The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. --Psalm 121:8
Christian comedian Michael, Jr. performs mostly in churches now, as his calling is not just comedy, but also equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (see Ephesians 4:12). In one of his messages, he shares a video of the birth of his daughter. In the delivery room of the hospital, there are a lot of different people with different jobs, and a lot of sounds from not only a lot of different people, but also of machines and medical monitors.
The hand-held camera follows the newborn as a nurse or med tech carrier her from the mother's bed to a table, where she is weighed and measured. The lights and sounds are overwhelming to the newborn baby, and she cries (as babies do).
But then something amazing happens.
The dad speaks. He says some soothing words and calls her by name. The baby stops crying. She listens attentively to her father's voice. Out of all the tumult in the delivery room, the child recognizes her father's voice. When she hears him calling, her anxiety is lifted, she is no longer confused or perplexed, and she listens attentively.
As she grows, she may find herself in unfamiliar places. She may get lost in a sea of sights and sounds that seem foreign to her. But as long as she listens to her father's voice, she will not be lost.
Jesus alludes to this familiarity when He tells us an allegory about the Good Shepherd.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. --John 10:1-6
Jesus makes a scathing indictment of the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day. Remember that this chapter follows closely the events of chapter 9, where the man born blind sees more clearly than the religious leaders who cast him out of the synagogue. After closing chapter 9 with some encouraging words to the man born blind, Jesus opens chapter 10 with chastising words to the Pharisees.
He calls them thieves and robbers. Theft takes place when criminals remove property and take it as their own. Robbery introduces violence. A robber will steal at gunpoint; some may even injure or kill the victim in order to take their property. These are some pretty serious accusations.
By contrast, Jesus refers to Himself as a better shepherd. He does things the right way. He enters by the door, not sneaking in another way. He leads the sheep and does not drive them from behind. He calls them by name, and they follow Him. They flee from strangers trying to drive them away.
The message went over their heads. Jesus patiently explains it to them.
Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. --John 10:7-10
The criticism gets more pointed. The message mirrors Ezekiel 34, where the prophet accused the "shepherds of Israel" of feeding themselves at the expense of the flock. Verse 5 says, "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them." Notice here that Jesus said the reasons He came were to do what the shepherds had failed to do.
Jesus goes a step further. He accuses them of a perverse purpose, one that is associated with Satan himself: He says they have come to "steal, kill, and destroy." This underscores what Jesus said in John 8:44, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."
In contrast, Jesus says His purpose is to give life, and not just living but living abundantly. David Guzik's Study Guide for John says this:
“The Greek word for ‘abundance,’ perissos, has a mathematical meaning and generally denotes a surplus…The abundant life is above all the contented life, in which our contentment is based upon the fact that God is equal to every emergency and is able to supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” (Boice)Charles Spurgeon said, “Life is a matter of degrees. Some have life, but it flickers like a dying candle, and is indistinct as the fire in the smoking flax; others are full of life, and are bright and vehement.” Guzik also says, " Abundant life sheep give honor to the Shepherd. They are a credit to Him."
- Abundant life isn’t an especially long life.
- Abundant life isn’t an easy, comfortable life.
- Abundant life is a life of satisfaction and contentment in Jesus.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. --John 10:11-16
I want to point out several theological truths here. First, notice the mention (both direct and indirect) of the Trinity. We clearly have God the Father, and God the Son. Way back in verse 3 there was an indirect mention of God the Holy Spirit, who acts as the door keeper--the One who allows (maybe even invites?) the Good Shepherd into the fold. Later in verse 7 Jesus says He is the One who stands in the doorway, keeping the sheep in and the wolves out. There is an equivalency of purpose, if not in person, of the Son and the Spirit, just as there is an equivalency of purpose of the Son and the Father as seen in verse 15.
I also want to point out the Greek word translated "calls", as in the shepherd calls his sheep. The Greek word there is kaleo. According to Strong's Concordance, the word can mean to call or invite, to call by name, and to give a name to. It can also mean to be called, as in to bear a name or a title. Look at verse 3 again. It is the doorkeeper, whom we have already identified as the Holy Spirit, who calls His own sheep by their name. We are called Christians because we follow Christ, who is the Good Shepherd; we bear the name of Christ. According to verse 16, Jesus also calls other sheep "who are not of this fold". That is, He also calls Gentiles, not just His Jewish followers addressed here in this passage.
Later in the New Testament we see the compound Greek word parakaleo, which means to encourage. It is used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit and also the encouragement that members of Christ's church should give to one another. If we are true to our calling, we will encourage others in the faith and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
When we hear God's voice and respond positively, we are set apart from the world. We recognize the sound of His voice and respond, like sheep respond to the shepherd, and like a newborn baby responds to the sound of his father speaking to him.
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