The Tupelo journal., 1908-04-03
Jesus the
Good Shepherd
Sunday School Lesson for April S, 1908
Specially Prepared for This Paper

"a - SF ~ ~HC 1S~r
of tabernacles John 7:2). Some common
tators, however, consider that John 9:1-10:
FL took place at the feast of dedication
John 10:22) in November. The latter
part of the third year of Jesus public
ministry.
PLACE.-Jerusalem. On the second
supposition as to time, the exact place
was porch, on the east side OF
the temple. Jesus with His audience
might have seen the shepherds gathering
their scattered nocks If they grazed out
from the courts of the temple over the
~neighboring hills. Public Commentary.
PERSONS.-Probably the blind man
whom Christ had just healed, some OF
Christ's disciples, and some of the Phari-
sees.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The TwofoId Parable: the Fold, tho
Shepherd.-Vs. 1-6. First let us try
to put ourselves back among the
sheepfolds of Christ's time. How were
they arranged? "The fold was a
walled enclosure open to the sky, with
a solid door, which was closely barred
at night by the ~doorkeeper, and opened
by him in the morning, when the shep-
herds came to claim their sheep,
which they had left in the fold the
previous evening, in order to lead out
to pasture Century Bible. The door
keeper, or porter" would know that
anyone found climbing in owe the
wall was "a thief" "a sneak thief,
or "a robber" Ga more violent rascal.)
The TwofoId Interpretation of the
Parable.-Vs. 7-42. What double anal
ogy did Christ draw from the parable?
He was the Door ". y and the Shep-
herd (v. ~. Why did he run the
risk of confusing his hearers? Because
truth is so many-sided, and Christ
means so much to men, that many
comparisons are needed to picture it
all.
First Analogy: Christ, the Door
Tvs. 7-9). How is Christ like the door
Of a fold? Through him alone can
men enter into the peace and safety
that a fold implies-safety from h
ravening beasts of sin, peace in the
consciousness of safety. Through the
door, too, they go out ". 81 into the
pasture" What am a doc TO, any
how? Jes' to shet yo' out, jes' to shet
yo' in or to let yo' thro'. Jesus am de
Doc, de way into de Kingdom; an
he am de Doc, de way out into life.
He sho' did say, If yo' enters in by
me, yo' shall be saved-no evil a
git by de Doc Jesus. An yo' shall go
out an in!' Honey, dat am de free
dom what he am all de time promisin'.
An yo' shall find pasture Dat am de
~fullness of life what he am all de time
tellin' bout. When yo' passes out an
when yo' passes in, yo' sho' nuf has
to pass right by de Mastah, and look
him plum squar' in de eyes,. w.
L%awrance. go in and out" was a
phrase familiar to the Jews. See
Deut. %: g.; Psa. 121: s; Jer. 81: A.
Why did Christ say he was the
door of the sheep, rather than "of the
fold?" Because Christ was thinking OF
his individual followers, the sheep,
rather than of the fold, his church.
He is the door of both.
Who were those that came before
Christ, the thieves and robbers, whom
the sheep did not hear? Not the
prophets, who humbly pointed forward
to Christ, but the Jewish leaders of
the time Just before Christ, and es-
pecially the Pharisees. They had laid
many heavy burdens upon the people.
who had been compelled to obey the
severe requirements of formal religion,
but their hearts yielded to these
false leaders, "the sheep did not hear
them"
Second Analogy: Christ, the Shep-
herd Tvs. 1918, 22-30.) AS opposed to
the Pharisees' wrong way of enter
ing the Kingdom, Christ was the
Door; but as opposed to the charac-
ter of the Pharisees, he was the Shep-
herd. "As mediator between God and
man. he is the Door; as prophet or
teacher, he is the Good Shepherd
James M. Macdonald, D. d. This is a
frequent metaphor of the Old Tesla
ment. applied to God and to Gods
honored servants (Num. 81: 1921;
Pisa. %; so: 1; lisa. 40: IL; Jer. %:
IA; Eek. "a: 11-16; Zech. IL: AID
Homer often speaks of his kings and
leaders as shepherds; see also Plato's
Republic. Book l. "The figure has
impressed itself deeply on the mind
OF ~Christendom, and is conspicuous
in the art and literature of the
churches. 1t is still the emblem Of the
Christian ministry. from the office of
the bishop, with his pastoral staff, to
that of the village preacher, who Is
known as pastor."-Century Bible.
"This is the favorite and most touch
ing figure in the Catacombs. 1t seems
to inspire the early Christian painters
with delightful skill.
How was Christ like a shepherd?
In ~ his care of men Tvs. 1919, in
GU his knowledge of men Tvs. IA, 15),
in 90 the breadth of his love for men
". 16), in (4) the eagerness of mems
love for him (v. 27), in (5) his divine
commission to care for men Tvs. Is,
II, IS, 25, 29.)
Two Kinds of Hearers Tvs. 1921.
31-42.) Christ's words, like a two
edged sword, always divided his hear
ers into two classes: those that
Knocked at him or ragged against him,
and those that vent away thoughtful
and impressed if not convinced. II
the last half of the chapter is to be
referred to the same occasion as the
first half (see "Time'), the first set
of hearers even tried to stone Christ
for his claim of unity with God. This
stoning for blasphemy was prescribed
in Lev. "a: 16, and the Jews had at.
tempted it only two months before.
r. x-lszI 4I~- 80 no,0r orA y~,,1