John 10:11-15 (NKJV) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
In this passage, Jesus differentiates between the good shepherd and the hireling. The hireling takes it as a job and puts his own safety before the sheep’s; he has no hesitation running for his own life when danger looms. We frequently see such leadership in the marketplace, where leaders prioritise protecting their own interests before the team members’, just like the hirelings will not sacrifice their lives to protect the sheep.
In contrast, the good shepherd who owns the sheep will ensure that none of his sheep are hurt. He is willing to lay down his life for the sheep and fight off predators to ensure that the ninety-nine are in good hands before He looks for the lost one. While Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, the local pastors are the under-shepherds He appoints to shepherd the local churches—the sheepfolds assigned to them.
We live in a fallen world, and believers and unbelievers will all suffer. However, Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross of Calvary. The Word of God helps us know that He is good. His love brings comfort, peace, and warmth, even though we may not understand why certain things happen. Therefore, knowing His goodness helps us to rest in His love and trust His heart in the midst of suffering.
Unfortunately, like sheep, we tend to wander and stray from the pack. When all is well, we don’t feel the need for God, so we neglect to cultivate a close relationship with Him. Consequently, when we encounter difficulties, we feel weak and lonely, overwhelmed by anxiety, because we have forgotten to journey with the Lord during good times.
Attacks will come against us, whether from demons or humans, as demons can also influence people to cause us harm. It says in 1 Peter 5:8, “the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”. Likewise, the opening Scripture mentions that the wolf comes for the sheep. Therefore, we need to stay close to the Good Shepherd so that He can protect us. The shepherd knows every sheep and will go before them to lead them. The sheep will respond to his voice. Similarly, we will be familiar with His voice because we are His sheep. There is safety when the shepherd leads us. It says in John 10:10 that the thief will kill, steal, and destroy, whereas God wants us to have an abundant life.
Sermon Series: One Soul for Christ
祂保守我们安全
约翰福音 10:11-15 我是好牧人；好牧人为羊舍命。若是雇工，不是牧人，羊也不是他 自己的，他看见狼来，就撇下羊逃走；狼抓住羊，赶散了羊群。雇工逃走，因他是雇工，并不顾念羊。我是好牧人；我认识我的羊，我的羊也认识我，正如父认识我，我也认识父一样；并且我为羊舍命。
在这段经文中，耶稣区分了好牧人和雇工。雇工只把它当作一份工作，把自己的安全放在羊群的安全之前;当危险迫在眉睫时，他会毫不犹豫地逃命。我们经常在职场上看到这样的领导，领导者将自己的利益放在团队成员的利益之前，就像雇工不会牺牲自己的生命来保护羊群一样。
相反，作为羊主人的好牧人会确保他的羊无一受伤。他愿意为羊舍命，击退掠食者，以确保在他出发寻找迷失的羊之前，这九十九只羊都得到很好的照顾。虽然耶稣是大牧人，但本地牧师是耶稣所任命的副牧人，负责牧养本地教会——那分配给他们的羊圈。
我们生活在一个堕落的世界里，信徒和非信徒都会受苦。然而，耶稣在髑髅地的十字架上为我们舍弃了自己的生命。神的话语帮助我们知道祂是良善的。祂的爱带来安慰、平安和温暖，尽管我们可能不明白为什么某些事情会发生。因此，认识祂的良善将帮助我们在祂的爱中安息，并在患难中相信祂对我们所怀的心意。
不幸的是，就像羊一样，我们倾向于漫无目的地乱走而脱离了羊群。当一切都好时，我们觉得不需要 上帝，于是我们忽略了与祂建立亲密的关系。久而久之，当我们遇到困难时，我们会感到软弱和孤独，被焦虑所压倒，因为我们在丰年时忘记了与主同行。
无论是恶者还是人，都会向我们发动攻击，因为恶者可以通过影响人来伤害我们。彼得前书 5：8 说，“魔鬼如同吼叫的狮子遍地遊行，寻找可吞吃的人”。同样，开篇的经文提到狼是为了羊而来。因此，我们需要紧紧依偎在好牧人身边，这样他才能保护我们。牧人认识每只羊，会走在羊的前面带领它们。羊会回应他的声音。同样，我们会熟悉祂的声音，因为我们是祂的羊。当牧羊人带领我们时，我们是安全的。约翰福音 10：10 说，盗贼来，是要杀害、偷窃和毁坏，而上帝则希望我们得着丰盛的生命。
讲章系列: 为基督赢得一个灵魂
Image Source：pixabay.com