John 10:14-17

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 

15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 

16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

“One Flock and One Shepherd”

In verses 14 and 15, Jesus compares His relationship with His Father to His relationship with His sheep. This is absolutely beautiful! Think about it. How close are Jesus and His Father? They are one! Jesus and God are interchangeable. Jesus doesn’t say or do anything unless it is the will of His Father. The Father has complete trust in the Son, and the Son has complete trust in the Father. They have been together since infinity. The fact that Jesus compares His relationship with us to that of He and His Father is super significant. In verse 14, Jesus says, “I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” In the same way, Jesus knows the Father, and the Father knows Jesus. Jesus knows who belongs to Him. Do we truly belong to Him? Belonging to Jesus is not just a passive, casual relationship. We are not just acquaintances with Jesus, and He should not be just an acquaintance to us. It is not a one-sided relationship where Jesus lays down His life for me, and I just go about my life without giving Him a second thought. If my relationship with Jesus is supposed to be like that of Jesus and His Father, then His will must become my will. Remember, Jesus said that His will was to do the will of the Father, and the Father was in agreement with everything that Jesus said and did. They were on the same page in everything. Are we on the same page with Jesus in our lives? Is our will equal to His will? Did Jesus lay His life down for people who don’t follow His voice? Did He die for people who don’t know Him personally? We can know all the facts about Jesus that there is to know. Does that mean that we know Jesus? I know plenty of facts about a lot of people, but it doesn’t mean that I know them personally. Do I KNOW Jesus, or do I just know who He is? Satan knows who Jesus is, but He doesn’t KNOW Him. Here is an example… someone asks you, “Do you know Greta Hoover?” You reply, “I know who she is, but I don’t really know her.” For years, I only knew who Jesus was. I didn’t KNOW Him. I didn’t allow myself to know Him, because He wasn’t my number one priority. Does showing up for church on Sunday morning automatically mean that we know Jesus? 

Here is another example…..I can honestly say that I know my best friend, Allison. We don’t see each other as often as we used to when we worked together, but we talk once or twice every week. We text pretty much every day. We haven’t worked together in 8 years, yet we are still just as close, if not closer than we were then. How? Because we have made the effort to keep up with one another… both of us. We tell each other everything going on in our lives. I know Allison, and Allison knows me. Why? Because we take the time to share our lives, listen to each other, rejoice with each other, and help each other through hard times. What about Jesus? Do we take the time to share our lives with Jesus? Do we take the time to listen to Him daily through His word? Do we allow Jesus to be a part of our daily lives? These verses have truly opened my eyes to just how much Jesus wants to KNOW me. I mean… He compared knowing us, His sheep, to knowing His Father. Doesn’t that tell us how important we are to Him? I plan to examine myself tonight to see if I really, truly know Jesus. 

In verse 16, Jesus says, paraphrasing, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold that I need to gather. They will listen to My voice. At that point, there will be one flock and one Shepherd.” This is a big, important statement as well. The other sheep that Jesus was referring to were the Gentiles, who were anyone who was not of Jewish heritage. Right now, Jesus is calling His sheep from Israel, but He plans to call His other sheep from outside the nation of Israel. He says that they will all be “one flock, and He will be the “one Shepherd”. Let’s substitute a couple of words… they will all be “one” church, and He will be the “one” head… the “one” leader… the “one” Savior… the “one” protector. It was never intended for Israel to always be the chosen people. Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 56:8 about this very thing, “The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.’” Ezekiel 37:21-26 is another prophecy about gathering two groups of people or two nations together under “one shepherd”. This is referring to the Jews and Gentiles coming together under the reign of Christ. Ezekiel also refers to David being king over this one flock of people forever, and God making an “everlasting covenant with them”. The “David” that these verses are referring to was actually Christ, since David died approximately 400 years before Ezekiel’s prophecy. Jesus has created one flock, which refers to one church. It doesn’t matter where we are from in the world, who our earthly family is, what our past is, what color our skin is, what we have in our bank account, or whether we are male or female. If we hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him, then we will be saved, protected, and satisfied within His sheepfold, which is His church. 

In verse 17, Jesus says, paraphrasing, “Therefore, My Father loves Me, because I lay My life down, so that I can raise Myself up again.” The Father loves the Son because Jesus has done everything according to His Father’s will, including eventually giving His life for His sheep, and then taking it back up again. How many of us would die to keep our children safe? I’m sure all of us would. We can lay our life down for someone else, but can we take our life back again? Only Jesus had that power. He did exactly what He told the Jewish leaders He would do, when He said that He would raise this temple in three days. The Shepherd had the power to raise Himself up again, and because of that, we can have confidence in His power to raise us up again when He comes back to gather us, His sheep, and take us to our new home with Him in heaven.

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)