The Good Shepherd
John 10:1-18
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: John 10:11 –
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Perhaps you have participated in team-building or get-acquainted activities that involved questions like “If you were an animal, what would you be?” If you are an independent sort, you might have said “a cat,” or if you are both independent and aggressive, “a tiger.” I have known some people who remind me of a cold fish or a pesky mosquito, though I doubt they would have chosen the same. Perhaps you like to think of yourself as a faithful dog or a cuddly panda bear, as a powerful horse or a bird that flies free.
If we were more honest than idealistic, we might agree with the Hebrews, who concluded that most of us are a lot like sheep who are greatly in need of a shepherd. The psalmists often relied on this metaphor. Psalm 100:3b insists that “we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (compare Ps. 74:1; 79:13; 95:7), while the more familiar Psalm 23 declares that “The Lord is my shepherd” (compare Ps. 80:1).
The prophets also employed metaphors of shepherds and sheep, none more clearly than Ezekiel, who railed against those political and religious leaders who had failed in their mission to guide and protect God’s people, preying on them and allowing them to become scattered. [DD]
Sheepish people …
Ezekiel’s description of the shepherds’ failure tells us a great deal about the needs of the sheep. Through thousands of years of domestication, sheep have lost many of their natural defenses. Unlike animals in the wild who circle up to protect the young when faced with danger, sheep scatter with no strategy: they are entirely dependent on the shepherd for their protection.
That domesticated image provides a helpful idea of what it means to be “born in sin.” We are not inherently guilty at birth, but we are born into a world that has lost its ability to withstand temptation. When evil comes knocking at the door, we don’t know what to do with it.
Ezekiel also speaks of how the sheep are subject to sickness and injury and pain, and how they are prone to become lost. We know that these things are true in our own lives. We face issues of suffering and mortality that we don’t want to face alone.
Like sheep, we depend on others for our self-esteem, for our sense of right and wrong, for our comfort in sickness and our direction in life. Isaiah had it right when he said “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have all turned to our own way” (Isa. 53:6a). [DD]
… need a good shepherd … (vv. 1-18)
So, it is not surprising that Jesus chose the metaphor of the shepherd and the sheep to describe his relationship with us. “I am the good shepherd,” he said. Jesus spoke of two particular evils that endanger the lambs of God: thieves who would intentionally lead the sheep into harm’s way (vv. 1, 8, 10), and “hired hands” (vv. 12-13) who would allow the sheep to fall into danger by simple neglect. We usually give most attention to the good shepherd when we study this text, but we cannot ignore those thieves and bandits and hired hands. Where would we find them in our day?
We might think of drug dealers who cultivate addiction in others for their own gain, or to corporations who spend billions of dollars every year promoting legal but still harmful habits. We know there are criminal rings that lure young women and boys into lives of forced labor as virtual slaves in the sex trade or on fishing vessels or in other jobs for no payment at all.
We think of older kids who lead younger children into trouble just for the fun of it, or so they won’t be the only ones who are doing wrong. We hear of persons who use their power to selfishly exploit others in sexual or economic ways. We think of deeply prejudiced persons who spread their hate to others and bring intentional harm to their favorite targets.
There really are thieves and bandits among us, and there are hirelings, too – persons who ignore their responsibilities toward others in pursuit of their own selfish goals. We know there are parents and others in positions of responsibility who neglect the needs of children, practice unhealthy habits in front of them, or even physically or verbally abuse them, inflicting wounds that go much deeper than the skin. Instead of showing children the love of God, the importance of right living, and the sense of belonging in a community of faith, they exemplify the ways of the world.
The remarkable claim of the gospel is that God has seen our sheepish plight, and cared about us enough to send Christ to become the good shepherd who knows his own, calls to them, and leads them in right paths. They follow, he said, “because they know his voice” (vv. 1-5).
This comforting description of Christ’s love is a reminder that we need to listen for his voice, and teach others how they may hear Jesus calling, as well. The metaphor assumes that we are willing sheep who know the shepherd’s voice.
Jesus went on to describe himself as not only the gatekeeper for the sheep, but the gate through which we may become part of his flock (vv. 7, 9): “Whoever enters by me will be saved,” Jesus said, “and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (vv. 90). [DD]
How does this happen? How does the good shepherd rescue us from death and bring us to find an abundant life? Does the good shepherd rescue us simply by virtue of his good example, or through his terrific teaching, or by means of the positive self-esteem he instills in those who follow him faithfully?
No, there is something about Jesus that goes beyond even this: Jesus is not only a good shepherd, but a sacrificial shepherd. Jesus was willing to give more than his time and his efforts for the sheep. He was willing to give his life. “I am the good shepherd,” he said. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (v. 11).
Unlike the hired hand who runs away in the face of danger, Jesus was willing to die for the sheep – including us — sharing with his own the same intimate love that he shares with the Father (vv. 12-15, 17-18). [DD]
Jesus went on to make a curious claim: “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” (v. 16).
It’s hard to know exactly what Jesus meant by that, but his teaching makes it clear that his flock encompasses all the world – not just the Jews who thought of themselves as the people of God, and not just Christian groups who think they have the only correct understanding of doctrine or orthodoxy. The love of Jesus and the kingdom of God are open to all people. (See “The Hardest Question” online for more.)
… to be good sheep
Jesus made it clear that he was willing to do what it takes to be a true shepherd who can meet our deepest needs. Is it worth asking what it takes to be the kind of sheep who are worth dying for? Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd,” and then he explained what that meant. If we could truthfully make the statement “I am the good sheep,” what would come after? [DD]
To be a good and faithful sheep does not mean that we become blind or stupid or defenseless. It means that we accept the abilities God has given us and seek the path in which the shepherd would lead us. It is important to remember that we follow the same shepherd, but we don’t all follow the same path. The good sheep is constantly seeking the path God has chosen for him or her.
In our home is a print by Richard Tumbleston, one of my favorite artists, a nice pastoral landscape entitled “Remembering Luther.” The overall scene is a farm in the North Carolina mountains. In the background, a farmer leads a small flock of sheep across the pasture toward a small, white frame house. In the foreground is a gabled barn built of wood, set upon a strong brick foundation. And in front of the barn, with his shadow falling on a heavy wooden door anchored in that firm foundation, stands a sheep who has chosen a different path. The sheep represents Martin Luther, who felt God leading him to revitalize the church by calling everything about it into question and challenging others to follow the true shepherd more closely. A couple of the other sheep have turned to look at Luther, as if they are thinking about joining him in this new venture.
The picture reminds me that being a faithful member of God’s flock does not take away our identity and force us to become just one more sheep in the crowd. Rather, being one of Jesus’ own requires that we claim our identities and our special gifts, that we seek out the particular calling that God has for us, that we be willing to give of ourselves and our gifts to follow God’s way. Even when that involves risk or potential danger, we remember that the good shepherd has already laid down his life so we might have life that is abundant, life that is eternal.
May we all be willing to say “I am the good sheep. I live in the shepherd’s love and trust in the shepherd’s care. Where he leads me, I will follow.”
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: John 10:1-18
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
sheep: thieves, bandits, and hired hands. The shepherd metaphor is also a good metaphor for parenting, but who would you name as those groups trying to harm your students? What do you do to protect your students from these harmful people? Sheep have lost most, if not all, of their natural defenses because they have been protected for so long. How can you continue to shepherd your students, but not have them lose being able to stand up for themselves? We do need to shepherd our students, but we also don’t want them to be defenseless?
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: John 10:1-18
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
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