Today’s Reading: John 10; Psalm 65
“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” – John 10:1-5
There is so much that Jesus is revealing about himself in this chapter. If we lean in and look closely at this passage, we might gain a better understanding of our Lord and Savior this morning. You see, Jesus does not want to remain a mystery to us. He invites us to get to know him, just as he went to great lengths to explain his analogies to the crowds of people who were seeking to understand who he was and who he came from.
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 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. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” – John 10:6-10
JESUS IS THE GATE.
Jesus came that we may have life, and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10b KJV). He not only opened up the gate, his coming provided the opening through which we can experience freedom — a gate that allows us to come and go freely, finding good pastures to rest in and to eat from. Before Jesus came, there was no gate. We were confined by our sinful nature, a slave to sin (Romans 6:6). But sin is no longer our master, because we no longer live under the requirements of the law, but under the freedom of God’s grace (Romans 6:14).
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” – John 14:6-7
JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.
Jesus walks ahead of us, and those of us who know his voice choose to follow him. He is the only way to truly experience abundant life. We can place our faith in him, trusting everything he said, because Jesus is truth. As we listen to Jesus, we gain an understanding of the sacrifice he made out of his deep love for us.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.” – John 10:11-13
JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
What a great reminder that Jesus cares deeply about us, protecting us from the enemy who attacks us. This enemy or wolf wants to scatter the flock, dividing us and creating chaos among us. This is his consistent mode of operation against the church and among followers of Jesus worldwide. But Jesus speaks out over the chaos, allowing us to hear his voice. If we will just listen to the voice of Jesus, we will be one flock with one shepherd.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” – John 10:14-18
The people in those days lost their patience with Jesus’ analogies. They wanted him to tell them plainly whether or not he was the promised Messiah. He had performed miracles among them, yet they refused to believe that he was sent from God. He revealed himself through every word spoken and every story told, but they did not listen to him because they did not recognize his voice.
JESUS IS THE MESSIAH.
Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” – John 10:25-30
Let’s spend time with our Lord this morning, soaking in the truth of who he was when he walked on this earth and who Jesus still is today. He is the gate; he has provided a way for us to experience abundant life. All we have to do is keep our eyes on our Good Shepherd, following his lead and listening to his beautiful voice. As we enter into a celebration of Thanksgiving, let’s find our way back to an authentic gratitude for the sacrifice that God made when He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we can experience freedom from sin and protection from the evil one.
Lord, lead us and we will follow. Speak to us and we will listen to your voice. Thank you for being the way, the truth and the life, providing a light for us in this dark world we live in. We are overwhelmed with love for you this morning. Amen.