“I am the Good Shepherd; says the Lord, The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep; I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father and I lay down My life for the sheep.” John 10:11; 14B-15 (NRSVCE) Image Courtesy: Fr. John Lewis
All Lands Summoned To Praise God
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. –Psalm 100:3B
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness, come into His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God. It is He that made us and we are His; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations. –Psalm 100:1-5
Jesus The Good Shepherd
“Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the gate. The Gatekeeper opens the gate for Him and the sheep hear His voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Jesus used this figure of speech with them (the Jews) but they did not understand what He was saying to them.
So again Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the Gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the Gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired-hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away — the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired-hand runs away because a hired-hand does not care for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me because I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me but I lay down of My accord. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.”
Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, ‘He has a demon and is out of His mind. Why listen to Him?’ Others were saying, ‘These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’
Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews
At this time the ‘Festival of the Dedication’ (Chanukah) took place in Jerusalem, it was Winter and Jesus was walking in the Temple, in the Portico of Solomon – So the Jews gathered around Him and said to Jesus, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’
Jesus answered, “I have told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name testify to Me but you do not believe because you do not belong to My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand. What My Father has given Me is greater than all else and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are One.”
The Jews took up stones again to stone Him, Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone Me?”
The Jews answered, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy because you, though only a human being are making yourself God.’
Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are ‘god’s’ and the Scripture cannot be annulled – Can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son?’ If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I a, in the Father.”
Then they tried to arrest Jesus again but He escaped from their hands. Jesus went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier and He remained there. Many came to Him and they were saying, ‘John performed no sign but everything that John said about this Man was true and many believed in Him there. –John 10:1-41
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