“I suddenly realized that the devout Russian people no longer needed priests to pray them into heaven. . . . On earth they were building a kingdom more bright than any heaven had to offer, and for which it was a glory to die.”

 

Reed’s mentor Lincoln Steffens journeyed to Soviet Russia on Reed’s advice.  He wrote, “The revolution in Russia is to establish the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, now in order that Christ may come soon; and, coming, reign forever. Forever and ever, everywhere. Not over Russia alone. The revolution in Russia is not the Russian revolution. It is ‘The Revolution.’ ”

Judging by the Bolsheviks and their bloody handprints on the 20^th Century, we could say that those two were useful idiots to the Communists and their revolution.  They deceived them, used them, and manipulated them to spread their propaganda.

We expect people to use us for their own purposes, to get what they want.  We long for someone who won’t.  It happens so often, we get jaded and cynical.  We have had it happen to us so often that we don’t want to sign up for anything, no matter how good it sounds at the moment.  To say it another way, no matter how good whatever it is he’s offering, we think that there’s a Ponzi scheme going on somehow.

But what if there were such a person who wouldn’t use us, who had no ulterior motive, who did what he did for our best interest?  And if there were such a person, how would we recognize him? 

In His last public address, Jesus makes one more of His I AM statements and in the making, He produces three new pictures He hasn’t shown us before.  In Jn. 10:11ff, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. . . “  The way He puts this is to say, “I am not one among many good ones; I am in a class by Myself.  I am the Supreme Shepherd.” 

The Jews were accustomed to their kings being called “shepherds,” but this is different; this is the claim to be THE Shepherd of Israel, as God was called the Shepherd of Israel. 

This Shepherd is in a class by Himself because of what He’s going to do in six months and it’s something no other shepherd has ever done before or since. 

This is no idle claim because this shepherd will demonstrate His uniqueness by “laying His life down for the sheep.”  Has any other shepherd in Israel done laid his life down for his sheep?  Yes, BUT if he did, it was an accident; he didn’t intend to.  Any shepherd who got killed protecting his sheep didn’t intend to die.  To die for one’s sheep would have been a rarity, though unintended.

Besides that, what if a shepherd did die protecting his sheep?  It would have been a disaster.  Sheep are so defenseless; they have to have a shepherd to protect them.  For a shepherd to die for his sheep would mean the end of the sheep—killed, carried off, scattered hopelessly.

Jesus is predicting His death which is His intentional mission, not an accident.  This is why He’s the good shepherd—because of what He will do—die for the sheep.  “For” is a word of substitution and this is the doctrine of the atonement.  The good shepherd is good because He’s going to die for the sheep. 

But, you know, it has to be true that somewhere along the line a shepherd in Palestine died for his sheep.  Is this good shepherd unique?  Yes, because of the one thing that any shepherd who died for his sheep never did—vs. 17—“I lay down My life only to take it up again!”  Nobody will take His life from Him; He will lay it down; He will take it up.  Now we’ve got the  substitutionary atonement and the resurrection predicted.  Maybe a shepherd died in Israel , but not one of them raised themselves up from the dead. 

Not only that, but, whereas the sheep aren’t making a blood sacrifice for the shepherd, we see the shepherd is making a blood sacrifice for the sheep.  Unique! 

Also, the sheep don’t bring life to the shepherd; the shepherd brings life to the sheep.  Unique!

Jesus introduces a new and foreboding picture: the hireling.  (vs. 12)  The hireling doesn’t own the sheep and isn’t connected with the owner of the sheep or the good shepherd in any way.  He’s with the sheep for his benefit.  He’s not the good shepherd. 

How did a hireling get over the sheep?  Jesus doesn’t say, but he’s there.  What could he possibly get from sheep?  Food and clothing for two important items, and today, there are over 50 things we’ve discovered we can get from sheep. 

The hireling looks upon the sheep as useful idiots for his purposes.   Jesus is warning about hirelings.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were hirelings and they’re listening to all this!  The Pharisees “devoured  widows’ houses,” made merchandise of the people. 

How do we recognize a hireling who wants to make us into useful idiots?

1. The hireling pressures, produces guilt, intimidates, threatens God’s judgment to get what he wants from the sheep.

2. He uses personal information (calling it “accountability”) to control the sheep. 

3. The hireling sees himself as accountable to no one.

4. The hireling claims special revelation from God. 

5. The hireling shames, ridicules, or disciplines to control the sheep. 

  The hireling stands in contrast to the shepherds Christ sends into the flock.  Christ didn’t send the hireling.     

Now the enemy, the wolf, Satan, loves to find the sheep under a hireling.  Satan will complete the work the hireling has started, that of destroying the faith of the sheep.

We can cheapen the work of the Good Shepherd.  One of the most demeaning ways comes in the form of a catchy phrase my church was fond of saying: “God wants a tenth of your money and a seventh of your time.”  That’s insulting.  The Good Shepherd died for me so He can get a tithe?  

We have nothing good in and of ourselves to offer the Shepherd.  He saved us because “He loved us and gave Himself for us.”  To think that when God got us, He got a good deal is demeaning to the work of the Good Shepherd. 

* = Free Grace Teacher or Ministry