Good Shepherd

 

Good Shepherd

 

John 10:1-5 『Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.』

In John 9, Jesus said that the Pharisees were blind who could not see the kingdom of God. They were the ones who knew and practiced God's law better than anyone else, but in fact, they were spiritually blind. They were caught up in the "false pretext of keeping the Sabbath," and missed the true spirit of the Sabbath, which is God's love and mercy. Therefore, their law-keeping was not a tool of righteousness that built people up, but rather a tool of violence that mercilessly stabbed people.

In John 10, with this background, Jesus explains to the Pharisees, "You say you are the leaders of the foolish people, but in fact, you are thieves and robbers, because you have not entered the gate of life." Jesus is criticizing the Pharisees in a very strong tone. Jesus said, "The sheep hear the voice of the shepherd and follow him."

Through this sentence, there are many who emphasize hearing the voice. It is not about hearing the voice of God with physical ears, but rather opening one’s spiritual ears in the Word and hearing the voice of God spiritually.

This expression reminds us of the relationship between the blind man and Jesus in chapter 9. The Pharisees and the Jews were more outraged by the fact that the man who had been blind from birth had his eyesight restored, than by the fact that the one who had healed him had committed an illegal act. And they ended up excommunicating the blind man. They were not the shepherds of the blind man. However, the blind man immediately recognized Jesus who had healed him. And on the spot, he confessed his faith in Jesus and became Jesus’ disciple. The true shepherd of the blind man was Jesus. However, even after hearing this story, the Pharisees did not realize what they had done. Then Jesus said this:

『Jesus said to them again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."』 Jesus said that He was the gate for the sheep. Jesus said, "The shepherd of the sheep enters by the gate." In light of this, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Do you truly want to be the shepherds of Israel? If so, come to Me. Accept the salvation that I give and learn from Me."

Jesus is telling the "self-proclaimed leaders of Israel" what a true shepherd is. The difference between a good shepherd and a hired hand is clear. To a hired hand, the sheep are not his own. He tends the sheep and receives wages. When a wolf comes, a hired shepherd is not someone who risks his life to protect the sheep, but runs away and abandons the sheep to survive. However, a good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for the sheep. A hired hand needs sheep for wages, but a true shepherd knows that he must exist for the sheep. Between a true shepherd and the sheep, there is the death and resurrection of the cross. This speaks of the spiritual oneness between the shepherd and the sheep.

Death and resurrection mean the death of the old man and the birth of the new man. It does not mean that the old man is transformed into a new man. It means that the old man is not someone who repents and works hard to transform into a new man. The old man has hidden idols that want to be like God, so he must die (death on the cross) and be born again as a new man (resurrection). Jesus had to die on the cross because it was to take away the old man of all people in this world. Those who unite with him and enter into his death also die as old men. The idol of the desire to be like God must die in water and be burned in fire. Therefore, the dead old man of the spirit must die in order to return to a state of pure spirit (new man).

Being born again is not something that will happen when the body dies, but something that happens now. The saints become those who have received the life of heaven. In other words, they become those who have the life of resurrection. Although they are invisible, they become those who have spiritual bodies. The body is similar to an insect shedding its skin. When an insect sheds its skin, the skin is nothing more than an empty shell, and the insect that sheds its skin is reborn as a being with beautiful wings. This is the appearance of resurrection. Although we cannot see it right away because of the body, it is a joyful thing to imagine that we will be able to see this after the body dies.

Even though we may live difficult lives in the world, if we realize the meaning of the present death of the cross and the present resurrection, the pain from the body will disappear and spiritual joy and delight will come.