John 10

One of the most striking features of John's gospel is the presence of what are known as the "I AM sayings" of Jesus. In the gospel of John, Jesus defines himself with such famous statements as: "I am the bread of life . . . I am the light of the world . . . I am the resurrection and the life . . . I am the way, the truth and the life . . . I am the true vine . . . " In our scripture this morning, John 10, we find two of the I AM sayings. In this chapter, Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd . . . "and "I am the gate of the sheep . . . "

Now as much as we may treasure this image of Jesus as our shepherd, the downside of the metaphor is that it makes all of us sheep. My father grew up in Montana, where they have so many sheep that he used to pronounce the state's name "Mont-aaaa-na." One of my dad's favorite topics was the stupidity of sheep. On a cold night, sheep will pile on top of one another to stay warm; the sheep at the bottom of the heap often suffocate. Unless prevented, a sheep will eat until it becomes bloated, falls over and dies, a victim of its instinctive "slop 'til you drop" mentality. I heard a truck driver say that when he transports horses and cattle, they always lean in the proper direction when his truck goes around a corner. In contrast, sheep often lean in the wrong direction, fall over and cannot get back up. A frightened sheep will sometimes walk right off the edge of a cliff. And so my dear Peachtree flock, as we look at this morning's scripture, we must acknowledge our massive, one-way dependency on our shepherd Jesus Christ. Let's read John 10, verses 7-18:

Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [If you are a leader this morning here is the ultimate measure of a leader . . . The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.] The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns 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. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. 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. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. 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."