Where's God? Finding Him in the Small Stuff

Some people may look at the Bible as a book which is full of darkness and death. There are, after all, accounts of devastation, like at the flood of the Old Testament and awful death, like at the cross of the New Testament. Add huge battles where thousands were killed, and end-time prophecies with more of the same, and you could, seemingly, make that case. However, for believers, the Bible is a book of light and life. What transforms it from one to the other?

When Jesus proclaimed to His followers, "I AM the Good Shepherd," He also said, "I lay down My life." What did He mean as we look back at the cross in this day and age? Jesus talked, too, about how God "knows" Him. What was that all about? And how do WE know Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

To fully appreciate Jesus' declaration of "I AM the Good Shepherd," we have to go back to the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 34. There we find the context of Jesus' statement, God's condemnation of the "bad shepherds" of Israel, found in the Jewish priesthood. God promised to send them a Shepherd who would care for them, a Good Shepherd. Surely, the crowd around Jesus that day must have made the connection, and understood the significance of what Jesus was saying.

Jesus promises that the sheep who follow His voice will receive "abundant life." What does that mean? This life reflects the "unlimited limit" of Jesus when it comes to salvation. The pasture of eternal life is unlimited. It is available to ALL. But it is limited too. It can be entered into by only ONE Gate. If you miss that Gate, then you miss the pasture, and you miss eternity with Jesus. Open that Gate, and abundant life awaits you in heaven!

Jesus told the crowd, "I Am the Gate," and talked about how His sheep listen to His voice, and will run away from a stranger's call. What form does this take today for contemporary Christians? How does Satan try to deceive us with subtle counterfeits? Because we live in a fallen world today, we need to be able to know Truth from fiction.

When Jesus said to the crowd around Him, "I AM the Gate," He was making a profound statement. It was clear that the "sheepfold" mentioned in the story offered safety, salvation, and eternal life. But there was only one way into that sheep pen. Only one Gate. There was absolutely, positively, no other way to enter it, but by this one and only Gate. People back then didn't like that teaching very much. Many still don't like it.

When Jesus proclaimed to His followers, "I Am the Gate," He also told them a story about sheep, and a sheepfold, and thieves and robbers, and a Shepherd who calls His sheep "by name." What does it all mean and what is the symbolism telling us? Who's who in this metaphor, anyway?

Just before Jesus proclaimed to the crowd, "I Am the Gate," He miraculously healed a man who had been born blind. That healing really stunned the people who knew the blind man and were familiar with his disability. Why was there such a strong reaction to this particular healing? Because it was more than a healing, it was creating! And yes, that is stunning! And yes, it was the perfect lead-in for Jesus' "I AM" statement found in John 10.

After Jesus declared to the crowd, "I AM the Bread of Life," He had to convince them that the "bread of heaven" was not Manna, but Him. He had to show them that Manna was temporary, but He is eternal. He had to inform them that those who ate Manna still died, but those who believe in Him will never die. Manna was sent by God to give life to His people physically for "now," but Jesus was sent by God to give life spiritually, for now and forever.

When Jesus told the crowd, "I AM the Bread of Life," He was using the "Name of God" and applying it to Himself. "I AM" is the Name which the Lord revealed to Moses in the Old Testament book of Exodus. What does this Name mean, and how did those people react to Jesus' claim? Eventually, they wanted to know what they could DO to earn God's favor. Jesus explained to them that they should not be asking "what," but "Who?"