly impressed with the Lord's divine power.
D. The point that I want to make is this. On this occasion, Jesus showed that He is the good shepherd by not allowing His disciples to be overcome by that storm.

1. Did the Lord prevent it from occurring? No. Did He have the power to prevent it from occurring? Yes, and we know that because He stopped it. But the Lord did allow that storm to arise, and He allowed His disciples to deal with it for a little while. However, He proved very clearly on this occasion, that He's the good shepherd and did not allow the disciples to be overcome.
2. Having said that, let's tie in a passage of scripture from the New Testament letters. Let's go to 1^st Corinthians 10:13 where it says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

E. Jesus demonstrated how He is the good shepherd in the Gospel of Matthew by sending the disciples on the limited commission. In the Gospel of Mark, He demonstrated He's the good shepherd by calming a storm. He did not allow His disciples to be overcome by that storm.

1. I think about a shepherd out in the field with his sheep and a storm comes up. What's the good shepherd going to do? He's going to take care of his sheep. He's going to lead them. He's going to help them get through that storm and to try to find them shelter. He's not going to leave a sheep. He's going to stay there with them. He's going to protect them to the very best of his ability.
2. I've always thought it was interesting that on the occasion we just read about in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus was asleep. If you look back up earlier to what happened in this chapter, you'll find that our Lord had been teaching and He was probably tired. On this ship, surrounded by His sheep, our Lord went to sleep. Was he concerned when that storm came up?
3. The disciples were filled with anxiety. Master, do you not care that we're going to die out here in this storm? Of course, our Lord cared! He saved them by not allowing them to be overcome by the storm, but He did allow them to face the storm. I can't help but think that the disciples learned a powerful lesson on that day. I would like to think that that lesson would help them as they would later carry out the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

III. Let's turn now to the Gospel of Luke. We want to point out from chapter 15 that Jesus showed how He is the good shepherd by finding lost sheep, Luke 15:1-2.

A. These verses show us how two groups of people reacted to the Lord. Verse 1 says, “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.” Here, Luke tells of the tax collectors and other sinners. These are people who needed what the Lord came to provide. They knew it. They recognized that they were sinners. They drew near to Him. They approached Him because they wanted to hear him. That is a statement that should be appreciated. These people drew near to the Lord to hear Him.

1. In the Gospels, we read about people who were in the Lord's audiences, and who were not there with the right motives. Sometimes there were people looking for something to use against him. Sometimes He was asked trick questions that were designed to entrap Him.
2. These people mentioned in verse 1 were there with the right motives. Jesus received them… for even a single sheep, was something of eternal value in the eyes of the Father. God loves every man. They drew near to the Lord to hear Him. In my imagination I think that that put a smile on the Lord's face, knowing that these people came to hear what He had to tell them.
3. Then verse 2 says, “And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them.''” How sad that the Jewish religious leaders murmured against the Lord. They criticized Him for associating with publicans and sinners and even having the audacity to eat with them. Jesus came to save the publicans and the sinners, and He came to save the Pharisees and the Scribes as well, but they did not recognize their sins. They thought that they were in good standing with God. The Lord pointed out otherwise.
4. Here we find two groups of people reacting to the Lord in two different ways. On the one hand, the publicans and the sinners drew near to the Lord to hear what He had to say. Then there were the Pharisees and the Scribes who murmured against him. Unconsciously, His enemies spoke in these words the Master’s highest praise. Intended by them as slander of course, but these words have been treasured by the church of all ages as eternal truth. In our Hymnal is the Hymn Christ Receiveth Sinful Men, number 643.

B. In Luke 15:3-6 as well as the rest of the chapter, Jesus had some things to say for the benefit of those who murmured against him. Let us look at the first parable because it involves a lost sheep.

1. Verse 3, “So He spoke this parable to them, saying:”... This is not the only time where the Lord faced a difficult situation, and turned it into a teaching opportunity. What He had to say has been recorded for our benefit. On the one hand, we might be upset with the Scribes and the Pharisees for treating the Lord the way that they did, yet it provided the opportunity for the Lord to tell a parable, providing a lesson not only for them but also to be passed down to us.
2. Let's read the parable about the lost sheep. “So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'”

C. The Lord says in verse 7 “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Think about that for a moment. The Pharisees and the Scribes trusted in their righteousness. They did not see themselves as sinners. Did they cause any joy to be experienced in heaven? No. What about that one sinner that the good shepherd found and brought home? That caused great rejoicing to take place.

1. Jesus said that there's joy in heaven when a lost sheep is found. I think we can see our Lord demonstrating how He is the good shepherd. You see, He knew the value of one soul.
2. Thinking about a shepherd with a large number of sheep. If he loses one, he might take the approach of, “Well, I've got all these others. I won't miss that one very much.” That's one way a shepherd might view his flock, but not the good shepherd. The good shepherd knows when one sheep is missing. He is concerned about that sheep. Jesus knew the value of one lost soul. Only a good shepherd would have such great wisdom.

IV. Let's turn back to the Gospel of John. We will see that Jesus showed how He is the good shepherd by protecting and saving a lost sheep. Let's start at verse one. As an aside here; some say that these verses don't belong in the Bible. “Though it cannot be proved that this story is an integral part of the Fourth Gospel, neither is it possible to establish the opposite with any degree of finality. I believe that what is recorded here really took place and contains nothing in conflict with the apostolic spirit. We shall study the narrative as it has come down to us.” [Coffman]

A. Let's read what happened. John 8:1f. “1. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2. But early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4. they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5. "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?'' 6. This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.'' 8. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?'' 11. She said, "No one, Lord.'' And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.''”

1. Jesus was asked to pass a sentence on the woman taken in adultery. I think we'd all agree that this poor woman was a lost sheep. She was caught in the act of adultery. She was accused by a hostile group of people. They are trying to use her to find something that they could use against the Lord.
2. They told Jesus what the law said about punishment for adultery, but they didn't quite get it right because the law said that both the man and the woman were to be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22) We should wonder at this point, where was the man? That very question has led some to suppose that maybe the man involved was one of the Pharisees. Anyway, the man wasn't brought forward, only the woman.
3. She was a lost sheep; she had been caught in sin. She had some hostile accusers, and she may have very easily lost her life. Jesus protected this woman. In addition to protecting her, He pointed out the hypocrisy of her accusers. It would have been easy for someone in the position they put the Lord in to say, I'm not getting involved in this situation and that is exactly what a hireling would do if a sheep was endangered. But you see, Jesus is the good shepherd, and a good shepherd doesn't act like that. The good shepherd knows the value of one lost sheep, and he's going to do whatever he can to save that sheep when it's in danger.
4. We imagine the Lord stooping down and writing on the ground… It certainly appears from what John recorded that these people continued to ask what the Lord was going to do about it. They pushed it, and finally, the Lord said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.'' That had to do with the instructions from the Old Testament about capital punishment by stoning, Deuteronomy 17:7, “The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people.” It seems these people finally had their consciences touched, and they left.

B. They left, and they didn't harm the woman but neither did any ask for forgiveness themselves. Jesus protected this woman, this lost sheep, as a good shepherd would. Why? Because He is the good shepherd. Throughout the scriptures we find that Jesus is shown over and over again to be the good shepherd.

CONCLUSION:
In John 10, He stated twice that He's the good shepherd, and He explained why He's the good shepherd. As you go through the gospel accounts, you will see our Lord demonstrating the fact that He truly is… the good shepherd.

Let's grow in our knowledge of the Lord as our good shepherd. We are to strive to continually grow in our knowledge, and we need to especially appreciate that He is our good shepherd. A sheep looks to the good shepherd for what they need, and they depend upon the good shepherd. Are you a sheep?

Invitation: The lesson is yours. Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If anyone has that need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

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Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg