A Sermon preached on Sunday 25th October in Lisburn Cathedral John 10:1-10
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts
be now and always acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
<I Am - Introduction>
When we come to a passage like this one, particularly in the Gospels,
it is important that we ask a couple of questions.
· Who is Jesus speaking to?
· And why is Jesus saying what he is saying?
Because these words don’t simply appear out of nowhere.
Jesus speaks here about sheep and shepherds, gates and gatekeepers, thieves and robbers.
And then he makes this extraordinary statement:
“I am the gate.”
But to understand why Jesus says that, we need to look back at what has just happened.
The context
In John chapter 9, Jesus has healed a man who was born blind.
A man who has never been able to see can suddenly see.
You might imagine that everyone would be rejoicing.
But they aren’t.
The Pharisees question the man. They question his parents.
O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
<I Am - Introduction>
When we come to a passage like this one, particularly in the Gospels,
it is important that we ask a couple of questions.
· Who is Jesus speaking to?
· And why is Jesus saying what he is saying?
Because these words don’t simply appear out of nowhere.
Jesus speaks here about sheep and shepherds, gates and gatekeepers, thieves and robbers.
And then he makes this extraordinary statement:
“I am the gate.”
But to understand why Jesus says that, we need to look back at what has just happened.
The context
In John chapter 9, Jesus has healed a man who was born blind.
A man who has never been able to see can suddenly see.
You might imagine that everyone would be rejoicing.
But they aren’t.
The Pharisees question the man. They question his parents.
They question the man again. They argue about Jesus.
And eventually they throw the man out.
And that’s important.
Because these are the religious leaders.
And eventually they throw the man out.
And that’s important.
Because these are the religious leaders.
These are the people who are supposed to be caring for God’s people.
They are supposed to be shepherds.
But instead of rejoicing that this man’s eyes have been opened, they reject him.
John 9 is about a man who was physically blind and is given sight.
But it is also about people who can physically see and yet are spiritually blind.
And it is to these same Pharisees that Jesus begins to speak in John 10.
So when Jesus starts talking about shepherds, thieves, robbers and strangers,
They are supposed to be shepherds.
But instead of rejoicing that this man’s eyes have been opened, they reject him.
John 9 is about a man who was physically blind and is given sight.
But it is also about people who can physically see and yet are spiritually blind.
And it is to these same Pharisees that Jesus begins to speak in John 10.
So when Jesus starts talking about shepherds, thieves, robbers and strangers,
this isn’t simply a nice rural illustration.
There is an edge to it.
Jesus here is answering some really important questions:
· Who can God’s people trust?
· Whose voice should they listen to?
· And where can they find life?
Hearing the shepherd’s voice
Jesus says:
“The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
The picture would have been familiar to the people listening to Jesus.
Several flocks could be gathered together in a sheepfold. But the shepherd knew his sheep
and the sheep knew their shepherd.
When the shepherd called, his sheep recognised his voice and followed.
And Jesus says:
“He calls his own sheep by name.”
There is something wonderfully personal about that.
Christian faith is not simply about knowing things about Jesus.
It is about knowing Jesus - and being known by him.
The shepherd knows his sheep.
He calls them by name.
I suppose I would like to ask an important question :
Do we recognise the voice of Jesus?
Because there are plenty of voices in our world competing for our attention.
· Voices telling us what matters.
Voices telling us what we should be doing with our time, our money
· What success looks like.
· What we should fear.
· What will make us happy.
· Who we are.
And in the middle of all that noise, Jesus says that his sheep know his voice.
But How do we learn to recognise it?
· By spending time with him.
· Through Scripture.
· Through prayer.
· Through worship.
· Through the life of the Christian community.
We become familiar with the words and ways of Jesus so that we begin to
There is an edge to it.
Jesus here is answering some really important questions:
· Who can God’s people trust?
· Whose voice should they listen to?
· And where can they find life?
Hearing the shepherd’s voice
Jesus says:
“The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
The picture would have been familiar to the people listening to Jesus.
Several flocks could be gathered together in a sheepfold. But the shepherd knew his sheep
and the sheep knew their shepherd.
When the shepherd called, his sheep recognised his voice and followed.
And Jesus says:
“He calls his own sheep by name.”
There is something wonderfully personal about that.
Christian faith is not simply about knowing things about Jesus.
It is about knowing Jesus - and being known by him.
The shepherd knows his sheep.
He calls them by name.
I suppose I would like to ask an important question :
Do we recognise the voice of Jesus?
Because there are plenty of voices in our world competing for our attention.
· Voices telling us what matters.
Voices telling us what we should be doing with our time, our money
· What success looks like.
· What we should fear.
· What will make us happy.
· Who we are.
And in the middle of all that noise, Jesus says that his sheep know his voice.
But How do we learn to recognise it?
· By spending time with him.
· Through Scripture.
· Through prayer.
· Through worship.
· Through the life of the Christian community.
We become familiar with the words and ways of Jesus so that we begin to
recognise what sounds like him
and what doesn’t.
Strangers, thieves and robbers
Because of this Jesus also gives a warning.
· There are other voices.
· He talks about strangers, thieves and robbers.
And later he says:
· “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
<unknown Caller - extemporary >
.png)
Again, remember who Jesus is speaking to.
· The religious leaders have pushed a man away. Jesus has restored him.
· They have excluded him. Jesus has welcomed him.
· They have interrogated him. Jesus has given him sight and drawn him into faith.
Jesus contrasts leadership that gives life with leadership that takes life away.
And that is challenging for anyone entrusted with Christian leadership.
· Christian leadership is never about gathering people around ourselves.
· It is about helping people recognise and follow the voice of Jesus.
There is only one Good Shepherd.
And it isn’t any of us.
Our responsibility is to point beyond ourselves to him.
But the warning goes wider than church leadership.
· There are things which promise life but diminish it.
· Things which promise freedom but enslave us.
· Things which promise fulfilment but leave us empty.
Not every voice / everything we hear deserves to be followed.
Section 2 of the passage “I am the gate”
The Pharisees don’t understand what Jesus is saying.
So Jesus says:
“Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”
We might expect him to say:
“I am the shepherd.”
And, of course, a few verses later he will say exactly that:
“I am the good shepherd.”
But first:
“I am the gate.”
A sheepfold could be a fairly simple enclosure - walls surrounding the sheep,
with an opening through which they entered and left.
And Jesus takes that familiar picture and says:
That’s me.
“I am the gate.”
He says:
“Whoever enters through me will be saved.”
There is assurance in those words.
· Our salvation doesn’t ultimately depend upon how good we are.
· It doesn’t depend upon our religious performance.
· It doesn’t depend upon whether we have managed to get everything right.
It depends upon Jesus.
· We enter through him.
· We belong through him.
· We are saved through him.
But notice what Jesus says next:
V9 “They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
Coming in and going out
There is movement here.
In and out.
They come in for security.
They go out to find pasture.
They are gathered and sent.
And there is a picture of the Christian life here.
We come in through Christ.
We discover that we are known, loved, forgiven and that we belong.
But Jesus doesn’t gather his people simply so that we can remain safely inside the sheepfold.
He leads us out.
Verse 3:
“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
Verse 4:
“He goes on ahead of them.”
That’s mission.
We come in through Christ for salvation.
We go out with Christ in mission.
Gathered and sent.
And actually, that is the rhythm of what we do every Sunday.
We gather. We hear God’s Word. We pray. We worship. We encourage one another.
And then we go out.
Back into our homes, workplaces, schools, communities and friendships.
The question isn’t simply:
How do we get people in?
We also need to ask:
Where is Jesus leading us out?
And there is reassurance here.
Jesus isn’t sending the sheep somewhere he himself is unwilling to go.
“He goes on ahead of them.”
Mission isn’t us taking Jesus somewhere he isn’t already present.
It is following Jesus into the places where he is already at work.
The gate works both ways.
· We come in.
· And we go out.
· We are gathered.
· And we are sent.
Finding pasture
And what happens when we follow?
Jesus says:
“They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
Pasture means provision.
Nourishment.
A place where the sheep can flourish.
And that brings us to the great promise at the end of this passage.
Jesus says:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
But then:
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
That’s what Jesus wants for his people.
Life.
· Not simply existence.
· Not simply religious observance.
· Not simply maintaining an institution.
Life in all its fullness.
· Life with God.
· Life shaped by grace.
· Life in which we know that we are known by name.
· Life in which we recognise the voice of the shepherd.
· Life in which we find our security in Christ and follow wherever he leads.
The gate isn’t an idea.
The gate isn’t a religious system.
The gate is a person.
Jesus himself.
And the one who says:
“I am the gate”
Also says:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
The shepherd who calls us by name is the shepherd who gives himself for us.
So what do we take away?
Three simple things.
Listen.
Whose voice are we listening to?
Among all the noise of life, are we learning to recognise the voice of Jesus?
Come in.
Jesus says:
“I am the gate.”
Our security, our forgiveness, our identity and our salvation are found in him.
And:
Go out.
Jesus doesn’t call us into the sheepfold simply to keep us there.
He calls us by name.
He leads us out.
And he goes ahead of us.
· Listen.
· Come in.
· Go out.
Know the Shepherd.
Enter through the Gate.
Follow where he leads.
Because the promise at the heart of it all is this:
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The shepherd knows us.
The shepherd calls us by name.
The gate is open.
The shepherd goes ahead.
And our calling is to follow.
Amen.
and what doesn’t.
Strangers, thieves and robbers
Because of this Jesus also gives a warning.
· There are other voices.
· He talks about strangers, thieves and robbers.
And later he says:
· “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
<unknown Caller - extemporary >
.png)
Again, remember who Jesus is speaking to.
· The religious leaders have pushed a man away. Jesus has restored him.
· They have excluded him. Jesus has welcomed him.
· They have interrogated him. Jesus has given him sight and drawn him into faith.
Jesus contrasts leadership that gives life with leadership that takes life away.
And that is challenging for anyone entrusted with Christian leadership.
· Christian leadership is never about gathering people around ourselves.
· It is about helping people recognise and follow the voice of Jesus.
There is only one Good Shepherd.
And it isn’t any of us.
Our responsibility is to point beyond ourselves to him.
But the warning goes wider than church leadership.
· There are things which promise life but diminish it.
· Things which promise freedom but enslave us.
· Things which promise fulfilment but leave us empty.
Not every voice / everything we hear deserves to be followed.
Section 2 of the passage “I am the gate”
The Pharisees don’t understand what Jesus is saying.
So Jesus says:
“Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”
We might expect him to say:
“I am the shepherd.”
And, of course, a few verses later he will say exactly that:
“I am the good shepherd.”
But first:
“I am the gate.”
A sheepfold could be a fairly simple enclosure - walls surrounding the sheep,
with an opening through which they entered and left.
And Jesus takes that familiar picture and says:
That’s me.
“I am the gate.”
He says:
“Whoever enters through me will be saved.”
There is assurance in those words.
· Our salvation doesn’t ultimately depend upon how good we are.
· It doesn’t depend upon our religious performance.
· It doesn’t depend upon whether we have managed to get everything right.
It depends upon Jesus.
· We enter through him.
· We belong through him.
· We are saved through him.
But notice what Jesus says next:
V9 “They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
Coming in and going out
There is movement here.
In and out.
They come in for security.
They go out to find pasture.
They are gathered and sent.
And there is a picture of the Christian life here.
We come in through Christ.
We discover that we are known, loved, forgiven and that we belong.
But Jesus doesn’t gather his people simply so that we can remain safely inside the sheepfold.
He leads us out.
Verse 3:
“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
Verse 4:
“He goes on ahead of them.”
That’s mission.
We come in through Christ for salvation.
We go out with Christ in mission.
Gathered and sent.
And actually, that is the rhythm of what we do every Sunday.
We gather. We hear God’s Word. We pray. We worship. We encourage one another.
And then we go out.
Back into our homes, workplaces, schools, communities and friendships.
The question isn’t simply:
How do we get people in?
We also need to ask:
Where is Jesus leading us out?
And there is reassurance here.
Jesus isn’t sending the sheep somewhere he himself is unwilling to go.
“He goes on ahead of them.”
Mission isn’t us taking Jesus somewhere he isn’t already present.
It is following Jesus into the places where he is already at work.
The gate works both ways.
· We come in.
· And we go out.
· We are gathered.
· And we are sent.
Finding pasture
And what happens when we follow?
Jesus says:
“They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
Pasture means provision.
Nourishment.
A place where the sheep can flourish.
And that brings us to the great promise at the end of this passage.
Jesus says:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
But then:
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
That’s what Jesus wants for his people.
Life.
· Not simply existence.
· Not simply religious observance.
· Not simply maintaining an institution.
Life in all its fullness.
· Life with God.
· Life shaped by grace.
· Life in which we know that we are known by name.
· Life in which we recognise the voice of the shepherd.
· Life in which we find our security in Christ and follow wherever he leads.
The gate isn’t an idea.
The gate isn’t a religious system.
The gate is a person.
Jesus himself.
And the one who says:
“I am the gate”
Also says:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
The shepherd who calls us by name is the shepherd who gives himself for us.
So what do we take away?
Three simple things.
Listen.
Whose voice are we listening to?
Among all the noise of life, are we learning to recognise the voice of Jesus?
Come in.
Jesus says:
“I am the gate.”
Our security, our forgiveness, our identity and our salvation are found in him.
And:
Go out.
Jesus doesn’t call us into the sheepfold simply to keep us there.
He calls us by name.
He leads us out.
And he goes ahead of us.
· Listen.
· Come in.
· Go out.
Know the Shepherd.
Enter through the Gate.
Follow where he leads.
Because the promise at the heart of it all is this:
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The shepherd knows us.
The shepherd calls us by name.
The gate is open.
The shepherd goes ahead.
And our calling is to follow.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment