LESSON IX.—SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 1900.
## JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
Lesson Scripture, John 10: 1-16, R.V.
1 "VERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them; but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them.
7 "Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that came before Me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, 10 and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 11 I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd layeth down 12 His life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them; he fleeth because he is 14 a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd; and I know Mine own, and Mine own know Me, 15 even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father; and 16 I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock, one Shepherd."
NOTE.—The place of the present lesson was the vicinity of Jerusalem, and the time of this lesson closely follows that of last week. Study in connection with this lesson psalm 23, and also the following references: Isa. 40: 11; Jer. 31: 10; Zech. 9: 16; Heb. 13: 20, 21; 1 Peter 5: 4; Eze. 34: 1-31. Commit to memory verses 9-11 of the lesson scripture.
Golden Text: "The good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." John 10: 11.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What does Jesus declare in regard to those who are leading the people? V. 1. Note 1. (2) What is the characteristic of the true shepherd? V. 2. (3) What does the porter do when the true shepherd comes? How is he received by the sheep? In what way is the intimate relation between the shepherd and the sheep shown? V. 3. Note 2. (4) In what way does the true shepherd conduct his sheep to the feeding ground? What do the sheep do? What reason is given for the sheep following this shepherd? V. 4. (5) What will they do when a stranger attempts to lead them? Why do they do this? V. 5. Note 3. (6) How was this teaching of the Saviour received by the Jews? V. 6. (7) What explicit declaration did the Saviour then make? V. 7. (8) What does He say of those who had come before Him? How were they received by the true children of God? V. 8. Note 4. (9) What will be the happy condition of those who enter by the true door? V. 9. (10) What is the purpose of the thief in coming to the sheepfold? But for what purpose had Christ come? V. 10. (11) What did Christ declare Himself to be? What is the characteristic of the good Shepherd? V. 11. (12) What does the hireling do when danger threatens the flock? What is the result to the flock? V. 12. (13) Why does he who is not a true shepherd thus desert his charge? V. 13. (14) What statement does Christ repeat in regard to His mission? How intimate is the relationship between Christ and His followers? V. 14. (15) What does Christ say of His relation to the Father? How does He show that He is the true Shepherd? V. 15. (16) In what way does Christ declare that His mission is to the whole world? What does He say of these other sheep? What would be the result of Christ's work as the true Shepherd in the earth? V. 16. Note 5.
NOTES.
1. He that entereth not by the door.—Christ is the door, as He Himself declares; but the leaders of the Jewish nation were seeking to enter the fold by another way. By their traditions and the burdens which they had bound upon the plain precepts of God, they were seeking to build up what was virtually a man-made salvation. It was Christ's work to sweep away the rubbish of human inventions as He swept the temple of its defilers. The true leaders, the true under-shepherds, must enter through Christ; they must be followers of Christ. "The Pharisees had just driven one from the fold, because he dared to bear witness to the power of Christ. They had cut off a soul whom the true Shepherd was drawing to Himself. In this they had shown themselves ignorant of the work committed to them, and unworthy of their trust as shepherds of the flock. Jesus now set before them the contrast between them and the good Shepherd, and He pointed to Himself as the real keeper of the Lord's flock."—Desire of Ages.
2. He calleth His own sheep by name.—The oriental shepherds know their sheep by name, and the sheep recognize their name when it is spoken by their shepherd. Cyrus is said to have been able to call each of his soldiers by name; it is recorded of Themistocles that he could call each Athenian by name; and Plutarch states that Crassus was able to salute every inhabitant of Rome by name; but every member of Christ's flock, scattered tho it may be throughout the world, is known to Him. Jesus says, "I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine." Isa. 43: 1. "I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands." Isa. 49: 16.
3. A stranger will they not follow.—The scribes and Pharisees were strangers. They "had not entered by the door. They had climbed into the fold by another way than Christ, and they were not fulfilling the work of the true Shepherd." They "destroyed the living pastures, and defiled the well-springs of the water of life."—Desire of Ages. The Lord's words to them were: "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick; neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away; . . . but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them." Eze. 34: 4.
4. All that came before Me are thieves and robbers.—"In all ages philosophers and teachers have been presenting to the world theories by which to satisfy the soul's need. Every heathen nation has had its great teachers and religious systems offering some other means of redemption than Christ. The trend of their work is to rob God of that which is His own, both by creation and redemption. And these false teachers rob man as well. Christ came that He might recreate the image of God in man; and whoever turns men away from Christ, is turning them away from the source of true development; he is defrauding them of the hope and purpose and glory of life. He is a thief and a robber."—Desire of Ages. Christ was not here referring to the prophets, for they were simply His mouthpieces, speaking for Him, speaking His words to the people, giving His call to the sheep who were straying away.
5. Other sheep I have.—This is Christ's own declaration that His mission is world-wide; that there are those in every nation who will hear His voice. This statement is the forerunner of the great commission, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations." There is but one true flock, one true fold, and one true Shepherd.