Learning Jesus | Week 20
Learning Jesus Week 20
JUDGING THE JUDGE...& DELIVERER
Key Word – My >> Central Passage – John 10:1-21 (Days 4 &5)
A true shepherd has God’s vision, God’s Word. Regardless of the terrain, he knows where to take the sheep whose vision is limited. The sheep learn to trust this true shepherd because he depends upon God to provide the way and the means as he cares for and protects the sheep. As you study the passages of this week, look for this INTIMATE reciprocal “my” relationship between a true shepherd and His God and the True Shepherd and His sheep. (During group time will be praying for shepherds during the re-jesus space, so star or highlight big ideas about true shepherds that you can seek God to give our shepherds.
Day 1 Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The optional memory verses for this lesson is the entirety of Psalm 23. Encourage your family and community group to memorize this psalm with you!
Background Information – Psalm 23 was written by King David, who as a young man tended his father’s flock. Now David is King and he is shepherding Israel. Notice in this Psalm how David compares God to a shepherd. Look for how the Lord provides for the sheep, protects the sheep, and disciplines them to follow Him.
A sheep is utterly dependent upon the Shepherd to provide care. In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Philip Keller notes that sheep do not lie down if their shepherd has not attended to these things: 1) the fears of the sheep 2) any friction among the sheep 3) the flies or parasites in the pastures 4) the feeding of the sheep.
1. A literal shepherd made sure that his sheep were fed, watered, and had rest because sheep cost money and yield profit. (This does not discount that these human shepherds like David did not have a genuine affection for their sheep, of course.) How does David show in verses 1-3 that God’s care goes beyond simply providing for His sheep’s basic needs because He is their body and soul Creator? Note his use of “my” in verse one.
2. A shepherd’s rod and staff were used for defense against predatory animals and to discipline the sheep to follow the shepherd. Note David’s shift from “he” to “you” in verses 4 and 5. Places and persons of fear are present in David’s life, but what else is he experiencing that ensures his well being?
3. Together “goodness and mercy” depict God’s friendship and steadfast covenantal love for David. How do this psalm’s promises for this life and your eternal life help you to live this season of life with your Shepherd? Consider writing a prayer to Him about that.
Deep Think (Totally Optional)
Sometimes we want to go deeper with a passage after observing the passage carefully ourselves. It matters where we turn for more knowledge. To write this lesson and all our previous lessons, I consulted Yeshua: The Life of Christ by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Th.M., Ph.D. (I was familiar with this source because I prepared to write this study by taking four Yeshua classes from Ariel College. The classes are deep and cheap! arielcollege.com)
For this lesson and some of our other lessons which John’s gospel, I consulted The Gospel According to John by D.A. Carson. Before purchasing these two authors’ books (and I have many from Fruchtenbaum and Carson), I researched their doctrinal stances, comparing them to Scripture and what we uphold at Grace Bible Church.
To write this lesson, I also consulted two online commentators; both are commentators I have used before and found to be doctrinally sound. You can easily access their material yourself if you would like to go deeper with Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, or John 10. Simply type their names – Tom Constable or David Guzik – in your internet search bar along with the passage you want to study. These two commentators both reference many other commentators’ research and thoughts on a passage.
A shepherd studies Scripture and seeks wise counselors to guide him or her in study. One day shepherds will give an account for how they taught the sheep (Hebrews 13:17). So given that we, called by name by the Good Shepherd, are called to call others, we would do well to diligently prepare ourselves in His Word.
How is deeper study an act of worship for the God of the Word? You might choose to answer this in the form of a prayer to God.
Day 2 Ezekiel 34:1-10
Background Information – All leaders in Israel were considered shepherds. but in particular Kings, and then Priests, and Prophets. God here is commanding Ezekiel, a righteous Old Testament prophet, to speak His accusation against false shepherd leaders. Notice how often God reminds these leaders, who should know better, that Ezekiel is speaking God’s words to them and not his own. Yesterday you read Psalm 23 and learned how God as a Shepherd cares for His flock. As you read, note how these shepherds are NOT following God’s example as described in Psalm 23.
1. Sum up in one sentence why these supposed shepherds are no shepherds at all.
God accuses these false shepherds of three things: 1) Fleecing the sheep instead of feeding the sheep 2) Not caring for the individual needs of each sheep. These needs have arisen because individual sheep are weak, sick, broken, driven away and lost. 3) Allowing the flock to scatter.
2. What effect did these false shepherds have upon the sheep of Israel?
3. Write a paragraph about your experience as a sheep with a human shepherd. Use the bullets to guide your writing.
o Describe a time when you have been weak, sick, broken, driven away, or lost, and your issue was EITHER addressed or not addressed by an entrusted leader in your life.
o How did your individual issue being EITHER addressed or not addressed have an effect on the community-flock in which you lived? Note that God refers to the sheep He entrusted to human shepherds as “My sheep.”
Day 3 Ezekiel 34:11-31
Background Information – In Ezekiel 34;10, God promised “I will rescue MY sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.” Again, the “them” is referring to Israel’s false shepherds who not only were not feeding the sheep, but were devouring the sheep to make themselves fat. In this next section God makes seventeen “I will” promises to HIS sheep and also promises to judge between the fat false shepherds and the lean true sheep.
1. How would you describe God’s attitude toward His sheep?
2. When God refers to the “flock,” He is referring to Israel; when He refers to “My sheep,” He is referring to the remnant of Israel, those who truly place their faith in Him as their Shepherd. The false shepherds are not sheep of Jehovah. A true sheep is dependent upon His shepherd. A true shepherd is dependent upon THE Good Shepherd.
o How are these false shepherds guilty of far more than not feeding the sheep?
o What is God’s attitude toward the false shepherds?
Background Information – In verse 12 God states that He will rescue His sheep who were scattered “on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” This day is referring to the tribulation. After the tribulation, God will gather His sheep and feed them on the “mountain heights of Israel,” (see verse 14). This is referring to the sheepfold on what Dr. Fruchtenbaum refers to as “the Millennial Mountain of Jehovah’s House,” where God will dwell during the Messianic Kingdom. Here God will Himself care for His sheep AS HE LIVES AMONG THEM with King Jesus.
3. Remember how the healed blind man from our reading in John 9 last lesson had to choose between following the Pharisees and following Jesus? Since this sheep chose Jesus, he was mocked and then kicked out of the synagogue and considered dead by His former shepherds and community. Why would this passage be so comforting for those choosing to follow Jesus despite sure persecution? Consider the details of the New Covenant in verses 25-31 in your answer.
Day 4 John 10:1-10
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...the gospels.
Groups, you will be praying for our shepherds during the re-jesus space today. Put a star or highlight big ideas that will direct how you can pray for them.
Background Information – After healing the man born blind, the last thing Jesus said to the Pharisees is that since they claim to see, their blindness remains. Now He shifts to speaking about sheep and shepherds and false shepherds. Guess what category the Pharisee fall in...?!?! Given this category, note that TWICE Jesus opens with “Truly, truly.” What He is saying is “Amen, amen.” Normally when a visiting teacher spoke in a synagogue, the elders would proclaim, “Amen, amen” to indicate they approved the teacher’s words as coming from God. Since Jesus IS God, He “amens” Himself before speaking God’s words.
1. What is the subject of Jesus’ parable? We can figure that out by examining the characters He includes.
Given the relationship of these characters to Jesus, what is the subject of Jesus’ parable?
Background Information – Instead of using the door, meaning the Word, the Hebrew Scriptures, Pharisees gained access to the sheep by climbing in “another way” through the Mishna, the encyclopedia set of laws they added to God’s Law. In contrast, Jesus entered the sheepfold through the door and calls His “own sheep.” These sheep are the remnant, the true believers of Israel (see Zechariah 11:4-14). In verses 7 and 9, Jesus is actually expanding on the metaphor of the door in order to expand His teaching on the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep (D.A. Carson).
2. The Shepherd
o How can the Word, the Hebrew Scriptures, and Jesus BOTH be the true door to the sheepfold? If it troubles you that Jesus is mixing metaphors, consider that Jesus is the Shepherd and the Lamb of God.
o What does life look like for a sheep entering through the proper door?
3. The Thief
o In contrast, by what door might “the thief” of verse 10 enter by?
o What might a sheep life following THE thief of all thieves and robbers look like?
Day 5 John 10:11-21
Background Information – In our reading yesterday, Jesus proclaimed that He entered the sheepfold through the door, meaning the Word, because He IS the Word and, therefore, the door. In contrast, the false teachers entered the sheepfold through words that contrasted what the Hebrew Scriptures taught, so Jesus declared them “thieves and robbers,” leaving no doubt that these are the “bad guys.” Now Jesus introduces another character, the hired hand. This guy is not an evil guy, so why does Jesus introduce him into the parable?
1. Using verses 11-18, contrast the hired hand’s relationship with the sheep to Jesus’ relationship with the sheep AND with the Father.
2. Why does Jesus introduce the hired hand into His parable? Consider why Jesus repeats that He lays down His life.
Background Information – When Jesus speaks of sheep of another fold, He is referring to the Gentiles. Jesus is speaking in parables, but this is the first time Jesus teaches that one day the Jews and Gentiles will be brought together into one family of God (Ephesians 2:11-3;12). Jesus also states emphatically that He will not die until He chooses to die. We have seen many times already that opponents came to arrest Jesus or do physical harm to Jesus, but He eluded them every time.
3. The Good Shepherd and the Father
o What does Jesus’ relationship with the Father have to do with His relationship to the sheep? Consider why Jesus repeats that He lays down His life.
o Why do you think that Jesus alludes at this point to the Father’s plan for both “this fold” and the “other sheep that are not of this fold”?
re-jesus space
This re-jesus space is where we will take time as a Christ community to ensure we are applying the truth we know to our lives in real time. Not just talking about what we will do, but doing it now and together.
1. Praise Jesus the Good Shepherd, the Father who sent Him to intentionally lay down His life, and the Holy Spirit who enables the sheep to hear His voice. Thank them for the intimate relationship they sought and have with you.
2. Use what you learned in this lesson to pray for those in our church and city who serve as shepherds under the Good Shepherd. For example, we learned that all true shepherds rely upon the Word of God to shepherd the sheep. Pray that our shepherds would faithfully do so. What other big ideas did you learn about shepherds that you can apply now as prayers for our shepherds?
3. Send a text right now to someone who is in need of some shepherding encouragement. Send them encouraging words, a verse, or a prayer or all three! Perhaps schedule a time to meet with them for one-one shepherding.
4. Community Group Leaders, you are dismissed . Everyone else, hang out for a minute.
COMMUNITY GROUP TIME
• Discuss the Central Passages questions. (This week this includes both Days 4 & 5 – John 10:1-21.)
• re-jesus space
• Is anyone able to recite Psalm 23?
God’s joy & strength to you,
kpaulson@gracelaredo.org