The Shepherd Work of Christ - Section Study of John 10:12-18

Posted 2/5/15 by Donald Barnhouse
LESSON XXVIII
THE SHEPHERD WORK OF CHRIST - Section Study of John 10:12-18
 
Point to the Lord Jesus Christ as the center of our life. 
Read the passage through.
  1. The hireling shepherd.
  2. The true shepherd.
  3. The death of the shepherd.
  4. The fold of sheep.
  5. The resurrection of the shepherd.
It was the Lord Jesus Himself Who told His disciples that He was their shepherd. He explained in John 10:1-11 that He was the door of the sheep, and that He would give His life for them, so that all that believed in Him might be saved. Then He went on to tell them more about His shepherd work.
 
(Let the class read the passage a verse at a time; then discuss as follows):
 
Verses 12 and 13: Sometimes shepherds had large flocks, and hired under shepherds to help them care for their sheep. Of course the hired shepherds did not love the sheep as their own masters did, and when there was danger, they would run away and leave the sheep. If a wolf came, they would not risk their lives by staying to protect the sheep, but would run away, and the wolf would catch the sheep and scatter the flock.
 
Verse 14: But the good shepherd knows every one of his sheep. He can tell them apart. Someone else might think they all looked alike but to Him they are different. So it is with our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Good Shepherd, and He knows every one of us, though to other people we may not be at all important. And we know Him, too, though very imperfectly. That is the difference between saved people and unsaved people. The unsaved do not really know Jesus, though they may have heard of im. We do know Him.
 
Verse 15: The Lord Jesus not only knows His people, but He knows God the Father. He said that no one had ever seen God, but that the only begotten Son had revealed Him. "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14.6). And even though He knows the Father, He was willing to lay down His life for us. It seems impossible, does it not? The Lord of Glory, knowing the Father perfectly came down into this sinful world and gave His life for us.
 
Verse 16: And who are the Lords sheep? In the days when He was here on earth they were only the Jews. They were the only ones whom He had preached to, and so they were the only ones who had believed. But He did not die only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles, too. He told His disciples that He had other sheep, and that they, too, would be His—one fold, and one shepherd. There are to be no divisions between those who belong to Him. They are all one flock of sheep.
 
Verse 17: The Father always loved the Son. He said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” But there was a special reason why He loved the Son in a particular way. It was because the Lord Jesus was willing to lay down His life for the sheep, and because He would be raised from the dead, too.
 
Verse 18: Some people think that the Jews killed Christ. Others say that our sins made Him die. Both are true, but it was really that He himself willed to die. No one could take His life. He laid it down willingly for us.

STUDY QUESTIONS

  • What are the wolves and the sheep in this parable? Explain.
  • What does it mean to hear the voice of our shepherd, that is Jesus?
  • How does Christ's relationship to the Father  effect us?
  • Why did Christ willingly lay down his life for us?

Making God’s Word Plain is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Making God’s Word Plain and the mission of the Alliance.