Tuesday April 16, 2019: John 10:11-18

Krissa Lox

Active Member
John 10:11-18

10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

I don't have any additional commentary to add this time beyond the literal text. It just felt like what needed to be posted today.
 
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

I really like this verse because it's a reminder about other churches who are striving to follow God. Sometimes I think we get so hung up on...
  • what our Denomination is or
  • if you go to an Independant church or
  • if your church has a choir or band and drums or
  • if you dress up or dress down for service.
This verse is a reminder that The Good Shepheard has other Folds... and they can also hear His voice even if they aren't considered one of us. Don't get me wrong... there are some basic Truths that we need to adhere to as a Follower of God. Belief in God's Word and what Christ did on the Cross for us... those are the things that matter.

It reminds me of Easter Candy! Ever get an awesomely wrapped piece of candy and then bite into it for a stark awakening that it's terrible? It's not what wrapper is on the outside that matters... but what fills the inside of the Believer! And I can't wait till the Day when Christians around the world will all become one Fold! I can't imagine how massive and awesome that will be!

cf_banner.jpg
 
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

I really like this verse because it's a reminder about other churches who are striving to follow God. Sometimes I think we get so hung up on...
  • what our Denomination is or
  • if you go to an Independant church or
  • if your church has a choir or band and drums or
  • if you dress up or dress down for service.
This verse is a reminder that The Good Shepheard has other Folds... and they can also hear His voice even if they aren't considered one of us. Don't get me wrong... there are some basic Truths that we need to adhere to as a Follower of God. Belief in God's Word and what Christ did on the Cross for us... those are the things that matter.

It reminds me of Easter Candy! Ever get an awesomely wrapped piece of candy and then bite into it for a stark awakening that it's terrible? It's not what wrapper is on the outside that matters... but what fills the inside of the Believer! And I can't wait till the Day when Christians around the world will all become one Fold! I can't imagine how massive and awesome that will be!

cf_banner.jpg

That was on my mind when I read it, too, and not just pertaining to different denominations but also in how differing capabilities, needs, and circumstances can also end up separating believers. I love how your Easter candy analogy puts it, and it's so true. The wrapper on the outside isn't always a true reflection of the potential inside.

But I wasn't sure if in this particular place Jesus was speaking more broadly like that or referring to the specific case of bringing in the Gentiles at that time, so I didn't know if I should extrapolate that far. But then later in the evening, this came up which brought it back to mind (added commentary is mine):


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But another thought I had with it (but was too tired from the workday to be able to put into words at the time) was that the passage also provided a practical illustration of one way to evaluate how well one is progressing toward Christ-likeness in their spiritual maturity. When trouble comes, is our first action to run off and protect ourselves or to seek out the vulnerable or unaware to help them also get to safety? And when pasturage is good, are we inclined to think of it as a private blessing for our enjoyment alone or do we also keep a lookout for the lost and the weak to help them come alongside us if this pasture would provide them needed strength but they're not likely to be able to find or reach it on their own?

And this can have some bearing in how we can better judge what's really under the wrapper in that no one ever becomes more Christ-like without actually having Christ in their lives. It's not a natural thing humans can achieve by effort or willpower alone, no matter what they believe. Many things can be faked or hidden, but not the actual presence of Christ Himself.
 
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Great verse for Holy Week.

Once, in Church, we were in a meeting where we were discussing this, in connection with the parable of the lost sheep:

Matthew 18:12, 13

How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

And it struck me that many of us who have sins in our past tend to feel like yes, Jesus would indeed rejoice for that one sheep, as long as that sheep was someone else, someone worthier, someone who would be missed. By doing that we not only denigrate our own value to the Lord who loves us so much, but also we allow fail to take Him at His word. Yes, even those with a dark past or those who still struggle with repentance... Those are exactly the lost sheep He's talking about.

Sorry, didn't mean to go off the topic of these verses in particular. Was just something that came to mind.
 
Great verse for Holy Week.

Once, in Church, we were in a meeting where we were discussing this, in connection with the parable of the lost sheep:

Matthew 18:12, 13

How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

And it struck me that many of us who have sins in our past tend to feel like yes, Jesus would indeed rejoice for that one sheep, as long as that sheep was someone else, someone worthier, someone who would be missed. By doing that we not only denigrate our own value to the Lord who loves us so much, but also we allow fail to take Him at His word. Yes, even those with a dark past or those who still struggle with repentance... Those are exactly the lost sheep He's talking about.

Sorry, didn't mean to go off the topic of these verses in particular. Was just something that came to mind.

Well, where God leads is never off-topic as far as I'm concerned, so never worry about contributing what you have even if it comes from an unexpected detour.

But I think your points are also very relevant and well-made in that us sheep sometimes have a bad tendency to exclude ourselves from even welcoming flocks due to having a wrong perspective on things. We were never designed for successful, independent wilderness living without a shepherd, but yet all too often we judge ourselves for that very thing and get caught up in thinking we fail from not being good enough rather than the more correct case that we fail from not being where we're supposed to be at. Which can end up leading to devastating downward spirals if we keep our focus and self-esteem tied up in trying to be a better sheep in the wilderness to prove or earn our worthiness when the real thing we need to do is just get back with the flock.
 
I once heard a great piece of advice, when one feels alone and unworthy. Read John 3:16, but take out the words "the world" and put in your name.
 
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