I’ve had a difficult time getting Thursday Theology off the ground. I’ve been needing some type of plan to go forward. Ecclesiology, the study of the church is a big subject. I hardly know where to begin. However, I did run across something that might help us put some order into all this.
To understand the church, it may be beneficial to understand the relationship between Christ and His Church. Lewis Sperry Chafer says, The all-important revelation respecting the true Church is contained in the seven relationships which she sustains to Christ… So here we have a perfect thesis to start with; a plan. Seven relationships. Seven studies. Seven articles for Thursday Theology. Praise the Lord. These are the seven relationships:
- The Shepherd and the sheep
- The Vine and the branches
- The Cornerstone and the building
- The High Priest and the kingdom of priests
- The Head and the body
- The Last Adam and the new creation
- The Bridegroom and the bride
So let’s just dive in to the first one!
The Shepherd and the Sheep
I know no other verse that seems to have grown and grown on me through the years as Psalm 23:1. The first five words do such a number in my soul, it can’t be expressed. The Lord is my shepherd… My heart stirs and sings that wonderful song:
He leadeth me! O blessed thought,
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught;
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
Still ’tis Christ’s hand that leadeth me.
I doubt seriously that I can do this subject any justice. But let’s look at the text. Truly, the first eighteen verses of John, Chapter 10, are the subject. But I can’t cover all that right now. Jesus first begins with a parable concerning this relationship. And the second half he explains it and actually makes the statement, I am the good shepherd. I want to focus first on the parable Jesus makes which follows:
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
John 10:1-6
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. John 10:1-6
He entereth in by the door
Now, there is a door. Let me put it this way: There is an obvious point of passage. It’s designated. It’s framed. It works. It implies that there is a fenced or bordered area of some sort that cannot be easily crossed, except you go through the door. This door is significant to the sheep. What benefit is there to any for the shepherd to go through the door unless the door had some signification to the sheep.
Of course we know that Jesus is the door and the good shepherd. It may take some time for that relationship to grow between the shepherd and the sheep; as any relationship. But the foundation to that relationship is the door. The sheep know the shepherd because he first knows the door. Whether he stumbled upon it, or sought after it, or was brought to it, his life in the fold begins at the door. And every encounter with the shepherd begins with the door.
This passage is namely an admonish warning about the thief and the robber. If someone comes into the fold by some way other than the door, something is just not going to smell right. This speaks to us of spiritual discernment. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
Knowing God’s will comes in knowing the door. It matters not how the shepherd enters, whether he bursts in or strolls in. It matters not what he looks like; whether he wears new clothes or old clothes. It matter little what he smells like either. What matters is did he come through the door? Did he come through the place he always comes through? This is a matter of location. Is he where I found him last?
Though things change along this narrow road, there are some things that remain familiar. This speaks to us of prayer. It speaks to us of Calvary. It speaks to us of the Word of God. There is a common thread that holds together all our experiences along the way with the good shepherd. Not just our experiences but the experiences of all the sheep. Our relationship with Christ differs from sheep to sheep. But what we all have in common is our consciousness of the door. Our relationship depends on how much and how well we’ve exercised our senses regarding it.
When you look at the tabernacle that the Israelites constructed in the wilderness, you’ll see that every door had the same colors of blue, purple, and scarlet. It didn’t matter if you went through the gate of the court, or the first veil, or the second veil, there was a familiarity amongst the doors. They were God’s chosen colors. And they stood out compared to the rest of the tabernacle. There was no doubt as to where the door was.
In discerning God’s will, it’s sure nice to hear the voice of God. But it’s not always like that. It’s not always a clear impression. But just as valid as the voice is the door; the familiar common colored thread that frames the way. I think maybe it’s usually hindsight that we see it. It’s not so much that we heard the voice of God and knowingly did God’s will. It’s that we go through things where we don’t understand God’s leading. That is until we look back. We see those familiar colors down the way and realize that it was God leading all along. And hindsight, after much exercise, will give us foresight. He entereth in by the door.
Praise the Lord. There’s three more things I’d like to cover regarding the parable Jesus gives them before we go on into his interpretation.
- He calleth his own sheep
- He leadeth them out
- He goeth before them
Lord willing we’ll get to that. There’s no rush. I want us to remember, myself included, that this is Thursday Theology and we’re studying Ecclesiology, which is the study of the Church. And under that, we’re examining the relationship between Christ and his church. And to do that, we’re looking at these seven figures of that relationship that Christ gives; the first one being the shepherd and the sheep. So you’re in pretty deep if you got this far.
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