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“I Am the True Vine” John 15:1-17
“I Am the Good Shepherd” John 10:1-21
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“I Am the Good Shepherd” John 10:1-21
“The Conversationalist” Sermon Series
When Jesus Speaks Through Parables
“I Am the Good Shepherd”
John 10:1-21
Prayer
Introduction
In John chapter 10 we jump right in the middle of an ongoing event, so in order to understand the chapter we need to look at what comes before this chapter. At the end of chapter 8 Jesus told the religious leaders, John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.”
They have tried to kill Jesus three times so far. They become so enraged at Jesus that by v. 59 they pick up stones to kill him. He slips into the crowd, and as he is leaving the temple, he heals a man born blind (chapter 9) who places his faith in Jesus, and worships Him. By chapter 10, the Pharisees have caught up with Jesus (who is protected by the crowd). The blind man is still there, and the disciples are all there. He now is going to address why these religious leaders are not true shepherds of God’s people. And Jesus says . . .
Jesus Gives An Illustration (vv. 1-5)
The Gate
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens.
“Truly, truly, I say to you” – Jesus uses this phrase several times when he gives a parable, or wants to emphasize something very important.
Jesus begins the teaching by referencing a gathering of sheep, a sheepfold. People would typically gather their flocks together at night, into an enclosed arena where the wall would not be very high, and the area could be quite large. The danger is that a thief could reach over the wall, or easily climb in, and steal the sheep.
The gatekeeper sees and recognizes one of the several shepherds and lets him in (opens the gate for him). “One door-keeper can thus look after a large number of sheep.”[1] One person (the shepherd) is legitimate and one is not (the thief and robber). How can you tell the difference?
The Shepherd
The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
In the evening the various shepherds would join their flocks together into the corral. Then in the morning when it was time to go to their various pastures, the shepherds would gather their sheep. “In Jesus’ time (and today), a shepherd would assign each sheep a name or call (for instance, a certain set of notes on a flute), and this would enable him to recall one that started to wander off. With these distinctive calls the shepherd could keep the herd together and following him (v.4).”[2]
(v. 4) Sometimes when we think of sheep and shepherds the European or Australian model comes to our mind, where there is a sheep dog who is sent by the shepherd. The dog growls, nips, and bites the sheep. The dog runs across their back and quickly moves from the rear to push the sheep toward the shepherd. But this is not the model Jesus presents, “he goes before them, and the sheep follow him,” Jesus’ sheep know Jesus’ voice, they follow by their own desire and knowledge of the shepherd because they know He is good. There is no biting, intimidation, growling, or fear.
Psalm 23:5-6 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my scup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” The sheep follow the Shepherd who loves them.
In Jesus’ day, these thieves and robbers were the religious leaders who opposed Jesus’ ministry, and were trying to steal his flock. By Paul’s time the “strangers” were false teachers who “falsify God’s truths,” changing the gospel, and were forcing their versions on the church (1 Tim. 1:4). Today, we must be extremely vigilant to uphold and follow God’s Word and to examine someone’s teaching very closely.[3]
Acts 17:10-11“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” They received the teaching of Paul and Silas, but they examined them closely against the Scriptures.
Jesus Explains the Illustration (vv. 6-18)
The Gate Explained
6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
(v. 6) “This figure of speech Jesus used with them,” Jesus often taught with stories, parables, word pictures, figures of speech – where the meaning is not obvious. Why not just state the obvious truth? One has to scratch below the surface, seek after the meaning, try, look into, pursue, draw closer, lean in. Jesus’ truths are there, but a person has to want to know truth enough to try to figure it out.
The sheep become a picture of God’s community, and the only way for the sheep to enter into God’s community is through the gate. Jesus says that, He is the gate, He is the only way for a person to enter. “At night in the field where the sheep grazed, shepherds would build makeshift pens, using rocks with thorns on top of them to keep the sheep in and the wild animals out. The shepherd would then sleep across the opening becoming in effect the ‘gate for the sheep.’”[4]
Jesus is different from the “thieves and robbers” who came before him (v. 8). Jesus is not referencing the prophets of the OT, but to the religious leaders, mentioned in Ezekiel 34:2-3 “Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.”
In Matthew 23:1-36 and Mark 12:38-40 Jesus teaches of how these leaders took money and property from widows, became rich from the temple treasury, and there were other people/leaders who claimed to be the messiah and led revolts which caused much harm to the nation. “All who came before me are thieves and robbers.” (not were thieves and robbers), The thieves and robbers are still around.
When Jesus seeks to restore the relationship with Peter after his three denials of Jesus, Jesus’ command to Peter was, “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15f). Legitimate shepherds feed and tend the sheep (they are called to love and care for, and have responsibility for the flock), illegitimate shepherds steal, kill, and destroy the sheep (for them, the flock exists to take from).
Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ck3gaEEHhc Shrek the sheep
The Shepherd Explained
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may 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 I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
The bad shepherd “steals, kills, and destroys,” but the good shepherd (notice Jesus is not one of several, he is not a good shepherd but The Good Shepherd) gives an abundant life, Psalm 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul.” The good shepherd lays across the opening, as the gate, and lays down his life for the sake of the sheep. Jesus knows his mission and that it will ultimately end with him giving up his life to save humanity from their sin.
The hired hand runs away when there is the presence of the wolf because he has no ownership of the sheep, they are not his sheep, and he has no concern for the sheep. His interest is in the pay, not the sheep. He is ok with letting the wolf brutalize the sheep if it means saving himself.
Ezekiel 34:8 “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep,” The shepherds abandoned the sheep and so they fell prey to the wild beasts.
Paul also warms the Ephesian church of wolves coming in to the fold in Acts 20:28-29 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;”
It is essential that we choose church leaders by their walk with the Lord, and not charisma, charm, skills or ability, even willingness to serve in these positions – it is their character that is of utmost importance. It is better to not fill a position of leadership, than to put a “wild beast” there.
What keeps the sheep safe is a loving shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, and sheep who know the voice of the Good Shepherd. There are a lot of sheep who follow after any voice they hear. They can’t distinguish between the howl of a wolf, and the call of the shepherd.
Also, we see this word “hireling” in Mark 1:19-20 “And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.” The father (Zebedee) and by extension the sons (James and John) owned the fishing business. They hired servants to help them in the business. There is a difference between someone who has a personal stake in the ministry, and those that do it only for a paycheck. Jesus called the brothers to come and follow me; shepherds of God’s people should have the same calling to a specific church.
(v. 16) “So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” – The church argues and is divided about all kinds of things, Jesus is referencing Gentiles becoming part of God’s family. But all the differences we have in the church will be gone in eternity.
(v. 17) “I lay down my life that I may 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 I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” – It was certainly the Jewish people who condemned Jesus, and it was the Roman people who carried out the execution, but no one takes Jesus’ life; He laid it down of his own free will. Jesus voluntarily went to the cross as the substitute for our sins. It was a command from God the Father, carried out by God the Son.
Jesus describes himself as a door and a shepherd. Both have to do with salvation. “As the Door He is the only way of entrance into salvation. As the Good Shepherd He is the one who cares for and provides for their salvation at the cost of His life.”[5]
19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Division marks the end of Jesus’ teaching – some say he is demon-possessed, some say he is insane. Earlier in chapter 9 Jesus opened the eyes of a man born blind. We have to take what Jesus does (healing the blind, raising the dead, calming the sea, etc.) and combine it with His Words, specifically when He says that He is God and that He is the only way for men to be saved. Others say, demons can’t heal – they only steal, kill, and destroy.
Psalm 23: “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” There is no green pasture nor still waters in the sheepfold. In the morning the shepherd appears at the gate and calls his sheep, one by one. The only way for the sheep to be cared for is for the Good Shepherd to call His sheep, and for them to follow Him “all the days of his life.”
__________________________
[1] Leon Morris, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981) 502.
[2] Grant R. Osborne, John Verse by Verse (Bellingham, Washington; Lexham Press, 2018) 250.
[3] “This chapter should be read in the light of OT passages which castigate shepherds who have failed in their duty (see Jer. 23:1-4; 25:32-8; Zech. 11, and especially Isa. 56:9-12 and Ezk. 34). God is the Shepherd of Israel (Ps. 80:1; 23:1; Isa. 40:10f), which gives us the measure of the responsibility of His under-shepherds. Those entrusted with this duty must be faithful, and it is a heinous crime when they are not.” Morris, 498.
[4] Osborne, 251.
[5] Morris, 505.
“I Am the True Vine” John 15
“The Conversationalist” Sermon Series
When Jesus Speaks Through Parables
“I Am the True Vine”
John 15
Prayer
Introduction
Jesus and his disciples have gathered to celebrate the Passover and Jesus has introduced the Lord’s Supper where he talks about the disciples eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and how he will leave but will return. Having argued about who was going to be the greatest in the new kingdom that Jesus was about to usher in, to their astonishment Jesus took off his outer garment and went around and washed their feet as a servant. They leave the meal and follow him into the night air, no one is speaking, they seem to know that something bad is about to happen. Before the torches, soldiers, Judas’ betrayal and his arrest, they are standing in a vineyard. Jesus turns to them and says, . . .
I. Jesus is the True Vine (vv. 1-6)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
(v. 1) “I am the true vine “ – “If you didn’t grow up in wine country, you might think that the vine is a long, trailing limb that sprawls along the trellis. Actually, it’s the trunk of the plant that grows out of the ground. Vineyard keepers traditionally keep the vine at waste height – thirty-six to forty-two inches.”[1]
“my Father is the vinedresser,” – The vinedresser is the keeper of the vineyard, and their job is make as many grapes as possible. He is the one who decides which vines stay and which ones will be removed. God the Father is moving and orchestrating our lives before us, Isaiah 5:2 “He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines;”
(v. 2) “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” – Jesus gives three parts, the vine (Jesus), the vinedresser (God the Father), and now he moves to the branches (the disciples). He shows that there are two types of branches—those that bear fruit and those that don’t. The branches that did not bear fruit “he takes away,” and those that do bear fruit are carefully trimmed so that they will produce even more fruit.
Pruning is painful, and involves loss, James 1:2 “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
(v. 3) “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” – earlier in the evening as the disciples were celebrating the Passover meal, Jesus washed the disciple’s feet (John 13). Peter does not want Jesus to wash his feet, but Jesus insists saying, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” Jesus then went on to say, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
Here the disciples are already bearing fruit because of their following Jesus’ teachings. Jesus’ Word leads all of his disciples to God honoring action, and that is bearing fruit, having spiritual growth. “The fruit which the branch bears is the fruit of the vine. It is the fruit of Himself, produced by the indwelling Spirit, the fruit which is like the true vine Himself; it is Christlikeness.”[2]
Bearing Fruit = Christlikeness
(v. 6) “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” – Bible scholars have struggled with verse because they feel it deals with eternal security, and can a person lose their salvation? This verse deals with judgement of those that do not abide in Christ. This does not apply to believers, Jesus said, “If anyone does not abide” The end result of not abiding in Christ is there is no fruit in a person’s life – which we define as being like Christ (Christlikenss).
Then this judgement makes sense – if a person doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus so that they sense a separation and draw near to Him, they are not concerned about obeying and applying Jesus’ words to their lives, nor are they growing in walk with Jesus – at the end of the day, they don’t know Jesus. Matthew 7:23 “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” These are the branches that are thrown into the fire, those that have an outward appearance of being religious, but there is no “abiding” in Christ.
A. Remaining & Bearing Fruit (vv. 7-8)
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Abiding is a continuing exercising of faith in Jesus. So Jesus tells us that the branches that do not bear fruit (which we define as being like Jesus) are cut off and destroyed, and those that do bear fruit are pruned, how then does a follower of Jesus “bear fruit (become more like Christ?)” “We are responsible to live entirely in union with Jesus and in dependence on his presence.”[3]
Followers of Jesus are to “abide” in Him. “Branches have life only to the extent to which they are attached to the vine, and fruitfulness stems only from the life-giving sap provided by the vine. All this illustrates the fact that the extent to which we rely on ourselves and our resources is the extent to which we fail”[4]
“Abide is an old English word for “remain,” “stay steady” and “keep your position.” What it means to abide in Christ—that is, always to be resting on him, anchored to him, fixed in him, drawing from him, continually connected and in touch with him—is a pervasive theme in chapters 14—17. There is no more precious lesson to learn, no more enriching link and bond to cherish, no more vital connection to keep snug and tight, so that it never loosens, than this. Abiding in Christ brings peace, joy and love, answers to prayer, and fruitfulness in service. The abiding life is the abundant life.”[5]
Jesus gathered disciples around him, they lived with him, ate with him – they were with him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over three years – why? So that Jesus could show them how to live the Christlike life. They had to be close to Him to see Him and learn.
The follower abides in Christ (dependence on Jesus), he also abides on Jesus’ word (the Bible as our source for living life), and asking “whatever you wish” (which is prayer) Jesus for what is needed to live out this life. God is glorified when a believer does and lives this way.
Our prayer life “is a reflection of that union with him, and the implication is that our prayers will not be self-centered but will seek God’s glory and leave our needs with him. Prayer in this sense is a major kind of fruit-bearing, a hallmark of true discipleship.”[6]
“Christianity can be such a pretty faith. God calls us to wonderful things, to noble deeds, and to be a people of love. We are meant to be kind, joyful, brave, and good. These are attractive qualities that most people would love to be known for, Christian or not. The trouble is, we can approach the Christian life in the same way we decorate a Christmas tree, by piling on pleasing spiritual adornments. We can dress up our lives with church commitments, community service, spiritual language, a clean-cut family, and an upbeat attitude. All of these things look so great—so Christian—while obscuring what is really going on underneath. Beneath all the spiritual glitz, we can exist cut off from our root system, without detection. We can appear to be thriving, even though we are disconnected from the vine.”[7]
B. Love & Joy in Jesus (vv. 9-11)
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
The love that God the Father has for God the Son is perfect and all-embracing. It is impossible for us to know the full extent of the Father’s love for the Son, but it is wonderous and incredible. “And his own are now the objects of the love of the Son of God in the same degree as He is beloved by the Father. Believers are “loved by God and called to be saints (Romans 1:7).”
For the believer three should be an overarching life of obedience to Jesus’ teaching and commands – but all Christians sin. And when we sin and rebel against God, we are convicted of sin, we repent and God forgives us, and then we deal with shame and guilt, and have to mend our relationship with God, etc. and there are seasons of joy. But God’s desire is that our joy may be full. This fulness of joy only comes through keeping Jesus’ commands.
My children know that Kimberly and I love them; and in their times of rebellion and disobedience we still love them the same – but our relationship changes. We move from being guides, friends, and experiencing the joy of life and move to discipling, limiting boundaries, removing privileges, and keeping them from doing things that would harm them. The joy in the relationship goes away and it becomes parent verses rebellious heart. The love is still there, but the joy is not there.
We don’t tell God how to run His universe and creation – He is the Creator and sustainer of existence. We follow His rules, and this omnipotent being desires to have a loving joyful relationship with His creation, giving His Son who gave His life so that the relationship may be restored, even calling us His children, so “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you.” Our joy in our relationship with God, will come as we obediently keep His Word.
C. Loving One Another (vv. 12-17)
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
Having established the need to be obedient to Jesus and His Word, Jesus then gives a command to be followed, “love one another as I have loved you,” so how does Jesus define love. If I am going to show love or express love toward “one another,” what does that mean? Jesus gives the example, that followers of Jesus are to “lay down his life for his friends.”
1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” Christians are commanded to love others, specifically, other Christians, we are to “love one another.” But there is also a higher love, a greater love, that a person would “lay down his life for his friends.”
(v. 15) Jesus says, “No longer do I call you servants,” – servant was a common reference for a follower of a Rabbi. But now they have past the servant-Rabbi relationship to a friend. They are more than disciple-master relationship, they are the objects of Jesus’ love and friendship. Later in John 20:17, the relationship changes again, “Jesus said to her (one of the women who first discovers the empty tomb), “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers . . .”
(v. 14) This friendship is not conditional, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” As if when a Christians sins, then they lose their relationship or friendship with God. Following His Word allows us to enjoy a special intimacy with him. “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, (Romans 8:35), not even disobedience, but we can affect the closeness of the relationship.[8]
“but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” – We have the title, “friend of God,” and as friends, Jesus has told us the plan, He has made known to us the gospel.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit . . .” – The friendship, the eventual brotherhood, is rooted in a shared mission which all Christians have been appointed to be about, “bearing fruit.” As we seek to carry out this calling, and mission upon our lives – we abide in Christ, and together we move forward, so when we ask God the Father for something you need for the mission, (in Jesus’ name), he may give it to you.
Our love for one another is grounded in a friendship where we share the common command to abide in Christ, to have joy our relationship with Him, and as friends, carry out the mission of the gospel.
__________________________
[1] Bruce Wilkerson, Secrets of the Vine (Sisters, Oregon; Multnomah Publishing, 2001) 18
[2] Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of John, An Exposition (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers, 1982) 296.
[3] Grant R. Osborne, John, Verse by Verse (Bellingham, Washington; Lexham Press, 2018) 357.
[4] Osborne, 357.
[5] J.I.Packer & Carolyn Nystrom, Abiding in Christ (LifeGuide Bible Studies), InterVarsity Press.
[6] Osborne, 359.
[7] Sharon Hodde Miller, Nice: Why We Love to Be Liked and How God Calls Us to More, Baker Publishing Group, 2019.
[8] Osborne, 363.
“I Am The Bread of Life” John 6:25-59
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Following the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, the crowd finds Jesus again and wants him to fill their bellies again — instead he shows them how to feed and never be hungry again.
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