Daily Scripture: John 10:2 But the one who goes in through the gate is the sheep’s own shepherd. 3 This is the one the gate-keeper admits, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep, each one by name, and leads them out. 4 After taking out all that are his own, he goes on ahead of them; and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he isn’t a shepherd and the sheep aren’t his own, sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf drags them off and scatters them. 13 The hired worker behaves like this because that’s all he is, a hired worker; so it doesn’t matter to him what happens to the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me — 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father — and I lay down my life on behalf of the sheep. 16 Also I have other sheep which are not from this pen; I need to bring them, and they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
27 My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow me, 28 and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from my hands. 29 My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them from the Father’s hands.
Reflection Questions:Orioles Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. looked beyond just the game itself when he said, “I love baseball. The game allowed me the influence to impact kids in a positive way. This gives me a chance to talk to some social issues.” Jesus spoke to many of life’s biggest issues. But notice how often in this passage he emphasized that his sheep listen to his voice, because they know and trust the one who is speaking.
- “I am the good shepherd” was a metaphor. Based on what you can learn (or already know) about shepherds, in what ways is Jesus most like a shepherd? (A modern classic about shepherds is Phillip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.) When have you experienced Jesus as your shepherd? In what ways do you most need him to shepherd you today?
- To do his job well, a shepherd had to thoroughly understand sheep. He had to know what makes them thrive, and what things are harmful (or even deadly) to them. In what ways does that cast light on Jesus as your shepherd? John said, “…they follow him, because they know his voice” (verse 4). In what ways are you training yourself to “hear” and “recognize” Jesus’ voice, so that you can follow him to a life of eternal safety?
Today’s Prayer:
Loving Jesus, deepen my sense of that you are my shepherd, one who protects and guides me. Deepen my gratitude for the self-giving ways you acted to be my shepherd. Amen.Insights from Abbie Williams
Loving Jesus, deepen my sense of that you are my shepherd, one who protects and guides me. Deepen my gratitude for the self-giving ways you acted to be my shepherd. Amen.Insights from Abbie Williams
Abbie Williams is an intern this summer in the Adult Discipleship department at Resurrection. She is a Human Services Major at Elon University. She loves treehouses, drinking coffee, and her friends (not necessarily in that order).
When reading a Bible verse (such as today’s passage) that refers to God’s people as sheep, I tend to forget a very important fact about these animals we are being compared to: sheep are idiots. Sheep desperately need the help of their shepherd. Without the guidance of someone else, sheep will wander from the safety of their flock. They become vulnerable to predators and simply cannot protect themselves from other creatures.
As soon as I remember these characteristics of sheep, I tend to get a little offended. Nobody wants to be called stupid. Nobody wants to admit that they’re helpless on their own. We want to be independent and in control of our own lives. Being vulnerable and leaning on someone else is difficult. I often find myself just acknowledging God’s presence rather than completely surrendering to Him and confessing how much I need a savior in my life.
But I am a sheep. I hate admitting that I’m weak, but the truth is I cannot handle this life on my own. I’m not strong enough and I definitely don’t have the wisdom to know what is best for me. But I have a shepherd I can rely on. God guides me where I need to be and provides me with exactly what I need, not just what I think I need. He cares for me like nobody else can, and fills me up like nothing else can. God will never abandon me like others in this world might. And God definitely has far more amazing plans for me than I could ever dream up for myself. He is everything that I desire, and He constantly gives me the opportunity to be in a relationship with Him.
Completely submitting to God as our shepherd is a hard thing to do, but the freedom it brings makes it worth it. All of the stress and pain that we feel from trying to do everything on our own is given to God and instead we receive a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light (see Matthew 11:28-30). All the uncertainty and fear of the future is taken away, and instead we have comfort in knowing that God is in control and we don’t have to worry. God is our shepherd, and we are safe and sound when we follow Him.
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
When reading a Bible verse (such as today’s passage) that refers to God’s people as sheep, I tend to forget a very important fact about these animals we are being compared to: sheep are idiots. Sheep desperately need the help of their shepherd. Without the guidance of someone else, sheep will wander from the safety of their flock. They become vulnerable to predators and simply cannot protect themselves from other creatures.
As soon as I remember these characteristics of sheep, I tend to get a little offended. Nobody wants to be called stupid. Nobody wants to admit that they’re helpless on their own. We want to be independent and in control of our own lives. Being vulnerable and leaning on someone else is difficult. I often find myself just acknowledging God’s presence rather than completely surrendering to Him and confessing how much I need a savior in my life.
But I am a sheep. I hate admitting that I’m weak, but the truth is I cannot handle this life on my own. I’m not strong enough and I definitely don’t have the wisdom to know what is best for me. But I have a shepherd I can rely on. God guides me where I need to be and provides me with exactly what I need, not just what I think I need. He cares for me like nobody else can, and fills me up like nothing else can. God will never abandon me like others in this world might. And God definitely has far more amazing plans for me than I could ever dream up for myself. He is everything that I desire, and He constantly gives me the opportunity to be in a relationship with Him.
Completely submitting to God as our shepherd is a hard thing to do, but the freedom it brings makes it worth it. All of the stress and pain that we feel from trying to do everything on our own is given to God and instead we receive a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light (see Matthew 11:28-30). All the uncertainty and fear of the future is taken away, and instead we have comfort in knowing that God is in control and we don’t have to worry. God is our shepherd, and we are safe and sound when we follow Him.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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