John 10:11–18
The Bible4Jesus.com Podcast
About this episode
We live in a world of contracts, not covenants. Our society is built on the transactional relationship, the quid pro quo, the fifty-fifty deal. We have church members who think like consumers, pastors who think like CEOs, and a gospel that is too often presented as a product to be marketed. Into this flimsy, contractual world, Jesus speaks a word that is ancient, earthy, and absolute. He speaks of shepherds and sheep, of wolves and hirelings. And the central, non-negotiable distinction He draws is the distinction between an owner and an employee. The one who is simply paid to watch the sheep will, when the real trouble comes, perform a very rapid cost-benefit analysis and run for his life. Jesus, in this passage, is not offering us a gentle, pastoral metaphor to comfort us, though there is immense comfort here.