John 10, 11

JOHN 10 – 11

Chapter 10 focuses us on the image of sheep, sheepfolds, and shepherds.  In this chapter, Jesus makes three declarations about Himself:

1.    “I am the Door”  v. 1-10  The sheepfold was kept at night in an enclosure made with rocks…an opening for the door.  The shepherd would guard the flock at night by lying across the opening.  The shepherd would call his sheep and they would recognize their master’s voice. 

The context is following the finding of the blind but healed beggar who had been thrown out of the synagogue.   He had been led out of Judaism and into HIS flock. 

As the Door, the LORD delivers sinners from bondage and leads them into freedom.  The LORD is making it clear in this passage that these religious leaders were not truly shepherds.  They did not care for the sheep.  They were only interested in providing and protecting themselves.  Behind them was the real thief who is set to steal and destroy, but the Good Shepherd will not allow this…we are safe in HIS care. 

2.    “I am the Good Shepherd v. 11-21  The good Shepherd *dies for the sheep, *knows His sheep, *brings other sheep into the flock and *takes up His life again.

3.   “I am the Son of God v. 22-42

Take Note:  v. 3 He calls His own sheep BY NAME and brings them out. 

We know His voice v. 4   Satan’s purpose v. 10…HIS purpose abundant life!

v. 30 “I and the Father are ONE!” 

v. 37 “I am doing the works of My Father...believe the words and have faith in what I do, in order that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father…One with Him. 

CHAPTER 11:

Sign Miracles so far that John recorded:  Water to Wine, Healing Capernam Official’s son, Healing of Paralytic, Feeding of 5,000, Walking on Water, Blind Man healed, and now we have #7 the Raising of Lazarus

This like a climatic miracle…it is one that could not be denied or avoided ty the Jewish leaders.  If Jesus could do nothing about death, then whatever else He can do amounts to nothing.  Death is man’s last enemy but Jesus has defeated this horrible enemy totally and permanently. 

The emphasis in this chapter is on faith and “the glory of the God.” 

Verse 4 actually states His purpose to the ones who were grieving: “not to end in death, but to honor God and to promote His glory that the Son of God may be glorified through it. 

Jesus stayed two days longer…Lazarus was dead! V. 14.  “And I am glad that I was not there; IT WILL HELP YOU TO BELIEVE!!!

Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus…He loves you and me.  It is not a pampering love, it is a perfecting love.  The fact that He loves us, and we love Him is no guarantee that we will be sheltered from the problems and pains of life.  The only Son that God loved was given!  We must never think that love and suffering are incompatible.  Certainly they unite in Jesus.  It is not important that we Christians are comfortable but it is important that we glorify God in all that we do. 

When we find ourselves confronted by disease, disappointment, delay and even death, our only encouragement is the Word of God.  We must live by faith and not by sight.  The sisters situation seemed hopeless, yet they knew that Jesus was the Master of every situation. 

The Lord waited … He was waiting for the Father to ‘direct His steps’.  The disciples were concerned when He announced their going…the LORD reminded them that it was the Father’s schedule and that nothing would harm them. 

In v. 15 He gives us happenings so we might be “helped to believe”. 

Doubting Thomas was a twin…and sometimes we are his twin!  He was also devoted because he believed they would die with this visit and yet he demonstrated loyalty in his willingness to die with Christ. 

v. 17-40  To strengthen the faith of the sisters as well.  He had sent a message and now it would be evident how they had received it.  Each experience of suffering and trial ought to increase our faith, but this kind of spiritual growth is not automatic.  We must respond positively in the ministry of the Word and the Spirit of God. 

In these two episodes with Wes in the last six weeks, only the Peace of the LORD gave what we needed to walk through what we knew could be our last walk on this earthly journey. 

We have and will continue to take delight in knowing it is He Who has our number of days…He holds the keys to death.  In one of the sermons we listened to when in the hospital, the story was told about Barnhouse.  I cannot remember all the details, but he was having to deal with his children about death…perhaps a family friend or member had died.  He asked his children, “Had you rather meet up with a huge bear or the shadow of a huge bear?”  Of course, the children responded readily with, “a shadow!”  Barnhouse reassured the children that this is like death when you belong to Jesus.  We only face the Shadow of death, Jesus faced DEATH for each of us!

When you face your last enemy, death, you want the Savior and not a doctrine written in a book.  In Jesus, every doctrine is made personal I Cor. 1:30.  When you belong to Him, you have all that you ever will need in life, death, time or eternity!!!!  As we walk through “the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we can KNOW that with the LIGHT, there would be no Shadow…so HE is walking with us all the way THROUGH!!!

The LORD moved the doctrine of the resurrection out of the future and into the present.  Martha was looking to the future, knowing that Lazarus would rise again and she would see him.  Jesus was causing them to focus on the present…God’s resurrection power is available right NOW. 

Martha affirmed her faith…Lord, Christ and Son of God.  The I believe are in the perfect tense, indicating a fixed and settled faith.  I have believed and I will continue to believe!

Altho recorded in the Scriptures several times, these are the only words of Mary’s that are written.  The Lord groaned and was indignant.  Was He indignant because of the ravages of sin in the world that He had created?  Death is an enemy and Satan uses the fear of death as a terrible weapon Heb. 2: 14-18.  No wonder Jesus was indignant. 

Jesus wept:  reveals the humanity of the Savior.  He has entered into all of our experiences and knows hw we feel.  In fact, being the perfect God-Man, Jesus experienced these things in a deeper way than we do.  His tears assure us of His sympathy…a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  Today He is our merciful and faithful High Priest, and we may come to the throne of grace and find all the gracious help that we need.  His tears were misunderstood the spectators. 

True faith relies on God’s promises and thereby releases God’s power.  The stone was rolled away.  Jesus prayer now was for the sake of the unbelieving spectators, that they might know that God had sent Him.  Lazarus could not walk to the door of the tomb…he was bound so God’s power must have carried him along.  It was an unquestioned miracle that even the most hostile spectator could not deny. 

Lazarus is a good illustration of what happens to a sinner when he trusts the Savior.  Lazarus was dead, and all sinners are dead.  He was decayed, because death and decay go together.  All lost people are spiritually dead, but some are more decayed than others.  No one can be more dead than another. 

Lazarus was raised from the dead by the power of God and all who trust Christ have been given new life and lifted out of the graveyard of sin.  He was set free from the grave clothes and given new liberty. 

Lazarus was persecuted by the religious leaders who wanted to kill him and get rid of the evidence. 

Of course, the people were divided in their response to this miracle.  Some believed and gave witness of the miracle but others immediately went to the religious leaders and reports what had happened.  If the heart will not yield, the grace of God cannot bring salvation.  They missed a spiritual resurrection in their own lives. 

To believe in Christ is to lose your religion!!!!  The Jewish council met and discussed what to do with Jesus.  They were not seeking after truth, they were seeking for ways to protect their own selfish interests. 

Even to Caiphas, the high priest was a Sadducee not a Pharisee…the two factions could always get together to fight a common enemy.  The official decision that day was that Jesus must die.  The leaders thought that they were in control of the situation, but it was God Who was working out His predetermined plan.  Jesus withdrew to Ephraim, about 15 miles north of Jerusalem…quiet retirement with His disciples.  The crowd was gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, and the pilgrims were wondering if Jesus would attend the feast even though He was in danger.  The council had made it known that if anyone knew where Jesus was they must report it.

In this chapter there is revealed the deity of Jesus and the utter depravity of the human heart.  The rich man in hades had argued, “If one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.  Lazarus came back from the dead, and the officials wanted to kill him.  The stage is now set for the greatest drama in history, during which man would do his worst and God would give His best!!!!