Good Shepherd And Sheep - Exegesis Of Verses Xiv-xviii Of John 10
Posted on June 10, 2008 - Filed Under Uncategorized
TRANSLATION OF JOHN 10:14-18 FROM THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE (GREEK)
14 I am the good shepherd and I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep which are not of this sheepfold, and it is necessary for me to bring those and they will hear my voice, and they shall become one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this the Father loves me because I lay down my life in order that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it again. This charge I have received from my Father.
EXEGESIS
In the preceding chapter, we witness the healing of the blind man. Indeed Jesus is the light of the world. Naturally, the Pharisees were not happy. Why should the man be healed on that day? Even though he performed a miraculous act, these leaders of the day, these shepherds who were seeking their own interests, these hirelings failed to realize what it means to care for those entrusted to them.
The use of the words ’sheep’ and ’shepherd’ shows how brilliantly Jesus uses imagery to elucidate his teachings. The Jews encountered no problem in understanding the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. As an African, the point is even clearer. The researcher doubts whether an American in Florida, as a result of his geographical location, will fully grasp this relationship better than the Hausas (Nigerian shepherds in the northern part of their country).
By using the description, ‘the good shepherd’ in verse fourteen, one can easily conclude that there are other shepherds - by implication, bad ones. In Christianity today, some shepherds enter through other doors and rob/steal from the sheep. In an address several years ago, former Provost of West Africa Theological Seminary in Lagos, Nigeria, talked about someone who wanted to enter into a ‘deal‘ with another individual to start a church, believing that it would be profitable ‘business’. He admonished matriculating students to enter ministry for the right reasons and with the correct motives. In other words, he encouraged them to be good shepherds.
Some pastors don’t want to face challenges on behalf of their members and like hirelings, abandon them in the face of adversity (the coming of the wolf). The good shepherd should not steal, kill or destroy the sheep but should lay down his life for them.
How many pastors can say that they know their own (like Christ in verse fourteen) and vice versa? This verse shows the importance of relationship. How much time do we spend with our members? How effectively do we teach them? Can they know when a false teacher is around? The relationship of the pastor and the congregation should be like that between the Father and Son.
Who are the other sheep that are being referred to in verse sixteen? This verse teaches rather plainly that the church should have just one foundation. In the last day, there will be gathered before the throne people from every tribe and nation. In verse sixteen, one sees the idea of church having one head, Jesus Christ. This is in consonance with verse eighteen of Colossians chapter one.
Why did the Father love Jesus? - Because of his willingness to sacrifice, to lay down his life that he may take it up again. However, it is interesting to note that the Pharisees thought they could take his life from him but he categorically observes that no one (absolutely nobody) is able to do that. What he did for us was done willingly.
It is very important for pastors to teach their members to rightly divide the word of truth so that they will be able to stand when other false shepherds call on them. Jesus was certain that his sheep will recognize his voice because he is the good shepherd.
AUTHOR SIGNATURE
Oliver L.T. Harding, who obtained his GCE O & A Levels from the Sierra Leone Grammar School and the Albert Academy respectively, is currently Senior & Acting Librarian of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He is a part time lecturer at the Institute of Library, Information & Communication Studies (INSLICS), Fourah Bay College and the Extension Programme at the Evangelical College of Theology (T.E.C.T) at Hall Street, Brookfields; Vice President of the Sierra Leone Association of Archivists, Librarians & Information Scientists (SLAALIS); a member of the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP). His certificates, secular and sacred, include: a certificate and diploma from the Freetown Bible Training Centre; an upper second class B.A. Hons. Degree in Modern History (F.B.C.); a post-graduate diploma from the Institute of Library Studies (INSLIBS, F.B.C) a masters degree from the Institute of Library, Information & Communication Studies (INSLICS, F.B.C.) and a masters degree in Biblical Studies from West Africa Theological Seminary, affiliate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he won the prize for academic excellence as the Best Graduating Student in 2005. Oliver, a writer, musician and theologian, is married (to Francess) with two children (Olivia & Francis).
Email: oltharding@yahoo.com
Mobile: 232-2233-460-330
Tags: good sheperd, god
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