|
|||
 |
The most basic exegetical question to ask of any text is: What
is the author’s purpose in writing? Most scholars agree that the Gospel
of John was written around 95 a.d. The Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, and Luke)
had already been written and were circulating among the churches. Synoptic
comes from the word “synopsis,” meaning that which gives a general
view of the whole subject. They are synoptic because they share views of Jesus
life and ministry from a similar point of view and a similar structure.
The Synoptics goal was historical: To give an account of the
life of Jesus. However, John’s goal was not simply to ask: “What
did Jesus do?” John’s goal was interpretation: “Who was Jesus?
What does his life mean?” The goal was not only interpreting Jesus’
life in relation to God (divinity), but what does his life mean for humanity
(incarnation)?
John accomplishes that purpose in two basic ways: (1) Signs—miracles
that point to the identity of Jesus; and (2) Allegory—extended stories
used to interpret the signs. An allegory is different than a parable. Parables
are common stories from life that have a spiritual meaning. Matthew, Mark,
and Luke tell parables. John tells allegories. An allegory is a way of writing
or speaking in which every event, every character, and every object in the
story stands for something else. It has a deeper spiritual meaning beyond
what you initially see. So it is with the Fourth Gospel and much of Jesus’
teaching. He speaks in metaphorical, allegorical language.
The “I AM” sayings of Jesus are not only allusions
to his divinity, but also symbols to describe his nature and his relationship
to us [see the discussion on John 20]. “I am the Messiah who has come
to save you from your sin.” “I am the bread of life that satisfies
the hunger of your soul.” “I am the light of the world that shines
in the darkness of your world.”
The second basic exegetical question to ask of a text is: To
whom is this text being written? Who was the original audience and why was
it written to them? Knowing that the Gospel of John was written at the end
of the 1st century, we also know the circumstances of many of the Christians
in Palestine. All the first followers of Jesus were Jews. John was a Jew.
Jesus himself was a Jew. As Christianity grew in scope and magnitude there
was a rising conflict between the Jewish Christians and the Orthodox Jews.
Not only were the orthodox Jews angry at the rising popularity of Christianity,
the Jewish Temple had been destroyed in 70 A.D. and many of the Jews had blamed
the Christians for the fall.
As a result, many of the followers of Jesus were being excommunicated
and thrown out of the synagogue for their faith. Others were in doubt of whether
or not they should continue to follow Christ. They were losing family and
friends and homes. They needed the encouraging reminder and assurance that
Jesus was indeed the Christ, and that they had made the right choice to follow
him. The allegorical meaning of Jesus as their Good Shepherd gave them a sense
of identity (“my sheep listen to my voice” 10:16, 27) and a hopeful
future (“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish”
10:28a).
When one combines the purpose for which John was writing, and
the people to whom he was writing, John 10 begins to make more sense. The
sign for this “I AM” saying is found in chapter 9. The Fourth Gospel
is known for extended miracle stories (i.e. feeding of the multitude, Lazarus,
etc.) This narrative is no different. It is the story of a man blind from
birth. The rabbis taught that: “There is no death without sin, and there
is no suffering without iniquity.” That meant that if someone was born
with a birth defect of any kind that it meant one of two things: (1) either
the child’s parents had sinned causing the malformity, or (2) that the
child had sinned while in their mother’s womb. Jesus contradicts both
theological views and proceeds to heal him by placing mudpacks on his eyes
and commanding him to wash in the Pool of Siloam.
When the religious leaders noticed the man had been given his
sight, he was interrogated as a suspect to a crime and indicted, along with
Jesus, as a sinner. Jesus again turned the tables saying that the Pharisees
were actually the ones who were spiritually blind and the man born blind had
keen spiritual vision. “For judgment I have come into this world, so
that the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (9:39).
This is a story about our spiritual blindness and that until
Jesus touches our eyes we cannot see spiritual things clearly. It is also
a story about the fact that very often those who think they can see, like
the Pharisees, turn out to be the ones who are blind as a bat, and those who
readily admit they are incapable of seeing on their own, turn out to be the
people with 20/20 spiritual vision. Once again, John gives different levels
of interpretation!
When the Pharisees threw the man out of the synagogue for putting
his faith in Jesus, the early Christians hearing this story realized that
this was also their story. They too had been thrown out of the synagogue for
their faith in Jesus. They too had been lost, but because Jesus had opened
the eyes of their heart, they could now see. It was a profound sense of encouragement
and comfort to those John was writing to.
If the healing of the blind man was the sign, the interpretation
was the “I AM” sayings of chapter 10: “I am the door”
and “I am the good shepherd.” This was not the first time that the
image of a shepherd had been used to describe God’s nature. Psalm 23
made the promise that God’s pastoral care for his people provides renewal,
guidance, comfort, and courage. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “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” Isaiah 40:11.
The Gospels picked up the theme in portraying Jesus as the essence
of a good shepherd. Matthew connected Jesus’ healing ministry with his
shepherding heart: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,
because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”
Matthew 9:36. Luke tells of a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine safe sheep
in the fold to go look for the one who was lost (Luke 15). And the writer
to the Hebrews writes a stirring benediction to his epistle by calling Jesus:
“. . . that great Shepherd of the sheep” Hebrews 13:20.
There were many good shepherds in ancient Palestine. It was
customary for sheep to know the voice of their shepherd and only to respond
when he called. Recent experiments have been conducted with imposters dressing
up in a particular shepherds clothing and trying to coax the shepherd’s
sheep to come. Because the sheep did not recognize the strange voice, they
ran in fear. It was also customary for a shepherd to do his best in defending
his flock from wild animals and thieves. However, if it appeared that the
danger was too great, the ordinary shepherd would cut his losses and give
up one or two sheep, for the sake of the other sheep. Better for one sheep
to die, than for the shepherd to die, leaving the rest of the flock vulnerable
and in harms way.
It is noteworthy that Jesus does not simply call himself “a”
good shepherd. He is “the” good shepherd, meaning that he is different
than even the best of shepherds. Not only do his sheep know his voice, but
no one can steal them away from him (10:28). They are safe and secure in his
strong hand, because his Father has given them to him, and he and his Father
are one (10:29-30). Not only that, but he is the ultimate shepherd who willingly
lays down his life for his sheep (10:15). No one takes his life from him,
but he lays it down as a ransom for many. Rather than losing the flock by
dying, his death provides life for those who believe in his name, because
what has been laid down will be taken back up again (10:18).
(for a complete manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons”)
It has been said that biblical preaching is letting the text refunction, or
allowing the text to say again what it intended to say to its original hearers.
If it’s original purpose was to bring judgment for sin, let it bring
judgment for sin again. If it’s original purpose was to bring comfort
and strength to weary sojourners, let it bring comfort and strength again.
Let the text refunction. This passage is intended to bring comfort and strength.
Design your sermon in such a way that those who hear it will leave comforted
in their spirit and strengthened for their journey.
Because this text is an allegory there is “meaning behind
the meaning.” The symbols of the text are intended to call other things
to mind. That is not to say that historical issues are not important or that
one can take contemporary analogies and easily insert them into the text.
The preacher needs not make the “thief that comes to steal” a local
politician or the “wolf that scatters the flock” a current moral
issue. Yet it is very appropriate to make clear that Jesus is OUR good shepherd
and that WE are his sheep. It is appropriate to suggest that he is able to
give US guidance, US protection, and US eternal life. Like sheep WE are prone
to wander and Jesus pursues us. Like sheep WE get lost and Jesus finds us.
Like sheep we can be scattered and confused, and Jesus rounds us up and brings
order back to our lives.
There is one flock and one shepherd (10:16b), and we can know his voice! Because Christ laid down his life for us, we can be raised up again! Preach this good news with confidence that the Good Shepherd is working through your words to once again bring comfort to his people.