Meditation on John 10:1-10
***
‘Very
truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but
climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by
the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for
him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads
them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of
them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from
him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ 6Jesus
used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was
saying to them.
7 So
again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the
sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the
sheep did not listen to them. 9I am
the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and
find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
***
The news of the week in my household is that
our two youngest sons are back home with us, after finishing their finals and
handing in their papers. Another year of college is behind them!
Other families in our church and community are in the same
situation—welcoming their young adult children back home from college—unpacking
the stuff, washing the dirty laundry, hearing the stories, celebrating the
accomplishments, and planning what comes next. One of my sons will be taking 2
classes online this summer and the other is seeking a summer internship.
As a mother, minister, and former teacher, I can think of few things
more important than our children’s education, including the nurture of their
faith. We have made many decisions about our children’s education over the
years—long before they were old enough for college. And there will be more
choices to prayerfully consider in the future. For this is our job as Christian
parents; we are called to help guide and equip our children with what they will
need to fulfill God’s plan for their lives.
The Apostle Paul in First Corinthians 12 says that each person has been
given unique gifts and talents that are important to the whole Body of Christ.
Each one of us has a calling or vocation—a way the Lord wants us to live and
work. Paul himself was a well-educated
man before he became a missionary, evangelist, teacher and church planter. He
supported himself as a tentmaker or leatherworker—something he may have learned
from his father or from an apprenticeship his parents arranged for him when he
was young.
Our callings may differ, according to our God-given gifts, talents, and
passions, but our purpose for our work and our lives is always the same—to love
and serve the Lord.
As a young mother, Scripture that spoke of childrearing and making
disciples went straight to my heart. I took the responsibility of Christian
parenting very seriously. Our children
belong to the Lord, their Creator and Redeemer—just as we belong to Him and our
lives are not our own. Psalm 127:3 tells us children are a “gift” or “reward”
from God, while Proverbs reminds us that they are given to us with an
expectation—and a promise. Proverbs 22:6 says, “train them up in the way they
should go and when (they) are old (they) will not depart from it.” So I prayed
and worried about my children’s education.
I decided to begin by homeschooling. Several of my friends from church were
homeschoolers in a large, active group. They offered to help me get started. It
was a scary decision, but I am glad that we homeschooled for three years,
beginning when my oldest son was starting kindergarten. Later on, my children
attended Christian school and then public school.
Homeschooling was a challenge. Sometimes, especially in winter, we went
a little stir crazy in the house. But we persevered—and enjoyed field trips to
museums and factories and science “discovery walks” in the spring and fall. We
got together with other homeschooling families for fun activities and playtime.
I believe that homeschooling brought us closer as a family and strengthened my
faith and devotional life. I knew I had to rely on the Lord every day for His
help! And it gave me the opportunity to pray and read the Bible with my
children, sing Christian songs, and, share my faith in a natural, unhurried way. I could tell them who Jesus is—for me.
The gospel of John gives us many powerful images of Jesus and who he is
for us using Old Testament metaphors coupled with the divine name, “I am.” In
John 6:35, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” In John 8:12 & 9:5, he
says, “I am the light of the world.” In
11:25, he is “the resurrection and the life.” In 14:6, he is “the way, and the
truth and the life.”
In John 10, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.”
And “I am the gate.”
***
Just before today’s gospel reading, Jesus has just healed a man who had
been blind since birth. The man begins to worship Jesus and declares, “Lord, I
believe.”
And Jesus says, “I came into this world for
judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become
blind.” The Pharisees overhear Jesus speaking and they say, “Surely we are not
blind, are we?” Jesus says if they were blind, they would not have sin. But now
that they say, “We see,” their sin remains.
Today’s passage begins with Jesus
still engaged in conversation with the Pharisees, but now He is teaching
through parables and “figures of speech.”
The first parable reflects actual circumstances of life during Jesus’
time. Christ is the shepherd whose sheep
respond to Him as He calls them by name. The shepherd, in contrast to the thief
and bandit, enters the sheepfold through the gate, opened by a gatekeeper. The
shepherd brings “out all his own, and he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow
him because they know His voice” and don’t listen to the voice of a stranger. In Jesus’ time, shepherds did often know their sheep by name, and
the sheep would recognize the shepherd’s distinctive call. Families kept their sheep adjacent to their
homes in enclosures built of stone. Thorny branches may have been placed on top
of the stonewalls to discourage trespassers from climbing over. The sheepfold
had one gate or entrance that could be locked to prevent theft. “Thievery was
common,” and the loss of the entire herd would mean devastation for the family,
as sheep were a source of meat, milk and clothing and a “major source of barter
for other necessary goods” (Feasting on
the Word, p. 445). Having a gatekeeper meant that the sheepfold was large
enough to justify hiring someone to guard it, particularly at night.
When the Pharisees don’t understand the first parable, Jesus tells
another. But the second one may be less
comprehensible to those who do not believe in the Son of Man. In fact, at first
glance, it may not be clear to Christ’s followers. Is Jesus talking about salvation in heaven or
life in this world when he says, “I am the Gate. Whoever enters by me will be
saved and will come in and go out and find pasture”?
I believe this verse is speaking of Christ’s presence, guidance,
provision and protection of His followers throughout the dangers and trials of
this world, as he adds, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
The “thief” could be a reference to the corrupt religious leaders of Jesus’
time or to Satan and the powers of darkness. But none of these will be present in
the Kingdom of Heaven.
The passage ends with the intriguing statement:
“I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
***
What does it mean “to have life… abundantly?”
So often we think of abundance as
having plenty or more than enough. We mistakenly equate biblical references to
“abundance” and “abundant life” with possessing wealth and the comforts of this
world—living the “good life.” But Jesus never promised the blessings of wealth
and status; he preached the blessings of poverty, humility and
persecution. Even Paul moves us away
from the meaning of “abundant life” in John when he uses the language of
“abundance” to describe God’s blessings to the Corinthians when he wants to
inspire generous financial giving to the church in Jerusalem.
To grasp John’s meaning of abundant
life, it is helpful to focus on
the powerful images and metaphors of Jesus. Here we find the critical elements
of “abundance” and how Christ brings the “abundant life” to us by being The
Bread of Life, the Light of the World, Living Water, The Truth, The Way, and
the Life. The Good Shepherd and the Gate.
This is what our children need to know! If they are to be equipped with
what they need to fulfill God’s plan for their lives, they need to know who
Jesus really is! Knowing what they want to do for a living and finding a good
job aren’t enough for abundant life!
Friends, seek the Lord for the time to
have that unhurried conversation with your loved ones about who Jesus is for
you… personally. Tell them about the Shepherd, who is always with us—calling us
by name and leading us through our trials, guiding us to the right paths, protecting
and nourishing us with His Word and Spirit.
And when we encounter trials, and we fear that we haven’t heard our
Shepherd right.... when we wonder if we have made the wrong choices for our families
or for ourselves, rest in His grace and the promise that Christ’s sheep will hear His voice—and follow Him.
There are no mistakes in this life that Christ has not already redeemed
for us through His death on a cross!
So what are you waiting for?
Christ
is calling your name—beckoning you to follow, leading you out of the enclosure.
Go out into the world with peace and joy, knowing
that Christ, who is with you, is also ahead of you.
He is the Good Shepherd.
He is the Gate—the door to abundant life!
Holy God, thank you for choosing us to be
your sheep, your beloved children, whom you call by name! Thank you for your
promises to us in your Word—for the promise of your love and presence with us
always through trials and suffering. Thank you for the promise of abundant life
in this world and everlasting life in your Kingdom to come. Lead us to walk in
paths of righteousness, Lord, loving and serving you, resisting the temptation
to be distracted by the things of this world. Give us courage to have those
important conversations and share with our loved ones who Jesus is to us—so
that they, too, will come to know the Good Shepherd, who is also the Gate—the door
to abundant life. In His name we pray. Amen
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