DAILY REMINDER – Today, November 8’s Bible reading is John 9-10.
NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, November 9’s Bible reading is John 11-12.
May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.
JOHN MOMENT – (08NOV19)
I AM
the Gate (John 10:7,9)
[“… so he explained it to them:
“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. Yes,
I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and
go freely and will find good pastures” (John 10:7,9)][1]
Sheep
are not known for having a great intellect, but they can be loving pets,
dependent on their breed. These tender animals are quite dumb according to many
researchers and yet, some scientists disagree and are of the opinion that they
are just a product of their environment; therefore, these scientists have found
them to be more intelligent than they are given credit for.[2] Sheep have a number
of distinguishable traits – one of which, being easily frightened and can only
run during danger, but will oftentimes fail to do so, thus leaving them totally
vulnerable. As a result, predators can easily kill them if left unattended. Coyotes,
foxes, eagles, wolves and other animals are known to have their way with sheep
as well as thieves.
The shepherd must
ensure that the sheep are safe by providing them a pen where they can stay
inside so that they will not encounter any dangerous prey or thief. For the
sheep to get inside the pen, it is necessary that a gate serves as a main point
of entry. This gate is to be secured so that nothing can threaten the sheep. If
the gate is left open and unattended, a dangerous animal or person can come in
and kill the sheep, or the sheep can make the mistake of straying away from the
rest of the flock and get lost. Either way, the gate is important to provide safekeeping
for these defenseless animals.
The
Apostle John wrote in his Gospel that Jesus described Himself as being the
Gate. Christ is the Gate made available to keep the sheep safe from dangerous prey
and predatory thieves. He is the safety gate that ensures protection from the
wolves of sin, false doctrine, and spiritual compromise. Jesus as the Gate
provides protection from the winds of change that tries to sway the sheep in
other directions contrary to the will of God. He is the Gate that provides
boundaries that surrounds the sheep which lets them know if they are straying
away from God. The Gate discourages anything or anyone that does not belong such
as vandals who would try to steal the spiritual knowledge that the sheep have
learned and sabotage their spiritual discernment. Jesus speaks about the
thieves and robbers who would try to enter through another way in order to get
to the sheep and access the Father other than through the Gate. Jesus, however,
is the Gate and the Gatekeeper who protects the sheep from the enemy who seeks those
whom he may devour.
Jesus,
being the Guardian of the sheep, was willing to lay down His life at the
entrance to the pen for the sheep to be saved. Any prey or robber who would
threaten the sheep would have to go through Him to get to them. Such prey or
robbers can come in many forms such as sexual immorality, debauchery,
witchcraft, idolatry, murder, greed, and all works of iniquity. Jesus was not
willing that any of His sheep would perish, so He gave up His life to prevent
the enemy from being able to destroy His sheep due to the consequences of sin. His
role as the Gate and the Gatekeeper not only keeps the evil prey out, but He
also keeps the spiritual sheep in for He is their hiding place because sheep
are prone to wander outside of the fold. Whereas shepherds in the natural could
lose their lives and then the sheep would be left totally defenseless to be
overtaken by vicious animals or thieves, Jesus willingly laid down His life so
that the sheep would forever have a hedge of protection around them to keep the
enemy at bay.
A. Overview
of Divine Qualities as the Gate.
a.) Oneness
with the Father
aa.) Jesus is the Gate by which man can get to the
Father. Because they are One, no one is able to bypass the Son to get to the
Father for He watches over His sheep.
b.) Incarnate
nature
bb.) Jesus provides protection over the sheep to keep
them from the wolves and robbers who would compromise them spiritually just as
God provided protection over the Children of Israel through His servant Moses.
c.) Transcendent
qualities
cc.) Jesus’ ability to guard His sheep against the
demonic attacks that may threaten to harm them shows God’s care for His
children that none of them should perish.
d.) Redemptive
works
dd.) Jesus sacrificed His life for His sheep to rescue
them from the dangers of hell so that they may enter the gates of eternity with
Him guarding their way.
B. Application
of the Believer
a.) Many
people in the modern age erroneously believe that there are many paths to God
and that they can bypass Jesus altogether. Jesus is the only Gate that one can
enter in order to have access to the Father. He sacrificed His life so that man
could live, and this is why no one can come to the Father unless they go
through His son Jesus Christ by accepting Him into their heart.
I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
[“I am the good shepherd. The
good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep” (John 10:11)][3]
There are not a
lot of people who would desire to be a shepherd. It is one of the most isolated
professions that a person could have, but it is one of the oldest and humbling occupations
known to man. Historically, shepherds have been known to spend months away from
civilization and live where their sheep were housed and grazed to provide
protection and care for them. The shepherd was responsible for ensuring that his
sheep had food and water, care for their injuries, protection against robbers, assistance
with their birthing process, sheared their wool, and so much more. Their basic
essentials and every day care were provided for by the shepherd.
One of the
vulnerabilities of sheep is that even though they have a wide peripheral vision
to see prey, they have poor visionary depth. Sheep have been known to follow
other sheep to their demise due to their lack of perception.[4] Yet, what they lack
in sight, they compensate for in their excellent hearing skills. Therefore, the
sheep listens for the voice of their shepherd and follows him wherever he goes
because they have learned to trust his voice.
Sheep naturally
like to flock together, but the shepherd has a duty to care for them both
collectively and individually. Sheep can never be left to wander the fields
alone, for they will follow one of their own such as an Ewe into trouble. They
are not able to fend for themselves and if they get caught in a bush or even land
on their backs, they are unable to readjust themselves independent of their
shepherd’s help and would die. Therefore, shepherds would sometimes hire help
to assist with their care of the flock, but the hired help was never as
dedicated to the sheep as the shepherd was. They would not defend the sheep
against danger if it became a matter between their lives and that of the sheep.
The shepherd, however, would fight danger to the death to defend those that
were his.
Jesus declared
in John’s Gospel that He is the Good Shepherd and that His sheep knows and
obeys His voice. Earthly shepherds must dedicate time towards educating
themselves about sheep’s behavior whereas Jesus, being the Good Shepherd,
already knows His sheep by name and their traits because He is the one who
created and love them.[5] The sheep are never
in danger of the enemy getting inside the pen if they learn how to discern His
voice and stay close to their Shepherd. They will run away from the stranger
whose voice they do not know such as the sound of strange doctrines,
compromised churches, false prophets, and seducing spirits.
Jesus has
provided a banner of protection against any wolves or potential robbers to
prevent his sheep from being led astray through prayer and the study of his
Word. He has already laid down His life so that His sheep do not have to be in
fear of the enemy’s tactics. As the Shepherd, Jesus loves the sheep by
providing for them, heals their wounds when they get injured, shears them so
they can experience new spiritual growth, and uses His rod of correction to realign
them when they try to err off the narrow path, for sheep are known to be
stubborn animals. He defends them against the enemies of temptation used to
distract them because sheep are not able to defend themselves and will only run
during danger but can easily be caught by prey. Jesus also looks for the
missing sheep who have gotten lost so that they never feel alone even when they
made poor choices. He uses His staff to bring them out of life’s entanglements
that got them trapped when they felt there was no way out. The Shepherd leads,
guides, watches, protects, and comforts all of those who not only hears but
listens and obeys His voice. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep which was
the ultimate act of love that a shepherd could have.[6]
A. Overview
of Divine Qualities as the Good Shepherd.
a.) Oneness
with the Father
aa.) Jesus is the Good Shepherd who watches over His
sheep, for He never slumbers nor sleep just as God watched over Israel while
they were under enslavement by Pharaoh. He had not forgotten nor forsaken them even
during their darkest times. Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, watches constantly in
Oneness with the Father over those who are His.
b.) Incarnate
nature
bb.) Jesus is the Good Shepherd for He has the same
love, care, and concern of the Father within Him and through His wondrous works
on earth showed God’s traits that are everlasting.
c.) Transcendent
qualities
cc.) Jesus’ voice stands out to those who know Him and
because they know Him, they will also know the Father for He is the Guardian
for all who will follow.
d.) Redemptive
works
dd.) God gave His only son Jesus to die for the sins of
the world thus showing that He is the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down
His life for His sheep. The world did not deserve Him, but He loved them so
much that He was unwilling to let them perish without having the chance for
redemption.
B. Application
of the Believer
a.) Jesus
is the Good Shepherd and those who know His voice will follow Him. One may ask,
“How can I know the voice of the Shepherd?” Jesus is the Word that was made
flesh for man to know the knowledge of God. Therefore, all one has to do is
pray and ask for wisdom as they feast upon His WORD daily by which they are
able to become familiar with the voice of God.
[1] John 10:7, 9 (New Living Translation).
[2] Richard Cobb, "An Introduction to Sheep
Behavior - Sheep & Goats," Illinois LiveStock Trail, last modified
January 22, 1999,
http://livestocktrail.illinois.edu/sheepnet/paperDisplay.cfm?ContentID=1.
[3] John 10:11 (New International Version).
[4] BBC News Staffer, "BBC NEWS Europe
Turkish Sheep Die in 'mass Jump'," BBC, last modified July 9, 2005,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4665511.stm.
[5] Alex Sosler, "Love In The Ordinary:
Leadership In The Gospel Of John," The Journal Of Applied Christian
Leadership 11, no. 2 (Fall 2017): 11,
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/2093227885?accountid=12085.
[6] Sosler, "Love in the
Ordinary," 12.
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