Objectives:
- To tell events of Jesus’ message about being a Good Shepherd {John 10}
- To list characteristics of sheep and shepherds
- To compare the Good Shepherd to the thief and hired hand
Materials: Inductive Bible Study Form; For the younger children, I drew little pictures that included a sheep pin, a door, a shepherd, and a thief; a children’s book on the 23rd Psalm
Geography: Jerusalem
Background: Jesus healed the blind man and caused upheaval among the Jewish Leadership. But as more and more people follow Jesus, the Pharisees want more and more to get rid of Him.
Main Events of Jesus is the Good Shepherd:
1) Learn about the life of an ancient shepherd before going through this lesson. This will help you to understand the words of Jesus even better!
2) Create a chart with three columns. Label one “The Good Shepherd,” another “The Thief,” and the third as the “Hired Hand”. As you read through the scripture, you will add information to the appropriate columns as you learn about each person.
3) Read a children’s book about the Twenty-third Psalm. I used He Is My Shepherd by David and Helen Haidle. Consider this as an Old Testament reading about the Good Shepherd. What does the Psalm tell us about the Shepherd?
4) Read John 10 and fill in the chart.
|
The Good Shepherd |
The Thief |
The Hired Hand |
|
Enters by the door Gatekeeper lets him in Sheep hear his voice Calls sheep by name and leads them out Goes before the sheep The sheep follow him Gives life abundantly Lays down his life for the sheep He knows his own and they know him |
Climbs in another way Sheep will not follow Sheep flee from him The sheep do not know his voice He will steal, kill, and destroy Snatches and scatters the sheep |
Does not own the sheep When in danger, leaves the sheep and flees Cares nothing for the sheep |
Keep in mind that Jesus was speaking to the Jews. They would be familiar with the life of a shepherd. In fact, most shepherds were outcasts. They didn’t necessarily take care of their own sheep, but sheep that belonged to their master. Jesus used everyday life to teach heavenly concepts.
In verse 16, Jesus told the Jews that He had sheep of another fold and that He was going to join both groups into one flock. One flock with One Shepherd.
Life Application of Jesus is the Good Shepherd:
Who are the sheep? {people are} As we read in the 23rd Psalm book, sheep aren’t exactly the smartest animals from the ark. And if you look at our sinful track records, we really aren’t too smart at times. We make decisions that aren’t good because they could hurt us, or others. We are sinful, broken sheep. Who is the Good Shepherd? {Jesus} Is the Good Shepherd the shepherd of all the sheep? {No, only of the ones who hear His voice and follow.}
Christians follow the Good Shepherd. We need to watch out for the thief and we cannot rely on the hired hand. Satan would love to destroy us. There will always be people who have their own selfish motives and reasons for not taking care of the sheep. That’s why we must ALWAYS listen to Jesus and know Him well enough so we hear His voice above all the noise. Verse 14 is so important! Jesus KNOWS who belongs to Him. Do you belong to Jesus? Would He say that you belong to Him? Do you listen to His voice? He laid down His life for you. When did He do that? {on the cross} That is why He calls Himself the Door, or the Gate. Jesus is the way to salvation. All sheep must pass through the Door to enter into heaven.
That’s the only way. There is one flock, One Shepherd. Are you a part of His flock?
