We Have a Good Shepherd | John 10:11-42

Read John 10:11-42

RAMP: READ / ANALYZE / MEDITATE / PRAY

R: Read the Passage

Read the passage fully from start to finish — and read it again! 

A: Analyze

Journal your response to these questions:

1. What does this say about God?

Ooooh, there is so much in this passage about Jesus — who He is and who He is in relation to God the Father (they are ONE). 

2. What does this say about you?

Again, you’re the sheep. Sorry. 

3. Is there a command to follow?

For starters — follow the Good Shepherd, not the hired hand. 

What else do you see as a command for you to follow as you follow Christ?

4. Is there a sin to repent of?

Knowing you are a sheep, and knowing there are options for gates and options for who to follow, have you been choosing wrong gates and following the wrong leaders? Ask God to reveal your sin, acknowledge it, ask God to forgive you, ask God to give you the strength (His strength) to turn from those sins and chase after righteousness found in Christ.

5. Is there a promise to claim?

Whew, yes. A BIG ONE sits in verses 27-30. What other promises do you see?

Nicole’s Notes:

It’s important to remember this passage is a continuation of last week’s passage on Jesus being the Gate (and the Gatekeeper!) In verse 10, Jesus warns us of the enemy, who has come to steal, kill and destroy. This truth about the enemy us tucked right in the story of Jesus telling us He’s the Gate AND the Good Shepherd. But at the same time, scripture warns us of an enemy — a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy, a wolf with a hunger for blood. This is NOT passive language around our greatest enemy. This is strong language which should perk us up to the reality that along the right path, as we follow the Shepherd, there is one who is constantly lurking and distracting and deceiving us. 

In Jesus’ teaching, He tells us two very important truths about Him being a Good Shepherd:

1. He lays down His life for His sheep.

2. He knows the sheep and they know Him.
   

Laying Down His Life

So many times in Jesus’ teaching, He shows a contrast in order to tell us who He is by revealing who He is not. In this case, he immediately tells of another character, whom He is NOT — a hired hand. Yikes. What a statement. There’s a difference in a shepherd and a hired hand. 

• A hired hand doesn’t care

• A hired hand doesn’t protect

• A hired hand abandons

• A hired hand is not committed to the work

• A hired hand is temporary

• A hired hand doesn’t own the sheep, he is simply there to manage them out of duty not delight.

Let me ask you this — are you placing your faith in a hired hand? Are you placing your trust in someone or something that will abandon you when you’re under attack? 

Is your hired hand a person?

An addiction?

Fame, glory or influence?

Hired hands do not care about you. Hired hands will abandon you. Guaranteed. They have no reason to stick around. They are not in your life because they love you or else you would feel loved by them.

Verses 12 and 13 give us a terrifyingly accurate picture of how hired hands act — they jump ship when the wolf comes, allowing the sheep to be attached and then scattered. The destruction is widespread. The pain is felt by everyone. There is damage far beyond just one sheep. The entire flock is attacked and then scattered.

Do you feel attacked and scattered? What about your friend group? Your family?

If so, you’ve been deceived and led by a hired hand. You are NOT being led by the Good Shepherd of Jesus Christ. This is not soft language because this is no small matter. In this life, there is a Savior and there is an enemy. Take a look around your life and your heart and see who you are following. Be honest about who has the greatest influence in your life. Be honest about what cliffs you’re being led off. Be honest about the condition of your heart based on who is leading you. 

And then know this — there IS a Good Shepherd. There actually is One who is GOOD. Who is purely good. And who wants good for you and for His own glory. Because when you are good, He is glorified. When you are good, it reflects His goodness.

In true Good Shepherd fashion, Jesus is always leading us to life — abundant, fruitful, eternal life. He leads us there with care, concern and love, which comes out of His obedience to the Father. The thief, hired hands and even ourselves (yikes) are always leading us to death, to temporary satisfactions which may seem good to us but are deadly.

The Good Shepherd leads with love and truth. The enemy leads with lies, doubt and deceit.

To Know and Be Known

The second truth we see about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, is the heart-wrecking truth that He knows His sheep. AND THEY KNOW HIM. But this isn’t a casual knowing. This is not like you know your neighbor or your coworker or your favorite barista. This knowing shared by the Good Shepherd and His sheep is the same kind of knowing shared by God the Father and God the Son. 

A knowing that is stemmed from BEING. God the Father knows God the Son because they are the same. God the Son knows God the Father because He IS the same God. In His very being, Jesus IS God. He doesn’t just know about God because He has been around Him hanging out in Heaven. He knows God because He IS God. 

This level of knowing is the way Jesus describes His relationship with His sheep. It is a knowing based on being — as followers of Jesus (His sheep) we are given His divine nature, meaning we now have His holiness, His righteousness, His identity, His purity. We are a new creation IN Him. An exchange happened at the cross — our sinfulness was exchanged for His righteousness.

Hear me on this — this level of knowing is what leads to the laying down. 

The laying down of His life for His sheep is a direct result of LOVE from the Father, which is the love of the Son for the love of the sheep. 

What does Jesus say in verses 17-18 — He lays His life down just to pick it back up. What?! Jesus is once again teasing about His own death, burial and resurrection. Jesus didn’t just say the Good Shepherd could lay down His life or should lay down His life. He guaranteed that He would lay down His life for His sheep — and then pick it right back up. 

Jesus would die on a cross out of obedience to the Father, be buried in a borrowed tomb and then raise to life defeating death once and for all. Don’t ever think Jesus’ life was taken from Him by those mean ole’ Romans. NO — Jesus GAVE His life freely. He knew His assignment when He left Heaven and came to earth. He lived His purpose every single day. And He accomplished His work out of glad submission in obedience to His Father. 

Talk about authority — the exact concept He had really been wanting the Pharisees to understand this whole time. He has the authority to lay His life down. He has the authority to pick it right back up. Why? Because His authority comes from the Father — He is the Father and His Father is in Him. 

As you can imagine, the Jews were all messed up. Some heard all this teaching and believed. Their eyes had been opened by the Light. But some rejected. And Jesus just kept on teaching. In fact, the Unbelief led to their continued searching. They kept seeking and He kept teaching. Even the hardest hearts are hungry for truth. Jesus kept teaching because He desires for all to know Him.

Those who were still seeking said to Jesus — "just tell us plainly! Are you who you say you are?” And Jesus responds “I have been telling you, but you are not getting it.” 

Harsh, maybe?

Remember His teaching about the sheep. There are some who DO belong to the flock and some who DO NOT belong to the flock. Jesus basically said, “I have sheep in this flock and there are those are are not yet sheep of this flock — But I have come for all the sheep!”

Those in the flock of Jesus are promised eternal life.

They listen to His voice. 

They know Him and are known by Him.

They are safe and secure — now and for eternity.

They cannot be snatched from His hands.

This whole thing just makes the Jews even more mad. They try to stone Him even though Jesus is teaching and living and showing them WHO He is — the One prophesied about in the scriptures. He’s on assignment from God the Father and is doing His Father’s work.

I truly believe what Jesus tells them is what we need to hear too — when it’s hard to believe Jesus, believe His work. When it’s tough to believe what He says, believe what He does. Look to His miracles because they lead straight to Him. 

M: Meditate

There’s a lot to think about from this passage. Sit in it for a while, soak it all in. Ask yourself the hard questions … and then answer them. It’s ok to feel conviction — that’s God’s kindness in your life. It’s also ok to feel an immense level of gratitude for how Christ has been your Good Shepherd. 

Look back over your life and see the differences in being led by one who deceives and the One who loves.

P: Pray

Pray your notes back to God — the hard ones and the grateful ones.

• Ask God to forgive you from following a hired hand

• Ask God to help you follow Him

• Thank God for being your Good Shepherd

• Thank God for enlightening you with the truth and inviting you into the flock of Jesus

• Pray for those who are not yet in the flock. Ask God to reveal Himself to them. Ask God to help them see His miracles because they point to HIM!