Devotional John 10: The Good Shepherd and the Gate of the Sheep Reflection on John 10: Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the security of the sheep who hear His voice, and the promise of eternal life that no one can take from us. Topics: Devotional, New Testament.

Devotional John 10: The Good Shepherd and the Gate of the Sheep

Continuing the sequence of the Book of John, today’s devotional is found in chapter 10.

Synopsis: This chapter begins with Jesus telling his disciples a parable about a shepherd and his sheep. He explains that the true sheep of the shepherd enter through the gate; they do not try to get in any other way or by any other path, because only thieves and robbers do that. Furthermore, the sheep of the shepherd know his voice and follow him. Jesus also explained to them that He is the gate of the sheep and the good shepherd, since the disciples had not understood the parable. Then, during the Jewish Feast of Dedication, Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Colonnade in the Temple in Jerusalem when the Pharisees approached Him. They demanded that He tell them once and for all, leaving them no more suspense, whether He was the Christ. Jesus answered that He had already demonstrated through His works that He is the Christ, but they did not believe. He added that His disciples do believe, and that He gives them eternal life and salvation. Once again, they tried to stone Him.

Observations

These were my observations on this chapter.

1. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus says that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without Him. In this chapter He reinforces that idea using the parable of the shepherd. In it, He refers to people who try to attain salvation by other means as thieves and robbers — because they refuse to listen to the word of Christ and follow Him. This point is very relevant today, since many people seek other methods for living a good life and do not believe that Jesus is the gate to true life. That is why so many ideologies about how to live well exist, and people listen to them and get even more lost. This is the reason why we as Christians must be the light of the world and help people come to know Jesus. And it is the reason why I intend to begin my own work of spreading the Gospel.
2. No one can take from you what God has kept in store for you. In this chapter, a leader sacrifices himself for his followers. And He, being the greatest of leaders, gives His life for us and grants us eternal life. He also explains that no one can snatch His true followers out of His hands, nor take away what He has kept in store for us. And He says that God is the same way: what He has prepared for us, no one can take from Him. This is probably one of the most important messages in the world. For it gives us the comfort and the faith to keep believing in Jesus even when things in this world are not going very well at the moment. This is one of the reasons why so many people despair when they find no way out of their problems. This is the message that every human being needs to hear. We are not living in the world God intended, and He sent Jesus to solve that problem. So even when things do not go well or there seems to be no way out, we must remember that Jesus is here to save us, as long as we believe in Him. This is also why I am not in despair, and I know that what is mine, God has kept in store. It is only a matter of time before I find my job here in Portugal 😎