'I am the good shepherd' Flashcards
How many ‘I am’ statements does Jesus make in this discourse?
3, all of which have something to do with shepherding
Who would this kind of language been very family too?
His listeners in 1st century Palestine
Why were sheep the main farming animal in Palestine?
Because cows needed too much water, and pigs were off limits for the Jews
Describe the role of a shepherd at this time
They were the lowest paid farm workers, with little incentive to risk their life to protect someone else’s flock
Who do the sheep represent?
The ordinary Jewish people; ‘the lost sheep of Israel’, as Jesus calls them
State Jesus’ ‘I am the gate’ statement in full
‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are theives and robbers, but the sheep will not have listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved’
What does Jesus mean when he says he is the gate?
He is the way for the sheep to exit the pen and enter the pastures, which is a symbol for eternal life
State John 14:6
I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me
Who does Raymond Brown suggest the theives and robbers are?
The Pharisees
Why did Jesus think religious teachers had hijacked the Jewish faith?
Because they don’t really represent the type of religion God promised to Abraham.
What does Jesus mean when he says ‘the sheep have not listened to them’?
Ordinary people can’t meet all the rules the Pharisees lay down, but they can believe in Jesus
Give Jesus’ ‘I am the Good Shepherd’ statement in full
I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep
What is the difference between the good shephers and the ‘hirelings’?
The hirelings only guard the flock because they are paid, whereas the good shepherd is motivated by love
How is the idea of the good shepherd linked to the theme of God’s word becoming flesh?
Because God’s word comes to the Earth to seek out the lost souls, just as a good shepherd would look for a sheep who had wandered away from the flock
How does the idea of the heroic shepherd link back to the story of King David?
David bravely fought of lions to protect his father’s flock as a youth. Jesus is in the line of David, and, like David, is defending his father’s flock - but his father is God and his flock is the entire human race
What does Jesus mean when he talks about ‘laying down his life for the sheep’?
He is predicting his crucifixion: David only had to face down lions and survived; Jesus will have to face down the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Roman Empire, but he is prepared to die an atoning death to save people from sin
How can Jesus be seen as identifying himself with God by calling himself the good shepherd?
Because the OT often uses the image of the good shepherd to describe Jesus
Where is God referred to as the good shepherd in the OT?
Ezekial 37:24
What does Jesus mean when he says his sheep ‘know him’?
That they have a relationship with him because they know him, rather than just following the rules
How is what Jesus offers different to what the Pharisees offer?
Jesus offers a relationship of love with his followers, the same love that exists between him and God, whereas the Pharisees only offer rules to follow
What does Jesus mean when he says that he has ‘other sheep that are not of this sheep pen’?
Jesus’ other sheep are the Gentiles. Jesus’ atoning death will not just be for the Jews, but for all people
Why were the earliest Christian leaders called pastors?
It is from the Latin word for shepherd
What did early bishops use to symbolise their authority?
A crozier, modeled on a shepherd’s crook
How does Raymond Brown propose that the structure of the Johannine community and the idea that Jesus is the good shepherd are linked?
He proposes that the Johannine Community didn’t have pastors was more egalitarian than the other Christians churches of the time. Therefore this passage is meant to say that Christ, rather than any other human, is the true ‘pastor’ of the church
