Continuing in this study of Jesus’ teachings from John 10, if the flock being described in verse 16 is the people of Israel, then the other sheep would be the Gentiles (including each of us who aren’t Jewish). I’m glad that I – and other Gentiles like me – were included!
Even in a ministry that was largely focused on reaching the Jewish people, Jesus was already looking forward to bringing more sheep into the fold, outside of the Jewish nation. And, we weren’t just “black sheep” of the flock. We also get to listen to Jesus and become an integral part of the family of God.
As the past few articles have studied Jesus comments on being the Good Shepherd, this specific message from Jesus is wrapped up in verses 17-18 of John 10.
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
John 10:17-18 NIV
These two verses might seem like a wrap-up, but I see two key points that Jesus made here, which I don’t want us to miss:
First, Jesus was not forced into giving up His life for our salvation. No one bound Him and killed Him without Him allowing them to do so. As He told the disciple who cut off the servant’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:50-54), Jesus had the ear of God the Father, who could bring supernatural forces to rescue Him upon request.
There are atheists who speak of God the Father sacrificing Jesus for mankind, as some sort of ultimate act of disrespect to His Son. In this misinterpretation of events, Jesus was a victim. In the words of Jesus Himself, though, we find that He voluntarily gave up His life for us (and even for those atheists who misunderstand), despite knowing what suffering that would produce. In that truth, we find that Jesus was a hero.
Jesus also gave up His whole life for us. Not only did He have a specific ministry for several years, resulting in His death, burial, and resurrection, but He also chose to overcome temptations to sin every day of His life, so that His life would be a perfect sacrifice.
If you are also a follower of Jesus, consider our own lives, now. We are saved by God’s grace, and our sins are all paid for. We also have the choice – daily – to give Jesus first place as Lord of our lives, or to continue to indulge in sins that we can get away with. Are we choosing to lay down our lives for Jesus Christ as we walk this earth, or are we picking them up again and doing what we want, instead?
Second, Jesus was obedient to His Father. Remember, Jesus had probably observed crucifixions throughout His life. The Romans would publicly demonstrate what happened to those who crossed them, and I suspect that Jesus had seen multiple people suffering and dying on crosses.
However, for all eternity previous, God the Son (Jesus) had never been out of fellowship with God the Father. When the sin of the world was laid upon Jesus on the cross, and the Father had to look away (see Matthew 27:45-46, Mark 15:33-34), I believe that this was worse than the most terrible physical and mental anguish that human beings could inflict upon Him.
Despite the anticipation of this, Jesus still prayed for His Father’s will to be done, and allowed what had to happen – i.e., for our salvation – to proceed. (See Matthew 26:36-46)
In conclusion to this mini-series, I encourage us to be “good sheep” in various ways today, and focus more on our Shepherd, rather than ourselves.
Let’s make sure that we have the right Shepherd. It might be difficult to learn to recognize a new voice (a truth that we should be considerate of when helping other people listen to Jesus for the first time), but following a thief or a robber out of the sheep pen is going to result in us getting “fleeced”.
Let’s make sure that we are listening to our Good Shepherd. If we haven’t learned to pick out His voice from others, we might be getting bad instructions. Listening to God means taking the time to hear from Him: through the Scriptures, quiet time to let Him speak, paying attention to Him, and maybe some sound teaching (with discernment, of course).
Let’s make sure that we are following the Good Shepherd. If He says to not jump over a metaphorical cliff, or to go to where the pastures are better for us, we must follow Him and not continue to wander off on our own.
Let’s lay down our entire lives for our Shepherd. This doesn’t just mean a one-time commitment. It requires giving our lives to our Lord every day.
And, if we are entrusted with the care of any of God’s sheep (i.e., other people, especially in the church), let’s make sure that we are shepherding them like Jesus shepherds us.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for January 14, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, January 14, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 