John 10

 Another good day yesterday, capped off by our first "Snack and Paint" that was very successful. People had fun and laughed and relaxed!

"Nailed it!"

 The first story we come to is Jesus comparing himself to the "false shepherds" of Israel. Part of this is directed at the Pharisees that just excommunicated the man who had his vision restored by Jesus. They weren't doing God's work, so were trying to get to the sheep by a different door. Shepherds are symbolic of rulers and leaders- both good or bad. It was a common motif of ancient Israel.  At night, all the sheep in the town were held together in a common area; the gatekeeper/doorkeeper (v 3) had the responsibility of watching over the sheep for the night and ensuring that only the shepherds were allowed entrance. In this passage, Jesus is referencing himself as the shepherd. Sheep know their shepherds voice. I know mine know when I am calling them compared to when others are calling them- they respond to me but not to others! Are we trained to hear and respond to the voice of God?

In the next passage, Jesus references himself as the gate/door. Sometimes, a shepherd would stay in the field with his flock over night. In that case, they would have some type of enclosure (cave or stone/brick pen). When the sheep were safely in it at night, the shepherd would lie down across the door to keep sheep in and keep bad out. The shepherd at the door or gate would defend and fight for the protection of the sheep if something came in the night- to the point of giving up their life for the sheep. Sidenote- the word "pastor" comes from the Latin verb pascere meaning to lead to pasture, to set to grazing and the Latin noun pastor meaning shepherd.

In v 16, Jesus references "other sheep"- a direct reference to the Gentiles. Jesus sees as his mission to bring in the "other sheep" to the fold. We are included in Jesus' ministry! The goal is for one large flock with one shepherd. Will that ever happen?

Jesus seems to be making some crazy and radical claims (one shepherd, one flock, lay down his life...) that people really thought he was possessed (v 20)! He was either crazy or the Son of God! We look back at these writings and see the Son of God, but try to imagine people 2000 years ago!

The Feast of the Dedication is Hanukkah; it celebrates the rededication and cleansing of the Temple after three years of desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes (king of Syria, 164BC, the era of the Maccabees). The story of Hanukkah can be found in the book 1 Maccabees, part of the Apocrypha. Even after all Jesus has done, people are still questioning him and want to know if he is the Messiah (v 24). Their lack of belief (vv 25- 26) shows that they really aren't part of the flock (yet?) and that they are still lost and wandering. The shepherd imagery is strong and Jesus is trying to get people to believe, but the are just unwilling. The words the people hear are blasphemy (to them), and the people begin to stone Jesus (v 31), an "appropriate" punishment for blasphemy! Jesus pleads with them about the good deeds that he does and how these are all signs he is the Messiah, but the people really didn't want to believe. 

There are some that believe and Jesus' work continues despite what humans try to do (vv 40- 42). Still true today?

Another good read from John! Mid-next week we come to Passion week...very different in John compared to the synoptics!

Have a good weekend and see you all Monday!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul