Partnership with the Good Shepherd
Paraphrased from the Lesson of John Louis 11/03/07
John 21:15 Jesus Reinstates Peter
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
Christ has called us into partnership with him. As Christians, He employs our hands and our bodily functions to do His work here on earth. Like the good shepherd, Christ needs ‘good sheepdog’ to tend His flock and feed His lambs and sheep. It is because of this that we must ask ourselves the question whether we want to take on the responsibility of taking care of God’s people
As partners in Christ’s ministry, we must remember two points. First, is to stop wasting our time. Second, is to delight in trust and obedience.
The first point: Stop wasting our time. This point is likened to a sheepdog that does not use its inbred skills for the proper purpose. Instead it wastes its time chasing cars and bicycles. This analogy is used to describe how we, as human beings, have wasted our time doing unproductive things that we were not meant for. A glaring example is how, on average, a person can spend at least 24 hours of every week watching TV and playing computer games. Which in aggregate is equivalent to ten years of a person’s 70 years of living!
Part of the reason why we have fallen to such wasteful practices is because we were ‘in the wrong hands.’ In 1 Peter 4:3, Peter says “For you have spent enough time in the past in the past doing what pagans choose to do- living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”
The passage clearly says that we have been exposed to practices in the past that have caused us to sin- practices that even today the world is not free of still. The same passage, though, speaks of ‘having spent enough time’- an intonation of both command and hope. It is God’s way of saying “It is over. I have forgiven you,” and reiterating His call for us to abandon our wasteful practices and seek a productive partnership with the ‘Good Shepherd.’
The second point asks of us to delight in trust and obedience. Again, this statement is likened to a good sheepdog that enjoys and ‘delights’ in his relationship with the shepherd. From this relationship, the sheepdog has ‘committed’ itself to be of good use to its benefactor. Similarly, we must make a decision to be of good use to our ‘Shepherd,’ our Lord Jesus Christ.
Delighting in trust and obedience in the Lord only brings about God’s grace and blessings. We must trust Him to make full use of our hands and mouth for His purpose. In turn, we receive ‘true liberty’, ‘true freedom,’ and ‘total fulfilment’ in God because only He knows what we were truly designed for.
In the gospel of John 15:14, the evangelist also compounds to this relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ for it states: “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father, I have made known to you.”
Indeed, this partnership with the Good Shepherd is no longer a case of a master and a servant, but rather a personal relationship between two friends. For Christ have made known to us all the knowledge that we need to do our task here on earth, like a sheepdog being trained for His work in the field, and we are so familiar with God’s works that like the sheepdog responding to a simple gesture, we respond to God’s Words.
Prayer after teaching:
God Almighty Father, thank you for sending Jesus Christ to us as the Good Shepherd, and thank you for choosing us to be his partners here on earth. As his “sheepdog,” teach us to be good Father that we may have the right tools and the right knowledge in the form of the words of the Bible, that we may feed and tend Your flock. Thank you for making us friends with Christ, Father, and teach us to be of good use to You, to fulfil our lives’ purpose and to delight in trusting and obeying You. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen
John 21:15 Jesus Reinstates Peter
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
Christ has called us into partnership with him. As Christians, He employs our hands and our bodily functions to do His work here on earth. Like the good shepherd, Christ needs ‘good sheepdog’ to tend His flock and feed His lambs and sheep. It is because of this that we must ask ourselves the question whether we want to take on the responsibility of taking care of God’s people
As partners in Christ’s ministry, we must remember two points. First, is to stop wasting our time. Second, is to delight in trust and obedience.
The first point: Stop wasting our time. This point is likened to a sheepdog that does not use its inbred skills for the proper purpose. Instead it wastes its time chasing cars and bicycles. This analogy is used to describe how we, as human beings, have wasted our time doing unproductive things that we were not meant for. A glaring example is how, on average, a person can spend at least 24 hours of every week watching TV and playing computer games. Which in aggregate is equivalent to ten years of a person’s 70 years of living!
Part of the reason why we have fallen to such wasteful practices is because we were ‘in the wrong hands.’ In 1 Peter 4:3, Peter says “For you have spent enough time in the past in the past doing what pagans choose to do- living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”
The passage clearly says that we have been exposed to practices in the past that have caused us to sin- practices that even today the world is not free of still. The same passage, though, speaks of ‘having spent enough time’- an intonation of both command and hope. It is God’s way of saying “It is over. I have forgiven you,” and reiterating His call for us to abandon our wasteful practices and seek a productive partnership with the ‘Good Shepherd.’
The second point asks of us to delight in trust and obedience. Again, this statement is likened to a good sheepdog that enjoys and ‘delights’ in his relationship with the shepherd. From this relationship, the sheepdog has ‘committed’ itself to be of good use to its benefactor. Similarly, we must make a decision to be of good use to our ‘Shepherd,’ our Lord Jesus Christ.
Delighting in trust and obedience in the Lord only brings about God’s grace and blessings. We must trust Him to make full use of our hands and mouth for His purpose. In turn, we receive ‘true liberty’, ‘true freedom,’ and ‘total fulfilment’ in God because only He knows what we were truly designed for.
In the gospel of John 15:14, the evangelist also compounds to this relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ for it states: “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father, I have made known to you.”
Indeed, this partnership with the Good Shepherd is no longer a case of a master and a servant, but rather a personal relationship between two friends. For Christ have made known to us all the knowledge that we need to do our task here on earth, like a sheepdog being trained for His work in the field, and we are so familiar with God’s works that like the sheepdog responding to a simple gesture, we respond to God’s Words.
Prayer after teaching:
God Almighty Father, thank you for sending Jesus Christ to us as the Good Shepherd, and thank you for choosing us to be his partners here on earth. As his “sheepdog,” teach us to be good Father that we may have the right tools and the right knowledge in the form of the words of the Bible, that we may feed and tend Your flock. Thank you for making us friends with Christ, Father, and teach us to be of good use to You, to fulfil our lives’ purpose and to delight in trusting and obeying You. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen
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