John Bible Study - Lesson 28

John Bible Study - Lesson 28

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 10:1-21 New International Version (NIV)

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ 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.”

¹⁹ The Jews who heard these words were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

²¹ But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

John 10:1-21 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! ² But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 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.”

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. 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.

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.

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.

¹⁷ “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. ¹⁸ No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

¹⁹ When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. ²⁰ Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” ²¹ Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Note:

Here are the 3 questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask God to help you understand what you are reading.

3 questions to answer:

1.    Content: What is this passage about?

2.    Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

3.    Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

Answers to the questions above and some background:

Content: What is this passage about?

·        Jesus gives a spiritual illustration to the Pharisees about Himself as the true and good shepherd, and the gate/way that leads to salvation.

·        The Pharisees did not understand what Jesus said so Jesus explained how He, the true Shepherd sent by God, leads His sheep/people to an everlasting and satisfying life.

·        Jesus tells the Pharisees that He is the Good Shepherd and then goes deeper into explaining what that meant.

·        Jesus goes on to explain why the Father loves Him. Jesus explained His sacrifice on the cross would be His own voluntary decision to lay down His life for His sheep/people based on His love and obedience to God.

·        After Jesus is done with His spiritual illustration some believed but others thought He was possessed by a demon.

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

·        Jesus is the true shepherd sent by God to be the true leader of His people.

·        Jesus explains to the Pharisees how He leads His people into everlasting life and also explains that those who do not follow God’s prescribed way will not enter into heaven.  Jesus calls them thieves’ and robbers because they deceive people by telling them that there are other ways to enter into heaven.

Check out this amazing passage from the Prophet Ezekiel about God caring for His people using the symbolism of a shepherd caring for His flock:

Ezekiel 34:11-16 New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. ¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

What the True Good Shepherd, Jesus, does for His people (flock/sheep):

·        Jesus lays down His life for His sheep

·        Jesus knows His sheep/people by name and has a personal relationship with them

·        Jesus has an eternal purpose for us

·        Jesus leads His sheep/people

·        Jesus leads His people by example

·        Jesus’ people know Him and will not follow anyone else

·        Jesus will not let anyone who the Father brings to Him get snatched away.  Jesus’ sheep/people will never perish.

·        Jesus came so His people could be saved from judgment for their sins, which is eternal separation from God

·        Believers in Jesus receive the Holy Spirit who is their sign of Salvation, their comforter, advocate, teacher and source of wisdom and discernment.

·        Jesus is the Good Shepherd

·        Jesus tell the Pharisees that He is the gate to eternal life

·        Jesus gives us salvation and real life. Salvation means deliverance from evil and its consequences.  We have to remember that we are separated from God due to our sin nature. Jesus came to rescue us from destruction and spiritual death. Not only that, but Jesus offers real abundant life and the fruit and blessing of the Holy Spirit.  The Fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

·        Receiving and believing in Jesus’ work (suffering and death) on the cross is the only way to be saved and rescued from the consequences of our sin nature. Jesus must become our Lord and Savior.

Jesus is the only way to Salvation & His blood was shed to pay the price for our sin:

John 14:6 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Ephesians 1:7 New International Version (NIV)

 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Leviticus 17:11 New International Version (NIV)

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

Hebrews 9:22 New International Version (NIV)

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

1 John 1:7 New International Version (NIV)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin

Revelation 1:5 New International Version (NIV)

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

Exodus 12:13 New International Version (NIV)

The blood (of the sacrificial lamb) will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Note:

The Passover lamb is symbolic of Jesus being sacrificial lamb for His people. When we believe in Jesus, God’s judgment passes over us and we are no longer under the consequences of our sin. John the Baptist reminds us of why Jesus came:

John 1:29 New International Version (NIV)

John Testifies About Jesus

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

·        Jesus tells us the thief’s (Satan) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give His people a rich and satisfying life.”

·        Jesus is the Good Shepherd whom the Father loves

·        Jesus, in the greatest act of sacrificial love, gives up His life freely to pay for our sin. Remember: our good works cannot pay for our sin. Only Jesus’ work can.

·        Still with all Jesus has said and done, many to this day reject Him as the Messiah and deny His deity and authority. Back in Jesus’ time some saw His work as the work of someone demon possessed.

·        So, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees who are trying to lead the Jewish people away from God’s true Messiah.

·        We must remember how fortunate we are that Jesus has the power and desire to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. For this we should be eternally grateful.

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        Be careful of those who are trying to lead you astray.

·        Embrace and celebrate the fact that God has even given you one way to be saved

·        Remember this: The Bible tells us to be sober-minded and alert for our enemy devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  (1Peter 5:8)

·        Follow Jesus and lean not on your own understanding.

·        Be mindful of the fact that believers have spiritual battles.

·        Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and always put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes and so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground

Don’t forget:

John’s main purpose in writing this Gospel:

·        To tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles

·        The events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life

John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Questions to ponder:

·        Do you believe Jesus when He says “I tell you the truth?”

·        Do you believe Jesus has the power not only to save you but offer a satisfying life?

·        How do you show your gratitude to God for Jesus’ saving work on the cross?

·        Do you believe Jesus is the only way to salvation?

·        Can you think of some ways you are being led astray?

Have a great week…………….Dave