The True Shepherd
This is a transcript. It may contain small inaccuracies.
There is more than one contrast found in the previous chapter, John chapter 9, that we've studied together for several weeks. There's the contrast between faith and unbelief, the contrast between the response of the man born blind who now can see to the Lord Jesus Christ—his response to Christ—and the response of the Pharisees toward the Lord Jesus Christ. That's another contrast. You see a man who was blind, but now he sees, not just physically, but spiritually. And you see, on the other hand, religious leaders who thought they could see, but they were utterly blind.
The blind man who now can see, he trusts in Jesus. He trusts in Jesus as his Lord, as his Messiah, as his Savior. And the Pharisees, on the other hand, who claimed they could see, they're blind to the true nature and the person and the character of Jesus. And what do they do? What is their response? Incorrigible rejection. They reject Him. You see a contrast between faith and unbelief, between a believer and stubborn unbelievers.
But there's another contrast in that 9th chapter—the contrast between the attitude, the care of the Lord Jesus Christ towards this poor blind beggar, and the attitude and the care of the Pharisees. Those men who sat in the seat of Moses, the men who were religious leaders of the day, the people, the men who were supposed to be the shepherds of Israel. The contrast between the true Shepherd of Israel towards this blind man and the false, counterfeit shepherds toward this blind man. Well, that contrast leads directly into the 10th chapter this morning.
Now where I want to begin with you this morning is I want us to consider the context—the context, the setting. It is important that we understand the context in order to really grasp the analogy here, the allegory that you find throughout this entire chapter. And the first thing that I want us to notice together is that there is no indication whatsoever here by John that the setting has changed from the previous chapter. Now that is important. It's important to keep that in mind.
John is really good about giving us time indicators. When the scene changes, when the setting changes, he usually lets us know. For example—and I want us to see this, and this helps us in our study of Scripture—if you look at this 10th chapter all the way down to verse 22, he tells us specifically that "At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the Portico of Solomon." So when you come to verse 22, what do we have? Well, we see a change of the setting. Chapter 10 verse 42 says, "many believed in Him there." It's very specific.
You get to chapter 11 verse 1, we read, "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha." So again, you see a change in the setting. So John is really good about that. When something changes, he tells us. Well, there's nothing—absolutely nothing like that here in John 10:1. So from all of that, we are to understand clearly that Jesus said what He says here in the same setting.
It is in the same setting that the blind man is still there, the Pharisees are still there, the crowd is still listening in—that was listening in when He sought out the blind man and found him and led him to faith in Himself. That's the setting. And keep in mind that setting. Nothing has changed, it's the same.
And Jesus now is using this analogy, this figure of speech. He's using this analogy, this allegory that He's giving us in verse 6 where we read, "This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them." So He is using an analogy. In order to understand the analogy, for us we have to remember the context. So here's this analogy, and for us to understand what He's really saying—the figure of speech—well, we need to understand the context.
So the blind man is there, the Pharisees are there, the crowd is still there listening in. And He's going to use an illustration, an allegory, to teach them something. And this figure of speech, this analogy, this allegory has to do with what's going on right there in that setting, in that setting. So what is the figure of speech that He's using that they did not understand?
Now we move from the context to the analogy, to the figure of speech. Let's look at the figure of speech. Well, it's very simple. It's a shepherding analogy. It's a shepherding analogy. Well, He's talking about shepherding. And this is something they would have been very familiar with, very familiar with. Because shepherding was part of their everyday lives in this culture, and so this is something very familiar, and He's going to use that to teach them.
In fact, not only was it familiar to them in terms of just their lifestyle, the culture they lived in, it was familiar from the standpoint of Scripture as well. This is a picture you see a lot in the Old Testament and even in the New Testament. God is the Shepherd, His people are His sheep. Let us see this together so we can really grasp the background of this analogy and the context of it really.
Psalm 74:1—you could jot those down, you don't have to turn there, but you could jot them down, look at them later—but here it is: Psalm 74:1, “Why, O God? Have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?" You see it? Psalm 77:20, “You led Your people like” – what? – A flock, “like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron." You get to Psalm 78:52, “But He led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like a flock." Same thing. "Psalm 79:13, “But as for us, as Your people and the sheep of Your pasture, We will give thanks to You forever; From generation to generation, we will recount Your praise."
Again, and so when you look at the nation of Israel as a whole, they are sheep and God is their Shepherd. That's the image, that's the figure of speech. And then if you look at salvation from an individual point of view, the 23rd Psalm that was read in your hearing in the opening of our service—how does it begin? "Yahweh is” – what? – “my shepherd." He's my shepherd.
This was a very accurate picture because the people understood, knowing what it was to see shepherds and their sheep. They understood that sheep are the most helpless, defenseless, straying, messy animals you could find. All of that. And they require, as a result, constant oversight. They require someone to lead them, save them, rescue them, keep them clean, or else they will what? Perish.
And God is the Shepherd. His people are His sheep. The leaders of His people were often compared to shepherds. In fact, most of them had actually been shepherds—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David—they'd all literally been shepherds at one time. It's like the training ground that God put them through to prepare them to deal with His people. And so the leaders of God's flocks were often pictured as under shepherds.
When Moses was told he wouldn't enter the Promised Land, he had a desire for God to provide another leader, someone to be like a shepherd to His people. Numbers 27:15: "Then Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying, 'May Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over this congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in,'"—the language, right, of a shepherd—"'so that the congregation of Yahweh will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.'" Same language.
When David was anointed as king, his rule was represented in shepherding terms. 2 Samuel 5:1: "Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, 'Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and Yahweh said to you, "You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.’" Same thing. Psalm 78 presents David's rule exactly the same way: "He also chose David His servant," – verse 70, – "And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the nursing ewes He brought him to shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance," verse 72. "So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And led them with his skillful hands." And so in the Old Testament, God is the Shepherd of His people. His people are the sheep. The leaders are under-shepherds. David is presented as an under-shepherd.
The New Testament—well, we find the same imagery there, uses the same image. When Paul, remember, met with the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20—and you remember he's telling them, Well, you're not going to see my face anymore. This is going to be the last time we're able to meet together. And I want to remind you of your role in the Lord's church. I want to remind you of who the people of God are. I want to remind you of what your ministry is supposed to be all about. And in Acts chapter 20:28, he said to them, "Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock." The flock—all the flock. What is the church? It is the flock of God. We are His sheep. We are His sheep. And He is our Shepherd.
Jesus is the chief Shepherd. We are the flock. He's speaking here to these pastors, elders, and He says, "Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,"—now watch this—"to shepherd the church of God” – to shepherd the church of God, – “which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock."
Did you notice here that when describing the tasks of these under-shepherds, He tells them to what? The Greek word ‘poimniō’, which means to shepherd, literally, and it's translated actually accurately in the LSV—it is to shepherd the flock of God, the church of God. This is what pastors do. They shepherd the church of God.
1 Peter 5:2, same thing: "shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion, but willingly according to God; and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." He is the chief Shepherd. Elders, pastors are under-shepherds.
Again, what is the church? The flock. Who is the chief Shepherd? Jesus. What are pastors? Under-shepherds. What do they do? They shepherd the flock of God that's among them. Very simple.
The same imagery is even used of false teachers, by the way. False teachers. What are false teachers? Well, they are presented in Scripture not only as wolves, but they are what? Wolves in sheep's clothing. Some Christians, when they think of a wolf in sheep's clothing, they think that, you know, the cartoon wolf dressed like a sheep, but that's not the picture here. That's not the picture. It's not a wolf looking like a sheep. That's not the image here, though there's some truth in that too. But sheep's clothing here in Scripture describes the rough dress, the clothing of a shepherd. And so you have a wolf in shepherd's clothing, a wolf that looks like a shepherd.
Matthew 7:15, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are” – what? – “ravenous wolves." In the Old Testament, you have the same picture—false teachers. What are they? They are false shepherds. Jeremiah 23:1, "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares Yahweh. Therefore, thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who are shepherding My people: 'You have scattered My flock and banished them and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,'" declared Yahweh. "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the land where I banished them and cause them to return to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. And I will also raise up shepherds over them, and they will shepherd them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be left unattended,'" declares Yahweh.”
So this is the figure of speech that Jesus uses in John, chapter 10:1-6. What is it about? So what is this figure of speech about? It's about shepherding. It's about shepherding. Now, in this analogy, you have a sheepfold—a sheepfold. So the analogy is about shepherding. Let's now see the components of this analogy. You have sheepfold.
Look at verse 1: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber." So here you have a sheepfold, and they would have recognized what Jesus was talking about when He mentioned this. And what we need to understand—understand the background a little bit. There's more than one kind of sheepfold in that culture, in that day, that existed.
There was, first of all, a sheepfold that they would have used out in the fields. That's one type—the one that is out in the fields. In good weather, they would be out there, and not only during the day, they would even stay there sometimes at night. And it was a rough enclosure made of stone, and in fact, we're going to talk about this sheepfold next time, Lord willing. A rough enclosure of stone, and then there was no door, no gate. The shepherd himself served as the door.
But the sheepfold He describes here in the beginning of chapter 10 is the one that would have existed in the village, not out in the fields. In the town. And it was rather a larger enclosure, again, usually made out of stones. Sometimes it would have a roof, sometimes not. But there was a door to it, there was a gate, and there was a porter, there was a doorkeeper, there was a gatekeeper.
At night, the shepherds would bring their flocks to the village, into the village, and then they would put their sheep into the sheepfold, and there were many different flocks stored in the same sheepfold. There was more than one. And then you have this hired doorkeeper who would watch over the sheep at night, and then in the morning, the morning comes, and you have the shepherds now would come to the sheepfold, and they would now call out their own sheep. They would come to the sheepfold in the morning, and the gatekeeper would then give them access, and, well, you say, well, how would they ever know? I mean, everything's mixed together, all the sheep, the flocks are intermingled together. How would you know? How would you know? How would they know which ones belong to them? Which flock was theirs?
Well, they had an intimate knowledge of their sheep. In fact, they would give them names. They would give them names. They knew them by name, and each had a distinctive call, and as the shepherd would call his sheep by name, the sheep would recognize the shepherd's voice as they are being called out. And they would come, and they would come out from the sheepfold, and he would lead them out into the fields where they would be fed and watered and taken care of.
So this is the sheepfold being pictured here, not the one out in the field, but the one in the village, the community sheepfold, where more than one flock would gather. And then in the morning the shepherd would come, he'd be granted access, and he would call out his own sheep by name, and they would follow him out into the field, and he would take care of them. He would water them. He would feed them. He would take care of them. So it's a shepherding picture. It's in the village, in the sheepfold, in the community, where you would have a hired gatekeeper who would watch over them at night.
Something else you have in this picture, this analogy—so not only you have a sheepfold, but you also have a contrast between the true shepherd and what? Look at the text: thieves and robbers. Thieves and robbers. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a 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. When he brings all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they will never follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."
So you have a contrast here. You have a shepherd, a true shepherd, who comes openly, who comes honestly, and who comes legitimately. He comes to the door, meets with the gatekeeper, he's granted access, and he calls out the sheep. He calls them out. But then you have thieves, robbers. They come a different way. They come a different way. You find the thief, the robber, climbing up the wall trying to gain access to the sheep in a way that is what? Not legitimate. In fact, you have a difference between those two kinds. You have thieves. You have robbers. They're both counterfeit.
The word thief, ‘kleptēs’, means someone who steals by fraud, in secret. Here it refers to one who gains access to the sheep by deception. Then the word robber, ‘lēstēs’, someone who would gain access to the sheep by violence, by violence. So one by deception, the other by violence, they work together. When they don't come legitimately, when they don't come to the door, to the doorkeeper, then you know it's a thief, it's a robber, and it's not the true shepherd, the legitimate shepherd. So you have a contrast in the midst of this analogy.
Now let us move to the meaning. What is the meaning of this analogy, the context, the analogy? Now the meaning of the analogy, the teaching of this analogy, this illustration, what is Jesus teaching here? What is He teaching through this analogy? I mean, they didn't understand Him, though it was something they were familiar with, very familiar with. That's what we're told in verse 6. They didn't get it. Whatsoever, they didn't get it. "This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were, which He had been saying to them."
So here's the question. What is He saying? And by the way, when you see the words, ‘amēn, amēn’, translated "truly, truly," or "verily, verily," “amen, amen," it's always something very, very significant, and often something significant about Jesus Himself. Just like it is here, He's telling us something about Himself, something about His nature, His character, His person. He is the message, as we were reminded earlier. He is the message. He's not proclaiming a message. He's proclaiming a message, but the message is Him.
So what is He telling us? Well, first of all, He's telling us about the true Shepherd, and the true Shepherd is Him. He's telling us about the true Shepherd being Him. Jesus, beloved, is the true Shepherd. He is the true shepherd. He's the one who has come openly, has come honestly, has come legitimately. The true Shepherd of the sheep is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ can be seen when you compare Him to false shepherds. He operates in marked contrast. You have Jesus and how He operates, and then you have false shepherds. And when you compare them, you will inevitably see the glory of Jesus. Specifically, think about the context. Think about the context. The blind man. The man born blind. Jesus really cared for this man born blind. He cared for this man born blind. The Pharisees did not care about him whatsoever.
Jesus healed the blind man. The Pharisees couldn't even rejoice that he had been healed. They questioned the miracle. They interrogated this man. They wanted him to say false things about Jesus. Ultimately, they excommunicated him out of the synagogue, out of the national life of Israel. They don't care about him. They couldn't even rejoice that he was made well.
So Jesus, on the other hand, He seeks out the blind man. He finds him. He calls him to Himself. He calls him to faith in Himself. Well, the Pharisees, what do they do? They kick him out. They put him away. Jesus stands in the truth. He speaks the truth. He is the truth. He's affirmed by the truth, pointed to by the truth. The Pharisees are exposed by the truth, and they are rebuked by it.
That's to say that Jesus has come legitimately. The truth speaks to Him, but the Pharisees hold the rule over the people in an illegitimate way. They rule the people by deception and by violence. Thieves and robbers. Deception and violence. They rule the people by deception, by intimidation, just like they've done with this blind man. Right?
So Jesus is a true Shepherd in this analogy, this picture. So who are the thieves and the robbers? Well, of course, they are the religious leaders of Israel. At that current time, the Pharisees, right here in this context, that would be them. They are the thieves and the robbers. So what Jesus is doing in this analogy, this allegory, is He's not only pointing to Himself as the true Shepherd, but He's also exposing the counterfeit shepherds, the false shepherds. Who are the thieves and robbers? The religious leaders. The Pharisees are thieves and robbers, ruling by deception and by violence.
And, beloved, this is not only the only time that Jesus exposed them by using parables and analogies or allegories. He does this, by the way, numerous times. In fact, sometimes they actually recognize that He was doing it when they picked up on it. For instance, you remember in Matthew 21:33 and following, you have the parable of the vine growers and, you know, how they killed the slaves of the master, the landowner, with reference to the people of Israel. And again and again, and then he sends them his own son. And, of course, they seize him and they kill him. Now, watch what Jesus says after the parable, verse 45: "And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to seize Him, they feared the crowds, because they were regarding Him to be a prophet." Matthew's comment under inspiration.
You go over to Luke 20:19, and this is right after the same parable in that parallel account concerning the vine growers. Actually, turn with me there, Luke chapter 20. Look at verse 19: "And the scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, but they feared the people. For they understood that He spoke this parable against them. So they watched Him and sent spies." – Now watch the language now, they “sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they might catch Him in some statement, in order to deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. And they questioned Him, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But He perceived their craftiness and said to them, 'Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?' They said, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' And they were unable to catch Him in a word in the presence of the people. And marveling at His answer, they became silent."
What is the point? Here's the point. They picked up—the Pharisees—on the fact that He's speaking against them. But now notice what they're practicing in order to try to get rid of Him. What are they practicing? They're practicing what? Deception and violence. You see it? Deception and violence. Thieves holding rule of the people by deception and by intimidation, by violence. Robbers. Thieves and robbers.
There are many others that I could give, but let me just give you one more in Matthew 12:9, where we read, "And departing from there He,” – Jesus, – “went into their synagogue. And behold, a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, saying, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'—so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, 'What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep?'"
Listen to you, you false shepherd. Listen, you false shepherd, He's telling them. If it was a sheep, you would have rescued it on the Sabbath. But now, you who are to be the shepherds of Israel, you have a man who's far more valuable than a sheep, and you don't want Me to heal him. Jesus went on to say, "So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then, verse 13, "He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.'" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.” And how did these false shepherds respond to what He just did? Look at verse 14: "But going out, the Pharisees took counsel together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him." Conspiracy, deception, violence. How can we kill Him? You see that? So, this is the picture. This is the picture we have.
Back to John chapter 10, Jesus says, there is a true shepherd, and the true shepherd comes legitimately. He comes to the door. The doorkeeper grants Him access, and He calls His sheep out by name. That's the true shepherd. The true shepherd. But then there are thieves and robbers. They operate by deception and by violence. Who are the thieves and robbers? He's talking about the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day. He's talking about them.
You say, well, what does the sheepfold represent? What about the sheepfold? What does it represent in this analogy? It represents Judaism. Dead Judaism. It represents apostate Israel. Now, notice. Notice you have a sheepfold. You have sheep in the sheepfold. But not all of the sheep belong to the shepherd, the true shepherd. He comes to the sheepfold, and then he calls out the names of those sheep that belong to him. Not all the sheep come out when he calls out. Only those who belong to him, they come out. Only those who belong to him.
And they hear their names. And they hear their shepherd's voice. And they listen to him. And they listen to him. In fact, someone else could come and call out, and they would not pay attention. They wouldn't listen. They don't listen to strangers, Jesus says. But they hear. They hear this shepherd's voice. And they follow him. And he leads them out into green pasture. And he feeds them. And he cares for them. And he gives them water and all the necessities of life.
And the sheepfold there represents Israel. And Jesus has come to call out from physical Israel a spiritual Israel. He's come to call out His own people who will give heed to His voice. They will not listen to a stranger. They will listen to Him. And they will follow Him. And isn't the blind man a great example of this? Isn't it?
Here's this man. He's been healed by Jesus. And he doesn't know the whole story yet. And then, you remember, chapter 9, you've got these false shepherds calling upon this blind man who was healed by Jesus to listen to them instead. Remember what they said to him? "Give glory to God. Tell the truth. This man is a sinner. Listen to us. Pay attention to our intimidation or else we're going to kick you out of the synagogue. Listen to us or we're going to excommunicate you.”
How did he respond? That's a lot of pressure. And despite their deception and despite their intimidation and violence threats, this blind man who now could see would not listen to them. He would not give heed to their voice. But when the true Shepherd sought him and found him and called him, the man immediately recognized the voice of his Shepherd, and he worshipped Him and followed Him.
Jesus had come to call out from apostate Judaism His sheep, these people who would listen to His voice and follow Him. In fact, this is going to become even clearer that the sheepfold is Judaism when we get to verse 14. Lord willing, look at it: "I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." – Now watch this -- "I have other sheep, which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."
He says, "I have other sheep that don't belong to this fold." What is He talking about here? If there are Jews that are saved that belong to that fold, there's going to be Gentiles that are saved. And so He has some sheep that belong to Him. They're Gentile sheep. They don't belong to the fold of Judaism. They're Gentile sheep, and He's going to call them also, and they're going to hear His voice, and they're going to also follow Him.
So you have the true shepherd—that's Jesus. You have thieves and robbers—that's the false religious leaders. You have a sheepfold—that's Judaism, dead Judaism. So then when He talks about His sheep, what about the sheep? What is He talking about? What is He talking about? Well, He's talking about His followers. He's talking about His followers. He's not talking about Israelites according to the flesh, because you can be an Israelite according to the flesh and not be a sheep of God.
He's talking about Israelites according to the promise, the sheep for which Jesus will die. The sheep that will hear His voice and follow Him are His own sheep, known by their very names, belonging to Him before He came. Remember, in this analogy, you have these sheep already belonging to the shepherd. They already belong to the shepherd. Remember that. When he shows up at the door and calls them, the reason they come out is because they are his already. They belong to him.
And so He knows His sheep before He arrives at the door, before He calls them out, out of the fold. And His sheep will not only come to Him from the nation of Israel, but also He has other sheep from another fold among the Gentile nations. Together they're going to form one flock, and they're going to have one shepherd—the true shepherd. This is the figure of speech that He used that they did not understand.
Now, where I want to finish and focus the remaining time that we have this morning, I want to focus with you on the doctrine taught in this passage. And what a magnanimous doctrine. It's a simple analogy, a simple allegory, a simple picture. But, beloved, there is a profound doctrine here that exists in this simple analogy. But what do we learn together? And I pray as we learn this together that your heart is just filled with thanksgiving and praise to God and gratitude and worship and adoration for so great a salvation that is ours in Christ. And I trust the Holy Spirit to bring the appropriate application.
First of all, we learn the truth of unconditional election. We learn the truth of unconditional election. Sovereign grace. Jesus has a people given to Him before time. A people for whom He came to live and to die, and a people that He's going to call to Himself. He has His sheep. His sheep. Verse 11: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." "I am the good shepherd," – Verse 14 –"and I know My own and My own know Me."
And He's not talking just about the sheep that already followed Him. He can't be, because when you get down to verse 16, He says, "And I have other sheep which are not from this fold; I must"—what? What's the next word?—"bring them also” and they're going to hear His voice, and they're going to come. Unconditional election.
Do you realize, beloved, that Jesus knew who His sheep were before He ever came to this earth? They were given to Him according to the book of Ephesians and many other places in God's Word. They were chosen before time, given to Him for the purpose of redemption as a love gift from the Father. God chose a people for salvation out of all flesh, out of all men that exist. God the Father has given authority to God the Son to give eternal life to all those who were given to Him for salvation.
This is exactly what Jesus prays in John chapter 17. Turn with me to John 17. Look at verse 1, how it begins: "Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.'" You see that? He has authority over all flesh to do what? To give eternal life to those who were given to Him by the Father.
Verse 6: "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word." Notice verse 9 now: "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours." And Jesus, when He's praying for these people, He's not just praying for His current followers. He's praying for the future—His future followers.
You say, how do you know that? Well, look down to verse 20 in the same passage: "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word." In other words, I'm not praying for the world. I'm praying for these people. I'm praying for the people whom You gave to Me, Father. I'm praying for these that You gave Me authority to give them eternal life. And I'm praying not only for those who already follow Me. I'm praying for those who are going to believe in Me through their word—through their proclamation of the Gospel.
What is this? This is unconditional election. We need to grasp this, beloved, because it's taught in Scripture. What is God's choice based on? What is God's choice based on? It's not based upon anything found in the person. Whatsoever. Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Not based upon anything found in the person. God didn't choose you for salvation because of some conditional thing that He found in you. He didn't say, oh, now that Habib guy, you know, he's going to be a good guy, so I'm going to choose him. No, no. In fact, if you had looked down—you know the theory that a lot of Christians hold. You know what God did is that He looked down through the corridors of time and He saw who would choose Him and who wouldn't. And then God chose those whom He knew would choose Him.
What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that is that the Bible teaches us in Romans chapter 3; there is no one who seeks for God. That's what's wrong with that. No one. If He looks down through the corridors of time, what does He see? He sees the whole human race. Well, what does He see? Nobody left to themselves who seeks for God.
If He looks down through the corridors of time, that's what He sees. He doesn't see good people, because Romans 3 also tells us, "There is no one who does good, no, not even one." Romans 3 also tells us, "There is no one who understands; they have all together become"—what?—"worthless." "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." God sees nothing but sinful humanity deserving of judgment and wrath. So He owes salvation to no one.
And when He chose you for salvation, Beloved, it wasn't because of anything found in you or me. It's because of the love found in Him. Love so amazing, so divine. His grace, His grace, His mercy, His love. That's why His unconditional election.
Remember Ephesians 1:3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him,” – in Christ – “before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to” – what? The blueness of our eyes? The greenness of our eyes? No, no, – “according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise and the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved." How is it bestowed upon us? Graciously. In what climate? In the Beloved. Bless Him, praise Him, because you were chosen for this salvation—unconditional election.
But there's a second thing that we see here in John 10. This gets to the second picture that we're going to examine next time in detail, Lord willing. Not only do you see unconditional election, you see also in the second place particular redemption. Particular redemption.
In verse 11: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for"—who?—"the sheep." The sheep know My voice, earlier He said in the analogy. They're Mine, they belong to Me. Who's Jesus going to die for? He's going to die for the sheep, not for the goats. He's going to die for the sheep.
Did Jesus, through His death on the cross, atone for all of the sins of all of the people? No, Beloved. Beloved, listen. If He atoned for all the sins of all of the people, then you have what we call universalism. Everybody's going to heaven. Period. You know why? Because sin isn't going to be punished twice if Jesus paid for it. It's not going to be answered for twice.
Jesus atoned for all the sins of all of those who believe in Jesus Christ. And we know those who believe in Jesus Christ are those who were chosen for salvation before time. He paid it all. And He paid it all for all the sins of all of His sheep. He died for the sheep. In fact, this is why it's described in such loyal terms in verse 12 when we get to it: "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and"—what?—"flees." He runs. He takes off. “and the wolf snatches and scatters”. Here's this man who's just hired to take care of the sheep. He doesn't own them. They don't belong to him. They're not his. The man won't die for those sheep because they're not his. He doesn't care.
Oh, but the Shepherd. The Shepherd. The true Shepherd. The One who owns the sheep. He sees a wolf coming. He doesn't run. He doesn't run. Verse 13, speaking of the hired hand, he flees “because he is a hired hand and not concerned about the sheep." Verse 14: "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; I lay down My life for the sheep." Who is He laying down His life for? For the sheep that He knows. He's laying His life down for the sheep that He knows, that belong to Him.
Verse 16: "And I have other sheep which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but from Myself, I lay it down. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." What is this truth? Jesus died for His people to save His people from their sins.
We have another truth, doctrinal truth, magnanimous truth communicated in this allegory. And that is the truth of, and I love this, effectual calling. Effectual calling. What do we mean when we talk about effectual calling? It's a call that actually results indeed certainly in salvation. There is a general call that goes forth to the world. There are people who will hear the general call who are not saved.
What is the general call? It's just the preaching of the gospel, the proclamation of the gospel indiscriminately. This morning as I declare Jesus to you, as I tell you that God has given a Savior, that God the Son came from Heaven to earth, born of a woman, a virgin birth, God in human flesh, the Word became flesh, lived a sinless life to save sinners, died on the cross as a substitute for anyone who will trust in Him, who was raised from the dead victorious. That's the gospel. As I declare this to you, there's a Savior. If you repent of your sins and come to Him, you'll be saved.
What is happening as I proclaim that? If you're a sinner outside of Christ, God is calling you. God is calling you. You're sitting here this morning. Where you are, He's calling you to repent of your sins and to trust in His Son. Now, follow closely. There are people who will hear that call this morning and who will walk away outside that door, and they will walk away from it and not receive Christ, who will say “no but no thank you”. What is that? That's the general call that goes forth to the world.
Now, listen. There's a different kind of call. A different kind of call. This call is not external. This call is not external, although it comes to us through that external call. It's not external. It is internal. And now, listen to this, beloved. It never fails. Never. Never fails. Everyone who receives this call repents of their sin. They trust in Jesus Christ. They embrace Him by faith just like the blind man.
It's the call of the Shepherd to His sheep. It's the voice of the Shepherd who says, “come, follow Me”. Remember how He selected His disciples? Walked by the booth of Levi, Matthew, the tax collector. He says, follow Me. He dropped everything and followed Him. Follow Me. Come, follow Me. And His sheep, though they will not follow a stranger, they recognize the voice of their Shepherd and they follow Him.
And it's a mysterious thing. It's a secret thing. It's not a voice you hear in your ears. It comes to you through the Gospel. You hear the Gospel and you are smitten with the knowledge of your sinfulness and wretchedness. And you are moved by the glory of God seen in Jesus Christ. And you want to turn from your sins and repent and turn to Jesus and follow Him. It's the work of regeneration, the new birth. And in that way, through the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit, the Shepherd calls His sheep to Himself and they come. They come.
And you see that in this illustration because Jesus says, "I know My own. My own know Me. And they won't listen to the voice of a stranger." But the Shepherd comes to the door and He calls out His own by name. By name. And they hear Him. And they recognize Him. And they follow Him. What is that? Effectual call. Effectual call. And it results, always results in the sheep following Him.
But there's another truth communicated here. It has to do with the fullness of salvation. It has to do with abundant life. Look at verse 4: "When He brings all His own out, He goes ahead of them." And I love this. I love this. We have in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a Shepherd who doesn't drive us. He leads us. Isn't it wonderful to know, beloved? We have not been asked to walk any pathway that Jesus hasn't walked before us. What a comforting truth. He leads the way. He's our example. He's our model. He shows us how it is that we live this life that He's given us. He goes ahead of them and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.
And then look at verse 10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came” – Jesus came why? – “that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Christ gives abundant life. And we will deal with this more next time, Lord willing. But it is more than sufficient life. It is more than necessary. This is the life that He gives—more than is necessary.
And so we have, so far, unconditional election. Particular redemption. Effectual calling. The fullness of salvation. But there's another doctrine here. And this is wonderful for us to know who believe in sovereign election. And this is really wonderful. You see, beloved, here the personal, tender nature of salvation. The personal, tender nature of salvation. The truth of sovereign selection is not something cold. The truth of predestination is not something cold. It's not something impersonal. It's something deeply personal. Very personal. He calls “his sheep by name”. By name.
It's not like, you know, a group of people sat before God in eternity past, and He just goes, well, let's see—this one, this one, this one. No, no, no. Not by name. In fact, let me ask you a question this morning. Every believer, where has their name been written down according to the book of Revelation? Where? Where has their name been written down? Well, the book of life. The book of life. Who's going to be in Heaven one day? Well, those whose names have been written in the book of life.
Well, here's another question. When was your name written in the book of life? Answer: Revelation 13:8—"all who dwell on the earth will worship him," – the beast, referring to the beast, – "everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." Who's going to worship the Antichrist? Who's going to worship the beast? Everyone whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. And when were the believers' names written in the book of life? Well, before the world was formed. Before the world was made. Before the world was founded.
He calls His sheep by name. And when I was 20 years old, it was as real as, "Habib, come to Me." It was personal. Personal. And He loves His own to the end. We saw that in verses 12 through 14. He lays down His life for the sheep. Which is to say He loved them to death. He loved them to the death. He knows them by name. He knows them personally. He loves them to the point of redeeming them.
And He's going to say this in chapter 13:1: "before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." ‘Eis Telos’. Completion. He loved them to the death. You see a picture of this personal nature, tender nature of salvation.
In Luke 19:1, where we read, "He entered Jericho"—Jesus entered Jericho— “and was passing through. And behold, there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus, he was a chief tax collector.” – And Luke tells us, "and he was rich." And you know how he was rich, right? Ripping people off. Verse 3: "And Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, and he was small in stature. So he ran on before and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.”
Now, reading this so far, the language—what does that tell us about Zacchaeus' relationship to Jesus? Well, he had none. None whatsoever. He didn't know who Jesus was. He knew about Jesus, but he never knew who Jesus was. Verse 5: "And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him" – Sir? Is that what He said? Is that what He said? No. What does He say? – "Zacchaeus." Zacchaeus. What does He do? He calls him by what? By name. He calls him by name. "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." And ever since then, Zacchaeus is a changed man. A different person.
And how does Jesus interpret all of this? Verse 9: "And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.'" This is not explained by Zacchaeus. This is explained by the seeking Shepherd. He calls him by name.
So as we conclude this morning, let me ask you: Has the true Shepherd ever called you by name? Has He ever come to you through the preaching of the Gospel? And in a way that is personal and undeniable and tender and unmistakable, has He said to you, "You're a sinner. You're a sinner. You're a great sinner. But I came to save sinners just like you. Just like you. And I died on Calvary's cross to pay for all of the sins of those who would believe in Me. I was buried in a borrowed tomb, and now I'm raised from the dead, alive forevermore. And if you will turn to Me in repentance and faith, I will save you. I will forgive your sins."
And that call came to you in such a way that it was irresistible. And with a broken heart and with an enlightened mind, an illumined mind, you turned from your sins and you called out to Him, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." The true Shepherd—has He called you? Has He called you?
And I don't know if we're supposed to identify the doorkeeper at this point, but if we were to identify the doorkeeper, I wonder—who is it that opens the door for Jesus to call His sheep? You could say in this context it's John the Baptist in a sense—the sense of Judaism. He opened the door for Jesus. But I would tend to think that the doorkeeper is someone else. Who opens the door as the Shepherd calls His sheep? What's His name? The Holy Spirit of God, who comes to men and women, boys and girls in the Gospel, who is working, reveals God's wonderful glory in Jesus.
This is the Messiah. Behold the Savior. Listen to Him. Turn to Him. Give Him your life and be saved. Have you come to Jesus? Have you come to the true Shepherd? I know you've heard the Gospel. I know that. You've heard it even this morning. But have you ever heard the Gospel so that it wasn't about anybody else sitting next to you, behind you, beside you? It was about you. It's about you. And if you've come to Christ with a broken heart, know that He will heal your broken heart, and forgive your sins, and save you forever. And He will lead you into green pasture and refreshing quiet waters.
Let's pray.
The blind man who now can see, he trusts in Jesus. He trusts in Jesus as his Lord, as his Messiah, as his Savior. And the Pharisees, on the other hand, who claimed they could see, they're blind to the true nature and the person and the character of Jesus. And what do they do? What is their response? Incorrigible rejection. They reject Him. You see a contrast between faith and unbelief, between a believer and stubborn unbelievers.
But there's another contrast in that 9th chapter—the contrast between the attitude, the care of the Lord Jesus Christ towards this poor blind beggar, and the attitude and the care of the Pharisees. Those men who sat in the seat of Moses, the men who were religious leaders of the day, the people, the men who were supposed to be the shepherds of Israel. The contrast between the true Shepherd of Israel towards this blind man and the false, counterfeit shepherds toward this blind man. Well, that contrast leads directly into the 10th chapter this morning.
Now where I want to begin with you this morning is I want us to consider the context—the context, the setting. It is important that we understand the context in order to really grasp the analogy here, the allegory that you find throughout this entire chapter. And the first thing that I want us to notice together is that there is no indication whatsoever here by John that the setting has changed from the previous chapter. Now that is important. It's important to keep that in mind.
John is really good about giving us time indicators. When the scene changes, when the setting changes, he usually lets us know. For example—and I want us to see this, and this helps us in our study of Scripture—if you look at this 10th chapter all the way down to verse 22, he tells us specifically that "At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the Portico of Solomon." So when you come to verse 22, what do we have? Well, we see a change of the setting. Chapter 10 verse 42 says, "many believed in Him there." It's very specific.
You get to chapter 11 verse 1, we read, "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha." So again, you see a change in the setting. So John is really good about that. When something changes, he tells us. Well, there's nothing—absolutely nothing like that here in John 10:1. So from all of that, we are to understand clearly that Jesus said what He says here in the same setting.
It is in the same setting that the blind man is still there, the Pharisees are still there, the crowd is still listening in—that was listening in when He sought out the blind man and found him and led him to faith in Himself. That's the setting. And keep in mind that setting. Nothing has changed, it's the same.
And Jesus now is using this analogy, this figure of speech. He's using this analogy, this allegory that He's giving us in verse 6 where we read, "This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them." So He is using an analogy. In order to understand the analogy, for us we have to remember the context. So here's this analogy, and for us to understand what He's really saying—the figure of speech—well, we need to understand the context.
So the blind man is there, the Pharisees are there, the crowd is still there listening in. And He's going to use an illustration, an allegory, to teach them something. And this figure of speech, this analogy, this allegory has to do with what's going on right there in that setting, in that setting. So what is the figure of speech that He's using that they did not understand?
Now we move from the context to the analogy, to the figure of speech. Let's look at the figure of speech. Well, it's very simple. It's a shepherding analogy. It's a shepherding analogy. Well, He's talking about shepherding. And this is something they would have been very familiar with, very familiar with. Because shepherding was part of their everyday lives in this culture, and so this is something very familiar, and He's going to use that to teach them.
In fact, not only was it familiar to them in terms of just their lifestyle, the culture they lived in, it was familiar from the standpoint of Scripture as well. This is a picture you see a lot in the Old Testament and even in the New Testament. God is the Shepherd, His people are His sheep. Let us see this together so we can really grasp the background of this analogy and the context of it really.
Psalm 74:1—you could jot those down, you don't have to turn there, but you could jot them down, look at them later—but here it is: Psalm 74:1, “Why, O God? Have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?" You see it? Psalm 77:20, “You led Your people like” – what? – A flock, “like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron." You get to Psalm 78:52, “But He led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like a flock." Same thing. "Psalm 79:13, “But as for us, as Your people and the sheep of Your pasture, We will give thanks to You forever; From generation to generation, we will recount Your praise."
Again, and so when you look at the nation of Israel as a whole, they are sheep and God is their Shepherd. That's the image, that's the figure of speech. And then if you look at salvation from an individual point of view, the 23rd Psalm that was read in your hearing in the opening of our service—how does it begin? "Yahweh is” – what? – “my shepherd." He's my shepherd.
This was a very accurate picture because the people understood, knowing what it was to see shepherds and their sheep. They understood that sheep are the most helpless, defenseless, straying, messy animals you could find. All of that. And they require, as a result, constant oversight. They require someone to lead them, save them, rescue them, keep them clean, or else they will what? Perish.
And God is the Shepherd. His people are His sheep. The leaders of His people were often compared to shepherds. In fact, most of them had actually been shepherds—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David—they'd all literally been shepherds at one time. It's like the training ground that God put them through to prepare them to deal with His people. And so the leaders of God's flocks were often pictured as under shepherds.
When Moses was told he wouldn't enter the Promised Land, he had a desire for God to provide another leader, someone to be like a shepherd to His people. Numbers 27:15: "Then Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying, 'May Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over this congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in,'"—the language, right, of a shepherd—"'so that the congregation of Yahweh will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.'" Same language.
When David was anointed as king, his rule was represented in shepherding terms. 2 Samuel 5:1: "Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, 'Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and Yahweh said to you, "You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.’" Same thing. Psalm 78 presents David's rule exactly the same way: "He also chose David His servant," – verse 70, – "And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the nursing ewes He brought him to shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance," verse 72. "So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And led them with his skillful hands." And so in the Old Testament, God is the Shepherd of His people. His people are the sheep. The leaders are under-shepherds. David is presented as an under-shepherd.
The New Testament—well, we find the same imagery there, uses the same image. When Paul, remember, met with the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20—and you remember he's telling them, Well, you're not going to see my face anymore. This is going to be the last time we're able to meet together. And I want to remind you of your role in the Lord's church. I want to remind you of who the people of God are. I want to remind you of what your ministry is supposed to be all about. And in Acts chapter 20:28, he said to them, "Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock." The flock—all the flock. What is the church? It is the flock of God. We are His sheep. We are His sheep. And He is our Shepherd.
Jesus is the chief Shepherd. We are the flock. He's speaking here to these pastors, elders, and He says, "Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,"—now watch this—"to shepherd the church of God” – to shepherd the church of God, – “which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock."
Did you notice here that when describing the tasks of these under-shepherds, He tells them to what? The Greek word ‘poimniō’, which means to shepherd, literally, and it's translated actually accurately in the LSV—it is to shepherd the flock of God, the church of God. This is what pastors do. They shepherd the church of God.
1 Peter 5:2, same thing: "shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion, but willingly according to God; and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." He is the chief Shepherd. Elders, pastors are under-shepherds.
Again, what is the church? The flock. Who is the chief Shepherd? Jesus. What are pastors? Under-shepherds. What do they do? They shepherd the flock of God that's among them. Very simple.
The same imagery is even used of false teachers, by the way. False teachers. What are false teachers? Well, they are presented in Scripture not only as wolves, but they are what? Wolves in sheep's clothing. Some Christians, when they think of a wolf in sheep's clothing, they think that, you know, the cartoon wolf dressed like a sheep, but that's not the picture here. That's not the picture. It's not a wolf looking like a sheep. That's not the image here, though there's some truth in that too. But sheep's clothing here in Scripture describes the rough dress, the clothing of a shepherd. And so you have a wolf in shepherd's clothing, a wolf that looks like a shepherd.
Matthew 7:15, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are” – what? – “ravenous wolves." In the Old Testament, you have the same picture—false teachers. What are they? They are false shepherds. Jeremiah 23:1, "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares Yahweh. Therefore, thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who are shepherding My people: 'You have scattered My flock and banished them and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,'" declared Yahweh. "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the land where I banished them and cause them to return to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. And I will also raise up shepherds over them, and they will shepherd them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be left unattended,'" declares Yahweh.”
So this is the figure of speech that Jesus uses in John, chapter 10:1-6. What is it about? So what is this figure of speech about? It's about shepherding. It's about shepherding. Now, in this analogy, you have a sheepfold—a sheepfold. So the analogy is about shepherding. Let's now see the components of this analogy. You have sheepfold.
Look at verse 1: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber." So here you have a sheepfold, and they would have recognized what Jesus was talking about when He mentioned this. And what we need to understand—understand the background a little bit. There's more than one kind of sheepfold in that culture, in that day, that existed.
There was, first of all, a sheepfold that they would have used out in the fields. That's one type—the one that is out in the fields. In good weather, they would be out there, and not only during the day, they would even stay there sometimes at night. And it was a rough enclosure made of stone, and in fact, we're going to talk about this sheepfold next time, Lord willing. A rough enclosure of stone, and then there was no door, no gate. The shepherd himself served as the door.
But the sheepfold He describes here in the beginning of chapter 10 is the one that would have existed in the village, not out in the fields. In the town. And it was rather a larger enclosure, again, usually made out of stones. Sometimes it would have a roof, sometimes not. But there was a door to it, there was a gate, and there was a porter, there was a doorkeeper, there was a gatekeeper.
At night, the shepherds would bring their flocks to the village, into the village, and then they would put their sheep into the sheepfold, and there were many different flocks stored in the same sheepfold. There was more than one. And then you have this hired doorkeeper who would watch over the sheep at night, and then in the morning, the morning comes, and you have the shepherds now would come to the sheepfold, and they would now call out their own sheep. They would come to the sheepfold in the morning, and the gatekeeper would then give them access, and, well, you say, well, how would they ever know? I mean, everything's mixed together, all the sheep, the flocks are intermingled together. How would you know? How would you know? How would they know which ones belong to them? Which flock was theirs?
Well, they had an intimate knowledge of their sheep. In fact, they would give them names. They would give them names. They knew them by name, and each had a distinctive call, and as the shepherd would call his sheep by name, the sheep would recognize the shepherd's voice as they are being called out. And they would come, and they would come out from the sheepfold, and he would lead them out into the fields where they would be fed and watered and taken care of.
So this is the sheepfold being pictured here, not the one out in the field, but the one in the village, the community sheepfold, where more than one flock would gather. And then in the morning the shepherd would come, he'd be granted access, and he would call out his own sheep by name, and they would follow him out into the field, and he would take care of them. He would water them. He would feed them. He would take care of them. So it's a shepherding picture. It's in the village, in the sheepfold, in the community, where you would have a hired gatekeeper who would watch over them at night.
Something else you have in this picture, this analogy—so not only you have a sheepfold, but you also have a contrast between the true shepherd and what? Look at the text: thieves and robbers. Thieves and robbers. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a 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. When he brings all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they will never follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."
So you have a contrast here. You have a shepherd, a true shepherd, who comes openly, who comes honestly, and who comes legitimately. He comes to the door, meets with the gatekeeper, he's granted access, and he calls out the sheep. He calls them out. But then you have thieves, robbers. They come a different way. They come a different way. You find the thief, the robber, climbing up the wall trying to gain access to the sheep in a way that is what? Not legitimate. In fact, you have a difference between those two kinds. You have thieves. You have robbers. They're both counterfeit.
The word thief, ‘kleptēs’, means someone who steals by fraud, in secret. Here it refers to one who gains access to the sheep by deception. Then the word robber, ‘lēstēs’, someone who would gain access to the sheep by violence, by violence. So one by deception, the other by violence, they work together. When they don't come legitimately, when they don't come to the door, to the doorkeeper, then you know it's a thief, it's a robber, and it's not the true shepherd, the legitimate shepherd. So you have a contrast in the midst of this analogy.
Now let us move to the meaning. What is the meaning of this analogy, the context, the analogy? Now the meaning of the analogy, the teaching of this analogy, this illustration, what is Jesus teaching here? What is He teaching through this analogy? I mean, they didn't understand Him, though it was something they were familiar with, very familiar with. That's what we're told in verse 6. They didn't get it. Whatsoever, they didn't get it. "This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were, which He had been saying to them."
So here's the question. What is He saying? And by the way, when you see the words, ‘amēn, amēn’, translated "truly, truly," or "verily, verily," “amen, amen," it's always something very, very significant, and often something significant about Jesus Himself. Just like it is here, He's telling us something about Himself, something about His nature, His character, His person. He is the message, as we were reminded earlier. He is the message. He's not proclaiming a message. He's proclaiming a message, but the message is Him.
So what is He telling us? Well, first of all, He's telling us about the true Shepherd, and the true Shepherd is Him. He's telling us about the true Shepherd being Him. Jesus, beloved, is the true Shepherd. He is the true shepherd. He's the one who has come openly, has come honestly, has come legitimately. The true Shepherd of the sheep is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ can be seen when you compare Him to false shepherds. He operates in marked contrast. You have Jesus and how He operates, and then you have false shepherds. And when you compare them, you will inevitably see the glory of Jesus. Specifically, think about the context. Think about the context. The blind man. The man born blind. Jesus really cared for this man born blind. He cared for this man born blind. The Pharisees did not care about him whatsoever.
Jesus healed the blind man. The Pharisees couldn't even rejoice that he had been healed. They questioned the miracle. They interrogated this man. They wanted him to say false things about Jesus. Ultimately, they excommunicated him out of the synagogue, out of the national life of Israel. They don't care about him. They couldn't even rejoice that he was made well.
So Jesus, on the other hand, He seeks out the blind man. He finds him. He calls him to Himself. He calls him to faith in Himself. Well, the Pharisees, what do they do? They kick him out. They put him away. Jesus stands in the truth. He speaks the truth. He is the truth. He's affirmed by the truth, pointed to by the truth. The Pharisees are exposed by the truth, and they are rebuked by it.
That's to say that Jesus has come legitimately. The truth speaks to Him, but the Pharisees hold the rule over the people in an illegitimate way. They rule the people by deception and by violence. Thieves and robbers. Deception and violence. They rule the people by deception, by intimidation, just like they've done with this blind man. Right?
So Jesus is a true Shepherd in this analogy, this picture. So who are the thieves and the robbers? Well, of course, they are the religious leaders of Israel. At that current time, the Pharisees, right here in this context, that would be them. They are the thieves and the robbers. So what Jesus is doing in this analogy, this allegory, is He's not only pointing to Himself as the true Shepherd, but He's also exposing the counterfeit shepherds, the false shepherds. Who are the thieves and robbers? The religious leaders. The Pharisees are thieves and robbers, ruling by deception and by violence.
And, beloved, this is not only the only time that Jesus exposed them by using parables and analogies or allegories. He does this, by the way, numerous times. In fact, sometimes they actually recognize that He was doing it when they picked up on it. For instance, you remember in Matthew 21:33 and following, you have the parable of the vine growers and, you know, how they killed the slaves of the master, the landowner, with reference to the people of Israel. And again and again, and then he sends them his own son. And, of course, they seize him and they kill him. Now, watch what Jesus says after the parable, verse 45: "And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to seize Him, they feared the crowds, because they were regarding Him to be a prophet." Matthew's comment under inspiration.
You go over to Luke 20:19, and this is right after the same parable in that parallel account concerning the vine growers. Actually, turn with me there, Luke chapter 20. Look at verse 19: "And the scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, but they feared the people. For they understood that He spoke this parable against them. So they watched Him and sent spies." – Now watch the language now, they “sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they might catch Him in some statement, in order to deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. And they questioned Him, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But He perceived their craftiness and said to them, 'Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?' They said, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' And they were unable to catch Him in a word in the presence of the people. And marveling at His answer, they became silent."
What is the point? Here's the point. They picked up—the Pharisees—on the fact that He's speaking against them. But now notice what they're practicing in order to try to get rid of Him. What are they practicing? They're practicing what? Deception and violence. You see it? Deception and violence. Thieves holding rule of the people by deception and by intimidation, by violence. Robbers. Thieves and robbers.
There are many others that I could give, but let me just give you one more in Matthew 12:9, where we read, "And departing from there He,” – Jesus, – “went into their synagogue. And behold, a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, saying, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'—so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, 'What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep?'"
Listen to you, you false shepherd. Listen, you false shepherd, He's telling them. If it was a sheep, you would have rescued it on the Sabbath. But now, you who are to be the shepherds of Israel, you have a man who's far more valuable than a sheep, and you don't want Me to heal him. Jesus went on to say, "So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then, verse 13, "He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.'" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.” And how did these false shepherds respond to what He just did? Look at verse 14: "But going out, the Pharisees took counsel together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him." Conspiracy, deception, violence. How can we kill Him? You see that? So, this is the picture. This is the picture we have.
Back to John chapter 10, Jesus says, there is a true shepherd, and the true shepherd comes legitimately. He comes to the door. The doorkeeper grants Him access, and He calls His sheep out by name. That's the true shepherd. The true shepherd. But then there are thieves and robbers. They operate by deception and by violence. Who are the thieves and robbers? He's talking about the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day. He's talking about them.
You say, well, what does the sheepfold represent? What about the sheepfold? What does it represent in this analogy? It represents Judaism. Dead Judaism. It represents apostate Israel. Now, notice. Notice you have a sheepfold. You have sheep in the sheepfold. But not all of the sheep belong to the shepherd, the true shepherd. He comes to the sheepfold, and then he calls out the names of those sheep that belong to him. Not all the sheep come out when he calls out. Only those who belong to him, they come out. Only those who belong to him.
And they hear their names. And they hear their shepherd's voice. And they listen to him. And they listen to him. In fact, someone else could come and call out, and they would not pay attention. They wouldn't listen. They don't listen to strangers, Jesus says. But they hear. They hear this shepherd's voice. And they follow him. And he leads them out into green pasture. And he feeds them. And he cares for them. And he gives them water and all the necessities of life.
And the sheepfold there represents Israel. And Jesus has come to call out from physical Israel a spiritual Israel. He's come to call out His own people who will give heed to His voice. They will not listen to a stranger. They will listen to Him. And they will follow Him. And isn't the blind man a great example of this? Isn't it?
Here's this man. He's been healed by Jesus. And he doesn't know the whole story yet. And then, you remember, chapter 9, you've got these false shepherds calling upon this blind man who was healed by Jesus to listen to them instead. Remember what they said to him? "Give glory to God. Tell the truth. This man is a sinner. Listen to us. Pay attention to our intimidation or else we're going to kick you out of the synagogue. Listen to us or we're going to excommunicate you.”
How did he respond? That's a lot of pressure. And despite their deception and despite their intimidation and violence threats, this blind man who now could see would not listen to them. He would not give heed to their voice. But when the true Shepherd sought him and found him and called him, the man immediately recognized the voice of his Shepherd, and he worshipped Him and followed Him.
Jesus had come to call out from apostate Judaism His sheep, these people who would listen to His voice and follow Him. In fact, this is going to become even clearer that the sheepfold is Judaism when we get to verse 14. Lord willing, look at it: "I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." – Now watch this -- "I have other sheep, which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."
He says, "I have other sheep that don't belong to this fold." What is He talking about here? If there are Jews that are saved that belong to that fold, there's going to be Gentiles that are saved. And so He has some sheep that belong to Him. They're Gentile sheep. They don't belong to the fold of Judaism. They're Gentile sheep, and He's going to call them also, and they're going to hear His voice, and they're going to also follow Him.
So you have the true shepherd—that's Jesus. You have thieves and robbers—that's the false religious leaders. You have a sheepfold—that's Judaism, dead Judaism. So then when He talks about His sheep, what about the sheep? What is He talking about? What is He talking about? Well, He's talking about His followers. He's talking about His followers. He's not talking about Israelites according to the flesh, because you can be an Israelite according to the flesh and not be a sheep of God.
He's talking about Israelites according to the promise, the sheep for which Jesus will die. The sheep that will hear His voice and follow Him are His own sheep, known by their very names, belonging to Him before He came. Remember, in this analogy, you have these sheep already belonging to the shepherd. They already belong to the shepherd. Remember that. When he shows up at the door and calls them, the reason they come out is because they are his already. They belong to him.
And so He knows His sheep before He arrives at the door, before He calls them out, out of the fold. And His sheep will not only come to Him from the nation of Israel, but also He has other sheep from another fold among the Gentile nations. Together they're going to form one flock, and they're going to have one shepherd—the true shepherd. This is the figure of speech that He used that they did not understand.
Now, where I want to finish and focus the remaining time that we have this morning, I want to focus with you on the doctrine taught in this passage. And what a magnanimous doctrine. It's a simple analogy, a simple allegory, a simple picture. But, beloved, there is a profound doctrine here that exists in this simple analogy. But what do we learn together? And I pray as we learn this together that your heart is just filled with thanksgiving and praise to God and gratitude and worship and adoration for so great a salvation that is ours in Christ. And I trust the Holy Spirit to bring the appropriate application.
First of all, we learn the truth of unconditional election. We learn the truth of unconditional election. Sovereign grace. Jesus has a people given to Him before time. A people for whom He came to live and to die, and a people that He's going to call to Himself. He has His sheep. His sheep. Verse 11: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." "I am the good shepherd," – Verse 14 –"and I know My own and My own know Me."
And He's not talking just about the sheep that already followed Him. He can't be, because when you get down to verse 16, He says, "And I have other sheep which are not from this fold; I must"—what? What's the next word?—"bring them also” and they're going to hear His voice, and they're going to come. Unconditional election.
Do you realize, beloved, that Jesus knew who His sheep were before He ever came to this earth? They were given to Him according to the book of Ephesians and many other places in God's Word. They were chosen before time, given to Him for the purpose of redemption as a love gift from the Father. God chose a people for salvation out of all flesh, out of all men that exist. God the Father has given authority to God the Son to give eternal life to all those who were given to Him for salvation.
This is exactly what Jesus prays in John chapter 17. Turn with me to John 17. Look at verse 1, how it begins: "Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.'" You see that? He has authority over all flesh to do what? To give eternal life to those who were given to Him by the Father.
Verse 6: "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word." Notice verse 9 now: "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours." And Jesus, when He's praying for these people, He's not just praying for His current followers. He's praying for the future—His future followers.
You say, how do you know that? Well, look down to verse 20 in the same passage: "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word." In other words, I'm not praying for the world. I'm praying for these people. I'm praying for the people whom You gave to Me, Father. I'm praying for these that You gave Me authority to give them eternal life. And I'm praying not only for those who already follow Me. I'm praying for those who are going to believe in Me through their word—through their proclamation of the Gospel.
What is this? This is unconditional election. We need to grasp this, beloved, because it's taught in Scripture. What is God's choice based on? What is God's choice based on? It's not based upon anything found in the person. Whatsoever. Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Not based upon anything found in the person. God didn't choose you for salvation because of some conditional thing that He found in you. He didn't say, oh, now that Habib guy, you know, he's going to be a good guy, so I'm going to choose him. No, no. In fact, if you had looked down—you know the theory that a lot of Christians hold. You know what God did is that He looked down through the corridors of time and He saw who would choose Him and who wouldn't. And then God chose those whom He knew would choose Him.
What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that is that the Bible teaches us in Romans chapter 3; there is no one who seeks for God. That's what's wrong with that. No one. If He looks down through the corridors of time, what does He see? He sees the whole human race. Well, what does He see? Nobody left to themselves who seeks for God.
If He looks down through the corridors of time, that's what He sees. He doesn't see good people, because Romans 3 also tells us, "There is no one who does good, no, not even one." Romans 3 also tells us, "There is no one who understands; they have all together become"—what?—"worthless." "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." God sees nothing but sinful humanity deserving of judgment and wrath. So He owes salvation to no one.
And when He chose you for salvation, Beloved, it wasn't because of anything found in you or me. It's because of the love found in Him. Love so amazing, so divine. His grace, His grace, His mercy, His love. That's why His unconditional election.
Remember Ephesians 1:3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him,” – in Christ – “before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to” – what? The blueness of our eyes? The greenness of our eyes? No, no, – “according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise and the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved." How is it bestowed upon us? Graciously. In what climate? In the Beloved. Bless Him, praise Him, because you were chosen for this salvation—unconditional election.
But there's a second thing that we see here in John 10. This gets to the second picture that we're going to examine next time in detail, Lord willing. Not only do you see unconditional election, you see also in the second place particular redemption. Particular redemption.
In verse 11: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for"—who?—"the sheep." The sheep know My voice, earlier He said in the analogy. They're Mine, they belong to Me. Who's Jesus going to die for? He's going to die for the sheep, not for the goats. He's going to die for the sheep.
Did Jesus, through His death on the cross, atone for all of the sins of all of the people? No, Beloved. Beloved, listen. If He atoned for all the sins of all of the people, then you have what we call universalism. Everybody's going to heaven. Period. You know why? Because sin isn't going to be punished twice if Jesus paid for it. It's not going to be answered for twice.
Jesus atoned for all the sins of all of those who believe in Jesus Christ. And we know those who believe in Jesus Christ are those who were chosen for salvation before time. He paid it all. And He paid it all for all the sins of all of His sheep. He died for the sheep. In fact, this is why it's described in such loyal terms in verse 12 when we get to it: "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and"—what?—"flees." He runs. He takes off. “and the wolf snatches and scatters”. Here's this man who's just hired to take care of the sheep. He doesn't own them. They don't belong to him. They're not his. The man won't die for those sheep because they're not his. He doesn't care.
Oh, but the Shepherd. The Shepherd. The true Shepherd. The One who owns the sheep. He sees a wolf coming. He doesn't run. He doesn't run. Verse 13, speaking of the hired hand, he flees “because he is a hired hand and not concerned about the sheep." Verse 14: "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; I lay down My life for the sheep." Who is He laying down His life for? For the sheep that He knows. He's laying His life down for the sheep that He knows, that belong to Him.
Verse 16: "And I have other sheep which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but from Myself, I lay it down. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." What is this truth? Jesus died for His people to save His people from their sins.
We have another truth, doctrinal truth, magnanimous truth communicated in this allegory. And that is the truth of, and I love this, effectual calling. Effectual calling. What do we mean when we talk about effectual calling? It's a call that actually results indeed certainly in salvation. There is a general call that goes forth to the world. There are people who will hear the general call who are not saved.
What is the general call? It's just the preaching of the gospel, the proclamation of the gospel indiscriminately. This morning as I declare Jesus to you, as I tell you that God has given a Savior, that God the Son came from Heaven to earth, born of a woman, a virgin birth, God in human flesh, the Word became flesh, lived a sinless life to save sinners, died on the cross as a substitute for anyone who will trust in Him, who was raised from the dead victorious. That's the gospel. As I declare this to you, there's a Savior. If you repent of your sins and come to Him, you'll be saved.
What is happening as I proclaim that? If you're a sinner outside of Christ, God is calling you. God is calling you. You're sitting here this morning. Where you are, He's calling you to repent of your sins and to trust in His Son. Now, follow closely. There are people who will hear that call this morning and who will walk away outside that door, and they will walk away from it and not receive Christ, who will say “no but no thank you”. What is that? That's the general call that goes forth to the world.
Now, listen. There's a different kind of call. A different kind of call. This call is not external. This call is not external, although it comes to us through that external call. It's not external. It is internal. And now, listen to this, beloved. It never fails. Never. Never fails. Everyone who receives this call repents of their sin. They trust in Jesus Christ. They embrace Him by faith just like the blind man.
It's the call of the Shepherd to His sheep. It's the voice of the Shepherd who says, “come, follow Me”. Remember how He selected His disciples? Walked by the booth of Levi, Matthew, the tax collector. He says, follow Me. He dropped everything and followed Him. Follow Me. Come, follow Me. And His sheep, though they will not follow a stranger, they recognize the voice of their Shepherd and they follow Him.
And it's a mysterious thing. It's a secret thing. It's not a voice you hear in your ears. It comes to you through the Gospel. You hear the Gospel and you are smitten with the knowledge of your sinfulness and wretchedness. And you are moved by the glory of God seen in Jesus Christ. And you want to turn from your sins and repent and turn to Jesus and follow Him. It's the work of regeneration, the new birth. And in that way, through the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit, the Shepherd calls His sheep to Himself and they come. They come.
And you see that in this illustration because Jesus says, "I know My own. My own know Me. And they won't listen to the voice of a stranger." But the Shepherd comes to the door and He calls out His own by name. By name. And they hear Him. And they recognize Him. And they follow Him. What is that? Effectual call. Effectual call. And it results, always results in the sheep following Him.
But there's another truth communicated here. It has to do with the fullness of salvation. It has to do with abundant life. Look at verse 4: "When He brings all His own out, He goes ahead of them." And I love this. I love this. We have in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a Shepherd who doesn't drive us. He leads us. Isn't it wonderful to know, beloved? We have not been asked to walk any pathway that Jesus hasn't walked before us. What a comforting truth. He leads the way. He's our example. He's our model. He shows us how it is that we live this life that He's given us. He goes ahead of them and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.
And then look at verse 10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came” – Jesus came why? – “that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Christ gives abundant life. And we will deal with this more next time, Lord willing. But it is more than sufficient life. It is more than necessary. This is the life that He gives—more than is necessary.
And so we have, so far, unconditional election. Particular redemption. Effectual calling. The fullness of salvation. But there's another doctrine here. And this is wonderful for us to know who believe in sovereign election. And this is really wonderful. You see, beloved, here the personal, tender nature of salvation. The personal, tender nature of salvation. The truth of sovereign selection is not something cold. The truth of predestination is not something cold. It's not something impersonal. It's something deeply personal. Very personal. He calls “his sheep by name”. By name.
It's not like, you know, a group of people sat before God in eternity past, and He just goes, well, let's see—this one, this one, this one. No, no, no. Not by name. In fact, let me ask you a question this morning. Every believer, where has their name been written down according to the book of Revelation? Where? Where has their name been written down? Well, the book of life. The book of life. Who's going to be in Heaven one day? Well, those whose names have been written in the book of life.
Well, here's another question. When was your name written in the book of life? Answer: Revelation 13:8—"all who dwell on the earth will worship him," – the beast, referring to the beast, – "everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." Who's going to worship the Antichrist? Who's going to worship the beast? Everyone whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. And when were the believers' names written in the book of life? Well, before the world was formed. Before the world was made. Before the world was founded.
He calls His sheep by name. And when I was 20 years old, it was as real as, "Habib, come to Me." It was personal. Personal. And He loves His own to the end. We saw that in verses 12 through 14. He lays down His life for the sheep. Which is to say He loved them to death. He loved them to the death. He knows them by name. He knows them personally. He loves them to the point of redeeming them.
And He's going to say this in chapter 13:1: "before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." ‘Eis Telos’. Completion. He loved them to the death. You see a picture of this personal nature, tender nature of salvation.
In Luke 19:1, where we read, "He entered Jericho"—Jesus entered Jericho— “and was passing through. And behold, there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus, he was a chief tax collector.” – And Luke tells us, "and he was rich." And you know how he was rich, right? Ripping people off. Verse 3: "And Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, and he was small in stature. So he ran on before and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.”
Now, reading this so far, the language—what does that tell us about Zacchaeus' relationship to Jesus? Well, he had none. None whatsoever. He didn't know who Jesus was. He knew about Jesus, but he never knew who Jesus was. Verse 5: "And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him" – Sir? Is that what He said? Is that what He said? No. What does He say? – "Zacchaeus." Zacchaeus. What does He do? He calls him by what? By name. He calls him by name. "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." And ever since then, Zacchaeus is a changed man. A different person.
And how does Jesus interpret all of this? Verse 9: "And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.'" This is not explained by Zacchaeus. This is explained by the seeking Shepherd. He calls him by name.
So as we conclude this morning, let me ask you: Has the true Shepherd ever called you by name? Has He ever come to you through the preaching of the Gospel? And in a way that is personal and undeniable and tender and unmistakable, has He said to you, "You're a sinner. You're a sinner. You're a great sinner. But I came to save sinners just like you. Just like you. And I died on Calvary's cross to pay for all of the sins of those who would believe in Me. I was buried in a borrowed tomb, and now I'm raised from the dead, alive forevermore. And if you will turn to Me in repentance and faith, I will save you. I will forgive your sins."
And that call came to you in such a way that it was irresistible. And with a broken heart and with an enlightened mind, an illumined mind, you turned from your sins and you called out to Him, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." The true Shepherd—has He called you? Has He called you?
And I don't know if we're supposed to identify the doorkeeper at this point, but if we were to identify the doorkeeper, I wonder—who is it that opens the door for Jesus to call His sheep? You could say in this context it's John the Baptist in a sense—the sense of Judaism. He opened the door for Jesus. But I would tend to think that the doorkeeper is someone else. Who opens the door as the Shepherd calls His sheep? What's His name? The Holy Spirit of God, who comes to men and women, boys and girls in the Gospel, who is working, reveals God's wonderful glory in Jesus.
This is the Messiah. Behold the Savior. Listen to Him. Turn to Him. Give Him your life and be saved. Have you come to Jesus? Have you come to the true Shepherd? I know you've heard the Gospel. I know that. You've heard it even this morning. But have you ever heard the Gospel so that it wasn't about anybody else sitting next to you, behind you, beside you? It was about you. It's about you. And if you've come to Christ with a broken heart, know that He will heal your broken heart, and forgive your sins, and save you forever. And He will lead you into green pasture and refreshing quiet waters.
Let's pray.
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