John 10:11-18

Go Deep

 (John 10:11-18)

Read John 10:11-18. Note anything that seems important or interesting.

What does a shepherd do for his sheep? List as many actions as you can. Is there any correlation between the things you listed and what Jesus does for his people? Explain.

The idea that a shepherd would willingly die for his sheep was unheard of. What might Jesus’s hearers have thought as they listened to him say this (verse 11)?

What is the point of verse 12? Why does Jesus speak of a hired hand? How does the hired hand compare to the shepherd? What is different about them?

Read verse 14. Consider this question: Do all the sheep that know the shepherd know they know the shepherd? Is it possible for a sheep to know the shepherd without knowing that it knows him?

Is the idea that the Good Shepherd knows you encouraging? Why? Might some people find it troubling? Why?

What difference does the Good Shepherd’s knowledge of you make in everyday life?

In what ways did Jesus the Good Shepherd lay down his life for his sheep?

In verse 17, Jesus says: “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life…” Does this mean the Father would not love Jesus if he didn’t lay down his life? Explain.

Read verse 16. Who or what are Jesus’s other sheep? What do you think his first hearers understood him to be saying? How is Jesus bringing these other sheep? (For more on “one flock,” read Ephesians 2:11-22.)

What does the Old Testament say about God’s desire to bring Gentiles to himself? (For examples, see Ps. 22:27-28; Ps. 67; Ps. 87:4; Isa. 49:6.) Why did the Jews seemingly not acknowledge this?

What is the voice of the shepherd (v. 16) like? Does everyone who hears the Shepherd’s voice know what they’re hearing?

Consider one of Jesus’s acts as a shepherd – knowing his sheep, laying down his life for the sheep, taking up his life, or calling his sheep. What do you find encouraging about this act?