Case for the Defense 1
Opening Prayer
Lord, help me to hear Your voice and to follow You.
Read John 10:1–10
“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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise” (Psa. 47:6,7).
Think Further
Not until Jesus sought him out in his sightless world had the man born blind ever seen Jesus. He had, however, heard that distinctive voice and been obedient to its command (John 9:7). So, when Jesus in 9:35 greets him with the question “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” the man may recognize Jesus’ voice as that of his healer and be responding accordingly. There is, therefore, a very real sense in which the forthcoming allegory of the sheep recognizing the voice of the shepherd (1–5) has already been played out in real events. If you are a member of a flock of sheep, then you are under the special protection of the shepherd in charge of that flock.
The allegory of Jesus as shepherd is more than a picture of pastoral care. It has a rich background in the Old Testament in relation to Israel’s king, not least the King/Shepherd who would eventually rescue and restore Israel (Ezek. 34). In other words, this allegory is rich in messianic overtones. By testifying that he is the shepherd of the sheep, Jesus is declaring in “open
court” that he is Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. By expanding the analogy to picture himself as the devoted shepherd who sleeps across the entrance to the sheepfold to protect the sheep at night (7–9), he identifies the element of servanthood as central to his mission. He is the Messiah, but not the Messiah expected by those desiring a violent overthrow of the occupying Romans. Jesus is the Servant King; those who recognize his kingship will follow where he leads them (4).
The sociologist Peter Berger has observed that “modernity produces an awful lot of noise, which makes it difficult to listen to the gods” (Against the World for the World). To experience life in all its fullness (10), we must therefore give sufficient time and attention to discerning the voice of Christ in the midst of all our busyness.
Apply
In a world of competing claims about what constitutes “the good life,” how can you ensure that the voice of Christ commands your attention and allegiance?
Closing prayer
Lord, my Shepherd, lead me beside the still waters of Psalm 23 and
away from the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
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