My family and I watched the movie The Sheep Detectives (Amazon Prime) this past weekend. It was a cute little movie with a good message. The next morning I happened to be reading John 10– The Good Shepherd story, and the similarities between the movie and God’s word kind of blew my mind. You see, God has had me in the book of John this summer. I had been drifting, unsure of where to read and/or study which makes spending time in the Word challenging. To make a long story short – God gently nudged me and I finally listened to His voice telling me “read the words of Jesus“-enter the book of John. (If you want to know more – just ask, it has been rich and full!)
Anyway, back to today’s story… If you read through John 10:1-18, you’ll notice there are several main characters: The Gate keeper, the Gate, the Shepherd, thieves and robbers, wolves and of course the sheep. It’s interesting that when you read the same passage over and over again different things stand out and the Holy Spirit allows you to see and understand in different ways. One of the reasons I’m moving so slowly through this book of the Bible.
The Gate keeper and the Gate – are clearly Jesus. He is the only One who can ever occupy those roles. And we are ALL sheep – some of us in the sheep pen, others perhaps lingering outside and some running hard in the opposite direction. The other roles; those of shepherd, thieves and wolves -are ones, I believe we can all occupy from time to time depending on who we are choosing to listen to and follow.
As a Christ follower, you are a shepherd-even if you think you’re not- you are. Someone is always watching and you may be leading them simply by living your life. The question really becomes what type of shepherd are you? Obviously none of us can compare to Jesus – He is the ONLY Good Shepherd, but are we being faithful and shepherding the flock entrusted to us, like Jesus? Or are we doing our “own thing” and living without clear direction, following the next new thing? If we are not careful, we also can accidentally fall into the roles of thieves, robbers and wolves. When we start listening to and/or looking to other voices ahead of Jesus we are on a slippery slope of falling into a role we never wanted to be in.
Then you have the sheep. Sheep are timid and easily distracted (can I get an Amen?! Maybe it’s just me?). So even though they know their Shepherd’s voice, they may not always listen. Pretty soon they find themselves further away from His loving protective care than we’d like. We might end up following someone else and unwittingly take others with us. Remember how I said someone is always watching? While it may never be our intent to lead others astray, it can so easily happen if we aren’t careful and staying close to the One and only Good Shepherd.
Can I encourage you to take 30 minutes right now and read John 10:1-18? Read it slowly and then read it in different translations. Make note of the words or phrases that stand out to you the most. Then think and pray through these questions.
- Right now. Today. Are you the 99 or the 1? Don’t be afraid to admit it either way. Be brave! God only wants you back. If you are one of the 99 – Don’t feel guilty or ashamed. God fought hard to bring you into the fold. Likely you remember being the one who needed chasing after. So celebrate the fact that you are walking with Him today!
- If you are one of the 99 (safely tucked away in His sheep pen) –
- If you are the 1 –
- Why are you hiding?
- Why did you leave? Or maybe a better question is: did you ever go all the way in?
- What or who’s keeping you from running to Jesus? Jesus says – “I AM the way, the truth and the no life. NO ONE comes to the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) I AM the bread of life – He who would eat and drink of me – will never be thirsty again. (John 4)”. What’s keeping you from quenching that thirst right now?!
- Do you need help? If so, I’m praying you have 30 seconds of courage and reach out to someone you know and ask. If you know me personally – hit me up! There is nothing I’d rather do than introduce you to my Jesus!
What if we started looking at the kids in our classrooms and sports teams, our co-workers, neighbors, friends and family members as sheep. Some of them are in need of directions to the Good Shepherd? I’d even bet someone has already popped into your thoughts (that’s a nudge from the Holy Spirit you know). Someone striving so hard to be noticed, to find a place, to prove themselves worthy – all the while you KNOW the Way and the Truth. What would it look like for you to say “what if you just stopped striving and came with me. I know the Gate Keeper and the Shepherd, He will let you in, all you have to do is ask. I’ll even introduce you.”. I just wonder what if we (me included) started living with our eyes wide open, who would we see?
Captivated Hearts 