our need for protection

---

GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes

GUIDE: Direct the group to look at the picture (PSG,

SESSION 3

OUR NEED FOR PROTECTION

p. 36). DISCUSS: Question #1 (PSG, p. 36): When have you felt protected

The Point

during a strange or scary

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who

situation?

can offer us ultimate protection.

GUIDE: Direct attention to

The Bible Meets Life

The Bible Meets Life

Home security is big business.

(PSG, p. 37). Note the

Burglaries occur about every 15

author’s emphasis on the

seconds. Homes with security

feeling of vulnerability being

systems are three times less likely

disconcerting. Stress that Jesus

to be broken into, and 3/4 of those

has not left us alone.

burglaries are never completed because of the alarm system. Unfortunately,

Introduce The Point (PSG,

we don’t always give the same attention to our spiritual lives. No matter how

p. 37): Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can offer us

much protection we wrap around things, they can still be taken by force or by natural disaster. We can have a life secure in Christ, though, that nothing

ultimate protection.

can remove.

Remind the group that in each

The Passage

session of this unit of study we

John 10:7-15,27-30

discover one of Jesus’ “I am”

The Setting

statements from the Gospel of John. Review the statements from sessions 1-2: 1) “I am the bread of life.” 2) “I am the light of the world.” In today’s session, we hear Jesus proclaiming, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).

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S e ss i o n 3

The Hebrew people understood sheep, shepherds, and shepherding. Their great king, David, had been a shepherd, like many before and since. Their Scripture, our Old Testament, utilized the imagery of sheep and shepherd to depict the chosen people and God Himself. Religious leadership liked to fancy themselves as shepherds to the people as well. Jesus understood, and set out to demonstrate, that the religious leaders were really strangers, not shepherds who cared for the sheep.

© 2015 LifeWay

John 10:7-10

(ENHANCEMENT: Point to

7 So Jesus said again, “I assure you: I am the door of

Item 2: “Jesus ‘I am’

the sheep.

Statements.”)

these statements on Pack

8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the

sheep didn’t listen to them.

STUDY THE BIBLE

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and

John 10:7-10

will come in and go out and find pasture.

10 minutes

10 A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have

come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

GUIDE: Before reading the focal passage, set the context

KEY WORDS: The door of the sheep (v. 7)—A shepherd corralled sheep

by briefly summarizing the

into makeshift pens at night for protection, forming a door with a bundle of

information in the introductory

sticks or his own person.

paragraph from the Bible

Abundance (v. 10)—The Greek word carries the connotation of super

commentary 1 .

abundant or exceedingly abundant, well beyond the minimum. It can refer to both quality and quantity.

Jesus is the door through whom we enter into salvation and abundant life. The immediate context is the story of the Sabbath healing of the man blind from birth (John 9). This displeased the Pharisees who made threats against both the healed man and his parents. Eventually they charged the man: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’ disciples” (9:28), reflecting their true loyalty. Ultimately, the synagogue leaders, speaking of Jesus, insisted, “We know that this man is a sinner!” (v. 24). They had made their pronouncement and expected that to settle the matter. They were, in their own minds, the leaders of Israel. Jesus, however, was the true leader of Israel, not the Pharisees. He is the true shepherd who knows and leads His sheep. 1

READ: Ask a volunteer to read John 10:7-10.

GUIDE: Focus on the exclusivity of Christ in this passage. Only in Christ do we find salvation. We have no access to the Father except through Jesus—the door.

Verses 7-8. Jesus used the metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep. His hearers did not understand His illustration (10:6). They did not perceive Jesus was illustrating the nature of His own ministry with His own disciples. So Jesus said again indicates coming more directly at the idea, but still maintaining the shepherd/sheep thought. “I assure you” is that “truly, truly” or “verily, verily” phrasing of the KJV built off the Hebrew word taken over directly into Greek as © 2015 LifeWay

S U G G E S T E D U S E | W E E K O F M A R C H 20

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THE POINT

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can offer us ultimate protection.

SUMMARIZE: Help the group understand the imagery Jesus used of securing a flock of sheep from predators. See the Bible commentary 2 .

GUIDE: Direct attention to verses 8 and 10. Emphasize that Jesus was identifying the religious leaders who opposed Him as false shepherds who were more interested in personal gain than in caring for the sheep. Notice that each of these three forms of destruction (steal, kill, destroy) escalates from the previous one. Jesus described their work as a triad—three things linked together—which communicates intensity. In very strong language, Jesus condemned anyone who interferes with people coming to Him.

READ: Lead the group to read the last sentence of verse 10 in unison.

GUIDE: Write on a board or large sheet of paper: Abundant life!

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S e ss i o n 3

amen, amen. The translation suggests a rhetorical force that strongly emphasizes the truth about to be said, another famous “I am” statement. These statements always point to a transcendent truth about Jesus. 2 Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep.” Tending sheep required securing the flock at night from predators. A temporary sheepfold would use either a natural formation that had only one entrance, such as a cave or narrow ravine, or be constructed by the shepherd using branches topped with thorns in a lean-to construction to build a pen with only one entrance. The shepherd would either build a movable lattice-branch door, or station himself blocking the entrance. Access to the sheep without the shepherd knowing would be impossible, whether because of commotion created trying to scale the pen, or by attempting to come through the shepherd at the entrance. Thus, Jesus being the “door” of the sheep presents a powerful picture of ultimate protection, like a shepherd for his sheep. Jesus warned His disciples about false prophets who appear to be as innocent as sheep but really are wolves in disguise (Matt. 7:15). Ezekiel also had warned of negligent shepherds (Ezek. 34:2-6). “All who came before Me” (John 10:8) sounds universal, but the topic is false shepherds. Jesus meant those not behaving according to the selflessness of Jesus and in actual communion with God are “thieves and robbers.” John gave his own illustration of bad shepherds in the previous chapter with how the Pharisees reacted to Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath of the man born blind (John 9). The good news is that genuine sheep following the voice of the true Shepherd, like His own disciples, “didn’t listen to them.” Verses 9-10. Jesus reiterated the imagery, “I am the door.” He then played on the flexible meaning of the verb saved. Within the illustration itself of shepherd/sheep, it means secure and protected, preserved from harm or damage. Thus, the sheep would come in to the sheepfold in the evening to be protected by the shepherd throughout the dangerous night when predators were afoot. The next morning, the sheep would “go out and find pasture” perfectly safe. Given John’s penchant for double meaning, this protection probably points to the deeper reality of the salvation Jesus provides in eternal life. That Jesus alluded to abundant life in the next verse seems to substantiate this deeper meaning. The occupation of a thief is “to steal and to kill and to destroy.” Unfortunately some religious leaders in Israel © 2015 LifeWay

were thieves. We already know Jewish leaders intended to kill Jesus (7:1). They thereby intended to destroy His mission and to steal His sheep. Jesus, however, came to bring not just life, but life “in abundance.” He will protect His sheep. They will “go out and find pasture” even now. The thought of life in abundance points out John’s distinctive present tense framing of the realities Jesus brings. John handled topics most Jews would have taken to be part of an end-time scenario and the coming of the kingdom as present realities. Most Jews would have understood life in the coming kingdom to be about the future. John, however, brought some of that future expectation right into the present. Some of the abundance Jesus offers is not just out there in the future. His abundant life is here and now. Notice how “life” is one of those major themes of the prologue that John is building upon in the “Book of Signs” (see 1:4). This unit makes clear that Jesus is the door through whom we enter into eternal life.

Direct attention to the word abundance in the KEY WORDS feature on PSG page 38. Stress the extreme difference in the purpose of false shepherds and Jesus’ purpose to give abundant life to His sheep.

DISCUSS: Question #2 (PSG, p. 39): What are some common “thieves and robbers” in our lives? (Alternate: What captures your attention in the word pictures in these verses?)

John 10:11-13 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down

TRANSITION: “Through

his life for the sheep.

Jesus we have access to the

12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t

Father because Jesus gave His

own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a

life for us.”

wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care

STUDY THE BIBLE

about the sheep.

John 10:11-13

Jesus is the good shepherd who gave His life because He cares for us. Verse 11. Jesus had already depicted Himself as the door through which any predator must go to gain access to the sheep at their most vulnerable. He then gave the illustration a further application. Jesus said He was much more than a mere door of a sheep pen. Whereas some religious leaders were “thieves and robbers” (10:7), Jesus, in stark contrast, is the good shepherd. Thieves and robbers sought personal gain at the expense of the sheep and their security. A good shepherd, on the other hand, was prepared to experience personal loss for the benefit and protection of the sheep. © 2015 LifeWay

10 minutes READ: Ask a volunteer to read verses 11-13.

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THE POINT

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can offer us ultimate protection.

SUMMARIZE: Use the Bible commentary 3 to help the group understand the selfsacrifice of a good shepherd.

GUIDE: Contrast the good shepherd with the hirelings (Pharisees). Note that the Pharisees were quick to condemn, slow to forgive, and rarely redemptive. In a previous setting the Pharisees were pictured as wolves threatening the flock (Matt. 7:15), or, as in this setting, hired men who would rather see the flock destroyed than imperil their own skin. Stress that the Good Shepherd cares about the sheep—all His sheep—and Christians should do the same.

DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 42): What do Jesus’ “I am” statements teach us about His nature and character? (Alternate: When have you felt spiritually attacked and in need of protection?)

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S e ss i o n 3

Jesus proceeded to lay out the specific quality of a shepherd that He had in mind. Jesus reminded His hearers that “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This role is the most dramatic a shepherd can play. The situation envisioned was one of mortal danger, both for the sheep and for the shepherd. Not only were there the thieves and robbers mentioned earlier, but every shepherd had to keep a keen eye out for the wild animals that would have liked nothing better than to ravage sheep for a leg of lamb dinner. In the face of grave danger, the shepherd put himself directly between the threat and his sheep, thereby risking his own life. When David sought to represent God and Israel before the giant Goliath, he reminded King Saul of this role David himself had played as shepherd to his father’s sheep confronting lions and bears (1 Sam. 17:34-36). Such experience, common to life in ancient Israel, easily lent itself to describing God as a shepherd to His people. Jesus claimed this role of being a shepherd to Israel for Himself. 3

Verses 12-13. Sometimes the one who tended the flock was not the owner of the sheep or a member of the owner’s family. Other overseers to the flock were just hirelings who more likely would run from danger. The hired man, Jesus explained, lacked proper motivation. He had no vested interest in the sheep, since he doesn’t own the sheep. It was just a job to him. So, the hired man simply runs away, and the wolf snatches and scatters the flock. In the previous section we looked at the shepherd’s role of protecting the sheep by serving as the “door” to block out predators. But if that “door” was breached, even by intimidation, the sheep were left defenseless and at the mercy of a merciless adversary. To reiterate and reinforce the idea, Jesus asserted such a hired man doesn’t care about the sheep. He could flee and leave the flock to the wolves because he cared for himself, but not for the sheep. For all their protest about taking care of the people by insisting they strictly follow the priestly requirements of the law of Moses and in trying to eliminate sinners from the congregation of Israel, the Pharisees really did not care about the sheep they supposedly were tending. Quick to condemn, slow to forgive, rarely redemptive, the Pharisees in a previous setting were pictured as “wolves” threatening the flock (Matt. 7:15), or, as in this setting, “hired men” who would rather see the flock destroyed than imperil their own skin. © 2015 LifeWay

The shepherd, on the other hand, did care for the sheep. He named them, knew each one by name, tended to their wounds, often sang to them to calm and reassure them in situations likely to create anxiety for the sheep, and made it a point to seek out and retrieve any sheep that slipped from his watchful eye. The sheep were more than a job to the true shepherd. John’s point is clear—Jesus is the good shepherd who gave His life because He cares for us.

DO: Direct attention to the activity, “The Good Shepherd” (PSG, p. 42). Ask volunteers to share their responses.

TRANSITION: “Not only does Christ give His life for us, He

John 10:14-15,27-30

keeps us secure for eternity.”

14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they

know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down

My life for the sheep.

STUDY THE BIBLE John 10:14-15,27-30 10 minutes

.......................................... 27 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.

READ: Ask a volunteer to read

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever!

verses 14-15,27-30.

No one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.

SUMMARIZE: The Good

No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Shepherd protects and keeps

30 The Father and I are one.”

His sheep. Jesus’ care is comprehensive

KEY WORDS: Snatch (v. 29)—To grab or seize, often suddenly; negatively

and irrevocable. He promised

like a thief stealing property or a wild animal capturing prey, or positively like

that when He gives eternal

removing from imminent danger.

life, His followers “will never

Jesus is the good shepherd who keeps us secure.

perish—ever!” (v. 28). Jesus

John 10:14-15 deepens our understanding of how personal the relationship truly is between Jesus and His own. Jesus spoke about shepherds and sheep, but He really was speaking about human relationships. What really was wrong in Israel was not sinners, as the Pharisees charged, but sinners who never knew they could have a personal relationship with God, an intimate relationship that is trusting and secure and guarantees forgiveness of sins. The fundamental problem with self-righteousness is trusting self. Jesus taught us to trust God. A direct, deep, personal relationship to Jesus is crucial to solving the sin problem and hugely important in

will snatch them out of My

© 2015 LifeWay

said of His followers, “No one hand” and “No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (v. 29).

43

THE POINT

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can offer us ultimate protection.

DISCUSS: Question #4 (PSG, p. 44): What makes Christians question their security in Christ?

SUMMARIZE: The unity of Jesus and His Father are interwoven throughout this passage. Jesus’ spiritual authority was both derived from and equal to the Father’s authority. Jesus and the Father are separate Persons, both fully God

negotiating the ebb and flow of real life. The depth of our relationship to Jesus is foundational to a strong personal conviction that Jesus not only cares for us but also takes care of us, including our sin. You cannot build upon something you do not know or experience. Verse 14. Jesus repeated for emphasis, “I am the good shepherd.” He did so to add a new dimension to what that goodness entails. “I know My own sheep,” He said. This knowledge goes beyond intellectual propositions. This knowledge is personal. Note carefully that Jesus said “My own sheep” (emphasis added). Once one has witnessed multiple shepherds caring for combined flocks during the day, then culling out their own sheep from among hundreds, without mistake and without remainder, to lead them to a prepared sheepfold for the night, the reality begins to sink in of what Jesus was saying. Jesus knows His own sheep— every single, little lamb. Powerful thought. Comforting image. Jesus is “the good shepherd.”

with unique functions and personalities. This mystery is summarized succinctly in these verses. Jesus’ protection is assured by both His personal attention and His Father’s authority.

44

S e ss i o n 3

Verse 15. Further, “they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father.” Jesus brings heaven to earth. Jesus has brought the beauty of His own communion with the heavenly Father down to earth. He shared this communion with His own disciples, teaching them how to walk in this fellowship and to live out their own lives from within this relationship. This divine communion of heaven becomes the basis for the communion of the saints on earth. The unified communion of the Trinity is not just theology. It is a transforming life experience. A communion that deep and that enriching is abundant life, eternal life, and laying down a life: “I lay down My life for the sheep.” For the second time in only a few verses we find this theme of laying down a life (see 10:11). John had a laser focus on the reality that all of Jesus’ life and mission culminated in the cross. John 10:27-30 shifts context. The important clue about this new context is John 10:22: “Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem.” The Festival of Dedication also is known as “Hanukkah,” from the Hebrew name, or “Festival of Lights.” It is not found in the law of Moses but arose out of the history of the Maccabean revolt centuries before Christ. A pig was sacrificed to Zeus on the Jewish temple altar in Jerusalem. The Jews recaptured the temple and cleansed and rededicated the altar. The great seven-branched menorah © 2015 LifeWay

candelabra in the temple was relit. The Festival of Dedication commemorates this rededication of the altar. The custom of lighting lights in Jewish homes commemorates the relighting of the temple menorah. Jesus was in the temple complex, again teaching in the area of Solomon’s Colonnade, a series of columns about two hundred yards in length and a popular spot for speakers because people naturally gathered here (v. 23). Stories about the early church in the Book of Acts also took place here (Acts 3:11; 5:12). Jewish leaders tried to provoke a confrontation with Jesus about Him being Messiah, but Jesus would not take the bait. Their question came from unbelief, so telling them anything would resolve nothing. He already had performed great signs among them. The demand for another one had nothing to do with genuine seeking. Their unbelief revealed they were not Jesus’ sheep (John 10:22-26). Verse 27. In contrast to these unbelieving Jewish leaders, “My sheep hear My voice,” Jesus insisted. He has an intimate relationship with His own, so Jesus knows them, “and they follow Me.” Those confronting Him did not really care to follow Him. Eternal life was not to be found in the temple ritual of the buildings surrounding Jesus’ listeners. Eternal life, instead, was (and is) to be found on the altar of Jesus’ own life that He would sacrifice (vv. 17-18). Verses 28-30. That self-sacrifice by Jesus is why Jesus was able to promise, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever!” Not even these deceiving teachers of Israel confronting Him would be able to “snatch them out of My hand.” The reason is clear. God is involved. The security of the believer has nothing to do with the believer. The security of the believer is due to the power of the Father: “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.” The security of the believer is in God, not the believer. The steps of a believer may stumble along the way, but the destination never is in doubt: “No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” This word of eternal security for eternal life can be believed because “The Father and I are one.” Jesus knew what He was talking about. Jesus is the good shepherd who keeps us secure.


© 2015 LifeWay

GUIDE: Emphasize that the security of the believer has nothing to do with the believer. The security of the believer is due to the power of the Father: “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all” (v. 29). The security of the believer is in God, not the believer. The steps of a believer may stumble along the way, but the destination never is in doubt: “No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” We can believe this word of eternal security because “The Father and I are one” (v. 30).

DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 44): What’s our role in accessing and benefiting from Jesus’ protection? (Alternate: How do we get better at distinguishing Jesus’ voice from all others?)

45

THE POINT

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can offer us ultimate protection.

LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes

GUIDE: Emphasize The Point: Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can offer us ultimate protection. Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 45; see text to the right). Invite group members to think about which application speaks most to where they are in their spiritual journey.

Wrap It Up GUIDE: Take an insurance card from your wallet and show it to the group. Invite volunteers to do the same.

LIVE IT OUT The world is a dangerous place. As we watch the news it can be easy to get anxious about our future and the future of those we love. What kind of pressure could Christians face as they stand for God’s truth? What pressure will our young people face in a culture that is becoming more antiChristian? When fear arises, remember: your security is in Jesus, who will never let go of any of those who are in His flock. Which of the following applications is God leading you to adopt this week? >> Turn to Jesus. If you have never placed your trust in Christ to receive eternal life, do so today, and receive forgiveness of your sins and the peace in knowing that you are protected by Jesus for all eternity. Read “Spring Fever” on page 2 for guidance. >> Give your fear to Jesus. Identify something in your life that is causing fear or anxiety. Write it on a piece of paper, and place it in front of you. Confess to Jesus this fear and your inability to overcome it in your own strength. Place the fear in His hand by tearing up the paper and throwing it away. Trust God to provide the strength to continue to overcome the fear and trust Him. >> Share Jesus. Ask God to lead you this week to someone who needs to hear the good news that Jesus is our ultimate protection. Ask God to make you sensitive to the opportunities He will provide.

Note we buy insurance to protect us from financial ruin. But the ultimate protection is available only by God’s grace through faith in Christ. PRAY: “Father, thank you for the salvation we have in Jesus. May we never take for granted that you sent your One and Only Son to give His life so that we could experience abundant life, both now and for eternity. Amen.” 46

S e ss i o n 3

© 2015 LifeWay

pasture. Even with different flocks

SHARING THE GOOD NEWS

sharing a single fold, separating

Jesus is the only way to

the flocks was not difficult

God and eternal life. He

because each shepherd knew his

has made it all possible

own sheep, often having named

through His death and

them. Further, the sheep knew

resurrection. Repent and

the voice of their shepherd (John

turn to Christ, and you will

10:27). The shepherd invested his

experience eternal security

life in his sheep—a life of great

in Him.

commitment and great devotion. When Jesus charged Peter to Shepherdess and her flock in the desert of modern Iran.

shepherd his sheep, he likewise called him to a life of discipleship, devotion, and commitment as a

The following excerpt is from the article “The Shepherd’s Work”

shepherd of God’s church.”

Each week, make yourself available either before or after the session to speak privately with anyone in your group who wants to know more about becoming a Christian.

Read the article “Abundantly:

See the article, “Leading

The Meaning” in the Spring 2016

Someone to the Greatest

issue. Previous articles “Thieves

Decision of All,“ on page 2 for

and Robbers” (Win. 2012-13),

guidance in leading a person

“The shepherd would guard his

“Describing the Enemy” (Spr.

to Christ.

flock by sleeping in the entrance

2003), and “Jesus’ Use of Allegory”

of the fold overnight. At times,

(Win. 1991) relate to this session

more than one flock would be in

and can be purchased at www.

a single sheepfold. In such a case

lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator. Look

the shepherds would take turns

for Biblical Illustrator for Bible

guarding the fold. Each morning

Studies for Life.

(Win. 2013-14), which relates to this session and can be purchased at www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator.

the shepherd would again count his sheep and lead them to

Subscribe to Biblical Illustrator at www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator, or call 1-800-458-2772.

Remind group members that page 2 in the PSG offers guidance in how to become a Christian. Encourage believers to consider using this article as they have opportunities to lead others to Christ.

>> Get expert insights on weekly studies through the Ministry Grid (MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesFor Life). >> Grow with other group leaders at the Groups Ministry blog (lifeway.com/groupministry). >> Additional ideas for your group are available at BibleStudiesFor Life.com/blog. © 2015 LifeWay

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