Woe Is Me: When the Exalted Self Meets the Exalted Christ

Jesus sets the question plainly: who is shepherding the sheep? John 10 comes right after the man born blind is healed, interrogated, and cast out by Israel’s religious leaders. Jesus comes and finds the man those leaders neglected, and that contrast exposes the failed shepherds of Israel. Ezekiel 34 had already condemned shepherds who fed themselves, ruled with force, and left the weak, sick, straying, and lost sheep uncared for.

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. False shepherds may be obvious, but they are often subtle, like a pickpocket who takes without being noticed. Satanic opposition to Jesus works through teachers who twist God’s Word, but it also works through worldviews, wants, and worries. A worldview without Jesus as Savior cannot lead the sheep home. Material things promise satisfaction, yet the next shiny thing never actually satisfies. Worry also tugs the heart away from the security and rest found in Christ.

Jesus, by contrast, comes to give life, and to give it abundantly. The good shepherd is not merely one good option among many. He is the shepherd promised in Ezekiel, the Son of David who seeks the lost, brings back the straying, binds up the injured, and strengthens the weak. His goodness overflows into eternal life, but that life also begins now with real joy, peace, and fellowship with him.

Jesus proves his goodness by laying down his life for the sheep. Christ bears sin in his body on the tree, taking the crushing weight of guilt and shame that the sheep could never remove themselves. His death is not defeat, because the shepherd has authority to lay down his life and authority to take it up again. The empty grave means that the sheep receive not only forgiveness, but resurrection life.

The hired hand stands as another warning. The hired hand is not necessarily malicious, but his care is conditional and his protection is provisional. He stays only while the relationship benefits him. Jesus knows his own in the deep, loving fellowship shared between the Father and the Son, and his sheep know him. His sheep hear his voice and follow him into holiness, sacrificial love, and repentance.

Jesus gives his sheep eternal life, and they will never perish. The thief seeks to destroy, and the wolf seeks to snatch and scatter, but no one can snatch Christ’s sheep from his hand. Weariness, doubt, suffering, and ongoing battles with sin do not outrun the grip of the good shepherd. Psalm 23 rests on this sure reality: the Lord shepherds his people through the valley and brings them home forever.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. False shepherds always take from sheep. The thief’s purpose is never mixed or neutral. Worldviews without Christ, restless wants, and anxious worries can quietly lead the heart away from the Savior. The sheep must become sober minded about what is shaping their loves, fears, and thoughts. [47:36]
• 2. Jesus gives abundant and eternal life. The good shepherd does not merely improve a difficult life. Jesus gives life that begins now and continues beyond death, marked by his joy, peace, and overflowing goodness. His care reaches farther than any earthly caretaker ever could. [54:35]
• 3. The cross removes sin’s crushing burden. Jesus bears the sins of his sheep in his own body on the tree. The guilt, shame, and condemnation that weigh down the soul are answered by Christ’s sacrifice and empty grave. The sheep are called to look upon Jesus and live free. [59:27]
• 4. Christ knows his sheep personally. Jesus does not simply know facts about his people. He knows his own, and his own know him in a real relationship of love and trust. That relationship calls the sheep beyond religious familiarity into actual obedience and following. [68:12]
• 5. No one can snatch Christ’s sheep away. The wolf scatters sheep left by a hired hand, but Jesus never abandons his own. Weariness, doubt, and painful circumstances can feel overwhelming, yet none of them can pull Christ’s people from his hand. His security rests on his faithfulness, not their strength.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:54] - Knowing God the Son
• [29:50] - Who Is Caring for You?
• [33:04] - The Thief and Failed Shepherds
• [34:04] - The Man Born Blind Cast Out
• [39:24] - Ezekiel’s Warning to Israel’s Shepherds
• [42:31] - Testing Those Who Lead
• [47:36] - Worldviews, Wants, and Worries
• [54:35] - Jesus Comes to Give Life
• [56:37] - The Shepherd Promised in Ezekiel
• [58:36] - The Sacrificial Shepherd
• [61:35] - The Resurrected Shepherd
• [62:52] - The Hired Hand Abandons
• [68:12] - The Shepherd Knows His Sheep
• [72:01] - Secure in Jesus’ Hand
• [76:05] - Resting in Psalm 23

Bible Reading

John 10:10-11
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” [28:15]

Ezekiel 34:1-6
“The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.” [39:24]

Psalm 23:1-6
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” [01:16:10]

Observation questions

1. In John 10:10–15, what contrasts do you see between the thief, the hired hand, and Jesus the good shepherd?
2. What specific failures of Israel’s shepherds are named in Ezekiel 34:1–6, and what happened to the sheep as a result? [40:22]
3. How does the treatment of the man born blind in John 9 help explain why Jesus speaks so strongly about false shepherds in John 10? [35:08]
4. According to Psalm 23, what are some of the ways the Shepherd provides for, leads, and comforts his sheep?

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, while he comes to give abundant life. What does this contrast reveal about the kinds of voices, desires, and fears that compete to lead a person’s heart? [54:30]
2. Ezekiel condemned shepherds who fed themselves rather than the sheep. What would it look like for a spiritual leader or influential teacher today to “feed the sheep” with God’s Word rather than use people for personal gain? [42:50]
3. Jesus calls himself the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. Why is his willing death for sinners essential to understanding both his goodness and the life he gives? [58:39]
4. Jesus says that his sheep know his voice and follow him. How does this describe something deeper than simply knowing facts about Jesus or having religious familiarity? [01:09:39]

Application questions

1. What has been doing the most shepherding in your life lately: a worldview, a desire for something more, or a worry you cannot seem to set down? How has it affected your trust in Christ? [51:47]
2. Think about the voices you regularly allow to shape you—teachers, podcasts, social media, news, friends, or other influences. What helps you discern whether they are leading you toward Jesus and his Word or subtly away from him? [42:31]
3. Where have material things or experiences promised satisfaction but left you wanting the next thing? What might it look like to receive good gifts thankfully without asking them to do what only Christ can do? [50:37]
4. Is there a particular burden of guilt or shame that you still carry as though Jesus had not fully borne it? How can the cross and resurrection help you bring that burden into the light rather than hiding under it? [59:27]
5. The hired hand’s care is conditional. Is there someone in the church, family, workplace, or neighborhood whom you have been tempted to care for only when it is convenient or beneficial to you? What could sacrificial love look like this week? [01:07:44]
6. Where is Jesus calling you to follow him in repentance, holiness, or sacrificial love, but you have been resistant? What is one concrete step of obedience you could take? [01:11:29]
7. When weariness, doubt, suffering, or repeated struggles with sin make you feel insecure, how does Jesus’ promise that no one can snatch his sheep from his hand change the way you respond? [01:13:24]