John 10:1-21 How To Listen To The Shepherd's Voice - Part 2

09.08.09 John 10:1-21 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 10:1-21

Going Deeper: Study Guide

How To Listen To The Shepherd's Voice - Part 2

Today we are continuing on in The Gospel of John, as we started the first section a couple of weeks ago. So we are in part 2 of John 10:1-21. As a result of Part 1, we discovered what being a shepherd involved in Bible times, so that we could understand what Jesus is saying in our passage. In chapter 10 Jesus continues to address the Pharisees, and the formerly blind man whom Jesus miraculously healed, and those who were around in chapter 9.

Shepherding in the Ancient Near East is vastly different from what we may be accustomed to in North America. The shepherd’s job was difficult and varied and the main tasks were to protect his sheep from robbers, wild predators, and to search out pastures and water supply. We also learned that in Biblical times the shepherd would be seen leading the flock - going forward first instead of driving the sheep from the rear. The shepherd of Biblical times would name his sheep and the sheep would be able to recognize the shepherd’s voice. The shepherd loved his sheep and counted his flock one by one as they entered the sheep pen. The metaphor of a shepherd was used extensively in the Bible to depict the duty of kings, priests, prophets, and leaders - that they were entrusted to faithful oversight of God’s people. The image of a shepherd is used of God in relationship to His people, and Jesus being our Chief Shepherd.

It is this very background that we understand what Jesus is teaching us today as He addresses the Pharisees, who failed as Israel’s shepherds for a multitude of reasons. And in the direct context of chapter 9, that they had failed in regards to the case of the blind man - in seeing the clear sign of who Jesus was, due to their own spiritual blindness.

Now I invite you to follow along in your Bibles as I read from John chapter 10, starting in verse 1 to give us the context from last time….reading down to verse 21:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 "A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. 7 So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters [them]. 13 ["He flees] because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock [with] one shepherd. 17 "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." 19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, "He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?" 21 Others were saying, "These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?"

There are 3 responses for us to make in response to God’s Word. If you want to know how we can listen to the Shepherd, Jesus - it is achieved through 3 areas:

1. You Can Know The Shepherd’s Voice By Knowing The Saviour (v.1-10)
2. You Can Know The Shepherd’s Voice Through Commitment (v.11-16)
3. You Can Know The Shepherd’s Voice Through Love And Obedience (v.17-21)

Last time we covered only the first application - point 1, which I will give a brief review…
1. You Can Know The Shepherd’s Voice by Knowing The Saviour (v.1-10)

Once again Jesus has something important to state - Truly, truly, I say to you… adressing the religious teachers and priests in the way that the people viewed them as the shepherds of the people of Israel. Jesus contrasts this with those who are indeed true shepherd’s that belong to Christ.

In Jesus’ time sheep were kept in herds in an open sky fold of the sheep, that was enclosed usually with a stone wall. There was one entrance to the fold of the sheep, guarded by the shepherd or by a hired hand. The shepherd would guard the sheep by sitting or lying down in the entrance. Anyone who does not enter by the door into the fold - that is one who climbs over the wall - clearly was up to no good. This is how the thief and a robber would enter, circumventing the normal entrance guarded by the shepherd. Only the shepherd, has the right to go in by the door. The doorkeeper would open the gate for him, and because the Shepherd calls his own sheep by name and they know their master’s voice, so they respond. Now that all his sheep are brought out the shepherd leads them out by going ahead of them. When the shepherd used his voice his sheep follow him.

Now if a stranger tried to lead the sheep, they will not follow that person - even if it was a shepherd of another flock - rather the sheep would flee because they are so in tune with their master’s voice.

So Jesus used this figure of speech - addressing the Pharisees, but they did not understand any of it because they were spiritually blind. Therefore Jesus now gets more direct and declares - I am the door of the sheep therefore applying these figures of speech to Himself. Once again we see Jesus using the emphatic I AM statement - expressing His Deity and metaphorically His role in the salvation of those who would believe in Him and truly enter into His fold. In contrast all those who came before Jesus whether false Messiahs, false teachers, false leaders - they are the ones who entered the fold by climbing over the wall - these are the thieves and robbers (like the Pharisees). These were you could say the wolves in shepherd’s clothing.

Very plainly and simply Jesus is the door. This emphasizes the reality and truth that Jesus is the only way to enter into a saving relationship with God.- If anyone enters through Jesus Christ, that person will be saved - there is no other means of being saved from your sins - this is God’s only ordained method. If you enter through the gate - that is Jesus Christ - then you are delivered from the wrath of God for your sins and brought inside to be a part of God’s flock to be able to enjoy the rich blessings of God’s pasture.

Jesus now expands upon the character and motives of the thief which is self-centered. For the thief comes to do damage to the flock, and stays only to steal but is also prepared to and kill and destroy. By emphatic contrast - Jesus has come to offer abundant life to His sheep - and have it abundantly. It is through God’s Word that God gives us the most intimate glimpse of who He is, who the Shepherd is, and His eternal plans.

As Jesus states - I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved (v.9). As God draws and you respond, the one who comes in humble faith to Jesus will be transformed by the Word, and will be given the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, upon being saved. The Holy Spirit is our resident truth teacher. Without the Holy Spirit we will not know the Shepherd’s voice… we will not be able to interpret and apply God’s Word. If you don’t enter in at the right gateway your efforts at hearing the Shepherd’s voice will be ineffective because in order to intimately know the voice of the Shepherd we must be born again. If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Saviour then you cannot know how to discern His voice from the rest of all the other multitude of voices in this world.

If we do have Jesus as our Saviour then we can hear His voice through His Word, the Bible. This is His way of communicating with us. We Can Know The Shepherd’s Voice By Knowing The Saviour - through God’s Word and His salvation from our sins. Not only this but as we get into our text for today starting in John 10:11 we find that -

2. You Can Know The Shepherd’s Voice Through Commitment (v.11-16)

v.11 - Once again we see Jesus using the emphatic I AM statement - Jesus says in verse 11 - I am the good shepherd. The word good in the Greek does not mean morally good - but has a deeper meaning - it means total beauty and loveliness. In other words Jesus is saying that He is the pre-eminent good One, excellent in every way, lovely and beautiful in every regard. This is a comforting statement for Christians of all time and for us today. Jesus takes care of us in every way as a shepherd does to his own flock. Jesus is our consummate Ruler, Leader, Comforter, and Protector. Jesus is the good shepherd because of something greater that Jesus has willingly and voluntarily done for us - that is the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep - He is the good shepherd and not just a shepherd - there is no other Shepherd (it should bring to mind Psalm 23 - The Lord is my shepherd…). This is the ultimate care that Jesus affords for His sheep.

It was in Jesus’ day that a shepherd protect the flock, but it was rare that a shepherd would go to the extent of dying in order to save a sheep. If a shepherd did die in trying to save one of the flock, it was most likely by accident. A shepherd’s death would mean disaster to the flock, but with Jesus’ death He offers true abundant life - eternal life for those who would be a part of His flock. So Jesus’ words are somewhat shocking because of the extent of care and protection that Jesus offers - yet this was the very purpose of His mission here on earth.

1John 4:10 speaks of the great love which the good shepherd has for His sheep - In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. Jesus sacrifice is the propitiation, the appeasement or the satisfaction…. in simpler terms Jesus’ death on a cross satisfied the demands of God’s holiness for the punishment of sin - when Jesus died in our place, He was able to satisfy God and avert His wrath upon those who believe.

v.12 - Jesus contrasts the results of what a hired hand would do. Since he is not the owner of the sheep, so he has no genuine attachment to the flock. Instead, what does he do? When he sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and flees - boom… the guy is instantly outa there. The result is that the wolf snatches them and presumably the wolf is able to kill some of the sheep, and then the rest of the flock is running in all different directions for ‘dear life’ - they scatter.

v.13 - The man flees because he is a hired hand - this guy is not going to stick around and risk his life because the bottom line is that he is not concerned about the sheep - he is only getting paid, and this is just a job to him - he’s in it for the money. These statements about the hired hand are directed squarely at the Jewish religious leaders. They did not care for God’s sheep, in fact were the stranger, robbers, and thieves - they were spiritually blind… therefore Jesus is saying to them that they were religious hired hands, solely in it for the money and status.

Today there are many who are hired hands that they do ministry for the money - religious mercenaries. You can see scores of these ‘hired hands’ on so called religious TV programs - all decked out in flashy clothes, glitzy sets, and sometimes in unbelievably thick make-up, and big hair. Then there are those who by their outrageous claims to miraculous powers - and if you ever notice it is always tied back to money - entice you to give and you will be blessed …. Send a donation and we will send you special anointing oil….and the underlying message is that if you lack faith you won’t give - and then you won’t get from God.

There also exists in the church these paid professionals who are pastors, preachers, teachers - and how we spot them is that when the going gets tough or when another ministry is more lucrative they are the first ones to split - they have no care nor love for God’s sheep and what will happen to them - because they place a price on the ministry. These are the ones who do just enough to make their stay in the ministry comfortable, profitable, and to go beyond the call of paid duty is out of the question. You could say that they are out to fleece the sheep.

With warning we should be awaken to our own motives in serving the Lord - those engaged in ministry. We too can lack that commitment to Christ and do ministry because we are going to get something in exchange - maybe we after prestige, power, maybe we think that God is now obligated to bless us. We are committed for what we can get out of the Lord and not because of our commitment to the Lord. To serve Him, must solely be a response to His saving grace - with no strings attached from us.

v.14 - Once again Jesus highlights that He is the good shepherd. Jesus says - I know My own - the word know as I have mentioned in the past is the Greek word that expresses intimate, personal, experiential knowledge. In the same way Jesus says - and my sheep know me - the same Greek word for know - in the same way that Jesus relates to His sheep, His sheep also relate to their Master.

v.15 - This is not a superficial relationship, but it is a deep and far reaching commitment. This relationship between Jesus and His sheep is comparable to the relationship between Jesus-God the Son… and God the Father. It is in this context of relationship and love that Jesus says again - and I lay down My life for the sheep. Jesus has a vested interest in His flock and because of this Jesus doesn’t abandon the sheep, but He gives His life for His sheep without hesitation.

We can sometimes only can begin to comprehend what it means that Jesus knows us. It is Jesus’ intimate knowledge of us that we can cherish for He knows our weaknesses as well as strengths. He realizes if we are fully submissive to Him or whether we are stubborn to His shaping of us. Jesus knows the very needs that puncture our hearts and He brings healing. Jesus our Great Shepherd cares for us and leads us to trust and love Him more.

v.16 - In verse 16 Jesus speaks of other sheep, which are not of this fold - these are His sheep, faithful followers of Christ, which are not in the context - those who are of Jewish descent. This statement speaks of the breadth of the gospel and the scope of salvation - it is not limited to the Jews, but is offered to all who believe. These already being Jesus’ sheep - will hear His voice with anticipation and eagerness ready to respond. So Jesus with a sense of mission has the urgent task to bring them also, together into the one flock of Christ, with Him as their Great shepherd. In Christ through the gospel, He through His power is able to unify diverse people into the one big family of God. And this should be the vision of all churches, in our local context, to bring together into the church God’s sheep - no matter what your history is, your social status, cultural background - we should seek as Christ does to be committed to being one big family under the Great Shepherd - without any distinctions - an all nations church, which is a great commission church.

Jesus’ knowledge of us is deep as it is wide, and we can know His voice if we are committed to Him the Good Shepherd. Let me remind you of Romans 8:35-39 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Finally…

3. You Can Know The Shepherd’s Voice Through Love And Obedience (v.17-21)

v.17 - Verse 17 is a little bit tricky to understand upon first reading. It may be taken wrongly by thinking that the only reason that the Father loves Jesus the Son is because He sacrifices His life - so a faulty conclusion is that apart from Jesus’ act to lay down His life, there is little or no love from the Father. But instead the correct understanding is this - the Father’s love is drawn out, or you could say magnified or exhalted, when Jesus will lay down His life voluntarily for His sheep, when He bore our sin upon Himself to satisfy God’s wrath. 2 Cor. 5:20 states - He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (NASB). But this is not all - Jesus treats as one event His purpose in dying - as He states in verse 17 - so that I may take it again - which ties in His death with the crowning purpose which is His resurrection. Jesus dies in order that He be raised to life.

Death for Jesus was in a sense looked forward to, it was a joy to Christ to submit to the Father’s will because of what lay beyond the cross. The cross was not the end, but it was the beginning of something far greater. That which is far greater is the redemption of you and me unto eternal life through the forgiving of our debt of sin, if we believe. Hebrews 12:2 encourages us to turn to Jesus - to see His joy as He endured death - Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,- ….now listen carefully to this - who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus looks beyond the cross to see His exaltation as our Great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13).

v.18 - As we enter v.18 it clearly answers a theological question that some of us may have asked before - Who Killed Jesus? The answer is no one. According to the sovereign plan of God - Jesus underscores the reality that His death is not going to be due to the will of the Pharisees, Romans, the Jews, or anybody - but His death is completely voluntary. No one has taken Jesus’ life from Him. Instead Jesus lay it down on His own initiative. Jesus’ death was under no man’s authority, but was fully and completely under His own authority.

Jesus in regards to His life - has the sovereign authority to lay it down, and He has the authority to take it up again - death and resurrection is all under Jesus’ authority. Remember in chapter 9 I talked about divine initiative? That Jesus sought out the blind man and initiated saving faith, and then granted it also - here we once again have the continuance of that divine initiative, to bring about the one perfect solution to man’s chief problem - sin. Listen to 1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ also died for sins once for all, [the] just for [the] unjust, in order that He might bring us to God… (NASB). What an awesome picture of the power of Deity - isn’t it?

In this verse does Jesus act in isolation? No - He takes the commandment from the Father, submitting to His will - so what we see is a balance between love and obedience. The Father loves the Son, Jesus loves the Father, and they love us - and out of this love relationship must be obedience - so Jesus lays down His life for us according to the commandment of the Father. Love and obedience are inseparable, as we will see this truth concept later in the Gospel, and in a moment I will read that to you.

How well do you listen to the voice of the Shepherd? Do you love Him? Now I am going to ask you a very searching question…how much do you love the Lord? I know that most of you will say that you love God…isn’t that right? And many people who even have a secular sense of spirituality will say the same. So I am not talking about a superficial love - an 1.5 hour on Sunday kinda of love. If you are a Christian you may say that you love God a lot. But love and obedience are inseparable - and here is the test…. How much do you really love the Lord? Does your profession match your obedience? We’ll I love the Lord, you say - well the Scriptures say you are to study the Word - do you love the Lord enough to study His Word? Well I love God, but I just don’t study too much.

We stand up for Jesus and sing the song - but the Scriptures say worship the Lord your God - do you love the Lord enough to worship Him? Well I stand up for Jesus, but I can’t always make it to church. You get the point…you love Jesus so much that you don’t bother to go to fellowship, you love Jesus so much that you don’t have time to be at prayer meeting, you love Jesus so much that your life is so full… that there is no time to serve Him - no time to be with Him - and your life is running on empty. Hearing the voice of the Shepherd calls for….and listen to these words… self sacrifice - it is a cost of following Christ.

This is what John 15:9-14 states - As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

Christ’s relationship to the Father is defined by love and obedience. If we belong to Christ… we follow Him…then our relationship to the Father should be the same… love and obedience.
You can know the Shepherd’s voice by knowing the Saviour, You can know the Shepherd’s voice through commitment, and You can know the Shepherd’s voice through love and obedience. All three are inseparable if you are faithful in your commitment to God’s Word. As we close off our passage…

v.19 - As a result of these mind blowing realities - the words of Jesus once again set off a spark in the hearts of the Jews - and there is division in their reaction and opinion.

v.20 - Once again the charge that Jesus was demon possessed arises, as we saw back in chapter 7 and 8. In addition they label Jesus as being insane. It was the easiest way for some of these ‘hard liners’ to discredit Jesus and to write Him off. They maliciously claim that this guys possessed and crazy….Why do you listen to Him?

v.21 - Once again there were those Jews who were a little bit more open to Jesus. These people were more reasonable and from their experience - raised the thought that the things Jesus were saying were not the things that a man demon-possessed would say. In addition they posed the inescapable question - A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he? This was a rhetorical question expecting an answer of no.

So there we have it again, that at the revelation of truth, those who oppose the work of God rebel all the more. Yet by the grace of the Holy Spirit there are some who are stirred to think about spiritual blindness.

Jesus Christ is the gate, He is the Good Shepherd who intensely loves His sheep, gathers them together, and demonstrates this through His sacrifice for His sheep ….pouring out His life upon the cross so that we might have eternal life. That is how much Jesus loves you…He wants you to know Him in a personal and intimate way - He wants you to be identified with Him - conformed to His image - joint heirs > …heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with [Him] in order that we may also be glorified with Him (Rom. 8:17).

If we really love the Shepherd, all we want to be is to be with Him, to listen to His voice - we will want to totally identify with Christ - in His life, death, resurrection, sufferings, and all that He is. If this is what you want to do - if this is the kind of love relationship you want with Christ then… brothers and sisters… let us consider developing the discipline of listening to His voice more and more each day - there is no love without obedience, there is no love and obedience without commitment, and there is no love, obedience, nor commitment without knowing the Saviour. If all these areas are found in your life and you are faithful to the Lord - there is no greater joy.