Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-13
DIR. MARION NH. HULL.

DIR. MARION NH. HULL.
When Jesus learned that the blind
man to whom He had given sight had
been communicated by the Jews, He
found him and gave him i greater bless
ing of spiritual sight. revealing Himself
TO him as the Messiah. Some of the
Pnarisecs who heard Him resented His
claims and particularly His judgment
on their blindness There should have
been no break between John Gal and
John 10:L for He went right on to tell
them the parable of the shepherd and
the sheep; and in explanation of it,
when they did not understand Him to
claim supreme authority in all matters
spiritual for Himself and to charge them
with being false shepherds and hire
lings l think 1 can almost see Him as
He put His arm around the one who had
just received sight, and how the thought
must have come to this one as Jesus
spoke: But 1t does not make any diff
ference if they do eXcommunicate me so
long as He has received me- for it makes
no difference if they do exclude me if He
admits me-"
THE DOOR OF THE SHEEPFOLD.
These words of Jesus have always
been favorites and have been made more
the eastern shepherd and his flock has
increased Syrians and Syrian mission
aries have told us of the enclosure of
stones and thick briars with only one
portal, and how the shepherd himself
stands in this portal acting as the door;
how their hocks have spent the nights
within the fold for mutual protection,
and how in the mornings the sheep re-
spond to no other voice than that Of
their own shepherd. How he leads them
out and keeps his eye upon them con-
stantly, calling them back when they
would wander away too far, leading
them to those places where they could
get the best nourishment with the least
danger binding up their wounds, carry
ing them in his arms when they were
disabled, protecting them from their
common enemies the wolves and snakes.
and if necessary, giving up his life
rather than have one of them harmed.
The relationship between the sheep
and the shepherd, and also the figure Of
the shepherd. was a very familiar one
to the Jews. jeremiah, Ezekiel and
zachariah had spoken of It, and King
David himself In that matchless psalm
had sung of it. All Of this brings home
very closely to us the relationship which
Jesus bears to us, and we to Him.
here. Under the guidance of the spirit
read it closely yourself, however, and let
Him teach you in how many ways this
describes His blessed relationship to us
We must confine ourselves here to the
two considerations of Jesus as the door
and as the good shepherd
AS we said, He claims to be the SUI
preme authority in all matters spiritual
He is the door; If He admits none other
can exclude. If He does not admit all
are excluded He is the only way in
Men try to climb other ways, but no
man ever has or ever will reach God
except through Christ.
II He admits we NAV 60 in and ont Inside
TO get protection, outside, for provisions. There
is perfect freedom and Unreasonable fuIlness
10 the man who enters through this door Are
you an "ln and OUT Christian Are Won Sc
cure, having entered through the door Christ
Jesus? Have you provisions, having been led
out by Him?
If He admits. there is life abundant. Thieves
break in 70 kill and to destroy. They care
not for the sheep. but only for themselves.
But Jesus that the sheep might have life
and might have it more abundantiv. The life
Of the sheep left to himself is circumscrbed
in ne extreme, but Jesus admits to an abund-
ant life. There Is no limit to the life which
lie comes 70 give us, for 1t is the life in God
Our imagina lions cannot even reach to the hor-
lion OF the life which is expanded-widened,
deepened, broadened, lengthened-bv union with
Christ, by entering through Him as the Door.
You cannot know what Joy is. what peace IS
what wisdom is, what power is. until you have
begun TO receive the abundant life which He
gives.
DECIDED TO THE SHEEP.
He claimed to be the Good Shepherd and
based His claim ,llpon the comparison between
Himself and their leaders. He had the wei
fare Of the sleep at heart primarily. for He
fare OF the sheen at heart. (Note the tense,
present, not paSt. How totally different was
the hiraling The hireling careth not for tho
sheep. but for the wages which he would get a I
the end Of he day. He cared for himself first
so that when danger threat tened, he would leave
rho sheep 10 themselves while he saved him
self hut tho Good shepherd cares for the sheen
primarily and civeth His life for the shire?
day nv day. He decided to the sheep there
fore. the greatest gift He could Pakp-thc gift
Of Himself. He forgot Himself i'm His service
Of them
He based His claim as tho Good shepherd
upon His knowledge of the sheep. He knows
the sheep and is known by them. Ono supreme
teet Of Christ's claim is our sense Of need "
Him. II the soul does not respond 10 this claim'
II does not realize his need OF Christ does
NOT know Him rs Savior that is an evidence Of
the fact that the claim Of that soul to be one
I Of Chrsts followers Is false. His whole cp u'
10 he the Good Shepherd is based on His ahil
itv to attract rs When we are attracted "a
Him we know Him and follow Him; aud II
there is no attraction I'm Him To II is con
elusive evidence that are not His.
How wonderful II IS that He knows u.s. Some
times Sin has ohlitcrated the owners marks
hut still lie knows us. The poor sheep might
have gotten into the mre, he might have wan
derod away md been mutilated by hts con-
tact with the enemy that It would be difficult
n distinguish whose no was; but the Good
Shepherd knows His sheep. The prayerless
DAYS, the goiling Of worldly ambitions and
aims the nutila ton which comes from our con-
tact with the wording can never bring us To
the point who're shall NOT be known by Him,
and His knowledge NJ US Increases every day.
We are always IN His thoughts His eve Is
ever uron MS He IL quietly and yet IRE