October 11, 2015 John 10:1 – 20

Download discussion questions:  John 10_1-18 Good Shepherd

Circumstances prevented me from attending the group for several weeks.  The blog entries for these weeks are minimal to non-existent.  Since the inductive method used in the group is simple, reproducible, and transferable the group continued to have lively discussions.  The handout and discussion questions are available for those weeks and can be downloaded from the link above.

Email notes to the group facilitators:

• This is an ambitious handout – lots of observation and lots of questions.  If you want I can email it to the folks on the list I have for the group (and any new people you have names or email addresses for).  For those that have the opportunity that would give a little bit of a head start.  Please let me know if you want me to do that.
• There is also quite a bit of overlap with the passage from last week.  Last week I wanted to include the transition from John 9 and the man born blind into John 10 and the Good Shepherd.  I started this week where the previous handout left off, but soon felt like that was a big mistake.  Whatever the relationship to John 9, this first part of John 10 has to be looked at as a package (and that’s not even counting the rest of John 10!).  This certainly may be more than a one-hour discussion, but I look forward to hearing how it goes and what your thoughts will be for next week.
• One of the things I was thinking about is the importance of figurative language, and why Jesus used it, especially in this passage.  In my quiet time I am in Revelation (more of John’s writing), and one of the commentaries I looked at (AFTER reading the text of course ) talked about how figurative or symbolic language is not just another way of saying propositional truth, but saying something that communicates more than the facts, maybe at an emotional or gut level.  “I am the Good Shepherd” communicates more than “I take care of people.”  We evangelicals often dilute figurative or even poetic language by immediately saying, “Oh, well of course, this means that.”  Part of the John Piper quote on the back about “savoring” I think includes the figurative parts of Scripture.  (If you are interested, Piper has a great sermon on the poetry of George Herbert).  But I digress…
• I thought it was interesting and probably significant that His explanation of laying down His life for the sheep (v. 15-18) is all about His relationship with the Father.  We would tend to think (and maybe not completely wrong) that “I lay down my life for the sheep because I love them so much” but that is not His focus in this discourse.
• Probably related to the previous point – v. 14-15 describe His relationship with His sheep as comparable to His relationship with the Father – sounds like a hint of John 17:21,23.