Category: Devotions

The work and the identity of a Shepherd.

John 10 v 22-34

²² Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

The work of Jesus the Shepherd that demonstrated his identity was definitely the miracle before these attacks, the healing of the blind man. A good work attacked by those who were offended in the way and the day it was done.

I have been given many titles in my life. Everything from Pastor, Apostle, Prophet, Father, Priest and the most recent one Daddy! But the titles do not testify about me, my works do, v25. I’m no miracle worker but along with you do the works of God. We are all shepherds in some form or another serving the Good Shepherd. But I have been privileged for it to be my primary profession since 1992. I have found the work to be varied to say the least!

The Bible calls for Shepherds to watch over the Church; to teach and preach the Word of God; to visit people in their homes; to pray for others; to resolve conflicts; pray for the sick; to be a counsellor; to be an advisor; to coach; to mentor; to co-ordinate volunteers; to create and organise events; to fundraise; to recruit people; to write articles; to manage and to represent the Church to the community. In all these works we need miracles and movements of the Holy Spirit.

Can a shepherd be good in all these areas? No. We are not perfect.

But there are times when there isn’t anyone else and so the shepherd does the work and the work testifies who they are.

Where does the complaints against the shepherds focus on? The works.

All under-shepherds are effected when their work is criticised because no matter if people say ‘don’t take this personally’ their work is so tied to their identity, they do.

It is difficult for those shepherds who retire and it has been their profession all their life. When their identity is integrated into the work and the work stops, the question is of course, ‘who am I?’ Leading many to reject the idea that one can retire from ‘ministry’.

There is a way through the complexity of the work and identity which I will hopefully discuss tomorrow because the answer is to be found in the verses we have read.

Being a shepherd is a job like no other! Pray for one today. They need it.

Shepherds walk as kings

John 10 v 22-30

“Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

 

The time is the festival of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication, centred on the re-dedication of the temple brought about by the battle for it between the arch-enemy Antiochus Epiphanes and Judas Maccabaeus in 167AD. Judas and his family in effect rose as kings amongst God’s people and the stories are full of bravery and dedication to the cause. It is also called the Festival of Lights as during this time the Temple would be beautifully lit up and during the dark nights of winter this was a grand sight.

Shepherds walk as kings, v23.

Jesus is walking through the Temple and John specifically says he is walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. This was an important area on the east side of the Temple for the Jewish people and one of the last surviving parts hence they kept the name Solomon. Many would gather there to listen to teachers, it was open, visible and of course beautiful. The Church a few years later chose this place to hold their meetings.

Can you see the picture? At a time when everyone is thinking of the Maccabean revolt and the courage of the kings to fight for God’s Temple, Jesus is walking through the visible and open kingly colonnade and is about to make the most daring of statements, “I and the Father are one.” This is not a shepherd playing with the lambs in the fields. This is a picture of courage, controversy, danger and confidence.

Today, shepherds will wake up and have to make big, faith-filled decisions. They will battle spiritual enemies and even physical ones. They will have to stand up and be counted upon.

5 lessons for Shepherds

John 10 v 14-21

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.” ¹⁹ The Jews who heard these words were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” ²¹ But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

5 Lessons for Shepherds from these few verses.

There are so many things a Shepherd needs to know!

1. Develop relationships, v14

I know: No one can be known for the time they spend in a church building. Go visit. Visit them in their homes. Home-visiting is not an old-fashioned thing to do. Even those with hundreds in their churches do it. Raise pastoral teams to support you in this. Know them in their work places and in their leisure. Relationships take time but there are some easy ways that don’t take years.

My sheep: It can be a powerful thing when a shepherd owns their responsibility. That’s the difference between them and a hired hand. It means the shepherd puts others first and themselves second. However, remember these sheep are Jesus’ sheep and so we take care lightly, gently and with deep love for Him.

They know me: Take down the mask. The thought that you cannot minister to those who are your friends is not the lesson that Jesus teaches us. Be honest. Let them call you by your first name or another name of endearment. It isn’t disrespectful. Have fun as well.

2. Mission, v16

There are more sheep – don’t just look at who comes on a Sunday. Look at who isn’t here yet. Know the demographic of where you live. Know your reach. Let the sheep in the pen realise they are going to have to move over and create some space. The world doesn’t exist for them but they for the world.

3. They listen to the voice, v16

They too will listen to my voice: Do you have a recognisable voice? What is the sound that you are creating? Yesterday someone asked me if I was always this happy? Of course to be always happy could be irritating and it isn’t true for me anyway. But they noticed the sound of joy that was coming from me. The shepherd’s voice is crucial. It can build or tear down.

4. Authority,v18

The shepherd walks in the authority given by God. The heaven sent confidence that they are on earth to do His purposes. They are not controlled by any other force whether by man and their hidden agendas or by the evil one with the attacks of fear and doubt. No one can take this authority it belongs to God. It can be wasted and given away but not robbed. This confident authority means the shepherd can make powerful decisions such as to lay their life down, to surrender for the good of people. But also the authority to take it up again, to rise and stand tall in the victory that is theirs.

5. You won’t please everyone, v19

(They) were again divided: It is just how it is as a shepherd. Sometimes the sheep know what they would do if they were shepherd. But it works for the shepherd too as they are also sheep of their own shepherd. Shepherds look to those who lead them and can be divided over decisions taken. Of course we are all sheep and during our lives we often look to the good shepherd and question why? We do it because we all like sheep have gone astray.

Shepherds contend against the wolves

Yesterday a colleague re-introduced me to a word that I haven’t used in a while but I just fell in love with it again. The word she used is ‘contend’. I shall be using it a lot now!

John 10 v11-13 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.

The wolves are returning. In January 2020 a YouGov survey showed that 44% of the British population were in favour of reintroducing the wolf. Last year a Scottish environmentalist began plans to bring back the wolf onto a 50,000 enclosed acre of ground to begin to hunt the over-populated deer and to bring in tourism who will want to watch such hunting. A loss is another’s gain I guess!

Jesus doesn’t say if but when the wolf comes.

Church … the wolf will come.

Pastors … the wolf will come.

It is the most natural thing we know. Animals prey on other animals. Only when the created order is redeemed at the end of time will the wolf live with the lamb (Isaiah 11) and will they feed together (Isaiah 65:25).

Until then the wolf is coming. It is not extinct. When it attacks and the sheep scatter and disaster occurs on a church there are always tourists with their cameras and vultures hovering to pick off the vulnerable. But the picture is not half as bleak if there is a shepherd on a cross nearby having laid down their life. The worst picture is when there is no shepherd at all. The pen has been ransacked, dead and maimed sheep lie on the ground and the others have gone. Why? There was no shepherd after all. The one occupying the position was just a hired hand. There was no true call to the pen. With no true call there was nothing to contend for. Shepherds contend for their calling to the sheep.

Jesus calls himself the good shepherd meaning obviously there are bad ones. Steeped in their culture is the picture of the shepherd. Ezekiel prophesied of the bad shepherds, the hired hands, those not called in chapter 34:

• They take care of themselves, v2
• They have a good life, v3
• They do not work hard strengthening, healing, bringing back, finding the lost, v4
• They lead harshly, v4

These shepherds are rubbish. They are occupying positions that should never have been given to them. The wolf will come and they will run and the sheep will die and scatter.

Where is the shepherd that contend for the church?

If you are a hired hand then keep running but SHEPHERDS come back, return to the pen, don’t leave it open, the wolf is coming, we need you to lay your life down. Contend!

Pastors and the sheep pen

John 10 v 7-10

“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. 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.”

The picture of the sheep pen firmly etched in their mind, Jesus now introduces himself as the gate (or the door) of that pen. During the night the shepherd would lay down in front of the pen to act as that gate preventing sheep escaping and predators entering.

That is the shepherd’s role. The gate.

Jesus said others have come and not fulfilled that role and they are nothing but thieves etc.

All is well so long as the shepherd is laid down in front of the pen.

“Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter” (Zech 13 v7)

The enemy who wants to devour the sheep only has to do one thing, remove the shepherd.

Thom Rainer gives his top 8 reasons why Pastors quit:

1. Discouragement and frustration over critics in the Church.
2. Discouragement and frustration over the direction of the Church.
3. Moral failure.
4. Burnout
5. Forced termination other than moral failure.
6. Financial struggles.
7. Family issues.
8. Departure of Joy.

There is so much talk about members leaving the Church each week. Yet shepherds make a decision to leave every day. Perhaps they don’t physically hand in their notice to quit. But they do stop laying down in front of the gate. They become weary because of one of the 8 reasons above. They leave their post. The enemy wins because the Church then becomes weakened and the sheep pen is open to attack. It is a plan of the enemy and it is happening too often.

One of my Pastors confessed that they had stopped visiting a seasoned member because he couldn’t take anymore the negative criticism of his preaching and his leadership every time he went to see the member. A pastoral visit isn’t always a lovely experience for the pastor. Sometimes it is like going to see the headmaster.

I am noticing a reduction of pastoral visits taking place. I wonder why? Are the Pastors lazy? Are they consumed with offices and management of buildings? Are they hurting? Have they left already in their hearts?

To stop it happening we need to talk about it.

The Shepherd

John 10 v1-6

Jesus said: I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. ^2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.⁴  When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. ⁵ The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away. ⁶ Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.

It may be a new chapter but his is not a new chapter of life. It is in the context of Jesus being interrogated: Who are you? Where are you from? Are you from God? Why are you here?

So Jesus tells a story. It wasn’t a story they were expecting to hear.

Was it going to be a story showing the power of who he was? A warrior leading the people into battle over the Roman Empire?

He confuses them though I’m not sure why.

The story is not of a powerful leader but of a caring and loving shepherd.

The Bible is full of a God who loves as a shepherd.

Joseph described God, “God who has been my shepherd all my life” (Genesis 48:15)

Isaiah prophesies, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (40:11)

And of course David says, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)

So it isn’t strange in the slightest for Jesus to reveal who he is by giving a story regarding a shepherd and the sheep.

Of course there is more than loving and caring. There is the voice that is recognised. There is the leadership ability to lead them out. But the voice and the leadership is set in the context of being a shepherd.

This week I along with colleagues will be interviewing prospective ministers. If this was the only lesson to be learnt by them as they set off into their new chapter of life then they would certainly succeed in God.

In the years to come when sheep remember the shepherds that have been responsible for their life. They will perhaps have forgotten the many words spoken and the way they were led into new things. But they will never forget they were shepherded, they were cared for, they were loved.

Sheep never forget the cross.

 

Virgin Mary and an order of onion rings

John 9 v35-41

“Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

 

Some will see their role in life is to excommunicate people (v35) and some will simply sit there, do nothing and become offended with those that are having a go (v40), but the Church needs to do what Jesus did. Jesus found the man (v35). We need to also search until we find the men and women that may have had encounters with God but are needing spiritual breakthroughs into knowing Him.

He called out, “Lord, I believe! (I rely on, I trust, I cleave to you!)” And he worshipped Him.

Many people are looking for proof before they believe.

In August 2017 a man called Jim, 48, spotted the Virgin Mary jutting out of the his onion rings as he prepared to tuck into his Weatherspoon’s pub meal with his girlfriend and two pals. The eerie lump of batter appeared to wear a veil and robes — which he instantly recognised as the garments of Mary. Jim, of Falkirk, said: “I couldn’t believe it. I’d ordered some drinks and a burger with half a dozen onion rings and among them was this. It looks like something out of a nativity play. I’ve seen this in the papers on toast before, but never this.”

“I’m not a religious man but I might have seen the light now.”

We go searching and we find those that need Christ. But what will it take for them to truly believe? An order of onion rings?!

It will take more than words, it will take their worship and that is going to cost them more than a pub meal, it will cost everything.

Caught in the middle of those who think they know and those who don’t what to know!

John 9 v 13-34

This is a long passage to read.

As you read it think of the interactions between the Pharisees and the man born blind, his family and in particular his journey of discovering who Jesus might be.

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴ Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” ¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. ¹⁷ Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” ¹⁸ They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹ “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” ²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” ²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” ²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” ²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷ He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” ²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” ³⁰ The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. ³² Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴ To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

 

The Pharisees were divided. They were arguing, some saying “It can’t be God as it is on the wrong day!” and others, “It is too good not to be God.”

There are experts everywhere. God experts. They know what, when and how God does things.

The parents were intimidated. They would prefer to throw their son under a bus than be cast out of the synagogue and be shamed in their community.

Blood is not always thicker than water. Sometimes the greatest distance is in the family. “We are not getting involved!”

But look at the man! The tough season can prove a defining moment for us all. He was caught in the middle of those who think they know everything and those who didn’t want to know anything. However, something wonderful was happening, he was coming to realise the truth about Jesus.

He believed Jesus was a special man, a prophet, other than that at first it was a puzzle, he just knew he was blind but now he could see. However by the end he was convinced. Jesus is definitely from God! Thank you my enemies, thank you my disengaged family, you have made me see who Jesus is!

Transformation isn’t easy for those observing it

John 9 v 8-12 “His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” ¹⁰ “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. ¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” ¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.”

There is a strange man hanging around the blind man’s home. Where is the blind man? He is not sitting in his usual begging place. Who is this strange man? Everyone has an opinion about everything and they did on this day regarding this stranger. “I am that man. This is my home.” Sometimes transformation isn’t easy.

People want you to progress and they want you to prosper and they may really want you to have your miracle. But when it happens they cannot fit the transformation into their small minded view of you. Some people need their own transformation to cope with your transformation!

He knew that he was a changed man. He knew that Jesus had been involved in the miracle.

What he didn’t know was where Jesus actually was.

There was a distance between himself and Jesus and he didn’t know what to do or where to go to find him. When he was blind he met Jesus but now that he could see he didn’t know where Jesus was.

Where is this miracle worker? How do we find Jesus? These are the questions that John answers in his gospel. These are still the questions that are being asked of us today.

When the connection is made between your transformation and Jesus then people will want to find him.

There are times when being spat at and having mud thrown at you is the best thing that ever happened to you!

John 9: 6-7

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth ….he spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”

• This man had never seen.

Experiments across the world have shown for many years that those who cannot see are better than those who can at pinpointing sound and are more accurate at placing its distance. Blindness can develop other skills to compensate which the sighted do not have. However the list is endless of what the blind have missed of this world. I read a moving story yesterday: A 90 year old man approached his pastor after a meaningful time of worship. The man had been blind from birth and told the pastor he wanted to “see” him. He ran his fingers over the minister’s face, then began to cry. He asked, “When I open my eyes for the first time, you know who I will be looking at, don’t you?” The pastor said, “Yes, you will be looking at Jesus.” The man then cried out with joy. “Pastor, it is worth being blind for ninety years to know that the first time I open my eyes, I will be looking at Jesus!” Beautiful and true!

This man had never seen but when his eyes were opened he was still blind to who Jesus was and that would come later.

• This man never had spit and mud on his eyes.

Presumably!

There are some things that Jesus did and we don’t know why he did it the way he did. We could speculate but we would be in danger of missing the point. There are times when all we must do is trust Him. It may not be easy being spat at. It may not be easy having mud in your eyes. But it could be the beginning of an amazing miracle!

• This man had never been sent

Siloam means ‘one who has been sent’.

He was a beggar used to sitting by the roadside. He wasn’t for sending anywhere. No one had previously trusted him to do anything. It was ‘Go away’ and not ‘Go on a mission or an errand.’ But Jesus is sending him, he gives the man a purpose and dignity which he had never had before.

Are you ready to do something you’ve never done before?

Will you trust God even if he does it the unconventional way?

Are you ready to be the one to implement the changes necessary?