The Good Shepherd

Jill Masters complains, “the world… portrays [Jesus] as a soft person with a silky-smooth voice and a long white robe, suggesting a weak, unreal ‘do-gooder.'”

Sometimes I think we want to make Christianity suitable for babies. As a child matures, he might be tempted to discard Jesus along with Santa and other baby toys.

When Jesus asked us to think of him as a shepherd, he wasn’t talking about a man in a glowing white robe cuddled with smiling lambs.

As Masters says, Eastern shepherds “lived out in the mountains in the biting cold and scorching heat. They were often kept awake most of the night. They trekked for miles with heavy packs such as even modern, highly trained, professional soldiers are not required to carry. They daily defended the flock against wolves and other beasts… Never forget that the shepherd who will trek miles to save lost sheep, bind their wounds and carry them home is the very same shepherd who will draw his sword and thrust it through a wolf.” (Lessons for life 1, Jill Masters, 1991, p. 182-3)

I read this description to the boys, and asked them to draw a shepherd (for coloring at Bible school), and here is what they came up with:

Contrast:

Lesson: More Miracles and Parables

for Saturday, 7 May 2011

entire-lesson-two-column.PDF

Volunteers: Colleen, Paul, Josie

Driving: Nora

Scripture: John 9, 10

Extra Supplies:

• coloring pages (Paul): “Jesus helps a blind man see,” and “I am the good shepherd”
• supplies for activity: dry-erase marker (Paul)

Outline

• (10:00am) Pray together
• Sing
  
• Lesson — (see below)
  
• Activity — (see below)
• (11:00 am) snack and break
  
• (11:20 am) two-team review [see below] relay game
• stickers (in bin)
• Sing
• Pray: [Colleen]
• (11:50 am) tidy

Lesson

a) Introduction [Paul]

• Jesus was in Jerusalem
• (There is a map of the city in our flip-pad) Remind the kids some of the locations they know in Jerusalem: Golgotha, Bethany & Gethsemane, etc.

Click to enlarge

• The Jews had decided that anyone who said Jesus was the Christ would be kicked out of the synagogue (Jewish place of gathering and worshiping)
• In case you forgot, the Pharisees were religious Jews who were very strict about a lot of things — not necessarily things that they ought to have been strict about. There were Pharisees in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus.

b) one born blind [Colleen]

• [Most word and phrase choices based on NIRV text]
• It was a Sabbath day — the seventh day of the week, so Jews in Jerusalem were resting to honor the day that God made holy.
• Jesus saw a man who had been blind since he was born.
• Jesus’ disciples asked: “Teacher, why is this man blind? Was he born blind because he sinned, or because his parents sinned?”
• “It isn’t because he sinned or because his parents sinned. This happened so that God’s work could be shown in his life.”
• “It is important to work in the daytime before darkness comes — in the same way, we must do God’s work before the night comes and nobody can work.”
• “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
• Jesus spit on the dusty ground, and made some mud with the spit.
• Jesus put the mud on the blind man’s eyes.
• “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam,” Jesus said to the man.
• (Show Siloam on the map)
• The man did what Jesus said — he went to the Pool of Siloam and washed.
• He was able to see.
• His neighbors and others recognized him, but they couldn’t believe it was the same man: “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
• “Yes, this is him!”
• “No, this can’t be him — it must just be somebody who looks like him.”
• But the man who had been blind said, “I am the man.”
• “How are you able to see?” they asked.
• He replied, “The man named Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed. Then I could see.”
• “Where is this Jesus?” they asked him.
• “I don’t know.”
• The people who were questioning the man brought him to the Pharisees.
• The Pharisees asked the man, “How are you able to see?”
• “The man they call Jesus put mud on my eyes… Then I washed, and now I can see.”
• Some of the Pharisees said, “Jesus has not come from God. He does not obey the Sabbath day rest!”
• But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miracles?”
• The Pharisees argued with each other about this.
• They turned again to the blind man: “What do you have to say about Jesus? You’re the one who was healed.”
• The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
• Some of the Jews still did not believe that this man had been blind, so they sent for his parents.
• “Is this your son — the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
• The parents were afraid of the Jews — they didn’t want to admit that Jesus was the Christ and be kicked out of the synagogue. So they answered like this: “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind, but we don’t know how he can now see. We don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him — he’s an adult, and can speak for himself.”
• So the Pharisees called back the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God and tell the truth! We know that the man who healed you is a sinner.”
• He replied, “I don’t know if he is a sinner or not. I do know one thing. I was blind, but now I can see!”
• Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
• He answered, “I have already told you, but you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
• The man’s answer irritated the Pharisees, and they began to attack him with words: “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses. As for this Jesus fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
• The man answered, “That is really surprising! You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to godly people who do what he wants them to do. Nobody has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind. If this man had not come from God, he could do nothing.”
• The Pharisees replied, “How dare you talk to us like that! You are not our teacher, and you were born in utter sin!”
• The Pharisees threw the man out of the synagogue.
• Jesus heard about this.
• He found the man who had been born blind, and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
• “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me, so I can believe in him.”
• Jesus said, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you now.”
• “Lord, I believe.”
• The man worshiped Jesus.
• Jesus said, “I have come into this world so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
• Some Pharisees heard Jesus say this, and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
• Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, you stay guilty.”

Discuss:

• A miracle is something God does that science would not be able to explain. Would you call this a miracle, when Jesus healed the man who was blind since birth?
• From other lessons, we know that Jesus called himself the “Son of Man”
• Suffering or sickness are not always a result of sin — in this story, the reason the man was blind was so that God’s work would be displayed in him (and almost 2000 years later, we are here in Canada talking about God’s work in this man’s life).
• Sometimes suffering really is a result of sin (example: car accident after driving reckless) — also, in a general sense, suffering is the result of original sin (see Romans 5 — death came through sin).
• Is it right for us to assume or judge that somebody’s particular suffering is punishment from God? — No, because we do not know that it is.
• The man was probably quite upset to be blind, at least earlier in his life; however, eventually the man got to know Jesus and was blessed more than many people who have always had good eyes — when we are suffering, we ought to remember the “bigger picture,” and to remember that God’s purpose is always good.
• Growing faith of the man: first, a blind beggar; second, “I do not know” where Jesus is (verse 12); third, “Jesus is a prophet” (verse 17); fourth, “Jesus is not a sinner” (verse 31); fifth, “Lord, I believe,”; sixth, he worshiped him (verse 38) — this faith the gospel writer wants us to have: …these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31; NIV)
• Did Jesus really break the Sabbath law of rest? No, nothing he did this day was forbidden in God’s Law that is in our Old Testament, the very same Bible these Pharisees had — the Pharisees falsely understood the Law — Jesus didn’t fit with their traditions, and they were more interested with this than even the miracle they had witnessed.
• Irony: a difference between what is expected to be and what actually is; what irony did Jesus show this day? that those (Pharisees) who seemed to be able to see God’s wisdom were blind, while this unimportant beggar was able to “see” the things of God, when Jesus led him to faith.
• Today, we do not have blind people receiving eyesight from Jesus, not physically. Is the Spirit of Jesus not at work today? He is very much at work — he is giving us eyesight to look into the things of God. He is giving eternal life to those who believe. Faith in Jesus was the best thing the man who was healed could have received as well.

c) the good shepherd [Paul]

• [Most word and phrase choices based on NIRV text]
• After this, Jesus taught a parable:
• “Consider two men — a robber, and a shepherd.”
• “A robber does not use the gate to enter the sheep pen, but instead he climbs in another way, maybe over the fence.”
• “The sheep would never follow that man, because he is a stranger, and they do not know his voice. They will run away from him.”
• “What about the shepherd? He enters the sheep pen through the gate — the gatekeeper opens the gate for him.”
• “The shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. They listen to his voice, and follow him as he goes on ahead of them, because he is their shepherd.”
• Those listening didn’t understand what Jesus was telling them.
• So Jesus explained, “I am like a gate for the sheep. All those who ever came before me were thieves and robbers.”
• (Others had claimed to be the Messiah spoken of by the prophets.)
• “But the sheep did not listen to [the thieves and robbers]. I’m like a gate. Anyone who enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out [IE, into the sheep pen and out to pasture]. And he will find plenty of food. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so they can have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way.”
• Jesus told another parable:
• “Consider two men — a hired man, and a shepherd who owns the sheep.”
• “When the hired man sees the wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. The wolf attacks the flock and the sheep scatter. The hired man runs away because he does not own the sheep and does not care about them.”
• “But the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”
• “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. They know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I give my life for the sheep.”
• “I have other sheep that do not belong to this sheep pen. I must bring them in too. They also will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
• “The reason my Father loves me is that I give up my life. But I will take it back again. No one takes it from me. I give it up myself. I have the authority to give it up. And I have the authority to take it back again. I received this command from my Father.”
• Then the Jews got into another argument. Some said, “Jesus is crazy — a demon controls him. Why should we listen to him?”
• But others said, “A person controlled by a demon does not say things like this. Can a demon open the eyes of someone who is blind?”
• Then came the Feast of Hanukkah at Jerusalem. It was winter. Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Porch. The Jews gathered around him. They said, “How long will you keep us waiting? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

model of temple; see Solomon's Porch at left (photo by Rick Hoover -- click thru to source)

• Jesus answered, “I did tell you. But you do not believe. The kinds of things I do in my Father’s name speak for me. But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep.”
• “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never die. No one can steal them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than anyone. No one can steal them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
• […] the Jews picked up stones to kill him.
• But Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many miracles from the Father. Which one of these are you throwing stones at me for?”
• “We are not throwing stones at you for any of these,” replied the Jews. “We are stoning you for saying a very evil thing. You are only a man. But you claim to be God.”

Discuss:

• In these parables, Jesus explained himself as both the gate for the sheep, and the good shepherd. A parable is a short story that has a deeper meaning. What is the deeper meaning of these parables? When speaking about the sheep gate, Jesus said, “anyone who enters through me will be saved.” By this he meant that He will save forever those who trust in Him. As the good shepherd, Jesus leads sheep who would otherwise be lost, and he died to save them.
• Sheep are able to recognize the voice of their shepherd. Those who belong to a shepherd will follow him; the others will not. Some people hear the voice of Jesus and follow him; others do not.
• Do the sheep who belong to the shepherd act exactly like the rest of the sheep? No, they do not. They follow where the shepherd leads, so we can see the difference. God’s children are more and more responding to the Lord Jesus by following Him.
• Sometimes the Bible calls Jesus the “Lamb of God.” How does this fit today’s lesson? He said this: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11; ESV). And here is what the Jews knew about lambs from their Bibles and their history: (1) when God saved the people of Israel from Egypt, they killed a lamb and sprinkled his blood on their doorposts, and the death angel “passed over” their homes — I.E., they were saved from death that night; (2) “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7; NIV)
• From what Jesus taught here, does it sound like everybody gets saved by the death of Jesus? No, for he said, “I lay down my life for my sheep” (verse 15), and he taught that only the sheep who belong to the shepherd know his voice. Also, in verse 26: “… you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.”
• What did Jesus mean, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this sheep pen. I must bring them in too. They also will listen to my voice”? Jesus was in Israel, speaking to Jews, so he probably meant that there are children of God in the rest of the world, who are not Jews, who will also hear His voice and follow Him.
• What did Jesus mean, that he had authority to take his life up again? He was talking about the resurrection, and we know how that went.
• “Feast of Hanukkah”: The Jews still celebrate this festival, in December. (It is for remembering a time when the temple was restored.)
• Jesus told the Jews that he had already told them he was the Christ, but they did not believe. This reminds us of the first part of the lesson, about blindness.

Review Questions

1. Why was the man born blind? who had sinned? (This had not happened because of anybody’s sin, but so that God’s work would be shown when Jesus healed the man.)
2. The man looked just the same as before, so why did some Jews say, “No, this is not the man who used to sit and beg”? (They couldn’t believe that he was healed.)
3. What was the Pharisees’ “evidence” that Jesus did not come from God? (According to them, Jesus did not obey the Sabbath day rest.)
4. Why did the blind man’s parents say, “He is an adult — ask him”? (They were afraid, because the Jews had decided that anyone who said Jesus was the Christ would be kicked out of the synagogue.)
5. How did the blind man reason with the Pharisees that Jesus was not a sinner? (God wouldn’t listen to a sinner / Jesus would not be able to do this miracle if he were not from God.)
6. What irony did Jesus teach when he healed the blind man? (That some people who seem to be able to see God’s wisdom are actually blind, while an unimportant beggar was able to see the things of God when Jesus led him to faith.)
7. What did the blind man receive from Jesus that was even better than eyesight? (Faith in Jesus.)
8. Draw a sheep pen, a gate, a gatekeeper, some sheep, a shepherd, and a robber.
9. Why would a robber climb the fence instead of using the gate to the sheep pen? (Because the gatekeeper would not open the gate for a robber.)
10. Why wouldn’t sheep follow a robber who called out to them? (Because they don’t know his voice.)
11. In what way is Jesus like a gate of a sheep pen? (His sheep can find security, and food, through him.)
12. In what way is Jesus like a good shepherd to sheep? (He knows his sheep / they know him / he gives his life for them / he loves them.)
13. Why would a hired man run away from the sheep pen when a wolf came? (He wants to save himself, and he doesn’t care about the sheep / he doesn’t own them.)
14. Perform this skit: A wolf comes to the sheep pen, and the hired man looking after the sheep runs away.
15. Are all of Jesus’ sheep Jews? (No, he said that he has other sheep.)
16. What reason did Jesus give to explain why some of the Jews did not believe that he was the Christ? (They did not believe because they were not his sheep.)
17. What is some evidence that somebody is one of Jesus’ sheep? (They listen to his voice / they follow where he leads them.)

Activity

This game will be a review of the parables we have learned. It is based on an idea from the book, “180 Faith-Charged Games for Children’s Ministry.”

Make two teams — each on one table, with 6 sheets of paper per team, and drawing supplies.

On the flip chart (or use the white board part), write these parables in two columns:

Good Shepherd (John 10:1)	Net of Fish (Matthew 13:47)
Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25)	Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11)
Friend at midnight (Luke 11:5)	The Sower (Matthew 13:3)
Lost Coin (Luke 15:8)	Lamp on a stand (Matthew 13)
Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4)	Wise Builder (Matthew 7:24)

Briefly remind the kids of these stories, all of which we have taught this year.

Let team A choose 2 parables from the first column, and team B choose 2 parables from the second column.

Each team should illustrate their parables using 3 sheets of paper per parable. They should write the name of the parable, and the scene #, on the back of each sheet.

Shuffle each of the team’s pages.

The teams should switch tables, and then are timed to order the scenes of the parables that the other team illustrated.

The first team to order both parables correctly wins. A volunteer from each team should tell the parables.