Jesus the Good Shepherd. Well this morning, we come to chapter 10 of the Gospel according to John. And in this Gospel, in the first nine chapters, we've seen that Jesus has declared and exercised His authority over the Sabbath and over the temple. This was a major thing to be doing in Jerusalem. And Cana of Galilee changed water into wine. He's been healing the sick in Galilee and Judea. He fed 5,000 men with just five loaves and two small fish. He taught that he had come down from heaven, and that in order for one to see or enter into the kingdom of God, he must be born again. He said whoever believes in him has eternal life. Present tense. Whoever does not believe in him condemns himself by his unbelief. It's taught that all that he says and does is in accord with the will of his Father in heaven. He declared he's the bread of life. the giver and sustainer of both physical and spiritual life. Remember John said, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Chapters 7 and 8, the apostle recorded events which occurred during the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles in Jerusalem, an eight-day feast. And there Jesus declared He's the light of the world, source of all wisdom, righteousness, and truth. And He invited all who are spiritually thirsty to come to Him and drink. In so doing, He announced He is the long-awaited and long-promised Messiah. And He told the people of Israel and the Jewish religious leaders, unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. Now, no man has ever said things like this. But Jesus is not only man, He's God. John wrote in Jesus his life itself. And Jesus said, those who hear his voice will live, that an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will be raised. Bodies of believers to eternal glory, the bodies of the unbelievers to eternal punishment. Now in chapter 9, Jesus encountered a man who was blind from his birth. Seeing him, Jesus said, He was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. People wondered, is he blind because he sinned or because his parents sinned? No. He's blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. And then Jesus proceeded to display the work of God in the blind man. spat on the ground, made a clay of the spittle, and he applied the clay to his eyes. He told him to go and wash in the pole of Siloam. And he went away and washed and came back seeing. So this one who is the light of the world now provided physical sight to this man who had lived his entire life in the darkness. And this healing we saw last Lord's Day is a living parable. He gave physical sight to this blind man, teaching us that he's the one who gives spiritual sight to the spiritually blind. And when some of the Pharisees learned of this miraculous healing, they were saying, this man is not from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath. The others were saying, how can a man perform these kind of signs if he's a sinner? So there was division among the Pharisees. The blind man knew he'd been blind. He knew now he could see. He knew Jesus is the one who'd given him his sight. And he said, one thing I know, I was blind, now I see. So Jesus had already exposed those Jewish rulers as hypocrites who didn't really believe him or Moses' writings. He said, if you'd believe what Moses wrote, you'd see that he wrote of me. to Moses was now their accuser. And they spoke to the blind man. When he would not recant his testimony, they put him out of the synagogue. When Jesus heard that, He found him and He asked him, Do you believe in the Son of Man? And the man answered, Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him? Jesus said to him, You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you. Don't let anybody tell you. Jesus never said He was God. Now the man said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him. This is the right response to Jesus. He worshipped Him. So we saw in that incident an illustration of the new birth. Jesus gave the blind man physical sight. He gives to his people the gift of spiritual sight. And remember, every person is born spiritually dead, spiritually blind, without eyes to see, without ears to hear, and believe the saving truth. These are a gift from God. these ears to hear are a gift which enable a man to know and believe and obey Christ. And the blind man wouldn't have been healed if Jesus had not sought him and come to him. You know, he didn't come looking for Jesus. Jesus came and found him. And that's what he does with the new birth. He searches out, he seeks out the spiritually blind sinner and gives him spiritual sight, makes him spiritually alive. That's what he's done with all who believe. And Jesus again affirmed here, if you're truly a born-again believer, it's because by His grace God opened your eyes to spiritual truth, as He did the physical eyes of this blind man. And so, the truth of the gospel, which, and I say it every week because that's why we're here. This is the one great truth which can save a man from eternal darkness. Despite what they'd seen with their own eyes, the Pharisees were hardened in their unbelief. Now, can you imagine seeing these miracles one right after another and refusing to believe that this man had been sent from God? In fact, they wanted to kill him. And so, as we come to chapter 10, looks like the audience is pretty much the same as it was during this story of the blind man. We've got some disciples. We've got some Pharisees. Perhaps the formerly blind man was there. There's some other Jews there. And in this, it's not a parable. It's what's called a paroimia. In this discourse, Jesus contrasts His character and His saving work with the wicked character and the wicked deeds of the Jewish religious leaders. And He does it using a picture of a sheepfold. This is a place, a pen enclosure in which sheep would be kept at night. I've got a picture of a sheepfold, a flock that's within that fold, a door to the sheepfold, a shepherd, and thieves who come to rob and steal. Now there's an Old Testament background for this discourse of Jesus here in this teaching in chapter 10. And the backdrop is rooted in both first century sheep raising and in the Old Testament. He uses symbolism from the Old Testament where God teaches He is the shepherd of Israel who are pictured as sheep. So Psalm 23, verse 1, for example, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. Makes me lie down in green pastures. Leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. David understood. Psalm 79, 13, we are your people. with the sheep of your pasture, and we will give thanks to you forever. To all generations we will tell of your praise. Psalm 80, verse 1, O give ear, shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. One more, Psalm 95, verse 6, "...Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand." And in a prophecy of Messiah in Isaiah 40, verse 11, Isaiah wrote, like a shepherd, he will tend his flock. In his arm, Messiah will gather the lambs and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Now, they've all heard these things at one time or another, all of the Jews. And they've also heard what God said to them through the prophet Ezekiel, where God condemned the wicked shepherds of Israel. Ezekiel 34, 1. Word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves, should not the shepherds feed the flock. gave the same message through Jeremiah. Chapter 23, verse 1, Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture, declares the Lord. So therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel, Concerning the shepherds who are tending my people, you have scattered my flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the Lord. But then some good news in verse 3, Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will also raise up shepherds over them, and they will tend them, and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing, declares the Lord. In the Old Testament, the shepherds had failed. They had failed to lead the people to God. So God says, My people have become lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray. They've made them turn aside on the mountains. They've gone along from mountain to hill and have forgotten their resting place. So this is all the context in which Jesus now speaks of himself as the good shepherd and the sheep as his people. In Israel at the time of Christ, these scribes, these Pharisees, these chief priests saw themselves as the shepherds of the people. Jesus now publicly strips them of that title. He exposed them as men who were, while occupying the sanctuary of God, were actually His enemies. And He declared Himself to be the Good Shepherd to come, the promised Good Shepherd of His sheep. And again, remember what we see here in Ezekiel. Look at Ezekiel 34, verse 11. There God promised He would seek, find, protect, and feed His sheep. For thus says the Lord, Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. As the shepherd cares for his herd in the day in which he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for my sheep. And I will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. I'll bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabitant places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture. Their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will lead them to rest." And in Jesus Christ, this promise is fulfilled. He came, not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. And here He stands now, in John 10, verse 1, and He says to His hearers, Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Now, in the sheep-herding regions in ancient Israel, there were folds, these enclosures, as I mentioned earlier, where sheep would be kept at night. And they'd be made of rocks or stones built up. There'd be a door into the sheepfold. It would be locked and guarded, and there'd be a doorkeeper there. So during the day, they'd take the sheep out into the fields and graze them, and then they'd bring them into this fold, this sheepfold, in the night. And once in the fold, the door was locked, and the doorkeeper would keep watch over them. Shepherds could come to the door and be allowed to come in, call their sheep. Thieves, though, would try to break into the fold and steal the sheep by some way other than the door. And when the shepherd came to the door, the doorkeeper would open, the sheep would hear his voice. Now this is an interesting thing. Sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd. I haven't done any sheep herding myself, but this is what the studies show. The sheep recognize the voice of the true shepherd and they follow him. This is true of sheep. This is also true of the chosen people of God. They recognize his voice. That's why you recognize his voice and want to hear from him and others don't. They're not of His flock. So just as the shepherd of the sheep leads them out of the fold, so also Jesus will teach us here that He, the Good Shepherd, calls His flock by name and leads us out of the fold. First the fold of Israel. And this first sheepfold is representative of the people of Israel, including within that fold those who would believe in Him. Now look at verse 5, a stranger they simply will not follow. So if a false teacher came in here and some crazy ideas, like this guy in Canada I'm going to tell you about in a minute. Would you follow him? Not if you hear the Savior's voice. Not if you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. In fact, a stranger they simply will not follow, Jesus said, but they will flee from him because they don't know the voice of strangers. You see, not only has Christ equipped us to know the truth, but He has equipped us by giving us His Word so that we can learn to protect ourselves against the voice of strangers. So normally, a sheep won't follow the voice of a stranger. Even he could put on the shepherd's clothes, try to mimic his voice, and the sheep won't be fooled. They've tried this many times, I'm told. So also, the true disciple of the Lord hears the voice of the Lord and follows Him. And He leads them. And He's leading us now. The sheep won't follow the voice of a stranger, though, one who speaks contrary to the voice of Jesus. That's how we recognize that voice of a stranger. He speaks contrary to what the Word of God tells us. Christ's true sheep won't follow that voice. Now, verse 6, they didn't understand this figure of speech Jesus spoke to them. They did not understand. What's he talking about? The discourse here is not a parable, by the way. In Matthew, we see many parables. In Luke, we see some parables. In Mark as well. Here in John, there are no parables. What we have here are what are called paroimias, a figurative saying, and it's really pretty much an allegory. Now, we want to be careful with allegories. Shouldn't attempt to explain every symbol or feature of a parable or a paroimia. Shouldn't try to ask, you know, what does this represent and what's that represent? Because it often leads to misinterpretation. And the point of a parable, as well as here with this paroimia, is to get the main idea. There's a teaching within each of these parables that Jesus used, as well as here. But sometimes, and this is such a case, Jesus Himself supplies the explanation. He did it with the parable of the soils. And He does it here. He explains both the meaning of the symbols and the meaning of His teaching. And so, we hear from our Lord. But one more word of caution. It's important to our understanding that we don't get too caught up in the symbols. Because the picture can change even during the parable or paraphernalia, as it does here. His sheep are His people. He says that. They're the people for whom Christ died. Both Jew and Gentile believers. But we're going to see that Jesus is both the door of the sheep and He's the Good Shepherd. He's both. So the picture will change as we work our way through it. But the meaning is clear throughout. So there are two sheepfolds. One representing Jewish believers, one Gentile believers, but they will become one flock. So let's hear what our Lord says here. Verse 7, He said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. Now those who claim to be literalists of biblical interpretation, even they would acknowledge Jesus wasn't saying He is a literal door with hinges and a doorknob. No, it's a symbol. He is the way and the only way into the kingdom of God. He's the door to all the blessings of salvation. He's the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. Now this morning, there's a Canadian LGBT activist who poses as a pastor of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who says Christians referring to Jesus as the Savior, that's offensive to other religions. He said, I would hope that someday the church would see the possibility of changing that word Savior because it's a stumbling block for so many. How do we explain that phrase to Muslims and Jews and to Hindus? How do we? Because He is the Savior. He is the way, the door, the only way into the kingdom of God. That's how we explain it to Jews and Muslims and Hindus. No one enters the kingdom of God through any Pope, or Mohammed, or Krishna, or Confucius, or Joseph Smith, or Charles Taze Russell, or through Mary, the mother of Jesus, or through any church membership. The one and only way to enter into the kingdom of God is through Jesus Christ, through an abiding and living faith in Him. He is the only way in. All of this other are the voices of strangers. His true sheep don't hear them. But even this blessed and beautiful thought is secondary to the greater meaning of this discourse. It's necessary to understand the entire picture, but it's subordinate to Jesus' main point. As we'll see. And in verse 8, we've got some new characters enter into the picture. Thieves and robbers. Who symbolize the Jewish religious leaders of that time. Some of whom were standing there listening to Jesus. And Jesus says of them, all who came before me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep, His sheep, did not hear them. Now, all who came before him. Who's he talking about? Well, he's not talking about the faithful leaders of the sons of Jacob. He's not talking about Moses, or Joshua, or David, or Nehemiah, or Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Daniel, or any of them. He may have been referring to some of those wicked shepherds that we read about earlier. But mainly, he's talking to those Jewish religious leaders who are standing there in his presence. Remember, over the years, they had created their own laws. They'd even redesigned the Sabbath to their own specifications. The Sabbath of God. In truth, they were ravenous wolves. Jesus says that in Matthew's Gospel. And there, in Matthew, we have perhaps Jesus' most pointed attack on the character of these wicked shepherds. Matthew 23, 13. Here's what He said to them. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Why? Because what do they do? You shut off the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don't enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. They were keeping people from Christ and from eternal life. Verse 15, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. The Jewish religious leaders, we must understand, did not lead the people of Israel to God, did not lead them to eternal life. They came to steal them away from God. They were blindly leading them to eternal misery and eternal darkness. In verse 10, that's what Jesus says of them. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But those who belong to the Good Shepherd, those sheep don't hear them, don't hear that false teaching. They don't listen to the false claims of the Jewish religious leaders of that time and of the false teachers today who deny that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Those who belong to Christ have belonged to Him from the very instant they were given Him by His Father in eternity past. These don't listen to the false teachers. They only hear the voice of the true shepherd. Verse 10, he said, I came that they may have life. This theme of life that just reverberates through the gospel of John. Because in him is life. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Thieves and robbers bring death and destruction, he said. He came to bring life. And then he switches now to another metaphor. He said he was the door, the way into the kingdom. Now he says, I am the good shepherd. I am the beautiful shepherd, the excellent shepherd is the meaning kind of behind the word that's used here. He is good in both his character and in his work as opposed to these Jewish rulers who are evil in both their character and their deeds. And his excellence of character is seen how? It's seen in his love for his sheep. Look at this in verse 11. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. Has anyone else ever laid down his life for you? He did. Faithful shepherd. Now back to the sheep illustration. He might have to risk his life if the wild animals come, if robbers come. He might have to. If he's really going to protect the sheep, his life might be in danger. But look at what David says to Saul, 1 Samuel 1734. Here's another shepherd. One, a man after God's own heart. David said to Saul, Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him and rescued it from his mouth. And when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. So David would protect the sheep. But Jesus went farther. He went far beyond that. Jesus, the good shepherd, went far beyond merely risking his life for his sheep. He went and voluntarily laid down his life for his sheep. By His death in our place, He atoned for our sins. He atoned for the sins of all He came to save. And it was a definite number. All who would believe, all those given Him by His Father in eternity past. John 6, 37. And Jesus continued in verse 12, He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, he's not the owner of the sheep. He sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he's a hired hand and not concerned about the sheep. Now these Jewish rulers, are personified here as hired hands. They have no personal concern for the sheep. They have no love for the sheep. He's merely working for wages as a hired hand. Hireling's in a temporary relationship. He could move on to another job. Good Shepherd is in an eternal relationship with his sheep. And, you know, a hired hand, one who's a hired shepherd, for example, when it's not dangerous, he'll go out and take care of the sheep. But when he sees the wolf coming, what's he do? When he himself is in danger, he leaves the sheep. He abandons them and he runs away. They're not his sheep. He doesn't own them. He has no concern for them. Jesus is different. But think about it. These Pharisees, were any of them, do we ever see any instance in any of the Gospels where any of the Pharisees or any of the Jewish religious leaders were lovingly watching over the welfare of the sheep of Israel? Couldn't find one. Couldn't find one instance. Had they shown even a little interest in this lame man that Jesus had healed at the Sheep Gate Pool in chapter 5? When this blind man came to them and said, now I was blind and now I can see, did they celebrate when they learned that Jesus had restored his sight? No. But the good shepherd, he loves his sheep. He said, verse 14, I am the good shepherd and I know my own and my own know me. Even as the father knows me and I know the father. And I lay down my life for the sheep." Now, in case he hasn't already made it abundantly clear, he does it now. He's the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep. He's always known His sheep. And His sheep know Him. Of His sheep, Chapter 5, verse 25, He said, "...an hour is coming, and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Hear. As in John 6, 37, Jesus spoke of the same sheep. All that the Father gives me will come to me. Because we hear His voice. And he's still speaking about these same sheep. I know my own and my own know me. What's he mean? He's not talking about knowing about a person. He's talking about an intimate relationship with a person, intimately knowing someone. And the intimate relationship between the Son and His sheep is such that, while it's not precisely the same as that between the Father and the Son, it is patterned after, and it's a reflection of that, of the Father and Son. Remember, if you're born again, you've been spiritually united to the risen, ascended, and exalted Christ. You're not who you were. It's as if He had said, it's no more possible that I should forget or abandon you than that the Father would abandon me. I lay down my life for the sheep. Nobody came and took Him by force against His will. Jesus' sheep are saved by His death, Brent Hawk. That's why He's called the Savior. His sheep will live forever because He died and because He lived and gave us life. And it isn't just from Israel that these sheep are gathered into the flock. Verse 16, I have other sheep. So that sheepfold, initially, He was talking about the sons of Jacob. And within that flock, within that fold of the sons of Jacob, were some who believed, some who heard His voice and would hear and follow Him. He says, I've got other sheep that are not in this fold. I've got to bring them also, and they will hear My voice. Now that's all you Gentiles out there. And they will become, hear this, one flock. Not one fold as the King James translates. They will become one flock with one shepherd. He died only for his sheep, but he has sheep in every nation, not just among the sons of Jacob. Believers from all the nations will become one flock. Believers. from every nation will become one flock with those believers from the flock, the fold of Israel. Ephesians 2.14, For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups, both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall. Now, brethren, there are many who erroneously have come to believe and falsely teach that Jews and Christians are two separate and distinct peoples of God, that Jewish believers and Gentile believers are two distinct peoples of God. Now, that is error. It's bordering on heresy. Jesus and the New Testament writers unequivocally teach that believing Jews and believing Gentiles are one flock with one shepherd. That's what Jesus just said. But Paul says it as well 1st Corinthians 12 13 by one spirit We were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks whether slaves are free We were all made to drink of one spirit Galatians 3 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free man, neither male nor female. You are all one in Christ Jesus. Colossians 3.11, a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, sithian, slave and free man, but Christ is all and in all. And Paul wrote to the Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 6, of the mystery that was now being revealed, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel with Jewish believers. It's those who believe God and who believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who are the one flock. Genesis 12, 3, In you, God said to Abraham, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Romans 11 is a picture of an olive tree in which Paul portrays Jesus' one flock. Don't separate. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. So the gathering now of Jesus' sheep began in Israel, and then it burst forth into all the world from the day that the Holy Spirit came forth on the day of Pentecost. And this gathering of this flock continues to this day. It's happening all over the world in this very moment. Many of Jesus' sheep are being gathered this morning all over the world. And this gathering of Jesus' people, of His sheep, out of the nations is going to continue until all of the sheep of the Good Shepherd have been gathered into the one flock. And then He will return. Now, how is the flock gathered? Look at verse 16 again. The sheep hear the voice of Jesus. Verse 16 of Romans 1. This is the power of the gospel. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. The sheep hear the voice of Jesus. He's given them ears to hear Him and a heart to believe. In verse 17, For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. It's kind of strange to see people thinking that Jesus was somehow overpowered by the Romans and by the Sanhedrin. And unwillingly taken where He didn't want to go. Jesus' death was not only voluntary, but it accomplished the eternal purpose of the triune God, the gathering of His sheep, of His people. And in God's providence and in His wisdom, Jesus' offering of Himself unto death was essential to the restoration of all things. By His death, He atoned for the sins of His sheep. Every sin of every one of His sheep. And Jesus says here, the Father loves the Son because of the Son's willingness to lay down His life for the sheep. Now, let's not misread that. It's not that the Father had withheld His love until Jesus gave up His life on the cross and rose again. We cannot begin to grasp this, but the love that existed within Father, Son and Spirit is eternal. But it's in part, it seems, because of His willingness to bear the cross, His willingness to bear our sin, and to reverse the curse of sin, and to reconcile sinners to God. And Jesus' death isn't something that just happened to Him. No man had power over Jesus to kill him. He laid down his life willingly. For who? For the flock. Laid his life down willingly for the flock to accomplish the eternal divine purpose. He gave up his life so he could take it again to overcome death. He atones for our sin and he overcomes death. And to raise his sheep to glory with himself. What an amazing thought to be caught up in all of this as a beneficiary of these blessings, of this eternal purpose and plan. He said He had, and He alone had authority to lay it down. He had authority to take it up again. It's kind of laughable when you think about the Sanhedrinists thinking of their authority over Him, their authority over the temple, their authority over the Sabbath. He said in verse 18, this commandment, this charge some translate, I received from my father. Now, he not only had the right and authority to lay down his life, but this had also been a command or a commission from the father. But the thing is, it was a charge or commission to do that which he himself wanted to do. Remember, when we talk about commands from father to son, Jesus obeying the father as the son obeys the father, their wills are in perfect harmony. Always have been, always will be. His atoning death was planned within the eternal council of the triune Godhead before the foundation of the world. That was the time during which this gift of a people was given him by his father. And He came to save His people from their sins. Matthew 1.21. So, how did the Jews now respond to Jesus' words? Well, the reaction was similar to that among the Jews when the blind man came and told them what had happened. Verse 19, a division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, He has a demon and is insane. Meaning, Jesus has a demon and is therefore insane. Why do you listen to Him? But others are saying, wait a minute, these aren't the sayings of one who's demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he? Now we're right back where we were, aren't we? How did he open the eyes of the blind man? This is the same divided reaction those Jews had to hearing that news of Jesus restoring sight to the blind man. After all that Jesus had done, the things he had taught, the Jews didn't understand anything. Few would believe He was who He said He was, sent by the Father, God the Son, to save His people. So most of them remained in blindness. And if you're blind, you remain under the wrath of God. But there were others we read about here in verse 21 who were perplexed but couldn't get out of their minds what Jesus had done in this blind man. A demon can't open the eyes of a blind man, can he? For them, what Jesus had done in restoring sight to the blind man couldn't be explained in any other way than by a divine work. That doesn't mean they came to believe in Him and trust in Him for their eternal destiny. After Jesus rose and returned to his father, the apostles continued to warn of false shepherds. And Jesus says, come to me, listen to me, hear my word, hear from me, and I will lead you into green pastures. And that green pasture is an eternal life and glory. But he's warning against these false shepherds. He's warning against these wicked shepherds. And the apostles, after Jesus had departed and returned to his father, continued to warn of these same thieves and robbers. Wolves who would seek to destroy the flock of Christ. So we have two sides of this lesson here. Following Jesus will lead you into good pasture, but false prophets seek to destroy you. We must have what Paul constantly encourages his readers to have, which is sound doctrine. 2 Peter 2.1, False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies. We talked about two of them today. Even denying the Master who brought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. In Acts 20, verse 29, at Miletus, Paul warned the elders of the church at Ephesus, I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. So we have to be vigilant, standing against the savage wolves of our day. False teachers, false doctrine abound all around us. John Calvin preached on this passage and he said, no plague is more destructive than when wolves seek to ravage the church under the garb of shepherds. We've had this in all ages, he said, in 1550, where the shepherds resist and reject the doctrine of Christ. But we have this all around us today in 2025. Just turn on your TV. The way you recognize a good shepherd is one who speaks the words of Christ and affirms them. He leads people to Christ, to be gathered into His flock. It's the only flock we want to be in. You should know, beyond any question, Jesus did offer Himself unto death as the Lamb of God to save His sheep. As John the Baptist had announced early on in his ministry, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Lamb. He's both the shepherd and the Lamb of God. And on the cross at Calvary, the Apostle John did indeed behold that Lamb of God as he took away our sins so that we would not die in them. I want to close with a prayer that we find in the book of Hebrews at the very end. It's a prayer of the writer of Hebrews as he concluded this letter. It's a wonderful prayer, Hebrews 13, 20. Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Let's take a moment, meditate on this Word our Lord has spoken to us this morning, and then let us examine ourselves, and then we will gather at His table.