Lesson 4- Highlighting the Shepherd

 

John 10:1-21

 

1. Into Your History:

 

     A.   Suggestion for Leader:  To understand and communicate the depth of

     meaning behind the Sheep/Shepherd metaphor, please familiarize yourself with the

     information provided in the end notes.[1],[2]

 

     B.  Suggested Ice-Breakers:

 

    • Have you ever snuck into a movie or event that you didn’t pay for?
    • What voice do you most recognize in your family on the phone?
    • What voice do you least recognize in your family on the phone?


     C.  Read this story:  

 

There were several men in the locker room of a private club. A cell phone belonging to one of the men rings. A man picks it up and the following conversation ensues:


                        "Hello?"
                        "Honey, It's me."
                        "Sugar!"
                        "Are you at the club?"
                        "Yes."

"Great! I am at the mall two blocks from where you are. I saw a beautiful   

       mink coat... It is absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?"
       "What's the price?"
      "Only $1,500.00"
      "Well, OK, go ahead and get it, if you like it that much..."

"Ahhh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the 2001 models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman and he gave me a really good price ... and since we need to exchange the BMW that we bought last year..."
"What price did he quote you?"
"Only $60,000..." 
"OK, but for that price I want it with all the options."
"Great!  Before we hang up, something else..."
"What?"
"It might look like a lot, but I was reconciling your bank account and...I stopped by the real estate agent this morning and I saw the house we had looked at last year ... it's on sale!! Remember? The one with a pool, English Garden, an acre of park area, beachfront property..."

"How much are they asking?"    
"Only $450,000... a magnificent price, and I see that we have that much in the bank to cover..."

"Well, then go ahead and buy it, but just bid $420,000. OK?"   
"OK, sweetie... Thanks! I'll see you later!! I love you!"
 "Bye... I do too..."
     

 The man hangs up, closes the phone flap and raises his hand while holding the phone and asks to all those present: "Does anyone know who this phone belongs to?"

 

(http://jokes.christiansunite.com/Husbands/The_Perfect_Husband.shtml)

 

You might say that it can sometimes be vitally important to know a person’s voice.  In John 10, Jesus describes why it is vital for us to hear his voice.

 

 

2. Into the Bible:

 

A.    Read John 10:1-10:

 

i. Question:  John points out that in using the image of shepherds and sheep, Jesus was using figurative language. (vs.6)  What do the following characters represent:  Shepherd – Sheep – Thief /Robber/Stranger?

 

The Shepherd refers to Christ.  The sheep refer to believers.  The Thief/Robber/Stranger refers to any who would keep us separated from Jesus.

 

ii. Question:  When Jesus says that the sheep “hear the shepherd’s voice;” “he calls his own sheep by name,” and “the sheep follow him because they know his voice,” what does Jesus mean by, “hearing his voice”?

 

Jesus is referring specifically to a person coming to faith in Christ and living a life of Christ-following.  For example, in verse 16 Jesus says,

 

John 10:16:  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.”

 

In this verse, Jesus says that there are other sheep who are not yet believers.  One day Jesus will call out to them and they will listen, becoming believers. 

 

iii. Question:  The sheepfold had four walls and one opening. The shepherd would lie across the door at night to protect the sheep from wild animals. The thieves and robbers could only have access to the sheep by climbing over the wall and luring one or two sheep away from the flock then climbing back over the wall.  What did Jesus mean when he described himself as the “door of the sheep?”

 

Jesus is saying that no one can come into a saving relationship with God who has not gone through Jesus. (cf. vs.9)

 

iv. Question:  Does Christianity claim to be the only way to salvation?  If so, what about other religions?  Aren’t people sincerely seeking God through these other belief systems?

           

Christianity does claim to be the only way to God - It is only through approaching God through Jesus on the basis of his death and resurrection (the good shepherd laying down his life for the sheep) that we can have a relationship with God. An attempt to approach God apart from Christ is akin to climbing up some other way.  It is the attempt of a stranger and thief. 

 

Aren’t people in other religions sincerely seeking God?  The Bible says that no one truly seeks God (Romans 3:10) and that other religions are not an attempt of people to draw near to God, but an attempt to run from him. In Romans 1:20-25, Paul declares that other religions are birthed when people suppress the knowledge of the true God. 

 

     B. Read John 10:11-21:

 

i. Question:  In one of the most known and celebrated passages of the Bible, Psalm 23, David calls the Lord his shepherd.  David lists the ways in which the Lord cares and provides for him.  Can you, from memory, recite some of the ways that David describes the Lord as caring for him?

 

See Psalm 23

 

ii. Question:  In John 10:11, Jesus seems to be identifying himself of whom David spoke.  Comparing John 10 and Psalm 23, in what way does Jesus care and provide for us?

 

·         Jesus cares enough to provide for our needs.

·         Jesus cares enough to lead me into green pastures.

·         Jesus cares enough to restore our souls.

·         Jesus cares enough to lay down his life so that death would be only a shadow.

·         Jesus cares enough to rescue me when I need it.

·         Jesus cares enough to punish me when I need it.

·         Jesus cares enough to preserve me from the enemy.

 

 

3. Into our Lives:

 

 

A.    Relating to the Shepherd:  Since we are described as sheep, in what ways should we depend on our shepherd this week?

 

Provision

Protection

Peace

Rescue

Guidance

Assurance

           

            *Note:  You may want to refer to the endnotes for specifics.

 

     B.  Pray

 


[1] Characteristics of Sheep:  Sheep are animals that are raised for food and for wool. Raising sheep was very important in Biblical times, so it's not surprising to find that the Bible mentions them over 700 times. While sheep tend to be somewhat curious about their surroundings, they also tend to be not very smart. Unfortunately for them, this combination of curiosity along with a lack of intelligence often leads to problems. 

 

For example, it's not unusual for a wandering sheep to find itself caught in a thorn bush; stuck in a crevice or falling off some hillside cliff. If that wasn't enough, sheep are unable to locate food and water on their own like other grazing animals. In fact, sheep tend to be so dopey that they are unable to find their way back home even if they can clearly see their sheep fold! Obviously, all of these things combined, make the shepherd very important in the life of the sheep.

[2] Characteristics of Shepherds:  The shepherd was the person responsible for looking after the welfare of the sheep. The shepherd's life often involved a lot of hardship. Although, leading a flock of sheep might sound like a pretty brainless job, the shepherd actually had many important responsibilities:

  • In the morning, the shepherd would lead his flock out of the sheepfold by going out before them and calling them out.
  • After the flock arrived at the pasture, the shepherd was responsible for keeping an eye on things. Sometimes the shepherd had sheepdogs assist him and sometimes he was on his own. If any sheep strayed away, the shepherd had to go out and look for it until he found it.
  • The shepherd was also responsible for making sure that his sheep had enough water. Unfortunately, finding a good spot for water sometimes presented a real challenge for the shepherd. You see, sheep tend to be very afraid of running water, so, in order to get his flock to drink from a running stream, the shepherd would have to pry loose some large stones to dam up a place where the water was still, so the sheep could drink. The shepherd would also carry a pail which he would repeatedly fill with water so that the smaller or weaker sheep could also drink.
  • Finally, at the end of the day the shepherd brought his sheep back to the fold and checked to make sure that none were missing.

So, far from being an easy job, a shepherd's life could actually be very difficult. Think for a moment about the challenges that a shepherd had to face each day:

  • The shepherd was regularly exposed to all kinds of weather conditions including extreme heat and cold.
  • His food often consisted of whatever he was able to find. A shepherd's diet typically consisted of things like figs, carob pods or even locusts and honey.
  • The shepherd had to constantly be on the look-out for predatory animals such as lions, wolves, leopards, bears, jackals and hyenas.
  • If that wasn't enough, the shepherd had to also be on guard against robbers and bands of thieves who would seek to steal sheep from his flock. The only help the shepherd had in defending his sheep were his trusty dogs, if he had them.

Because of these things, the shepherd's job required him to be constantly watchful, especially at night. The shepherd had to be particularly mindful of the young and weak sheep - the ones who couldn't keep up with the flock. When baby sheep were being born the shepherd had to guard the mother while she was helplessly giving birth. Sometimes the shepherd would even carry an infant sheep until it was able to walk on its own.

To meet all of these challenges, the shepherd carried just a few simple items:

  • The shepherd's robe was usually made of sheepskin with the fleece on. It had no sleeves and hung over his shoulders like a cloak. At night the shepherd's robe doubled as a blanket to help keep him warm.
  • He had a pouch to hold his food for the day.
  • He carried a sling from which he would fire stones to get a wandering sheep's attention or to chase away predators.
  • Finally, the shepherd carried a staff. The staff was about six feet (2 meters) long and curved on one end. The curved end was used to help keep a sheep from wandering away or to hook onto a sheep to help pull it out of some hole into which it had fallen. The staff was used as both a weapon and a tool for managing the flock. He also had a 2 foot (61 cm) long club called a "rod" which was used to persuade stubborn sheep and to help keep away enemies.

Because the shepherd and his flock spent so much time together, the sheep became very familiar with their shepherd. In fact, the shepherd and his flock got to know each other so well that the sheep would immediately begin to follow their shepherd at the first sound of his own unique call. 

Even if two shepherds called their flocks at the same time from the same field, each individual sheep would always follow the sound of their own shepherd's voice. It is even said that if a stranger were to change clothes with a shepherd, the sheep would still follow the sound of their own shepherd's voice and would refuse to follow the voice of a stranger who looked like their own shepherd, but really wasn't!

(http://web.newsguy.com/traednet/shepherd.html)