John - Week 30

The Shepherd's Voice 

READ 

John 10:4-5 

4 “After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” 

Jesus continued to tell a story that pictured what the Pharisees were doing in contrast to what He as the legitimate shepherd was doing. The reason the man born blind would not follow them is that he wouldn’t follow a stranger, but he would follow his true shepherd. 

REFLECT 

Think of all the different ways the world tempts the Christ-follower to see if he will follow the wisdom and pleasures of the world. But the true believer remains faithful to the Lord Jesus and wants to honor Him. 

RESPOND 

Read James 1:12-15 to be reminded that God never tempts anyone to do evil. Spend time in prayer thanking God that He will never mislead you. 

I Am the Gate 

READ 

John 10:6-8 

6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.” 

As listeners failed to understand the application of the story Jesus told, he explained it to them. He emphasized that He was the gate for the sheep. This is not the same as verse 1 that pictured Him as coming as the shepherd to call for his sheep. More likely this refers to the daytime care of the sheep and their safe care by their shepherd. He was the only one the sheep could trust and they did not listen to others who were thieves and robbers. 

REFLECT 

Ponder that you are only safe as you follow the Lord Jesus Christ and seek to honor Him in your daily life.  

RESPOND 

Read Ephesians 4:17-32 that tells how a believer should live in honoring the Lord Jesus. Are you living like this? What are some areas you need to concentrate on doing better? 

A Rich and Satisfying Life 

READ 

John 10:9-10 

9 “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. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” 

This passage strengthens the thought that the previous verses were referring to the shepherd’s care during the day. Only those who come in through Him will be able to go in and out and find good pastures. Jesus distinguished between His purpose and the purpose of the thieves. He wants to give a rich and satisfying life; they want to steal, kill and destroy. The King James translation renders the last part of verse 10 as “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” One Christian leader was known to autograph his books as, “May you live beyond the comma in John 10:10.” 

REFLECT 

Are you living beyond the comma in John 10:10? Do others see you enjoying a rich and satisfying life in the Lord Jesus? 

RESPOND 

Read Colossians 3:1-11 to see what is involved in living a rich and satisfying life in the Lord Jesus. What is something you could work on today? 

I Am the Good Shepherd 

READ 

John 10:11-13 

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 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. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.” 

These comments about the Good Shepherd sacrificing his life for the sheep is what Jesus eventually did in dying on the cross for the sins of the world. In contrast to Him, the Jewish leaders would not sacrifice themselves for anyone. They were like hired hands who only cared for the things of the world. 

REFLECT 

Consider yourself as a sheep that the Good Shepherd died for. You owe your entire life—and eternal life—to Jesus and should seek to honor Him in all you do. Think about how your decision to trust in Him for salvation changed your eternal destiny from hell to heaven.  

RESPOND 

Read John 3:16-23 that reminds you of what Jesus did for you when you trusted Him as Savior. Consider also who you will share this with. Don’t keep these great truths bottled up in you.  

Sacrifice for the Sheep 

READ 

John 10:14-16  

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 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.” 

This passage reveals there were more than just the Jewish nation for whom Jesus came to be the Messiah and Savior. It was never understood by the nation Israel in the Old Testament that Gentiles could actually be on an equal basis with them. This was a mystery—something not revealed in the Old Testament but revealed in the New Testament. The Gentiles were considered as unclean to the Jews of the Old Testament. The apostle Peter considered Gentiles unclean until God showed him a vision mentioned in Acts 10. The result was that he went to Cornelius who trusted Christ as Savior. 

REFLECT 

Are there some groups you think down on just as Peter had avoided the Gentiles? Think of everyone you meet as an individual for whom Christ died. 

RESPOND 

Read Ephesians 3:1-7 that tells how the Gentiles and Jews who have trusted in Jesus are in one body. Thank the Lord that every person, no matter from what  background, who trusts in Jesus as Savior is your brother or sister in Christ.