Continues from: John 9 - Blindness and Sin Joh 10:1 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter into the sheepfold by the door, but going up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber.
This verse alone has many things to discuss. Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me
Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. IIt is interesting to look at just who exactly is the thief and a robber - is it satan? If so, then what power does he really have? It does seem that we merely need to: Jas 4:7 Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. So it does not appear a thief and a robber is what is commonly espoused does it? Joh 10:2 But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Read it again. It appears here that he who enter in by the door is a shepherd of the sheep - does that then make us all shepherds? No capitalization here so it is difficult to draw conclusions. Pro 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the ways of death. Joh 10:3 The doorkeeper opens to him, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Joh 10:4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him. For they know his voice.
Joh 10:5 And they will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.
Joh 10:6 Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they did not understand what it was which He spoke to them. Notice here there is a going out and not a coming in, it does seem the shepherd refers to:
1. People that have followers
2. Jesus the True Shepherd
In the context so far it does appear to be talking of 1. Why? Well the parable starts off with the entering in and not leading out. Joh 10:7 Then Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. Jesus is the doorWAY not the destination - He is the pathWAY not the goal. He goes before us. Joh 10:8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. We know that Jesus came primarily for the lost sheep of Israel and it is inferred this refers to the Jews as they were "lost in their law". But was that really the case? Granted they were lost but if you think about it, Jesus did not hang out with the religious of the day, he was with the real lost folk - the lepers, the prostitutes, the sick, the lame, the blind etc. These well all the folk that had been rejected by the religious system aka the church.
I have been on the theme for awhile looking at who Jesus and the Christ are and the focus of sin and Father's Love.
Jesus explicitly shows here that all those who came before were thieves and robbers. In Matthew 23 we really see how Jesus had a go at the religious. Joh 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters in by Me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. Jesus is simply the Way to the Father and He is both the Door and the Doorkeeper. What Christendom has effectively done has kept us at the threshold of the door focusing on Jesus and blood atonement and we do not enter into relationship with the Father. It is clear here that there is a going in an out and finding pasture, finding the desires of our hearts met. Entering in via Jesus we are saved and we are saved from our sins. What lies beyond the door? The Father.
The leading out seems to talk of those that lead folk astray with the doctrines of men - these are those that have never really met the Father and gotten to know His Awesome love for us. Once in the door is never shut and you made captive to the sheepfold, it does appear that folk an come to the sheepfold, call them out and lead them out of the sanctuary. It does seem that if you want to listen to a man and not the teachings of Jesus, He allows it. Until you find out who the Father is, you will be swayed by every doctrine of man.
Jesus taught Father's Love and He is always pointing us in that direction. Sin consciousness deprives us of that as we stay in the flesh judging ourselves and others. The focus of flesh is outward; we focus on the fruits instead of focusing inward, therein lies the Spirit.
It is true that the outward manifests the inward and if the outward is not showing Father's Love then the fix is found in the Spirit and not the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is Love; Love covers a multitude of sins. Even when we see our fellowman's failings, we are not to address them, if we do we do it from the flesh and hence Jesus taught us not to judge.
However, we also have texts that suggest we should address these matters. Mat 18:15 But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear you, take one or two more with you, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-collector. When we read this it is easy to take on the false perception of I am right and he/she is wrong. The Luke account says "rebuke him" but I believe that this is to be done out of unconditional love. Remember that Jesus also said that if we do not forgive our brother his trespasses, neither shall our Father in heaven forgive us ours. All of this sounds conditional of us doing something but I think we miss it when we approach the matter judgmentally. We cannot take scripture and make a doctrine that is contradicted by others.
If we have an offence a brother brought against us, when we go tell him it has to go hand in hand with forgiving him there and then, the requirement for witnesses will not be necessary. In the same way God holds no sin account against us; neither should we hold an account against others. In fact just as we are not to stay focused on our own sins, we are likewise not stay focused on the sins against us; both bring destruction and grief.
Something I have learned of offences, for an offence to take place, it takes two to tango. If a brother offends and you take offence, you have sealed a contract of offence. If a brother offends and you do not take the offence, it remains an issue with the offender and in no way does it become a matter requiring conciliation. It then remains an issue between him/her and the Father.
Jesus said: Mat 18:6 But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believes in Me, it would be better for him that an ass's millstone were hung around his neck, and he be sunk in the depth of the sea.
Mat 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For it is necessary that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! As I have said numerous times, it is sin that gives US the perception of separation from God the Father and not the other way round. Here Jesus says that offences in essence are necessary but warns by whom those offences come.
Why? Exactly because carnally; we will either be justified in what we did or feel guilt and perceive separation, both of them a woe. We can read into this that the father of lies; the devil is the "by whom" and hence his judgment but that is deferring what we do to a 3rd party. The whom is us.
When we look at the fruits of the Spirit and the fruits of the flesh we clearly see our carnality in the flesh. Focus on the flesh and judge according to our perceptions of right and wrong, and we are trapped. That is the millstone around our necks and that is what sinks us, draw us away from the presence of the Father.
We also have Jesus teaching of going to a brother who has an offence against us: Mat 5:23 Therefore if you offer your gift on the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,
Mat 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Mat 5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him; that the opponent not deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
Mat 5:26 Truly I say to you, You shall by no means come out from there until you have paid the last kodrantes. In fact sin consciousness is as good as being trapped in prison.
We are all walking different paths in our journey and we really do not know the depth of the inner man of our brethren and how God is working things out in their lives. We are usually quick to judge yet: Psa 145:8 Jehovah is gracious and full of pity; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Psa 145:9 Jehovah is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works.
Psa 145:10 All Your works shall praise You, O Jehovah; and Your saints shall bless You.
Psa 145:11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power,
Psa 145:12 to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Psa 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your rule endures throughout all generations.
Psa 145:14 Jehovah upholds all who fall, and raises up all those bowed down.
Psa 145:15 The eyes of all wait on You; and You give them their food in due season.
Psa 145:16 You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psa 145:17 Jehovah is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works.
Psa 145:18 Jehovah is near all those who call on Him, all those who call on Him in truth. Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The thief we are taught is the devil and we are satisfied deferring the bad to a 3rd party but here I believe we should see the thief not being ol' red guy but rather as the carnality in us and sin and the law when we try and live up to a system in the flesh that we have no ability in achieving successfully.
Jesus abrogating the law and taking away the focus from sin, showing us the Father's Unconditional Love is the abundant life He speaks of here and everywhere.
Blessings
Next Study: John 10:11-42 - The True Shepherd
All references to MKJV quoted NKJV linked
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