Christ Jesus: “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me,
just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father
and I lay down My life for the sheep.” –John 10:14-15
The Impotence of Idols and the Greatness of God
Not to us (Not for us –Tehillim 115:1) O Lord, not for us but to Your name give glory
for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness.
(Your kindness and for your truthfulness –Tehillim 115:1)
Why should the nations say, “Where is their (your –Tehillim 115:2) God now?
Our God is in Heaven,
He does whatever He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths but do not speak;
eyes but do not see.
They have ears but do not hear;
noses but do not smell.
They have hands but do not feel;
feet but do not walk;
They make no sound in their throats.
Those who make them are like them;
so all who trust in them.
Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord,
He is their help and their shield.
The Lord has been mindful of us (Who remembers us –Tehillim 115:12)
He will bless us;
He will bless the House of Israel;
He will bless the House of Aaron;
He will bless those who fear the Lord,
both small and great.
May the Lord give you increase,
both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord
who made Heaven and earth.
The Heavens are the Lord’s Heavens
but the earth He has given to human beings.
The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any that go down (descend to the grave –Tehillim 115:17) into silence.
But we will bless the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.
Praise the Lord! –Psalm 115:1-18
Jesus the Good Shepherd
Jesus taught, “Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but
climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the Shepherd
of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for Him and the sheep hear His voice. He calls His
own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes ahead
of them and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice. They will not follow a stranger
but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Jesus used this figure of speech with them but they did not understand what He was saying to
them. So again, Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, I am the Gate for the sheep. All who
came before Me are thieves and bandits; the sheep did not listen to them. I am the Gate.
Whoever enters by me will be saved (See: John 14:6) and will come in and go out and find
pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have
it abundantly.”
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand,
who is not the Shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep
and runs away — the wold snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because
a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own
know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. I
have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to
My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me because
I lay down My life (See: Isaiah 53:3-12) in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me but
I lay it down of My Own accord. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up
again. I have received this command from My Father.”
Again, the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a
demon and is out of His mind. Why listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the
words of One who has a demon, Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” (See: John 9:6-7;
Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews
At that time the Festival of the Dedication (Chanukah, the Festival of Light, eve of 25th day of
Kislev) took place in Jerusalem, it was winter and Jesus was walking in the Temple, in the
Portico of Solomon, so the Jews gathered around Him and said to Jesus, “How long will You
keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered, “I have told you and you do not believe because you do not belong to My sheep.
My sheep hear My voice. I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they will
never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand. What My Father has given Me is greater
than all us and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are One.”
The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good
works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone Me?”
The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy
because You, though only a human being are making Yourself God.”
Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said you are gods?’ (See: Psalm 82:6) If those
to whom the Word of God came were called ‘gods’ and the Scripture cannot be annulled — can
you say that the One whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming
because I said, ‘I am God’s Son?’ If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe
Me (See: John536) but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works so
that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father.”
(See:14:10-11; John 17:21)
Then they tried to arrest Him again but he escaped from their hands. Jesus went away again
across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier and He remained there.
Many came to Him and they were saying, “John performed no sign but everything that John
said about This Man was true.” Many believed in Him there. –John 10:1-42
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