Shepherd

Understanding John 10

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

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.[a] 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.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own 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. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 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. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to 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 authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

 Jesus says, "I am the Good shepherd (First week of December

We will need to look closely into this.

What does a shepherd do ?

He cares for his flock. But unlike the shepherd whom we see. Jesus says, the Good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 

Few points to ponder.

Here the people, who are us. We are likened to a sheep and Jesus is the shepherd. We should first understand why we are likened to a sheep.

Firstly the sheep does not know anything at all. The only thing a sheep really needs to do is to pay attention to the shepherd and to obey his commands. Secondly the sheep blindly has to trust the shepherd to be safe.

This makes perfect sense, we all are indeed like sheep in the eyes of God. So what does God want of us really. The expectation is not much, just obey his commands, which we often fail to keep and so we stray away and then God comes seeking for us and rescues us time and again. Next, we often fail to trust God, that he will take good care of us. And we often think that we are going to achieve using our own strength. Just ask god for help and trust that he will work it out for us.

There is more to it. Jesus says, that he is the gate, and no one can enter the sheep pen without him. So if anyone claims to say that they will be able to get you the eternal life, then it is fake.

There is no other way. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Life

Finally, I am actually, for the first time, talking about Life, which is the title of this very blog.

I often times wonder, why we inherently like good qualities in a person and detest the bad guy. For example, you watch a movie, it is a fight between good and evil, and every one of the audience support the Good, and very much wish that evil character would face a fateful end and good triumphs. Why is that? , what makes us all think the same way ?. We are all unanimous in that one accord.

 

To understand this, we have the answer right in the bible, so clearly outlined for us.

John 1: 1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

So there are may truths with this verse. For now we will just focus on the life aspect here.

For context, In all these verses we see that Jesus is the word, and he was there before the beginning of the world. And all these verses talks about God and the other co creator who is also the same God who is God in a different form, who took human likeness, who is Jesus. We will talk more about that in later posts. (Verse 9 - 13 gives more information on that)

For now lets focus on verse 4 : In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 

We all know what life is, how ? because we loose it when we die, so some may call it the spirit, the inner being, which dwells within the body. So the inner being within the body is life, which we all know, and it is this life within us which decides which is good an evil. and this inner life within each of us, came from God !. So the source is one, we are all derived from God. That explains why we all unanimously support Good, why we all have Love within us.

This life is light !. No wonder our life supports good, and our hearts align towards it. Our life (a part of God) is the light, and it shines in the darkness, meaning each of us is fighting against the darkness. Meaning, there is something other than the life (light) we see in this world which is the darkness. We need to be aware of this.

But there is one re assurance, we see in verse 5, "and the darkness has not overcome[a] it." The darkness has not overcome it. Even though our earthly life has battles with this supernatural darkness which is around us. The light has overcome it.

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Note :

Was it a co incidence, that the verse of the day in bible gateway, talks about the same verse i wanted to talk about ? and this verse was speaking to me over and over this week. God wants to communicate a profound truth to us.

About Success.

 There was a time in my life,  back inn 2007, when I graduated from college, I thought i was Sinless and believed that, I met the criteria to see God. Since the verse says, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. 

This was total atrocity which i realize now. I was not sinless at that time, which i can clearly see now. Back then even though i claimed to be pure, I did not realize that I was giving more importance to academic excellence, over every thing else. Thought that was the most crucial thing for anyone. At a point i even told point blank to a good guy that i value all his goodness, but if only he had studied a bit differently like Engineering. I was repaid so badly for that sin of mine.

In 2024 I finally came to realize, what my sin was. It took a lot of beating up and I learnt it the very hard way. In the span of time, as i navigated through the rough terrain of life, I committed many sins, It is easier to be good in a good and safe atmosphere and very challenging in a challenging environment.

Now i know the following, The bible has clearly said this in many places.

for example

God says,

"I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I the lord do all these things.

Isaiah 45:7

So basically, it is not a persons academic excellence or any other factor that defines them or their life, it is way lot more than that. Simply put it is in Gods hands to decide what happens with ones life. And there is nothing else to it.

So, the bible says,

Matthew 6:33

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

A very Profound thought about our every day life

 For many reasons I was consumed by the weight of the world. Worries like my job, how do I handle it ? Stressed out about various other activities, bringing up kids in the right manner, preparing food, current atmosphere in the family, the sorrows and anxiety, the list is endless. In short, nothing was giving me joy or a peace of mind.

Grudging and being overwhelmed by situation, I was thinking of ways to handle some of those with my own knowlede and capabilities. This act of trying to fix things or to be the best at your activities only consumed my mind completely, that I did had little to no space for the voice of God. I was completely mortal.

Then, in church today, Sunday Oct 20 2024, I was reminded of Gods work in our life. And he is the key to everything that transpires in our life. To be more precise, I was reminded of my very life story, and how it was God who worked out just about everything for me and it was not myself or my efforts that contributed to it.

Keep me in the moment

There are many theories, philosophies, lessons and self help. But this tops it all. 

What is it ?

Relationship with God your maker.

One might say i read bible and pray everyday. Will that alone help with your relationship with God ??.

There were days when I walked and talked with God. Reveled in his presence. I think that is the greatest experience one can get in their lifetime. But the sad realty is that, only a very few people have experienced it and what is concerning is that, this does not last long. Now let's see why it does not last long.

1. Our worldly worries

2. Prioritizing other.

Romans 12:2 NIV [2] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The Glory Of God - Part I

It is very important to understand our place in this world and the meaning of the life we lead. In order to answer life's difficult questions we will need to have answers to a few key questions, for which we will seek to discover the answers in the upcoming posts. We will be questioning many findings and uncover the truths that we often overlook. I assure you, this is going to be so much insightful and fun, helping us see the world with a right perspective.

The few key questions are as follows

1. Does God exist ?

2. If he exists, Who is that God ?

3. What really is our purpose ?

Okay lets address the first question.

For each of these questions we are going to view all angles of possible truth, with careful thought accompanied by scientific evidence.

Lets break it down to smaller chunks and derive outcome of each of the modules.

The origin of mankind and everything in this world. Is it the work of God ? or is it evolution like few believe it to be ?

Great ae the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.Psalm 111:2

Even though I believe that the world and everything in it belongs to the lord and God created the heavens and the earth, we need to have proof. So let us address one by one.

Flowers ?

Ok lets take the flowers for example. Ok the contention is, is it evolution, man made, or created by superhuman intelligence who is God?

If the flowers that we see, were to be the outcome of evolution, which basically means, cells divide and adopt and like machine learning, become something that is suitable and adaptable to itself. If that were the case, then how do you think a flower should look like ? The reader can pause and minute to really ponder.

Scientists have identified 400,000 types of flowering plans.

We all know that each of these flowers are unique, beautiful, colorful, scented/non scented. Even after seeing all these compelling qualities in flowers, there are many of us who think this is still the outcome of evolution. Be what may, Lets pick the quality of flower to look beautiful.

Have you seen a flower which looks beautiful ? Why should it be beautiful ? what is the rhyme or reason for a flower to even look beautiful if this is the work of evolution ?. Let me get you some pictures of flowers. Why that pattern ? if it was random, it could be any pattern. Some of which will look horrible.

This definitely tells us one thing, There is a super natural and super human intelligence at work. What is the reason for the presence of flowering plants, those which does not provide fruits ?. What contribution does that provide to the biology of the world. The earth could do without them, they are not a necessity but it still exists. So yet again, if you think this is about evolution or random or survival, it is disproved.

We see one quality of God, here, God loves us that he wanted us to enjoy and cherish his creation. He did this all for us to have a beautiful place to live in. If you have questions on this, Please read the book of Genesis from the bible.

Next, we will try to understand the Sun and the Moon. Is it a co Incidence ? a total catastrophic event or was this created by God ?

‭Luke 12:27 NIV‬

[27]  “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

Broken beyond repair.

 Is there anything broken beyond repair ?. On an initial thought, it does look like there is. A glass vase for example, a relationship gone wrong etc...

What if I say there is nothing which can be termed as broken beyond repair ?. From my own life and experience, have I come to know of this profound truth which we often overlook.

Let's understand. In the hands of Jesus, nothing is irreparable. Take me for example. There were numerous situations and trials in my life which brought me down to nothingness. I lost my self confidence/ self worth, due to prolonged suffering i was brought down to a level where i lost my basic abilities. I thought this was the end, that there was no hope or recovery.

I was in a severe case of depression with no way out of it. Was researching for antidepressants and even seeing medical intervention for a cure. 

I imagined myself as a perfect crystal vase, dropped down and shattered to bits. I cried and poured out myself to Jesus, said I could no longer bear this. And he miraculously and marvelously rescued me from my irreversible state of depression.  Healed me, gave me confidence, which I never thought I will ever have. I got back the clarity of thought. All my broken talents and my senses were revived miraculously. 

If you are going through a tough situation, you might be wondering right now, as to how many peoples lives were destroyed due to depressio  and hopless situations. People have taken their very lives and that some conditions are not mendable let alone surving and recovering from a harrowing situation.

 What was different in my case is JESUS. Nothing in this world can solve your problems. Only he can. Just speak to him and listen to his voice. Why ? Because he loves you even more than you love yourselves and he is more powerful than you can ever imagine.

Do you think a dry bone can ever come back to life ? This is irreparable. But not in the eyes of Jesus

The same Jesus who showers his love on me and you, will comfort you and mend you back to life.

‭‭Ezekiel 37:4-14 NIV‬‬

[4] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! [5] This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. [6] I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” [7] So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. [8] I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. [9] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” [10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. [11] Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ [12] Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. [13] Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. [14] I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ” 

https://ezekiel.bible/ezekiel-37-4