This morning, we pick back up in our study of “The Road of Life”, which is an evangelistic method that uses the Gospel of John as our tract. We started by writing three questions on the front page: Purpose, Meaning, and Truth. Then, we went to John 1:1-5 and underlined it. We double-underlined four words to focus on there: Word, Made, Light, and Life. Then, down at the bottom of that page, we wrote our next passage, John 3:16-19. Again, we underlined that passage and highlighted six words that we would explain in reverse order: Darkness, Condemn, Perish, Believe, Gave, and Love. Again, at the bottom of the page, we wrote the next passage: John 6:35, 47-51. After underlining that one, our four highlighted words in that passage were Bread, Hunger, Forever, and Flesh.
As we’ve worked through our passages so far, each one has dealt with the first two questions we want to ask: What is your purpose and what gives your life meaning? John 1 tells us that Jesus is the source of life and truth, and we can only find our purpose in him. John 3 tells us why we seem to struggle to find meaning and purpose - because we live in darkness and our sin leads to condemnation and death. But, it also tells us how we can be delivered from that condemnation. We are delivered by faith in the Son that God gave because of his great love for us. John 6 tells us that this faith isn’t just a one-time transaction, but is something we come back to, time and again. Jesus sustains us spiritually just as bread sustains the body. So far, we haven’t really dealt with the third question - the question of truth. So, today our passage gives us the answer to the question of where we should find truth. To start with, flip back to John 6:35 in your little Gospel of John, and at the bottom of that page, write 10:7-11. Then, flip over to John 10:7-11 and underline it as I read it. Now, double-underline four words: sheep, door, abundantly, and shepherd.
In this passage, Jesus gives us another metaphor to help us understand our relationship to him. The last metaphor he gave should be universally understood because we all eat bread and know what it is to be hungry. This one might be a little bit more challenging, as fewer people today raise livestock than in Jesus’s day. Yet, we still know enough to understand it. So, let’s consider what Jesus means by focusing on these four words.
First, Jesus says, in verse 7, “I am the door for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” In this metaphor, Jesus calls his followers sheep. There are numerous layers to this connection between Christ-followers and sheep, and not all of them are complementary. But, all of them point to the same truth - we are totally dependent on Jesus for our lives. So, how are we like sheep? Believe it or not, I raised goats for about ten years. While I never had sheep, I did have a lot of interactions with them, especially at livestock auctions, and when you see goats and sheep together it doesn’t take long to recognize how different they really are. Goats are stubborn, self-determining creatures. One time, I found that one of my goats was out, so I caught him and put him back in the pin. I then found where he had gotten out, repaired it so that he couldn’t anymore, and then stood off at a distance to see if he would try again. The goat went to that spot in the fence, admired my work, then went about 20 feet down the fence and climbed out at another spot. Goats will also find a way to food. It is not true that goats will eat anything, but they do like variety. They are not satisfied with the pasture they have, and, if they lack variety in their diet, no amount of fencing will keep them in. They are also willing to defend themselves. Sheep are none of those things. Where goats are browsers that will find food anywhere, sheep are grazers that must be led to green pastures. Despite their horns, sheep are defenseless animals who will give up at the first sign of conflict. They also are particular about what they drink. They will not drink from moving water, and they require clean water to survive. You can hear in all of this the truth of the passage we read earlier from Psalm 23. The point is, sheep need a shepherd or they will not survive.
In the same way, we need a shepherd to lead us in the way of truth. Jesus says that there were teachers who came before him who were thieves and robbers. He is speaking here of the religious leaders of Israel who used God’s law for their own gain and abused the people with it. They were self-interested and false teachers. Today, there are many such thieves and robbers who claim to know the truth, but they end up destroying those that follow them. Jesus is the only true shepherd that will lead us to the truth.
Second, consider the word, “Door”. Jesus says that he is the door for the sheep. At first glance, this seems like a weird analogy, but when we understand how shepherds protected their sheep, it makes perfect sense. In Jesus’s day, a shepherd would live out in the pasture with his sheep. Before dark, he would build a corral for them out of bushes or rocks, and then he would make his bed at the entrance of that corral. Any predator that wanted the sheep had to come through him during the night. So, the shepherd made himself the door to protect the sheep. In the same way, Jesus is the door of salvation. In Jesus, we have protection from the thieves, robbers, and wolves that would take our souls.
Third, consider the word, “abundantly”. In verse 10, Jesus says that the thief comes to kill and steal, but he has come so that the sheep might have abundant life. The life we have in Jesus is not in some distant future when Christ returns. It is not a life free from sin but full of misery. Life in Jesus is life the way it was intended to be. It is a life full of the love, goodness, and beauty of God. It is full of God’s Spirit that leads us in truth. It is full of his Word that shows us how to live a meaningful, good life. I do a fair amount of counseling in my role as pastor. There is a lot of pain and suffering in this world. There are depression, family strife, relationship troubles, and broken friendships. I will grant that in a few cases, the trouble that some people face is not of their own making. Sometimes trouble at work leads to trouble at home, and that just can’t be helped. But, it has been my experience that the majority of troubles that we face, especially when it comes to our relationships and emotions are of our own making. Most of the time, it is because we pursued our own selfish ends rather than the good of the other. Most of the time, it is because we knew the right thing to do, and instead we chose what felt right in the moment. Much of what we suffer from in life is due to our own sin and selfishness, or our unwillingness to seek the wisdom of the Lord. There is a better life, an abundant life, that Jesus has for us. It is found in a faithful walk with him. It is found in abiding in his word. With Jesus as our shepherd, we can have abundant life.
Finally, consider the word, “Shepherd.” In verse 11, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. This is what distinguishes the false teachers of the world from the Good Shepherd. Muhammed killed thousands and enslaved hundreds. Jesus became our servant, even facing death on the cross, so that we might be free. Buddha gave his followers the eight-fold path to guide them to enlightenment and left them to find their way on their own. Jesus promised that he would not leave us but would be with us to the end of the age. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, used his position as their great prophet to steal the wives of his followers. Jesus kept nothing hidden from his disciples. False teachers always reveal themselves through their selfish gains. Jesus reveals himself by laying down his life for his sheep. So, we should follow him, because he has proven his goodness to us by saving us through his death.
Today, I ask you, where do you find truth? Do you find it in the latest podcast, a self-help guru, or by dabbling in some new-age religion? None of those things can give you the abundant truth that Jesus Christ has given through his Spirit and his Word. Won’t you follow him today and receive that abundant life?
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