John 10:1-18

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up 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 authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

I found myself intrigued by this passage in my devotion I was working through a few days back. There seemed to be so many ideas and truths to grab hold of, but I wanted to walk you through some parallels that I discovered. For some of us, it may be easy or clear that Jesus is using the example of sheep and shepherd as an illustration about himself and believers. Jesus very clearly in his illustration leaves no doubt what role he plays and the role we as believers play. There were a few things I had read many times, but never really thought about. “I am the gate?” What are the implications of that statement? “I lay down my life for the sheep.” What? “I have other sheep that are not in this pen?” Which sheep are in the correct pen? Hopefully I can bring light to these questions.

I am the Gate

Sheep are generally known as “not smart” animals. They need companionship, protection, provision and guidance. Left on their own, they have a slim chance of survival. Sound familiar? I think sometimes we have a difficult time identifying with examples in the Bible, even when they are so blatantly obvious. The lyrics “prone to wander” from “Come thou Fount” keep running through my head. Just like sheep, without leadership and guidance, we will try to go our own way, that most of the time, leads to destruction. The more we understand about sheep and the role of the Shepherd, it begins to open our eyes to what Jesus is telling the Pharisees. It also brings new light to scripture passages like Psalms 23. Jesus, not only does he lead us, he also sacrifices on our behalf. The shepherd would defend off attacks from predators and robbers. The natural instinct of a sheep is not to defend themselves, hence why they are easy targets. When Jesus says that He is the gate, practically speaking, he is our defense. The shepherd was willing to put his life on the line to keep the sheep safe. Jesus laid his life down to defeat the threat of sin and give us freedom from sin. I also believe Jesus is addressing the fact that there is only one way to the Father, and its through him, the Good Shepherd. I think Jesus is implying that if we do not know who he is and have a relationship with him, we will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

I have other Sheep

Jesus brings to light that the Gospel is a universal message. He laid down his life so that we can go gather more sheep. In the parable of the Lost Sheep, the Shepherd leaves the 99 and goes after the one lost sheep. When the shepherd finds the sheep, he rejoices and puts the sheep on his shoulders and brings it back home. Without leadership, the sheep will continue to wander. Without guidance, the sheep will put itself in life threatening situations. Without provisions, the sheep will not eat or drink. Without companionship, the sheep will remain lost. Jesus pursues us all to bring us back to the father. I love the lyrics of the song Pursue that Bethlehem Church has written. God has sent his son to go retrieve the lost. Jesus knows the number of his sheep. Jesus knows the needs of his sheep before we can even ask. Jesus knows where we have wandered to and pursues us despite our flaws.

Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash

I know I have heard Ephesians 5 quoted many times in my life. I often find myself thinking of the old cliché, what would Jesus do? In 2106, someone made another bracelet with the answer to that faithful question, “He Would Love First.” Of course I am not just interested in bumper sticker or bracelet theology. While a good reminder, lets look at what scripture actually says. Hence, we find ourselves back in Ephesians 5:1-2.

At first glance, it seems like a rather easy piece of scripture to follow, until we do some investigating. Remember, chapters and verses were not in the original text. Ephesians 5:1-2 is actually the end of a thought from the previous chapter. (Rule #1 for reading scripture: Context always determines meaning) If we go back and look at the previous paragraphs from chapter 4, we will find the answer to our current question, “What Would Jesus do?” Now, the answer is not easy and it requires multiple steps of action. So let’s run those down together.

Walk in Love…sacrifice the old self

Walking in love sometimes requires more than we want to give. Jesus gave himself up for us. But I know what you’re thinking. If I sacrifice myself, my life won’t cover other people’s sin. And you would be correct. However, we can do what scripture is suggesting and sacrifice our sin nature. Putting off the old self and walking in the new self is easier said than done. I have my own cliché that goes “Today has never been about you. Never was, never will. Today has always been about how Jesus wants to use you to share the gospel with others.” So, we put to death the old self and all of its sinful desires. Our desire should be to walk in the new self. Paul would write in Romans that the transformation process starts in the mind. In simple words, you have to be in God’s truth (the word aka the Bible). Getting to know who God is and seeing his heart’s desires begins to change our own desires. No longer do we give into the evil desires of our own heart, but we find more pleasure fulfilling the desires of God’s heart.

Second, Paul advises to rid yourself of unwholesome talk. Slander, malice, anger, bitterness…all these things can lead us to using words that do not edify or encourage others. James writes that the tongue is one of the smallest parts of the body, but it can also do the most damage if we do not learn to control it. Many times, some of the most painful events that happen in life are due to hurtful words that we throw around at each other like daggers. It’s really hard to recover from a wound, but its possible.

Third, be kind and compassionate to others. At my church, we have this huge sign on the wall that says loving God is loving people and loving people is loving God. It is simple, but effective. John 13 tells us about a time Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, scripture tells us that Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve. I hope we all know Jesus didn’t have his own agenda. He came to do what his Father asked him to do. We are asked to do the same. God, our father, asks us to be on his agenda. But the reality is most of us hope that God fits into our agenda. Serving others is probably not top priority on our list, but isn’t that was God is asking? IF we serve God, we will find ourselves serving others in his Name.

Life and Death

Jesus’ life, from the very beginning, was full of miracles. From his brith to his ascension, Jesus was continually proving who he was. Now it must have been a little complex too because Jesus grew up around the towns where he would engage in his public ministry. Many times people would see Jesus do incredible things that could only be explained as the power of God. Everyone knows about the water to wine. We also know about how Lazarus was dead for multiple days and Jesus calls him out of the grave. But there is one particular passage, or miracle, where I want to focus and explore how powerful Jesus actually was (is).

When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. (Luke 8:40-56)

Reading this passage of scripture always gives me chills. Here are two very different people coming to the understanding of how powerful faith is. Given the chance, we can learn incredible lessons from both Jairus and the bleeding woman. Jairus was an synagogue official. In my mind, he was willing to give up his job, status, and well being to ask Jesus to answer his request to heal his daughter. There are no limits to the length you are willing to go to when you have a sick child. Jairus had the same philosophy. We will drive to the doctor. We will drive to a pharmacy to pick up medication. We will buy them any type of food, dessert or drink in hopes to make them even a little bit better. Jairus goes straight to the source. I have to ask myself, “If I will go to such great lengths for my kids, then why won’t I go to such great lengths to spend time with Jesus? Why do I (we) have a tendency to treat him like a laundry mat?” Then, right in the middle of Jairus’ plea for help, there is a woman who has some of the same philosophy Jairus had. “If I can just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, I’ll be healed.” After twelve long and painful years and who knows how many procedures, that’s the answer the bleeding woman comes to. “IF I touch him, I will be healed.” Not a bad idea at all. But why not ask, like Jairus did? The bleeding woman makes her move when Jesus was surrounded by a crowd of people. (I so wish I could have been there for this next part!) “Who touched me?” I can only imagine the look on her face when Jesus turns around.

Jairus had everything to lose. The bleeding woman had everything to gain. Jesus, as you read, healed both the woman and Jairus’ daughter. What about you and me? Are we willing to fall at the feet of Jesus? Are we willing to let him have total control of our lives? Maybe today we need to look at ourselves and think “I have nothing to lose” or maybe “I have everything to gain” What is it that I need Jesus to heal me of? Maybe it is a physical healing or maybe Jesus has already healed us from the biggest problem we have.

 

 

Christmas from a New Perspective

I was trying to gather some tools, to help me further understand scripture and the accounts given about the birth of Jesus, and I came across a story I wanted to share with you. There was a missionary that felt like he was called to Ethiopia. He happened to be arriving around Christmas to begin his missionary journey. To make a connection and to get a good idea of the people he would be working with, he went to a Christmas pageant. Upon arrival to the church, he immediately noticed that it was extremely crowded. A church that would seat maybe 100-150 people was brimming over with close to 400 people. There was no room in the inn! (pun intended) People were sitting and standing everywhere. From the outside, you really could not tell what was happening there were so many people covering the widows. Even though it was a bright and hot sunny day, inside the church it was dim due to the amount of people and the few light bulbs hanging around the exposed wooden beams. Already, it was not the typical Americanized Christmas pageant. In the play, Mary and Joseph do not travel alone to Bethlehem, but there are large crowds of family with them. In the Ethiopian culture, a pregnant woman would never be left alone so close to giving birth. In this pageant, Mary is surrounded by women and midwives. Have you ever really stopped and logically thought through who delivered baby Jesus? If Joseph was a carpenter, how did he become an expert obstetrician to deliver his new born son? I think there is enough pressure already when God sends an angel to tell you that you are going to be the earthly father of the Messiah. Plus, did you ever think about the fact that Mary was riding a donkey. Maybe the ride caused her to go into labor early? I hope you begin to get the theme here.

Jesus in Human Flesh

We tend to fill in the gaps with our own culture. Mary and Joseph heading back home alone seems to be perfectly normal for us. We pack our bags and head to the hospital, where after a few hours, we magically have a baby! I saw both of my boys being born. After the toe and finger counting, all I could think was “Jesus was born this way too.” John 1:1 tells us that the word became flesh. Does that not seem strange to anyone else?But the reality is, God took on human flesh. Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph. He was born into a family that was not affluent or rich by any means. Jesus grew up in a Jewish household. As a small child, at the age of five or six, he would have started to learn the Torah (the Law…the first five books of the Bible). At age eight, Jesus could begin his education by sitting under a rabbi. At twelve or thirteen, he would have been considered an adult. As a young adult, Jesus would have begun to take on his father’s job as a carpenter. I know it seems hard to imagine, but Jesus also dealt with the same thing you and I deal with on a daily basis. You might be thinking to yourself  “No way! He was Jesus.” It took me a second too, but really Jesus knew what it was like to be tired, hungry, thirsty, frustrated, tempted, disappointed, lonely. All of the things we feel on a daily basis, Jesus knew them. So in this Christmas season, I hope that you can take a moment to realize the implications of Jesus as a baby, born in a manger.

 

Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

Redeeming

Redemption is a complex word. By itself, we understand that redemption is the process of redeeming. Redeeming by definition is the act of buying back an object at a certain price. When I was a teenager, I had a job at Chick-fil-A. Now, I know things have changed, but when I worked with CFA we were often given B.O.G. cards to give to frequent customers or family members. “Be Our Guest” cards were coupons for free items. They would be for sandwiches, nuggets, biscuits, milkshakes, drinks, waffle fries, and, if you were really lucky, you might have received a B.O.G for a #1 Combo meal. The reality was (and is) that someone is really paying for the supposed “free” item. Without too much business detail, the operator’s name on the coupon was the guy/gal that was being charged for the “free” item, not the costumer.  So, which leads us to several questions. Why did I get a coupon? Who is really paying?

Why was I so Lucky?

Paul wrote in Romans that all of us have sinned and we all fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Let’s take a quick history lesson and return to an account in scripture with which we are all probably familiar. The story of Adam and Woman (she wasn’t named Eve until the after they sinned) is where we need to start. God gave his two created beings one simple instruction to not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden (Gen 3:3). Well, I think we all know the results. Adam and Woman made a poor choice. Because of that choice we were all effected and we are all born into sin. What does that really mean? Well, we need saving from this sin. We need someone to rescue humanity, to redeem us. The results of sin are death and a broken relationship with God. God is Holy and cannot be around sin. Hence, Adam and Eve were banned from the garden. God’s creation, that was made to glorify him and fellowship with him, was no longer able to do so. If we are not careful, we read right over God’s redemptive plan in Genesis 3:15. We have a tendency to be caught up in the fact that Adam and Eve sinned and we miss this verse where God inserts himself back into the story. God explains that his son would defeat death and bring liberation for all mankind.

Is Salvation really “free?”

Is there anything in life that is ever free? Even through all my childhood and adolescent years, I had always heard that salvation was free, but it never crossed my mind that Jesus paid something, his life, as a ransom for mine. “For this reason, Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15) I understood that Jesus died on a cross and paid the atonement for sin. That seems like such a global concept that sometimes, like myself, we lose the personal connection. As a young adult, I really began to understand that not only did Jesus die for humanity (another global word), but he died for me, on a personal level. Because of Jesus’ life and death, I am offered freedom. That’s mind boggling to me. It’s as if Jesus said, “You can’t afford the chicken sandwich, so take this coupon. I’ve already paid for it.” Now the question is in our “court.” Are we going to redeem the coupon? Not only do we get salvation, but Jesus is also at the table waiting on us to come eat with him. WHAT? Not only does Jesus offer salvation, but he also wants a personal relationship with me (and you).

Photo by Om Prakash Sethia on Unsplash