Truth Magazine

By Bobby L. Graham

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:11, ASV). These heart-tugging words of our Lord, couched in the midst of a rather lengthy section concerning his shepherding care, set him in definite contrast with the selfish hirelings among the Pharisees, who had rigorously questioned Jesus in chapter nine regarding his restoring sight to the blind man. That man was among those for whom Jesus was even then showing the highest degree of loving care and sympathy. With such a claim to be the “good” shepherd (beautiful, noble, good, wholesome), one both inwardly good and outwardly attractive (though not facial appearance), he strongly implied the foul, wicked, and unlovely nature of the would-be shepherds. It is significant that the Lord then proceeded to prove his right to shepherd the people of God.

Qualification

In the first two verses Jesus used the illustration of the sheepfold, that walled enclosure sometimes having a strong door giving the sheep their only access, to indicate his place as the pastor of God’s sheep. He was unlike the thief and the robber, seeking to enter the fold by some other way because the porter would deny them entry. He entered by the door.

Every Old Testament figure up to the time of John has been explained to be the porter or doorkeeper. While it is possible that they all combined might be here meant because of their introducing Jesus to God’s people, it seems more likely to the author that the Father in heaven is intended. God has made known the qualifications of the coming shepherd, and the Pharisees miserably failed the test of eligibility. Jesus, on the other hand, came in harmony with their every prediction and thus entered by God’s appointed way. His own sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, in demonstration of his selfless and giving spirit, qualified him to enter the fold and to lead the sheep.

Leadership

A good shepherd knows that he cannot drive sheep, but he must lead them. He must actually go before them so they can see him and follow him. As he goes ahead of them, he first is able to sight the vicious beast or whatever danger lies ahead. In the sheepfold are sometimes several flocks left there by their respective shepherds. As each one arrives to get his own sheep, he simply calls them in similiar voice. They have an uncanny ability to distinguish his voice from that of a stranger. A stranger dressed as their shepherd still cannot get them to follow when he calls them by name.

Such leadership exerted by Jesus in the Scriptures gains sheep and enables them to hear his voice, to know his voice, to know his call, and to distinguish his voice from the call of a stranger. False teachers and advocates of error are ever ready to gain followers among the Lord’s sheep. The urgency of teaching and studying the Word should be easily understood (2 Tim. 4:2).

Protection

The safety afforded by Jesus is here set in contrast with the selfish unconcern of the thief and robber, both hirelings. While technical differences separate thieves and robbers, they both seek their own benefit at the expense of sheep, not that of the sheep. The hirelings, watching the sheep only for his wages, flees when the wild beast appears. On the other hand, the good shepherd watches the flock for the good of the sheep. Unlike the selfish teacher and the false teacher, Jesus sought the benefit of God’s people. He did not flee when danger arose (Jn. 3:16).

Jesus also spoke of himself as the door, based on the practice of the shepherd’s stretching his own body across the doorway to prevent the sheep’s leaving and the wolf’s entering undetected. As shepherd he willingly placed himself in the line of danger for the sake of the sheep. “A wonderful savior is Jesus my Lord….”

Understanding Each Other

Jesus the good shepherd and his sheep know each other. Over a long period of time in daily association, the shepherd comes to understand his sheep and the sheep come to understand him. Such intimacy begets mutual understanding.

It is in this way the Lord and his people gain understandingthrough the experiences they have together. Jesus talks to his sheep through the words of the Bible; they under-stand and appreciate his wise ways. In prayer they express their hearts’ de-sires and in life they follow his teachings. This intimate acquaintance has but one parallel, that relationship between the Father and the Son (v.15). The goodness of the Lord, combined with his purity and love, give his words a magnetic appeal. What a foundation is this for the growing understanding and appreciation of the sheep for their shepherd.

Desire to Save

Though many shepherds have been motivated by the welfare of their sheep, Jesus doubtlessly manifests the greatest concern for the good of all. Verse sixteen portrays him as the impartial gatherer and encourager of all to enter his fold. Those of Israelitish ancestry would have a place in God’s sheepfold, and the Lord Jesus planned to bring other sheep (Gentiles) into the fold as they were willing to hear his voice. His plan was that there be one fold and one shepherd.

The work of the apostles began with the Israelite people but was not limited to them. The promises made to Abraham included the people of all nations willing to place their faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s love for all even now reaches out to draw all men to him (Jn. 12:32). Under the Great Commission the Lord wanted the blessings of the gospel to be enjoyed by those of all nations (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15).

Lessons For Elders

Christ the good shepherd surely epitomizes all the traits and qualities desirable in all under-shepherds (pastors, elders). To him all should look for guidance and strength, seeking to imbibe something of the spirit of the Lord. In developing this likeness to Christ they will qualify themselves to shepherd after his model (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1). They will tend, feed, guide, and de-fend the sheep for the sheep’s benefit, not for themselves. Alertness to spiritual dangers will characterize their watchfulness, and from the Lord they shall receive their crown (1 Pet. 5:1-4).

By preventive shepherding they can bind the sheep to them and avoid nagging problems. They need to speak to the sheep, being careful to communicate their plans and goals. They must feed and not leave all teaching to others. They should learn their sheep and call them by name. Close relationships with the sheep are advisable. These can be developed by private visiting and encouragement and warning. Shepherds do not complete their work in the meetings that they have with each other; such hardly touches the surface of their work of tending the flock. Too many sheep depart because they have not even heard the voice of shepherds.

The need for spiritual pastors is great, and the need for shepherds to follow Christ the good shepherd is even greater.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII No.23, p. 16-17
December 1, 1994

By Kenneth D. Sils

A few weeks ago, many American’s sat riveted to their chairs as we watched with horror the events taking place in Union County, South Carolina concerning Susan Smith and the murder of her two young boys. She told the media that her car was highjacked with her children in it and we witnessed a nationwide search for them, even seeing the FBI following a lead as far away as Oregon. Many members of that community were searching the highways and byways while several others spent long hours in church buildings praying for the boys’ recovery. Susan and her husband were all over the TV pleading for the safe return of their children. This was a community gripped in despair and we hurt right along with them.

Then, came the greatest of all shocks. With a large crowd gathered, a police detective announced that Susan Smith was under arrest for the murder of her own children. Many in the crowd gasped with unbelief. Some denied that this was possible while others were visibly angry. The overwhelming question of the people of Union County was, “How could a mother kill her own children?” After her arrest, several of her angry neighbors told the media that they would have been glad to take the boys into their homes if they would have only known Susan’s state of mind.

The question this small community asked sure is a good one for us to consider, “How can a mother kill her own children?” It’s obvious that this action is never justified and should never be accepted by a civilized society. Yet, our country accepts over a million mothers who kill their children each year. The accepted difference is that these children being murdered have not yet seen the light of day, still growing in the womb of their mothers. The proverb writer said in Proverbs 6:16-17, “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood.” Whether the child be three years old, 14 months old or still growing in the womb, killing it is shedding innocent blood and will bring God’s righteous wrath upon the murderer.

People have asked me, If abortion is so wrong, why didn’t the Founding Fathers say so in the Constitution?” The 5th Amendment of the constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, states, “No person shall be . . . deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law .” America’s Founding Fathers were God-fearing men and patterned our government from the laws found in the Bible. They believed as Dr. Suess instructed in Horton Hears a Who that “a person’s a person, no matter how small!” If they were alive today, I’m confident they would have upheld the 5th Amendment and deprived life to all mothers who kill their children, including the shedding of blood which occurs at every abortion.

We should not give up hope. Our nation has just elected some of the most conservative politicians in the last 50 years. Let’s continue to pray that America’s sin of abortion will soon come to a screeching halt and the hearts of these murderers will melt and turn to God’s truth. G

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 24, p. 1
December 15, 1994

By Larry Ray Hafley

Had there been such a headline in the “papers” of the day, mighty men derisively would have scoffed and said, “What a laugh!” Yet, there it was; the affirmation and confirmation of the fact was made: “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jer. 1:10).

God had done the same sort of thing many years before with Moses. Imagine, a lowly, banished shepherd approaching the military might of the potentate Pharaoh and saying, “Let my people go!” Again, what a laugh! As Pharaoh contemptuously asked, “Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice?” (Exod. 5:2)

Centuries later, the Lord repeated the effort and its effect. After listing the magnificent seven in the courts and congresses of the world (Caesar, Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias, Annas, and Caiaphas), Luke said, “the word of God came unto John” (Lk. 3:1, 2). Not unto the popes and political powers of the civil and religious realm, but unto John “the word of the Lord came.”

Jeremiah, Moses, John the Immerser  what an unlikely trio! But to each man, God gave a message and a mission. The men were unimposing; their message appeared impotent; their mission seemed doomed to failure. Jeremiah was sent to a miry dungeon. Moses was rejected by his own people. John, an ascetic, backwoods preacher, was beheaded.

If you were of “the nations” and the kingdoms” of those eras, would you have considered these men a threat? Would you have given their word a second hearing? Would you have wagered anything on the chances of their success? No, a thousand times, no! Yet, in the end, each ultimately prevailed through him that ruleth in the affairs of men. It required many years. Moses and John did not live to see the full fruition of their word and work, but, as was said of later ventures, “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). Count on it (Isa. 55:11).

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 24, p. 4
December 15, 1994

By H.E. Phillips

Jesus Christ gave the world a perfect example of walking with God and talking to God. No man can walk with God who does not talk to him and hear (obey) his word. Most people today look upon prayer as a tool for the poor, hungry, suffering, diseased and hopeless. People who have reasonable health and security, a good job and comfortable home surroundings have little use for prayer except for the common ritual when they “go to church” and occasionally just before a meal. Jesus Christ was a man of prayer while he lived among men. He taught his disciples to pray in his great Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:5-13; Lk. 11:1).

Why Did Jesus Pray?

Why would Jesus pray to God in heaven? He co-existed with the Father in eternity before the foundation of the world. Why would he need to talk to God when he knew his will and purpose perfectly? Jesus said, “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3:35). “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). The divine record provides a number of details regarding the prayers of Jesus from the beginning of his ministry to his death. Far more than we can discuss in this paper.

Fellowship necessitates communication. Walking together means agreement. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3) We are commanded to “speak the same thing” and be “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). That requires communication. The communication between Jesus Christ and his Father is expected because of their fellowship in the eternal purpose of God.

How Did Jesus Pray?

1. He prayed with thanksgiving. He often expressed thanks to his Father (Matt. 11:25,26). When he established the Lord’s supper he offered thanks (1 Cor. 11:24,25).

2. He prayed that the will of God be done, even in death (Matt. 26:39). “…if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 Jn. 5:14).

3. He prayed with “strong crying and tears.” “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers andsupplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. . .” (Heb. 5:7).

4. He prayed with confidence and humility. At the tomb of Lazarus he said: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always. . .” (Jn. 11:41,42). His disciples believed the Father heard him when he prayed: “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee” (Jn. 11:21,22). Jesus acknowledged that his Father always heard his prayers. “. . . Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always…” (Jn. 11:42).

5. Jesus prayed earnestly and fervently the night before his death. “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Lk. 22:44).

6. He did not use the power that was available to him through prayer that he might do the will of his Father. He said, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Matt. 26:53,54) Twelve legions of angels comprehend a numberless host. Angels did minis-ter to him on occasion. After his temptation by Satan angels ministered to him (Matt. 4:11), and in the garden just before his betrayal, “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (Lk. 22:43).

When Did Jesus Pray?

He prayed upon many different occasions until his death on the cross. He prayed longer and more often when he was alone. He prayed alone before day (Mk. 1:35). He prayed alone at evening at the close of a busy day (Matt. 14:23). He prayed alone before choosing the twelve apostles (Lk. 6:12,13). He prayed alone after a busy day healing the sick (Lk. 5:15,16). He prayed alone three times before his betrayal in the time of his agony. Three times he prayed alone, “Thy will be done” (Matt. 26:39-44; Lk. 22:39-46).

Jesus prayed in his anguish before his betrayal and crucifixion. He went with his disciples to the mount of Olives; “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Jn. 12:27; Lk. 22:39-46).

He prayed on the cross in his dying hour. The rulers who staged his crucifixion derided him. The soldiers who crucified him also mocked him, and offered him vinegar. As the closing moments of his earthly life approached, and his painful humiliation was at its pinnacle, Jesus expressed his last prayer to his Father: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost” (Lk. 23:46).

For Whom Did Jesus Pray?

1. Jesus prayed for Peter: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Lk. 22:32).

2. Jesus prayed for himself: “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. .. And now, 0 Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (Jn. 17:1-5).

3. Jesus prayed for his disciples: “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gayest me out of the world …I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. . . I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thoushouldest keep them from the evil. . . Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:6-17).

4. Jesus prayed for believers through his word: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (Jn. 17:20,21).

5. He prayed for those who ridiculed, mocked him and crucified him on the cross. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34).

Jesus Taught Us Conditions For Successful Prayer

He taught his disciples to pray with reverence, for the kingdom, in humility, that God’s will be done, making requests for our needs, forgiving as we desire forgiveness, and asking for deliverence from temptation” (Lk. 11:2-4).

He taught us to abide in him and let his word abide in us (Jn. 15:7), to pray with persistence to him who is able to grant our needs and desires (Lk. 18:1-8). We must be holy (1 Tim. 2:8). We must be humble in prayer, not self-righteous (Lk. 18:9-14). We must pray in the name of Christ (Jn. 14:13,14), and according to the will of God (1 Jn. 5:14).

As Jesus Christ stood at the threshold of death, he could have with one short prayer called the legions of angels from the Omnipotent Father to deliver him, but he chose rather the will of his Father, and gave up the ghost as the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. The man of prayer stopped praying and passed into the realm of paradise. This divine person prayed and taught us to pray to the Father in heaven.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII No.23, p. 20-21
December 1, 1994