Who Are the Sheep?
In today’s scripture Jesus uses an
illustration of our relationship with him: the
shepherd and the sheep. This illustration clearly presents who Jesus is and who we are. In his book The
Way of the Shepherd, Kevin Leman describes ten characteristics of sheep.
First, Sheep have bad sight. So a shepherd bells the leading group of the sheep
for the entire herd. Second, sheep are foolish. They seem to only know how to
do one thing well – eat grass. Third, sheep easily fall. Fourth, sheep are
easily “cast” – flipped over on their back. Fifth, Sheep are unable to right
themselves. They will die of starvation if not turned over by the shepherd.
“Helpless.” Sixth, sheep are selfish and
stubborn. Seventh, sheep have no sense
of direction. Eighth, sheep go back the way they had come. Ninth, sheep are
defenseless and vulnerable. They can only run. Tenth, sheep become silent in
the face of death. Sounds familiar? I don’t know about you. But for me, I find
myself in these characteristics of sheep. We find one important truth from the
characteristics of sheep: sheep need
their shepherd. And in today’s passage Jesus said, “I am the shepherd of
the sheep” (v. 2).
The Shepherd and the Sheep (vv. 1-6)
Today’s scripture consists of three
parts. In verses 1-6 we find the shepherd’s intimate relationship with his sheep. In verses 7-10 the shepherd’s provision for his sheep. And in verses
11-18 the shepherd’s heart for his
sheep. First of all, there’s such an
intimacy. John 10:3 says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own
sheep by name.” Sheep may not that be smart, but they know their shepherd’s
voice. And they follow him only. I still remember the story that one pastor
shared after his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There he saw two shepherds and
their flocks taking shelter from the rain in the cave. The sheep were all mixed
together. The pastor was concerned about how the shepherds would know which one
is which. But when the time had come, one of the shepherds stood and began to
call. Amazingly, one by one, all his sheep ran towards him. “The sheep hear his voice and follow him.”
Not only this, the shepherd calls
his own sheep by name. Palestinian shepherds named their sheep according to
their characteristics. One might be called “Fluffy” or “Long Nose” or “Grumpy”
or “Fearful.” The shepherd knows each of his sheep personally and calls each
one by name. Here we clearly see the mutual affection and intimacy between the
shepherd and the sheep: “The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice, and he calls his
own sheep by name.” What a joy to be his sheep! Today I just turned 41. Around
my birthday I normally do my spiritual self check up, reading my spiritual
journal for the past year and asking big questions: “Where am I?” “Where am I
heading?” “Am I on the right track?” etc. The other day as I was questioning,
listening, and contemplating, I got a little bit depressed. Then I fell asleep.
When I woke up, God answered my questions, by giving me the song that I never
sang before although I had heard. It’s a Korean hymn, titled, “Just As I Am.” A
rough translation is like this:
Lord, You are my Shepherd. I shall not be in want.
You know me, search me, and still you love me.
My days are counted, all my hairs are numbered.
Lead me in your ways.
Cover me now under your wings
Surround me with your loving presence
One thing I desire, one thing that I seek
Is to know you fully just as I am known.
Jesus the Shepherd knows each of us
in the most profound ways. He knows our past. He knows our brokenness. He knows
everything about us. But still, he loves us and wants to have intimate
fellowship with us. Jesus is our caring shepherd, and we are his sheep.
Jesus the Gate (vv. 7-10)
But sadly, in today’s story the
Jews did not understand this illustration – intimacy between the shepherd and
the sheep. So our Lord Jesus Christ began to explain further: “Very truly, I
tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.” Here Jesus was saying that he is both
the shepherd and the gate. Then, what does it mean by that Jesus is the gate? Sir George Adam Smith, a biblical scholar, was
one day traveling with a guide, and came across a shepherd and his sheep. He
fell into conversation with him. The man showed him the fold that the sheep
stayed at night. It consisted of four walls, with a way in. Sir George said to
him, “That is where they go at night?” “Yes,” said the shepherd, “and when they
are in there, they are perfectly safe.” “But there is no gate,” said Sir
George. “I am the gate,” said the
shepherd. He was not a Christian man, he was not speaking in the language of
the New Testament. He was speaking from the Arab shepherd’s standpoint. Sir
George looked at him and said, “What do you mean by the gate?” Said the
shepherd, “When the light has gone, and all the sheep are inside, I lie in the
open space, and no sheep ever goes out but across my body, and no wolf comes in
unless he crosses my body; I am the gate.”[1]
Jesus says, “I am the gate. Whoever
enters by me will be saved, and will come
in and go out and find pasture”
(v. 9). As we come in, we find safety
and protection in Christ. 1 John 5:18
says, “The Son of God protects them, and the evil one cannot harm them” (ISV).
We are safe in Christ. Though safety is necessary, none of us wants to be
merely safe. We want life. So as we
go out, we find pasture. We find life, abundant
life in Christ. Then, what is abundant life? It’s a life described in Psalm
23. It’s about having contentment in green pastures, having peace in the
darkest valley, having joy in the presence of the enemies, having God all the
days of life. In a word, abundant life is a
life with the Shepherd. When we come in and go out by Jesus the Gate, we
find safety and abundant life now and eternally.
Jesus the Good Shepherd (vv. 11-18)
Jesus is the gate. But now in verse
11 Jesus reveals himself even further, saying, “I am the good shepherd.” Here he says four times that he lays down his life
for the sheep (vv. 11, 15, 17, 18). So the essential mark of the good shepherd
is the one who sacrifices his life.
Then, why is it necessary for the shepherd to lay down his life for the sheep? It
is because our spiritual default condition is “lost.” Before we believe in
Christ, we were lost. We were spiritually dead in our sins (Eph 2:1). So there
was no way that we could rescue ourselves. The shepherd had to intervene and
rescue us. And it cost his life. Using the shepherd and sheep analogy, 1 Peter
2:24-25 puts it in this way:
He himself bore
our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for
righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
We not only were rescued, saved
from sin and death, but now we have the shepherd who guides us, feeds us,
protects us, and loves us. And we are invited into a deep, deep, deep
relationship with the shepherd. In verse 14 Jesus says, “I am the good
shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and
I know the Father.” As we enter into this personal relationship with Jesus, we
find there’s no deeper, no more satisfying, relationship in the world.
The Beautiful Shepherd
Jesus is the good shepherd. The Greek word kalos,
translated as “good,” has more of the meaning of “beautiful.” Some translators
render verse 11, “I am the beautiful
shepherd.” Why is Jesus so beautiful? Because he knows us, and still loves us
and cares for us. Why is his so beautiful? Because he is the gate. When we come
in, we find protection. And when we go out, we find abundant life. Why is he so
beautiful? Because he laid down his life for his sheep. And now he invites us
into a personal relationship with him. Indeed, Jesus is the beautiful shepherd.
In him and through him we find our new calling, the new purpose of life. In verse 16 Jesus says, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this
fold. I must bring them also, and
they will listen to my voice. So
there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Jesus has other sheep in Houlton, in
Bangor, in Boston, in China, and in Korea. The question is how? How do they listen to Jesus’ voice? The answer is through you and me.
If you visited Westminster Abbey
and stood at the tomb of David Livingstone, Scottish missionary to Africa, you
would find the following words written on the gravestone: “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; Them also I must
bring.” That was Livingstone’s life motto, his calling, his life purpose.
But in fact, this verse should be our calling, our life purpose. 2 Corinthians
5:15 says that Jesus laid down his life for us, so that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who
died and was raised for us. If you are not yet believing, I urge you to come to Jesus and find abundant life in him. If you have believed, I commend you to listen to his voice and follow him and bring other sheep to him. May the Lord Jesus our Shepherd kindle
and rekindle in us the fire of his love for other sheep, so that they may also hear
his voice and return to the shepherd and guardian of their souls. Amen.
[1] Morgan
Campbell, The Gospel According to John
(Westwood, NJ: Revell, n.d.), 177. quoted in Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe (Crossway, 1999), 267.
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