Pop Culture References in Biblical Texts

Speaker 1 0:00

You know , I want to take a second as we get ready to look into the gospel of John here , to just you don't have to turn to the gospel of John yet because we're going to turn somewhere else first . So you are likely familiar with like a lot more than you would realize a lot of pop culture with , like a lot more than you would realize , a lot of pop culture references . In fact , our culture is full of references , and the thing about these pop culture references is that they are specifically designed so that certain people will immediately recognize one , and so when you catch a reference , it changes how you experience that moment . Imagine you are someone who watches the show the Mandalorian . If you've never watched the show the Mandalorian , you're about to have no idea what I'm talking about . But if you do , and I were to be up here and I were to say this is the way you would immediately be drawn into that Star Wars world . You would recognize it not as just some random statement , but it would bring to mind an entire philosophy or way of life for a people those Mandalorian people in that show . Or if someone were to give a line such as you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain . Anybody recognize that . A couple of you recognize that reference , but some of you don't . It's from the Dark Knight . You immediately , as you see that you feel the weight of that reference . It's about power , about corruption and about , ultimately , a tragic downfall .

Speaker 1 1:43

Last week Ricky titled his sermon To See or Not to See , a clear reference to Hamlet's famous soliloquy To Be or Not to Be . Likely all of you recognized that , except perhaps some of the youngest among you , because you know I imagine that some of the children in here didn't but it's very well known and if you know Hamlet because a lot of you probably know that , recognize it but you don't recognize , you're not actually familiar with Hamlet you wouldn't realize the weight that is carried there , that it's about life and death , choice and consequence . Ricky used that title to signal something deeper , something deeper in the passage about whether or not people could really see who Jesus was . Think about it this way when Jesus says I am the good shepherd , I am the good shepherd . Every Jewish listener knew exactly what he was referencing . It was like a perfectly placed callback to Ezekiel 34 , which , if you want , you can open your Bibles to Ezekiel 34 , because I'm going to read from there . So it's like a perfectly placed callback to Ezekiel 34 , where God calls out Israel's leaders as corrupt shepherds and promises that he himself will come and take care of his people . He himself will come and take care of his people . That's significant .

Speaker 1 3:21

So for us , these words might just sound like a comforting image of Jesus holding a sheep , but for the original audience , there was a direct , explosive challenge to the religious leaders of the day . Jesus wasn't just saying that he was a nice caretaker . He was claiming to be the fulfillment of God's own promise in Ezekiel 34 . And he was also saying you guys , the ones leading Israel , you're the ones that Ezekiel was condemning . So today , as we dive into what is ultimately going to be John 10 , I want you to hear it like they heard it Not just a soft , poetic metaphor , but a radical , earth-shaking claim about who Jesus really is . So you're going to need to hear these words . And so let's look in Ezekiel 34 , where God speaks about shepherds , not literal shepherds in fields , but the leaders of Israel who were supposed to care for God's people but had utterly failed . We're going to look at verses 1 through 10 , and then we're going to look at verses 22 through 24 , where God promises a solution in those closing verses , so you can turn there . It's also going to be on the screen .

Speaker 1 4:58

But let's read in Ezekiel , chapter 34 , starting in verse 1 . The word of the Lord came to me , son of man , prophesy against the shepherds of Israel . As I already said , these are not literal shepherds , these are those that are the caretakers . Prophesy and say to them , even to the shepherds , thus says the Lord God , ah , shepherds of Israel , who have been feeding yourselves , should not , shepherds , feed the sheep ? You eat the fat , you clothe yourselves with the wool , you slaughter the fat ones , but you do not feed the sheep , the weak , you have not strengthened the sick , you have not healed the injured , you have not bound up the strayed , you have not brought back the lost , you have not sought , and with force and harshness you have ruled them .

Speaker 1 6:03

So they were scattered because there was no shepherd , and they became food for all the wild beasts . My sheep were scattered , they wandered all over the mountains and on every high hill . My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth , with none to search or seek for them . Therefore , you , shepherds , hear the word of the Lord as I live , declares the Lord . God , surely because my sheep have become a prey and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts since there was no shepherd , and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep , but the shepherds have fed themselves and not fed my sheep . Therefore , you shepherds hear the word of the Lord . Thus says the Lord . God behold , I am against the shepherds and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop . These are powerful words of condemnation , powerful words of condemnation , but do you notice the undertone there of sincere care by God of the sheep ?

Speaker 1 7:36

I don't know about you , but if you read that , and with me being a pastor , which means shepherd it's from Latin for shepherd I read that and I'm like , okay , I really want to be a sheep in this passage and not a shepherd in this passage , because that sounds pretty rough , right ? Well , let's read these few verses , starting in verse 22 of Ezekiel 34 , verses starting in verse 22 of Ezekiel 34 , where God promises rescue . And I want you to pay attention to who is the rescuer . Okay , there's someone that's going to be given as a rescuer . So let's read these .

Speaker 1 8:23

I will rescue my flock . They shall no longer be a prey and I will judge between sheep and sheep , and I will set up over them one shepherd , my servant David , and he shall feed them and be their shepherd , and I , the Lord , will be their God and my servant David shall be a prince among them . I am the Lord , I have spoken . I don't know about you , but I read that and all throughout that there is this declarative aspect of God is making it crystal clear . What he says is absolute . There's no question about it . And then when it ends with the I am the Lord , I have spoken . It's like okay , if there's a promise in scripture that God's going to fulfill , it's almost like he's just saying this one's an extra promise . I'm going to promise it like 10 times in one passage . Here it is this is my word , and obviously all of God's promises are with that same weight , because it comes from the same God , but it's just so clear in writing for us here .

Speaker 1 9:46

So , with this context in mind , with the fact that everyone in the day would have recognized this , I want us to turn to John 10 . So we're not going to spend a lot of time there in Ezekiel , but in John 10 , where we're going to be . This is the context , this is what comes to mind , and so we're going to approach this text today having that knowledge , because Jesus is about to make a claim , because , if you noticed there , who was the deliverer , who was the one who God was going to send , david . David was going to send , but David was long dead . David wasn't coming back . No , it was one like David , one of the line of David . It was the king who was going to sit on David's throne . Jesus is going to say , hey , I am that David , but I'm also that God .

Speaker 1 10:56

Okay , so let's look at this text and see how Jesus makes these bold claims to the Pharisees and those he is talking to . So sorry , I lost my place there for a second . So the thing that I want you to see as we look , we're going to look , we're going to break this up into four sections . Ultimately , we're going to start by looking at verses one through six of John 10 . So the first thing I want you to see , and so I'm going to tell you the point ahead of time . A lot of times I tell you the point afterward , but I want to tell you the point ahead of time , the point that I'm going to try to bring out here is that the supposed watchman did not recognize the shepherd . Yet Jesus gathers his sheep . So in this text there are going to be someone who is like a watchman . Okay , watchman is a kind of a theological theme that comes out of the Old Testament . That actually even developed between the Testaments , where there were several different groups of people who would have identified in one way or another as the watchmen , the ones who were looking out for the Messiah . It was a job that these watchmen had put on themselves . Yet these supposed watchmen didn't recognize the shepherd who they were supposed to be watching out for , and so that is what we're going to see in this text . So follow with me , we're going to read through these first six verses and we'll talk about them Truly , truly , I say to you he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way , that man is a thief

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

Speaker 1 12:56

and a robber .

Speaker 1 12:56

So think sheep , pen , and you have sheep and and he's saying , hey , someone that sneaks into the pen and he's saying , hey , someone that sneaks into the pen , he's not the shepherd , he's there to do harm . Right , like you get that , like someone who comes through the front door , they're the one who owns the house . But the person who breaks into a window into the house , they're there to do harm , they're there to steal or to do something right . So that illustration makes sense . But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep . To him the gatekeeper opens . The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out . So the shepherd comes out , the sheep recognize him and he is able to lead them . They follow him where he wants to go .

Speaker 1 13:48

Now let's pause here for a second . And clearly this illustration of sheep is talking about people . Now , is it a compliment if someone calls you a sheep ? No , it's not a compliment if someone calls you a sheep , right , but God's calling people sheep , and the sheep seem like the kind of people you wanna be in this passage . So you're like well , what's that about ? Well , let's ask why is it not a compliment to be called a sheep ?

Speaker 1 14:22

Well , sheep are weak , sheep are dumb . Sheep cannot survive on their own . They need a shepherd . Everything in our world would say well , you need to have pride , you need to be able to take care of yourself . You shouldn't need a crutch to get through life . You should be able to do what you want and get what you want and work towards what you want , and that's what good is . You shouldn't need someone to guide you through life . If you do , you're just a sheep . And I would say that as Christians , yes , we are sheep , that's what we admit . When we come to the cross , we say , yeah , I'm dumb , I'm weak , I can't do it on my own , I need someone . I need Jesus , the shepherd . When he has brought out all his own , he goes before them and the sheep follow him , for they know his voice . A stranger they will not follow , but they will flee from him , for they do not know the voice of strangers . This figure of speech Jesus used with them , but they did not understand what he was saying to them . It's interesting that it refers to it as a figure of speech rather than a parable .

Speaker 1 15:54

The way you approach these texts is perhaps a little different in John than some of the other gospels , but what is clear here is that Jesus is teaching about himself , and for some reason it was not understood . And so in just a moment , we're going to obviously continue on in the text , and what Jesus is going to do is he's going to tell a very similar but different figure of speech , but different figure of speech . It's going to be different than this , where Jesus is no longer the shepherd , but Jesus is the gate into the sheet pen . And so these two versions of the story are going to teach something very similar , but also a little bit different .

Speaker 1 16:48

What we're going to mainly see here from this first part is that , though the supposed watchmen didn't recognize the shepherd they were supposed to be so this is talking about the Pharisees , but there were a number of other groups who would have claimed to have been the watchmen for Israel . We don't need to get into who all these groups are , but just know that there were many who would have claimed to be . Hey , we are the ones looking for the Messiah , we are the ones looking for him , and when he comes , we're going to be the ones that identify him . And of these various groups , particularly the Pharisees , they , though they were supposed to be recognizing Jesus as the Messiah . They didn't . In fact , they essentially call him of the devil , which they're going to do later on in this passage as well . Yet , despite that Jesus' sheep follow him anyway . Why ? Not because of anything good in and of themselves , but because he called them and they recognized his voice , they believed what he said and followed him . It's simple . It's simple yet profound . Only those who recognize that they were sheep could follow the one who is the shepherd . So let's , we're going to , let's keep going , so we're going to , let's keep going , and we'll look at verses 7 through 10 .

Speaker 1 18:32

The next section , this section , again , I'm going to give you the point up front , and the point is this there are corrupt gatekeepers , but Jesus guards his sheep . So Jesus , in the last section , gathered the sheep . But let's see what the text goes on to say , because , remember , they didn't understand the first teaching , so he teaches it a different way . Starting in verse 7 , he says so Jesus again , say to you I am the door of the sheep . All who came before me are thieves and robbers , but the sheep did not listen to them . I am the door . If anyone enters by me , he will be saved and I will go in and out and find pasture . The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy . I came that they may have life and have it abundantly . Jesus is making it really clear , remember , remember that Ezekiel context . Jesus is making it really clear to those that are challenging him . I want you to remember the context , too , of what Pastor Ricky has taught the last two weeks , like where are we ? Well , we are just right after having this blind man having been healed miraculously , someone who was blind from birth .

Speaker 1 20:17

And what did the gatekeepers , the watchmen , what did they do ? Well , they called him in , they questioned him several times . Who did this ? Who is he ? What is he ? And the healed man , the sheep , is there saying well , it was Jesus and he's a prophet , he is who he says . He is Jesus in that passage , reveals himself to be the Messiah and he believes .

Speaker 1 20:53

Yet what did the watchmen do ? They threw him out of the synagogue . Why ? Why ? Because they did not want what Jesus had to offer . They had a plan . They had a Messiah that they were looking for . And guess what ? Jesus was not the Messiah that they were looking for . They had a corner on what righteousness was supposed to look like . They had a whole law set up and laws upon laws and regulations upon regulations , and that's what holiness looked like and that's what good religion looked like . And you know what ? Everybody saw them and thought , yeah , those are great guys , those are the holy ones , but in fact they were corrupt gatekeepers .

Speaker 1 21:58

But here is the good news presented in this passage it doesn't matter that the blind man was thrown out of the synagogue , because what was it but a den of liars and thieves . What was it but a place where those corrupt ? We're preaching a false religion ? No , instead , jesus tells us here that he actually actively guards and protects his sheep . He goes out from them and comes into them . He goes and he finds pasture , he finds nourishment , he provides what is needed for the sheep . And so when he uses this illustration where he says that he is the gate for the sheep , he is ultimately saying that he is the way to access life . On the other side of that gate is the pasture . It's the place you want to be , it is where you are protected , it is where you are safe , it is where you are fed and nourished and loved . But you can only get there through the gate .

Speaker 1 23:20

And when you think about this in conjunction with the last , where he is the shepherd , well , what does the shepherd do ? If you think back to Ezekiel 34 , what did God say he would do as the shepherd ? He said that he would go out and find his lost sheep . He would gather them and he would bring them back , he would fight for them , he would protect them , he would save them . You see Jesus , as not only the shepherd but the gate , is setting himself up as the entire way to eternal life . There is no way to come to God but through him . This is a theme in the book of John that we're gonna to keep seeing .

Speaker 1 24:09

Let's go to the next section , verses 11 through 18 . In this section , I want you to see that , unlike a false shepherd , the good shepherd truly loves his sheep . So up until this moment , jesus is having this kind of confrontational discussion with those that are listening to him , where he is putting himself in kind of the seat of God and David in the Ezekiel 34 passage in the Ezekiel 34 passage . And now he is . So he's saying , hey , you missed me , I'm the one you were looking for . And if there was any doubt in those who were like , well , maybe he is the one he's about to blow that up because he's gonna claim that he is gonna do something that they would not have expected of their Messiah . Yet for those that are the true sheep , they will recognize him . So let's look at how it is that the good shepherd will truly love his sheep , starting in verse 11 . He says I am the good shepherd . What does the good shepherd do ? The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep . He , who is a hired hand and not a shepherd who does not own the sheep , sees wolves coming and leaves the sheep and flees , and the wolf snatches them and scatters them . He flees because he has a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep .

Speaker 1 26:01

We are familiar with the story of King David and how King David , before he was king , as a young man he was a shepherd right and he was guarding the sheep . And later on , in a scene where perhaps one of the most well-known scenes in the Bible probably everybody in America at least , and a lot of people around the world , would know the story of David and Goliath right , because we like the story , even as non-Christians . You like the story . It's the underdog beats , the giant beats , the one that could not be defeated . And so you have this Goliath , this immense man , the soldier that is hardened and has killed many , and David , a young shepherd boy , there and he says I can kill him . And why does he know he's killed him ? Well , why does he know he can kill him . Well , he knows he can kill him because of God . But what does he cite ? He says well , because I've killed wild animals that wanted to kill my sheep .

The Ultimate Sacrifice of Love

Speaker 1 27:03

Who is the promised one who's going to come and guard the sheep ? David , okay , all of this comes to mind as Jesus here , making all of this , making this claim , when he says I am the good shepherd . He says I am the fulfillment of the promise that David is coming . And I am not like these , these who ought to be watching for you , these who ought to be looking for you . Well , you know what ? When danger comes , they run , they scatter , because they don't own the sheep . They're not their sheep . It's not worth giving up their lives . When a pack of wolves come , they say well , I'm going to run away and come back tomorrow when the wolves are gone and pick up what's left . But no , that's not what Jesus does . Jesus is going to stand in the way of the pack of wolves and fight and die .

Speaker 1 27:58

Lay down his why Because he loves them . He says and I have other sheep that are not of this fold . I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice . So there will be one flock , one shepherd . For this reason the Father loves me , because I lay down my life that I may take it up again . No one takes it from me , but I lay it down of my own accord . I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again . This charge I have received from my father .

Speaker 1 29:17

Jesus is committing to a level of love here , to a level of love here . That's the extreme example of love . You know everybody's familiar with the verse no man has love like this . That he lays down his life for his friend , right Like this is the ultimate expression of love that one would lay down their life . Yet it's not just for a friend , it's for a sheep . It's for a sheep . I'm going to tell you this If you have a sheep and there are wolves coming for your sheep , let the wolves eat the sheep and go away . Right , that's not a noble thing to die to save a literal sheep . But what is a noble thing is for the Messiah , but not just the Messiah . God , the Son himself taking on flesh , laying down his life . You notice the point here that nobody takes it from him , but he gives it . It's not that ? Oh , he came and he had a certain plan and he was going to do one thing , but then , you know , people got mad at him and so they killed him . No , this was plan A , not plan B , not plan C . Plan A was for Jesus to lay down his life for the sheep . Yet he can take it up again , yet he is doing all of this to bring together one flock .

Speaker 1 30:55

There are different takes on what this exactly means , but know this that Jesus gathers together both Jews and Gentiles , gathers people from all tribes , nations , tongues , to be God's one people , and that is a profound truth , but also something that would be very difficult for the watchmen , the gatekeepers to hear . Now , the watchmen and the gatekeepers are looking for a Messiah who is going to come and is not going to lay down his life , but is going to take life . And he's not going gonna gather together lost sheep from around the world , but he's gonna lead this nation to prominence , to take their rightful place . That's what they're looking for . But Jesus is like no , that's not me . Yet I am the Messiah . Yet I am this promised David . Yet I am the very shepherd who goes out to seek the sheep who , in Ezekiel 34 , is identified as God himself . The reality is here is that Jesus paints for us a picture that is very unique . He's identifying himself as the leader who gives rather than takes . Following Jesus means trusting him to be the one who gathers us , who brings us in , who protects us , who does it all . We trust his sacrifice above our efforts . And then we conclude with verses 19 through 21 . And in this section I want you to see that those who hear the voice of the shepherd believe .

Speaker 1 33:24

Starting in verse 19 , there was again a division among the Jews because of these words . Jesus is saying words , and what do we keep seeing happen ? We keep seeing division . Right , some people believe , some people reject . It's becoming a theme where you have these different divisions of people and again here they're divided .

Speaker 1 33:57

Many of them said he has a demon and is insane . Why listen to him ? He has a demon and is insane . Why listen to him ? I mean clearly , clearly . This man can't be the Messiah we've been looking for . He can't be him . The only explanation for how he could do any of these is if he is exhibiting some kind of demonic power . Yet others said these are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon . They're hearing his voice , they're hearing what he says and they're saying , hey , I recognize these words not as the voice of a demon , but as something else .

Speaker 1 34:44

And they say , they ask the question can a demon open the eyes of the blind ? This ties it all back into the story from last week , where this blind man , blind from birth , had been healed . And why was he born blind ? Well , he was born blind so that the glory of God could be manifested in him . And you know what ? Those who had eyes to see saw who Jesus was in that moment . And so here they are , in this moment , and they recognize that Jesus is who he says he is and in that moment , in this text , these are those that are identified as the true sheep .

Speaker 1 35:46

You'll notice , in Ezekiel , if you recall . In Ezekiel , in 34 , where we read it , it says that God will come and judge between sheep and sheep . You see , not everyone who says , oh , yeah , I'm a sheep is truly what it's like . Not everyone who says , yes , I am a Christian , really is a Christian . It's much more than mere words , but it is those who hear the shepherd's voice , the biggest dividing line . We see the biggest dividing line . We see the biggest dividing line between who is and who is not a sheep is those who hear and respond to Jesus . Do we recognize Jesus' voice ? Recognize Jesus' voice , or do we get drowned out by the other voices ? There are a lot of voices , there are many who are telling us what to do , what to believe , what to believe , what is right , what is wrong , both

Following the Voice of the Shepherd

Speaker 1 37:15

within the church and outside of the church .

Speaker 1 37:15

The scriptures warn us of those who , even today though this is after this time , obviously those who would come as false teachers , as wolves , into the church . We must be vigilant . We must compare the things we are taught , the things we see lived out , to the Scriptures . We need to . Yet the good news is that Jesus is ultimately our protector . He is our shepherd and , yes , he has appointed pastors , elders to be under shepherds of the flock , elders to be under shepherds of the flock . But I am not your shepherd , ricky is not your shepherd . Jesus is your shepherd , he is the one that protects you . So , even if me or Ricky fail or fall , you are safe in Christ , because we don't depend on human leaders .

Speaker 1 38:36

But we must remain vigilant to make sure that the voice we are hearing and responding to is the voice of our shepherd , because there are many , both within and without the church , that would seek to lead us astray , that are trying to rob and destroy . So I encourage you as Christians , yes , be on guard , but also be seeking to hear the voice of Jesus . We hear it in his word , we hear it proclaimed . We gather together with other sheep to remind ourselves and to hear afresh the word from our great shepherd . And as we go from this place , we ought to be continually going back to the word of the great shepherd . We need to hear , and it's not simply hearing words , but it's responding . What did the sheep do that heard his voice ? They followed . So I just encourage you follow Jesus . If you've never followed Jesus before , if you've never said yeah , I am one of those sheep . If you've never followed Jesus before , if you've never said yeah , I am one of those sheep .

Speaker 1 40:16

Well , the good news we call it the gospel is that Jesus laid down his life so that those who are not sheep can be called to life . That's the good news . Let's pray , heavenly Father , thank you . Thank you for sending us Jesus , thank you that through him we have life . Thank you that through him , we are protected . Thank you that through him , him , we are provided for and thank you that through him we can see your face . It's in his name we pray , amen .