#DailyDevotions Jesus’ Pastors Come To His Sheep Through Him
John 10 I tell you the truth, the man who doesn’t come into the sheepfold through the door but climbs over somewhere else, is a thief and a robber. 2But the one who comes in through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by their names and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own sheep, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger but will run away from him because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”
We tend to think very little of false teachers today. We hear people say, “But they’re talking about Jesus.” Oh, but what are they saying about Jesus? Are they saying what Jesus says about Jesus? Are they saying what Jesus said? Are they actually saying what the Bible says about Jesus? Jesus calls false teachers thieves and robbers.
There are men who want to come into the sheepfold, that is the church to rob and steal. While they may give lip service to Jesus they do not come into the sheepfold, the world, through Jesus. There are those who do come through the door, which is Jesus. To come through Jesus is to believe, to teach what Jesus taught. It is to display Jesus to the people whom he has called his own. These shepherds speak with the same voice of Jesus. Those who belong to Jesus listen to them. Those who do not belong to Jesus don’t listen to the shepherds the LORD Jesus Christ sends to them. The shepherds, the pastors speaking what Jesus taught, who display the work of Jesus lead the people who belong to Jesus. Such ones will not follow the voice of thieves and robbers, i.e. false teachers.
And just what do Jesus’ shepherds, his pastors say? Jesus Christ suffered and died for your sins. He shed his blood to ransom you and redeem you from sin, death and the devil. Jesus has done everything necessary for you to be saved. They teach to be repentant and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ pastors teach you how to love God and love your neighbor through the commandments. They do what Jesus did and call you to fellowship in Jesus’ true body and blood in his Supper. Jesus’ pastors teach you how he fulfilled all that was said about him in the Old Testament, the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings.
Jesus’ pastors make sure the focus of everything they do is on Jesus, the Lamb of God. They glorify and praise Jesus and call you to join in him in thanksgiving and praise for all that Jesus has done. If they talk about you it is to call you to repentance. It is to guide you to see why you need Jesus. They tell you what Jesus has done for you and how Jesus wants you to respond to his love. Thieves and robbers make everything about you. You are the center of their teaching. What Jesus has done is a mere taking off point for vain philosophies which you can get from any pagan writer or worse con man.
Almighty and merciful Father, continually send your faithful pastors to proclaim Jesus and all he has done for us so we might rightfully praise and glorify Jesus and so give you glory to the end we receive the salvation of our souls. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.