THE GOOD SHEPHERD DISCOURSE

Background: The man born blind, healed by Jesus and questioned by the chief priests and Pharisees was rejected from the covenant community by the Old Covenant authorities.  Jesus seeks him out and brings him to faith in Jesus as the Messiah and then accuses the Scribes and Pharisees of being the ones who are "blind."

 

Please read John 9:40-10:1-6: The Good Shepherd Parable

9:40 Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, 'So we are blind are we?'  9:41 Jesus replied: 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty, but since you say, 'We can see,' your guilt remains.  10:1 In all truth (Amen, amen), I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a bandit.  2 He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; 3 the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out.  4 When he has brought out all those that are his, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know this voice.  5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.' 6 Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he was saying to them.

 

John 10:1: In all truth I tell you [Amen, amen] anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a bandit. 

Question: In this parable what is the sheepfold?  Hint: see verse 7.
Answer: The sheepfold is the Church, the community of God's re-born New Covenant people.  It is the Church as the sheepfold who brings the covenant people together, and through the Sacraments into union with Christ.

Question: What then is the way or gate into the New Covenant of holy believers?
Answer: The gate is Jesus Christ, the one through whom believers have access to the community which is Christ's Kingdom of Heaven on earth.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in citation # 754: The Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is Christ.  It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep.

Question: In this parable, what connection is there to the shepherd discourses of the Old Testament prophets?
Answer: Entering through Christ is the only way into the New Covenant He is establishing in fulfillment of the prophecies of the prophets Jeremiah [31:31], Ezekiel [34:37], and Zechariah [9-14].  Jesus is the fulfillment of Yahweh's promise when He said "I myself" will shepherd my sheep in Ezekiel 34:11, 15, and 20.  Jesus is the one promised in Ezekiel 34:23 when God promised:  I shall raise up one shepherd, my servant David, and put him in charge of them, to pasture them; he will pasture them and be their shepherd.

Question: Are there other ways to enter the sheepfold/ Covenant?
Answer: No, only one way; though the gate.  There is only one gate and the gate is Christ. St. Augustine wrote of his role as a shepherd of Jesus' flock: I seeking to enter in among you, that is, into your heart, to preach Christ: if I were to preach other than that, I should be trying to enter by some other way.  Through Christ I enter in, not to your houses but to your hearts.  Through him I enter and you have willingly heard me speak of him. Why?  Because you are Christ's sheep and you have been purchased with Christ's blood.  St. Augustine, In Ioannis Evangelium  [The Gospel of John] 47, 2-3

Question: What is the significance of the use of the reference to thieves and bandits or robbers?
Answer: Those who try to enter the Church other than through Christ Jesus are not legitimate members of the Covenant and do harm to the Church through their cunning [thieves] by deceiving the people and violence [robbers] when they separate people from the Covenant in Christ through false teaching.  They enter "some other way" on a road or agenda of their own instead of through Christ.

Question: Why is this "other way" an important difference?
Answer: This is a significance difference because in the 3 previous discourses in chapter 7 [see 7:23, 42, 44] Jesus has laid great stress on the source from which He comes and that His origin from the Father.  This is the major difference between Himself and His opponents. Thieves and robbers do not come from a known location or origin like a home or the pasture but instead from some unknown, unfamiliar direction and by a "origin" and authority of their own.

John 10:2-3: He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out.

Question: Who is the flock?  See Ezekiel 34:6
Answer: The chosen people of God's holy Covenant.

Question: Who is the "gatekeeper"?  See verses 7 & 9.
Answer: Jesus is both the "gate" and the "gatekeeper."  It is only through Him that the shepherds/ministerial priesthood can enter in to shepherd the Covenant people.

Question: Who were the "shepherds" of God's chosen people in the Old Testament?  Hint: there is more than one answer.
Answer: In the Old Testament God gave the people prophets like Moses and Jeremiah, priests like Aaron and Samuel, and kings like David and Solomon to "shepherd" them.

Question:  Who is promised to come as the Good Shepherd to the chosen people and how does this "Shepherd" fulfill the imperfect roles of the Old Testament "shepherds"?
Answer: Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, who was promised to come as prophet, priest, and king of Israel.

Question:  Why is Jesus identified with the gate, the gatekeeper, and the Shepherd?  What is the "sheepfold" and the "flock" in Jesus' parable?
Answer: Jesus identifies Himself as the "shepherd" and the "gate" as well as the "gatekeeper" while the Church is both the sheepfold and the flock in this parable. He applies to Himself the image of the gate or door with the understanding that He is the only way into the "sheepfold" which is the Church and those who shepherd His flock only do so under His, "the gatekeeper's" authority.  The documents of Vatican II teach: The Church is a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is Christ (cf. Jn. 10:1-10).  It is also a flock, of which God foretold that He himself would be the shepherd (cf. Isaiah 40:11; Ez 34:11ff), and whose sheep, although watched over by human shepherds, are nevertheless at all times led and brought to pastor by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds (cf. John 10:11, 1 Peter 5:4) who gave his life for his sheep (cf. Jn 10:11-15). Lumen Gentium 6.

John 10:4-5: When he has brought out all those that are his, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice.  They never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.

In Wendell Keller's book A Shepherd Looks at the 23 Psalms, Keller speaks of this phenomenon. The sheep that have been raised by one shepherd will indeed run from the unfamiliar voice of a stranger.

Question:  In this parable what is the shepherd leading the sheep out of and what does it symbolize?  Where is He leading them?  Hint: What is the prophecy of Micah 2:12-13?
Answer: Since His ministry is only to the Jews and Israelites of the Galilee at this time, Christ is leading those who recognize Him as the Messiah to follow him out of the Old Covenant and into the New.  This action is fulfilling the prophecy of God's holy prophet Micah: I shall assemble the whole of Jacob, I shall gather the remnant of Israel, I shall gather them together like sheep in an enclosure.  And like a flock within the fold, they will bleat far away from anyone, their leader will break out first, then all break out through the gate and escape, with their king leading the way and with Yahweh at their head. Micah 2:12-13

The people may also recall another Yeshua, Jesus' name in Hebrew, who was appointed by Yahweh as Shepherd of the Covenant people in Numbers 27:15-23.

Question:  What is significant about this passage?
Answer: In this passage Joshua is designated as Moses' successor to be a "shepherd" to the covenant people, to be at their head in all their undertakings, a man who will lead them out and bring them in, so that Yahweh's community will not be like sheep without a shepherd [Numbers 27:17].  Our English word "Joshua" is in Hebrew the same name which Jesus bore, Yeshua.  Jesus is not only the new Moses but the new divinely appointed Joshua who will "shepherd" His people into the "Promised Land" of heaven.

the sheep hear his voice: There are dangers for the sheep if they do not recognize the shepherd's voice.  The flock or individual sheep can be deceived and led astray, just as those within the Church can be deceived and led astray by following the voice of a false teacher. Jesus will address the danger of the flock being threatened by false teachers in the next passage.

Question:  What divine truth does Jesus teach the Church today using this illustration of the shepherd's voice?
Answer: Since there are "thieves" and "robbers/bandits" who may be calling to us, we must know the voice of Christ so that we are not led astray.  To study Sacred Scripture through the teaching authority of the Church, the Magisterium, and to faithfully receive the Sacraments is the best way to become familiar with our Shepherd's voice.  The Apostles' successors, the Bishops along with Peter's successor, the Pope, help to guide the faithful people of "Peter's boat"'the Holy Catholic Church.  St. Jose Maria Escriva wrote in Christ is Passing By, page 34: Christ has given his Church sureness in doctrine and a fountain of grace in the Sacraments.  He has arranged things so that there will always be people to guide and lead us, to remind us constantly of our way.  There is an infinite treasure of knowledge available to us: the word of God kept safe by the Church, the grace of Christ administered in the Sacraments and also the witness and example of those who live by our side and have known how to build with their good lives on a road of faithfulness to God.

Question:  Has Jesus accused some of the priests, Sadducees, Pharisees and Scribes of being thieves and bandits as well as poor shepherds?  See Mark 6:34 and 11:17-18.
Answer: Yes He has.  In Mark 6:34 both the priests and scribes heard Jesus accuse them of turning His Father's house into a den of thieves/ bandits.

Question:  Will you be able to discern the "voice of the stranger" if he calls to you?  Will you recognize his call as false doctrine and will you be able to defend your faith?

John 10:6: Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he was saying to them.

They do not understand and so He patiently tries again in John 10:7-18 by extending the sheep/shepherd metaphor of verses 1-5 into another parable.  Jesus' patience reminds me of the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah consoling God's covenant people after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC and his prophecy concerning the future destruction of the Southern Kingdom of Judah: Here is Lord Yahweh coming with power, his arm maintains his authority, his reward is with him and his prize precedes him.  He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes. Isaiah 40:10-11

Question:  Why do the people fail to understand?  In what other encounter did they also fail to understand?
Answer: In every encounter since chapter 5 there have been those who have accepted His words and those who did not believe, fulfilling the prophecy of Simeon in Luke 2:24 and Jesus' testimony about Himself in Luke 12:51-13.

Please read John 10:7-15: Jesus Identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd

7 So Jesus spoke to them again: 'In all truth [Amen, amen] I tell you, I am the gate of the sheepfold.  8 All who have come before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep took no notice of them.  9 I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and out and will find pasture.  10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.  11 I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.  12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; 13 he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep.  14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.'

John 10:7-8: So Jesus spoke to them again: 'In all truth [Amen, amen] I tell you, I am the gate of the sheepfold.  All who have come before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep took no notice of them.'

He begins both His explanation of the parable in verses 1-5 and a second parable with the solemn double "amen."  "I AM the gate" is the 3^rd of the 7 "I AM" metaphors [without a predicate nominative] of John's Gospel.  Jesus is again stating that only those who "go in" through Him have the authority to guide the flock [Church].  He is also the gate through which the flock must enter to come to salvation.  The imagery Jesus uses in this passage recalls Psalm 118:19-20: Open for me the gates of saving justice (salvation), I shall go in and thank Yahweh.  This is the gate of Yahweh, where the upright go in.  I thank you for hearing (answering) me, and making yourself my Savior.  It is significant that this passage precedes Psalms 118:22-24, the passage Jesus applies to Himself in Matthew 21:42: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this is Yahweh's doing, and we marvel at it.  This is the day which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad.  As well as the next verse [Psalms 118: 24-26] which the people will shout out the Jesus as He enters the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday: We beg you, Yahweh, save us (Hosanna); we beg you Yahweh, give us victory! Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he who is coming! [see John 12:13, Matthew 21:9]; and verse 26 which Jesus will quote of Himself in Matthew 23:39

Question: Jesus' reference to all who have come before me in verse 8 does not refer to the prophets and men of God in the Old Testament but to whom?
Answer: There are two different ways to interpret this passage.  Jesus may be referring to the Pharisees who have come to challenge His authority and His origins in front of the people, or to false messiahs who have preceded Him and will come after Him. But "true Israelites" do not heed the voices of those who oppose Him [John 5:45; 8:42, 46-47].

In 10:5 Jesus spoke of the "stranger" or false shepherds which the true sheep of the shepherd will run away from "because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."  In this passage He now turns to the other threat to the flock and identifies that threat as thieves and robbers/bandits, those who want to attack the Church lead the flock astray.  He also mentions the threat of thieves His last week in Jerusalem in Matthew 21:13; Mark 27:38; and Luke 19:46 when He accuses the authority of the Old Covenant Church of making His Father's house,  the Temple in Jerusalem, a "den of thieves."

History has shown that enemies of the fold/Church have attacked the sheepfold in 2 ways in the attempt to deceive the faithful and to scatter the flock:

1. Sometimes they enter the Church (as a member of the covenant people) and attack stealthily from within = thieves.
2. Sometimes they attack openly from outside the fold/Church = robbers/bandits.

Question:  Can you think of some examples of these two forms of attack?
Answer:

1. The Protestant Reformation when unfaithful priests scattered the "sheep" and stole them from the "fold." Catholic politicians who vote in favor of abortion.  Catholics who teach false doctrine or stand in opposition to the teaching of the Magisterium.
2. Governments that openly persecute Catholics and put priests into prison.  Adolph Hitler was both a thief from within and a robber by violence.  He was a baptized Catholic who promoted paganism and used the German government to persecute the Church.

John 10:9-10: Jesus repeats the message that He is the gate and tells the crowd: 'I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and out and will find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.'  

Explaining the meaning of His parable in verses 1-5, Jesus now identifies Himself as "the gate" to the sheepfold using the significant words "I AM" which recalls the divine name revealed to Moses in the experience of the burning bush, this is a "burning bush" experience for these people but few will recognize the significance and come to belief.

Question:  In verse 9 Jesus speaks about giving abundant pasture; what does He mean?  What does Christ give to the Church in abundance?
Answer: He gives the abundant graces that will flow from Christ to His Church in the Sacraments to enrich the lives of each individual on their journey of salvation and the Church's journey through time to the final hour of mankind.

John 10:11-13: I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.  The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep.
Jesus identifies Himself as the "good shepherd" using the significant words "I AM" [without a predicate nominative] for the fourth time.

Question:  What prophecy from the books of the prophets in last week's lesson would the people listening to Jesus connect to His statement?
Answer: Probably Ezekiel 34:1-12 especially verse 9-12: The Lord Yahweh says this:  'Look, I am against the shepherds.  I shall take my flock out of their charge and henceforth not allow them to feed my flock.  And the shepherds will stop feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths to stop them from being food for them.  For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it.  As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep.'

Question:  What future event is Jesus speaking of in verse 11?
Answer: His death.  In his Homilies on St. John St. John Chrysostom writes: "..he is speaking of his passion, making it clear this would take place for the salvation of the world and that he would go to it freely and willingly" [59,3]. In verse 10 Jesus spoke of the riches of the Sacraments and now He speaks of the laying down of His very life.  Pope St. Gregory the Great comments on this passage: He did what he said he would do; he gave his life for his sheep, and he gave his body and blood in the Sacrament to nourish with his flesh the sheep he had redeemed [In Evangelia homiliae, 14].

Question:  In the context of the shepherd caring for the sheep analogy why is Jesus' statement shocking to the crowd listening to Him?
Answer: A good shepherd is expected to defend and protect the flock but he is not expected to die for the sheep.

Although it may seem contradictory to us that Jesus calls Himself both the Good Shepherd in verses 11-18 as well as the Gate in verses 7 and 9, this sheepfold imagery was very familiar to Jesus' audience.  It is still common in many parts of the world, as it was in 1^st century AD Judea, to bring a number of flocks of sheep together at night into one stone enclosed sheepfold where they could be watched over by a few shepherds who protected them from predators.  It was common for stone-enclosed sheepfolds not to have a gate so the shepherd would sleep in the opened entrance to the sheepfold to protect the sheep.  The shepherd in effect used his own body as the protective "gate" to the sheepfold.  In the morning the others shepherds would return, the gateway would be opened and each shepherd would call his own sheep.  Each sheep knew the sound of its own shepherd's voice and so they would come to him to be led out of the pen.

Question:  How will Jesus' body become the "gate" into the sheepfold?
Answer: It is from His body on the cross that water and blood will flow, the water and blood of the Church in baptism and Eucharist.

Question:  What characterizes a "hired man"?
Answer: The "hired man" only works for his wage.  He does not have any emotional attachment to the sheep and in times of inconvenience, danger or risk will leave or not live up to the task at hand.

Question:  Who are those who are symbolized by the "hired man" in verse 12? How is the "hired man different from the "good shepherd" and who is the "wolf"?
Answer: The hired man is the priest who does not unselfishly "shepherd" God's flock.  He avoids unpopular issues and does not teach on controversial topics but leaves the flock to fall into sin. The "wolf" is the world in opposition of the Word of God.  Unlike the hired man the good shepherd is the one who seeks Christ's glory.  He is the priest who does not fear to reprove sinners.  St. Peter addressed this difference in his letter of 1 Peter 5:1-4: I urge you [...] give a shepherd's care to the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, as God wants; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it" . [...] "When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the unfading crown of glory.

St. Jose Maria Escriva reminds us: The holiness of Christ's Spouse has always been shown, as it can be seen today, by the abundance of good shepherds.  But our Christian faith, which teaches us to be simple, does not bid us be simple-minded.  There are hirelings who keep silent, and there are hirelings who speak with words which are not those of Christ.  That is why, if the Lord allows us to be left in the dark even in little things, if we feel that our faith is not firm, we should go to the good shepherd.  He enters by the door as of right.  He gives his life for others and wants to be in word and behavior a soul in love.  He may be a sinner too, but he trusts always in Christ's forgiveness and mercy.  Christ is Passing By, 34

John 10:14-15: 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 my sheep.

For a second time Jesus identifies Himself of the good shepherd of Ezekiel chapter 34 and for the second time promises to die for His sheep.

I know my own and my own know me..  This is the essence of a relationship with Christ. This is knowledge in the sense of the "covenant relationship". In the Biblical sense "knowledge" is not simply the conclusion of an intellectual process, but it is the fruit of an experience, a personal encounter.  Knowledge of God is an intimate association through the covenant relationship.  In Hosea 2:21-22 the prophet speaks of the day when Yahweh will redeem Israel as His Bride and when she will call Yahweh "my husband" and no longer call Him "my baal," which is the address of a concubine or a slave to her master [see Hosea 2:18-20/16-18]: I shall betroth you in uprightness and justice, and faithful love and tenderness.  Yes, I shall betroth you to myself in loyalty and in the knowledge of Yahweh.  Knowledge of Yahweh and hesed, in Hebrew = faithful covenant love, cannot be separated [also see 4:2; 6:6].  This knowledge is not merely intellectual acknowledgement.  God "makes himself known" to humans when He enters into covenant with them and shows His love [hesed] for them by the blessings He confers.  In this intimate relationship God's Covenant people "know" Him when they faithfully observe God's covenant, when they show thankfulness for His gifts, and when they return love for love in a marital covenant relationship between God and His Bride the Church [see Proverbs 2:5; Isaiah 11:2; and 58:2].  Jesus will take this definition of divine love further when He calls us not just to love in the context of the covenant but to give ourselves sacrificially and unselfishly as He gave Himself for the Church, redefining the Greek word agape, which meant spiritual love, to mean in the Christian context of self-sacrificial love.

Please read John 10:16-21: The Conclusion of the Good Shepherd Discourse and Jesus' Prophecy of His Death and Resurrection:
¹⁶ And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too.  They too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, one shepherd.  ¹⁷The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.  ¹⁸No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will, as I have power to lay it down, so I have power to take it up again; and this is the command I have received from my Father.  ¹⁹These words caused a fresh division among the Jews.  ²⁰Many said, 'He is possessed, he is raving; why do you listen to him?'  ²¹Others said, 'These are not the words of a man possessed by a devil: could a devil open the eyes of the blind?'

John 10:16: And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too.  They too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, one shepherd.

There cannot be two covenants.  There can only be one covenant and one Church because there can only be one Bride [see Many Religions-One Covenant, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger; Hebrews 8:13].  Israel the Bride of Yahweh is transformed into the new Israel, the Bride of Christ when she is born from His side at the cross in the water and the blood just as Eve, the bride came from the side of her bridegroom Adam.  Adam was not willing to die for his bride when confronted by Satan but Christ offers Himself as the perfect sacrifice for His Bride, the Church.  It is the promise of Hosea 2:18-20 and the promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31.  There is one flock and one Shepherd who is Jesus Christ the supreme Shepherd over the one universal Church [Hebrews 13:20].  The spiritual authority of those who shepherd the flock as Christ's representatives [Peter and the other Apostles] is authority that comes directly from Christ who gives them a share in His saving mission [see John 21:15-17 and CCC# 553 and 754].

Question: Who are the "other sheep" who will become part of this New Covenant fold?
Answer: The "other sheep" are the Gentiles who will be gathered into the Messiah’s flock alongside the restored sheep of Israel (John 11:52). The "other sheep" come into the covenant relationship through Christ. All who listen to His voice will be gathered into the one flock that Jesus leads to eternal life.
John 10:16 refers to Zechariah's prophecy of the sheep led by their shepherd who break out of the sheepfold and are led by their king. Jesus is both the shepherd and the king of David's line.

John 10:17-18: The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.  No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will, as I have power to lay it down, so I have power to take it up again; and this is the command I have received from my Father.

Question: How is this statement proof of Jesus' divinity?  When is His prophecy fulfilled?
Answer: Only God Himself could have such absolute power over life and death.  This prophecy is fulfilled on the cross with His sacrifice and in His Resurrection after 3 days.
and this is the command I have received from my Father.  CCC# 607:  The desire to embrace his Father's plan of redeeming love inspired Jesus' whole life, for his redemptive passion was the very reason of his Incarnation....

The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.  The sacrifice of Jesus for the redemption of the whole world expressed His unity of will and His loving communion with God the Father.  At the end of the parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:14 Jesus states that the Father's love excludes no one: it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.   In this statement Jesus affirms that He came to give his life as a ransom for many, and that His sacrifice is not limited but is intended for all of humanity.  The Church, following the teaching of the Apostles, affirms that Jesus died for all humanity without exception: There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer.  See CCC# 605.

John 10:19-21: These words caused a fresh division among the Jews.  Many said, 'He is possessed, he is raving; why do you listen to him?'  Others said, 'These are not the words of a man possessed by a devil: could a devil open the eyes of the blind?

The crowd continues to be divided over who is this man from the Galilee but with each encounter He wins more disciples. 

THE FEAST OF DEDICATION

[The decision is made to kill Jesus]

Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness.
 1 Maccabees 4:59

As with all the other feast days on which Jesus has come to Jerusalem to teach, He makes a direct link between Himself and the core significance of the festival.  This is the first time Jesus will use the title "Son of God" when speaking about Himself, even though He has repeatedly contrasted Himself as the Son who does the will of God the Father.  The use of the title "Son of God" at this festival [verse 36] is a virtual synonym for "Messiah" and would be understood by 1^st century AD Jews in that way.

Please read John 10:22-30: The Decision to Kill Jesus is Made During the Feast of Dedication
²²It was the time of the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem.  It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴The Jews gathered round him and said, 'How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense?  If you are the Christ, tell us openly.' ²⁵Jesus replied: 'I have told you, but you do not believe.  The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; ²⁶but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.  ²⁷The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.  ²⁸I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand.  ²⁹The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand.  ²⁰The Father and I are one.

John 10:22-24: It was the time of the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem.  It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the portico of Solomon.  The Jews gathered round him and said, 'How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense?  If you are the Christ, tell us openly.'

Jesus has gone to the Temple to teach.  He is pacing up and down in the portico of Solomon, a covered colonnade on the eastern side of the outer court of the Temple.  According to the 1^st century AD Jewish historian Flavius Josephus the people believed this porch was all that remained from Solomon's original Temple destroyed by the Babylonians in the 6^th century BC [Antiquities of the Jews, 1511.3; 20.9.7; Jewish Wars 5.5.1].  The portico formed the boundary of the Temple precincts and in Acts 3:11 it is the area where Peter and John are standing with the crippled man they have healed: Everyone came running towards them in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called...

The Feast of Dedication, known by the Hebrew word for dedication "Chanukah" [also as Hanukkah] is celebrated in our month of December.  It was not a Sacred Feast ordained by God, but it was instead a national feast instituted by the people.  It was instituted by the great military leader Judas Maccabeus to celebrate the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164BC after it had been desecrated by the Syrian-Greek army and later liberated by the victorious Jewish army.  For three years from 167-164BC the Syrian Greeks had desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by erecting the idol of Baal Shamen [the Mesopotamian version of Zeus] on the sacrificial altar [1 Maccabees 1:54 and 2 Maccabees 6:1-7].  This profaning of the Temple came to an end when Judas Maccabeus drove out the Syrians on the 25^th of Chislev [1 Maccabees 4:41-61].   The history behind this feast is recorded in 1 and 2 Maccabees, two books that are no longer part of the Jewish or Protestant canon.  The Jewish Tanach [Old Testament] no longer has any record of the events that led to the formation of this feast.

Please read 1 Maccabees 4:36-59 and 2 Maccabees 10:1-8.

The celebration of the rededication of the Temple became a feast similar to the 8 day Feast of Tabernacles [Shelters] which was celebrated in the early fall and which commemorated the giving to the Tabernacle in the desert and the sovereignty of God.  It was also during the Feast of Tabernacles [Shelters] that Solomon's Temple had been dedicated [2 Chronicles 5:3-7:1]. The dedication of Solomon's Temple was accompanied by the coming of the shekinah glory of God and resulted in the divine lighting of the fire upon the sacrificial altar [2 Chronicles 7:1]. As a result this feast developed an impressive light celebration enacted each night during the feast [discussed in chapter 8].   Like the Feast of Tabernacles, Chanukah became a "feast of lights" and even the palm and willow branches of the Tabernacles [Shelters] celebration became part of the ritual of this new feast: They kept eight festal days with rejoicing, in the manner of the feast of Shelters, remembering how, not long before at the time of the feast of Shelters, they had been living in the mountains and caverns like wild beasts. Then, carrying thyrsuses, leafy boughs and palms, they offered hymns to him who had brought the cleansing of his own holy place to a happy outcome.  They also decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole Jewish nation should celebrate those same days every year. 
2 Maccabees 10:6-8.

However, God did not light the sacred altar of sacrifice in 165BC at the re-taking of the Temple nor did He light the altar at the dedication a year later but according to the Talmud [Megillat Taanit 9] there was a miracle.   It took 8 days to rebuild the altar and during that time the one vial of consecrated olive that was found provided a continuous supply of oil to light the golden Menorah until the priests could return to the Temple with more oil 8 days later.  Therefore, this feast was celebrated with lights, with recognition of the ministerial priesthood as the shepherds of Yahweh's flock, and as a fulfillment of the prophecies of Daniel 8:1-12 and 11:22-32.  These prophecies were fulfilled in the defeat of the Syrian Greeks and the restoration of Judah to national independence for the first time since 586BC. Since this feast also celebrated freedom from foreign oppression Jews in the first century AD, suffering under the domination of the Romans, naturally were consumed with thoughts of national deliverance.  The biblical promises of the Messiah as a conquering Davidic king were foremost in the minds of the people which led to the question posed to Jesus in verse 24 which demands "don't give us parables...tell us plainly are you the Messiah?"

John 10:24-25: Jesus replied: 'I have told you, but you do not believe.  The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.'

Once again we have the reoccurring theme of "listening" to the voice of Jesus which is the command of Yahweh in Deuteronomy 18:19: I shall put my words into his mouth and he will tell them everything I command him.  Anyone who refuses to listen to my words, spoken by him in my name, will have to render an account to me.  Jesus has taught with authority and He has performed miracles greater than any former prophet of Israel.  He has done enough to provide his interrogators with an answer to their question.  These teachings and "signs" are greater than any verbal statement because they are all in fulfillment of the prophesies of the holy prophets of God concerning the identity and mission of the Messiah.  In Luke 22:67b Jesus tells them, 'If I tell you, you will not believe me.'  Here in verse 25 He tells them they are not His sheep therefore they do not follow Him.  It is the blindness of the Jewish leadership that prevents them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David.  There spiritual defect is contrasted in Matthews Gospel by two different sets of blind men; one set in Matthew 9:27 and a later set in Jericho in Matthew 20:32.  In both incidents the blind men all call out, Have pity on us, son of David.  To call Jesus "son of David" is the same as calling Him the Messiah.  The irony is that these men who are physically in darkness have seen the "Light" spiritually while the Pharisees and others have physical sight yet walk in darkness.

Question: But what is the other reason He will not give them a definitive answer to their question: "Are you the Messiah, the son of David?"
Answer: Because when He does give a definitive answer that He is the Messiah that statement will be the final seal to His death sentence and He still needs a little more time. 

John 10:26-30: The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.  I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand.  The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.

For the 3^rd time Jesus declares that He and the Father are one!  He makes the same claim He made in John 5:17 and 8:58.  Jesus and the Father are one because they do the same work and stand in the same relation to the "sheep".  God the Father accomplished His work in the world uniquely through the Son.

Question: How do the sheep "know" Jesus?
Answer: They know Him in a covenantal relationship.

Question:  To know Christ in a covenant relationship promises what blessings?
Answer: Eternal life and a bond with Christ which cannot be broken, unless the baptized believer personally rejects Christ as Savior and Lord.  The protection that Jesus provides for those who believe in Him and remain faithful is equivalent to the Father's divine protection. 

Notice Jesus says I give them eternal life'in the present tense; not  "I will give". The gift is present and continuous!

Question:  What does Jesus mean when He says The Father and I are one.?
Answer: Jesus is claiming unity and equality with the Godhead.  God the Father and God the Son are united in the loving embrace of the God the Holy Spirit.  The unity of the most holy Trinity cannot be divided even when we distinguish between the three Divine Persons.  St. Augustine instructs us: Listen to the Son himself, 'I and the Father are one.'  He did not say, 'I am the Father' or 'I and the Father are one [Person].'  But when he says 'I and the Father are one,' notice the two words 'we are' and 'one'..[..] for if they are one, then they are not diverse; if 'we are', then there is both a Father and a Son.  [In Ioannis Evangelius- The Gospel of John, 36,9].

Jesus is one in substance with the Father as far as divine essence or nature is concerned, but the Father and the Son are distinct Persons.  Paul VI, Creed of the People of God, 10: We believe then in the Father who eternally begets the Son; in the Son, the Word of God, who is eternally begotten; in the Holy Spirit, the uncreated Person who proceeds from the Father and the Son as their eternal Love. 

The Jews do not miss the implication of His words.

Please read John 10: 31-42:
³¹The Jews fetched stones to stone him, ³²so Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?'  ³³The Jews answered him, 'We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for blasphemy; though you are only a man, you claim to be God.' ³⁴Jesus answered: Is it not written in you Law: 'I said, you are gods'?  ³⁵So it uses the word 'gods' of those people to whom the word of God was addressed and Scripture cannot be set aside. ³⁶Yet to someone whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world you say, 'You are blaspheming' because I said, 'I am Son of God.' ³⁷If I am not doing my Father's work, there is no need to believe me; ³⁸but if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for certain that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.  ³⁹They again wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded their clutches.  ⁴⁰He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to the district where John had been baptizing at first and he stayed there.  ⁴¹Many people who came to him said, 'John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true'; and many of them believed in him.

John 10:31-33: The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?'  The Jews answered him, 'We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for blasphemy; though you are only a man, you claim to be God.'

The Jews understand Jesus to be saying that He is God but they interpret His words as blasphemy.  The punishment for blasphemy under the Sinai covenant is death by stoning [Leviticus 24:16].

Question:  As they pick up stones to execute Him, Jesus sarcastically asks them what question?
Answer: He asks them for which of His many good works will they kill Him.

Question:  What is their answer?  Hint: see verse 33
Answer: They respond that it is for His claims for divinity—the sin of blasphemy that they condemn Him.

John 10:34-36: Jesus answered: Is it not written in you Law: 'I said, you are gods'?  So it uses the word 'gods' of those people to whom the word of God was addressed and scripture cannot be set aside.  Yet to someone whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world you say, 'You are blaspheming' because I said, 'I am Son of God.'

In referring to "the Law" Jesus could be referring to the Old Testament in general or just to the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of Moses as a whole.  The Scripture Jesus quotes is from Psalms 82:6.  This psalms is a prayer for God to punish the corrupt shepherds of Israel whose function as instruments of God's justice made them in a sense 'gods' [Deuteronomy 21:6; Deuteronomy 1:17; 19:17; Psalms 58].  In His reply Jesus applies exegetical technique to Scripture and uses a "from lesser to greater" kind of logic that was a standard formula for debate among 1^st century AD Jewish scholars.  His argument is: if corrupt leaders of Israel, who are mere mortals, can be given the title 'gods' in Scripture when they serve in their duties as God's representatives, how can they bring charges of blasphemy against Him when it is in His position as the consecrated envoy of Yahweh that He calls Himself "Son of God"?  This is classic 1^st century AD rabbinical logic.  Note: Jesus might also have quoted Exodus 7:1 where Moses is called 'god'.  The Hebrew word for gods, elohim, could refer to any exalted individual who yielded great power without implying that Yahweh wasn't the one true God.

Question:  What does Jesus mean when He says Scripture cannot be set aside..?
Answer: Jesus is affirming, as He has in past references to Sacred Scripture, that Scripture consists of the very words of God, and its teaching is as true as God Himself and is reliable testimony which cannot be ignored or set aside.

Question:  When Jesus says, to someone to whom the Father has consecrated, it is an interesting choice of words considering the feast the people are celebrating. What is the irony in Jesus' words?
Answer: The people are celebrating the rededication of the Temple.  The word "consecrated" means "to be set apart as holy".  Jesus, God the Son, is "set apart" by God the Father to consecrate the world to truth [John 17:19].  This is a feast that celebrates the consecration of the Second Temple.  This old sanctuary is to be replaced by the new and consecrated Temple that is Jesus' body.  The building may be holy but its holiness cannot compare with the holiness of Jesus' body, the true Temple [John 2:21].

John 10:37-38: If I am not doing my Father's work, there is no need to believe me; but if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for certain that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.

Question:  What do the "works" of Jesus reveal about Him?
Answer: The "works" of Jesus are to authenticate His mission in the eyes of the people and to support His claims to divinity.  He has shown absolute power over creation and that He can suspend the laws of nature.  These works give testimony to His true nature.

John 10:39-40: They again wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded their clutches.  He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to the district where John had been baptizing at first and he stayed there.  Many people who came to him said, 'John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true'; and many of them believed in him.

Jesus' ministry is drawing to a close.  It is December and in March He will make His last journey to Jerusalem.  Therefore, He returns to the site where His ministry began on the far or east side of the Jordan River where He was baptized by His kinsman John.  John's work of preparation is still producing results.  The crowds who accepted the Baptist's message are now following Jesus.  They believe John's testimony of Him: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God [John 1:34].

As we close this chapter perhaps it is time to reflect on our own "works".  What do our "works" reveal about us?  Are we living in union with the will of God working in our lives?  My prayer for you is from Hebrews 13:20: I pray that the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant, may prepare you to do his will in every kind of good action; effecting in us all whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.

Resources used in this lesson:

1. A Shepherd Looks at Psalms 23, Weldon Keller [Zondervan Publishing, 1997]
2. The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel, Craig Blomberg
3. The Anchor Bible Commentary- The Gospel of John, vol. I, Fr. Raymond Brown
4. The Navarre Biblical Commentary – St. John
5. In Ioannis Evangelius [The Gospel of John], St. Augustine
6. Christ is Passing By,  St. Jose Maria Escriva
7. Homilies on St. John, St. John Chrysostom
8. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible – The Gospel of John
9. Many Religions – One Covenant, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger [Ignatius Press, 1998]
10. Catechism of the Catholic Church
11. The Feasts of the Lord, Howard and Rosenthal [Thomas Nelson, 1997]
12. The Works of Josephus

Catechism References  [* indicates verse quoted in CCC passage]

Gospel of John chapter 10 references

John 10:1-10	754*
10 :1-21	764*
10::3	2158*
10:11-15	574*, 553, 754*
10:16	60*
10:17-18	606, 614*, 649, 609
10:19-21	595*, 596*, 574*
10:22-23	583*
10:25	548*, 582*
10:30	590
10:31	574*
10:31-38	548*, 574*, 589*, 594,591*
10:36	437, 444*, 1562
10:37-38	582*, 548*