On Sunday, May 17, Pastor Rob Pacienza preached Part 3 in “The Gospel of John” sermon series. His text for the sermon was John 10:1-15. Rob opens this sermon about sheep and their Shepherd by sharing an illustration from his previous life as a Youth Pastor. In 2003 he took 20 students on a trip to New Zealand and one day they went out looking for sheep in a country that has more sheep than people. After finding a fenced in flock, his students jumped the fence and went after the sheep. This made their shepherd very angry because he thought they were there to steal or kill his sheep! This is a picture of how a shepherd cares for his sheep and it helps us understand Jesus as our Good Shepherd.

As we look at John 10, we ask these two things: What does it mean to be His sheep? And what does it mean to be a Shepherd? In verses 3-4 we see that Jesus “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… he goes before them, and the sheep follow him.” Eastern shepherds went before their sheep (in our Western culture, shepherds follow behind). Although shepherds use their own peculiar call to gather their sheep, Jesus goes further and calls them by name. It is not typical for a shepherd to name each sheep. A name offers significance and value. This is what we all long for. And this is what the Good Shepherd give us.

Our answer is in verse 10 where Jesus tells us He came that we “may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus gives us the life that we were meant to live from the time of Creation! Then in verse 11 we see that Jesus “lays down his life for the sheep.” This was a voluntary, self-sacrificing love for helpless sheep whom He values as his prize possession. The Good Shepherd becomes like the sheep. This reminds us of what John the Baptist declared: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” We come as wayward sheep and Jesus says to us, “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

 

Other sermons in this series:

The Gospel of John | Series
The Gospel of John | Audio
The Gospel of John | Video