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Speaker 1: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John ten eleven. Dear Lord, you are our good shepherd, the one who endured the valley of death and despair to rescue us. Thank you for your shepherd's heart, willing to lay down your life and convenience so that we may live. Guide us daily to rest in your green pastures and drink by your still waters, restore our souls, and remind us that we are loved. We ask that you would teach us to abide in you, walk in your ways, and live a life of purpose for you. As we learn more about your love for us, May we be in spa to love others as we think about your sacrifice. May we be willing to sacrifice for others. Make us more like you each day, not for our glory, but for yours alone. In Jesus's name, we pray Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast. Remain here to be swept away in a parable told by Jesus. If this podcast has brought value to your faith, we'd love it if you left a review and shared it with a friend. We want the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world, because when Jesus' story is told, lives are transformed.
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Speaker 2: You're a disgrace, A voice shouted at Jesus.
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Speaker 3: What respectable rabbi I would share a meal with the likes of tax collectors and prostitutes.
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Speaker 2: You're a drunkard, Jesus.
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Speaker 1: Jesus turned to his accusers. The Pharisees had been waiting for a moment to pounds on him with accusations He had just shared a meal in the home of a tax collector. At the table were Roman officials, tax collectors, and hired prostitutes. They had come to hear Jesus speak. No other rabbi would look in their direction, let alone talk to them. The flock of Israel had grown calloused over the years, hearts hardened by rigid religion and the oppression of Rome.
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Speaker 2: What do you have to say for yourself, Jesus.
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Speaker 1: Jesus turned to his accusers and gestured for them to come closer.
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Speaker 4: I'm glad you're here, he.
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Speaker 1: Said, with a lighthearted smile. IS calm and kind demeanor and response to their condemnation made them even more angry.
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Speaker 4: I was just about to tell my friends a story. I think it would be useful for you to hear.
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Speaker 1: The Pharisees inched closer, but still refused to be seen sitting next to a tax collector or a prostitute. Jesus stroked his beard and said.
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Speaker 4: I want all of you to imagine a shepherd watching his flock by night.
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Speaker 5: Sheep are silly creatures. They wander off, easily, get into trouble, and need constant care. They're actually one of the only animals that without humans, can't survive in the wild. They're anxious and not too bright. Does that sound like anyone you know? The truth is we're all kind of like sheep. We have a tendency to wander and repeat our mistakes. We need guidance, we need protection, We need a good shepherd. This is the Jesus Podcast. I'm zachwithpray dot Com introducing you to my favorite parable. This parable is short when it's told by Jesus. It's a simple yet profound image of the Gospel. We are last sheep in need of a good shepherd to save us. It isn't very flattering to think of ourselves as sheep, But the deeper you look into it the more true it seems. We'll unpack the depths of this parable soon, but for now, lean back and feel the chill in the air. A shepherd is watching his sheep by night. Frost is lacing the grass, and a wind chill is sweeping through the forest. All seems calm as the sheep sleep soundly under a canopy of trees, But in the distance wolves are lurking in the shadows.
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Speaker 4: Winter was fast approaching, cloaking the rolling hills in a brittle mantle of frost. The grassy hills welcome the frigid breeze, causing every bush and reed to dance to its song. Ethan sat underneath a willow tree, huddled close to a few of the sh sheep for warmth. The life of a shepherd was often lonely, especially on nights like this one. Sharing season was still four months away, meaning Ethan would daily roam the countryside with his sheep all winter, leading them through rocky canyons and cold rivers in search of green pastures. The winter wasn't all bad, was a time when the sheep were quieter and less unruly. Now as a shepherd, he generally enjoyed his sheep. Many would look at his flock and say all the sheep were identical, But to a shepherd, every sheep is unique. Ethan knew every one of his hundred sheep personally. He knew their quirks, their likes, their dislikes. He knew which ones needed extra attention and which were content to be left alone. Ethan's eyes scanned the flock of a hundred sheep. They huddled tight, muttering complaints against the deepening chill, their breath forming frosted ghosts in the light. Before turning in for the night, Ethan counted all one hundred of his sheep three times, assuring all of them were accounted for.
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Speaker 3: Ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine.
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Speaker 4: Ethan scanned the flock again, looking for the last sheep. Dimly lit in the moonlight, the final sheep was on the edge of the hills, exploring near the rocks and thorns. Ethan stood up and walked over to it. It was a lamb barely past its weaning days, with a wisp of wool and bleating innocence.
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Speaker 3: Oh you're an unruly one, aren't you.
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Speaker 4: Ethan said, with a smile and a sigh. He used his staff to gently guide the lamb back to the flock. Winter was no time for wandering. Ravenous and cruel wolves slunk through the shadows, drawn by the promise of an easy prey one hundred, he whispered, guiding the young lamb to its mother. The young shepherd leaned his back against the tree and looked up. Moonbeams darted through breaks and the willows weeping leaves, casting a mosaic of light and shadows on the ground. The breeze made the willow whisper sweet and melodies to serenade Ethan to sleep. Slowly, he began to drift. An hour into his sleep, a howl echoed through the forest.
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Speaker 2: Near by.
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Speaker 4: Ethan sprang up with his staff secure in his hand. The sheep stirred, looking back to the shepherd to see if he was alert and ready. He always was a good shepherd, was always prepared to lay down his life for the sheep. With eyes like a hawk, Ethan scanned the hillside leading down to the forest. No sign of wolves except the distant howls carried by the wind. He walked among his sheep, again, counting each of them and patting them to reassure them. Everything would be okay. The sheep were eased by the low whispering of the shepherd's voice. Ethan ambled along, counting every sheep again.
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Speaker 3: Ninety four, ninety five, ninety six.
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Speaker 4: As he tallied the sheep, he felt a prickling along his spine. Something was wrong. He continued, a not, growing tighter in his stomach.
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Speaker 3: Ninety seven, and he ate ninety nine again.
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Speaker 4: There was one missing. Ethan looked to the hill's edge, no sign of his unruly lamb. He turned to the forest, peering closely to see anything illuminated by the moonlight. There there she was. A small white figure skipped into the forest, unaware of the pair ol lurking in the shadows. Then, just as the lamb disappeared, he heard it again. First it was a single howl, then another joined after there was a bone chilling chorus of howling, hungering, impatient and ready for blood. Ethan swore under his breath and looked back at the rest of his flock. They were all safe. They wouldn't wander in such conditions, especially with the sound of wolves in the distance. These ninety nine could wait. It was the one who needed him. Ethan ran a few hundred yards to the shepherd's tent, where several other sheep herders warmed themselves by the fire. He burst through the opening and said.
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Speaker 2: One of my lambs has wandered into the forest. I'm going after it.
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Speaker 3: If I don't return, take care of my flock.
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Speaker 2: They're wolves out there, they shouted, Why risk yourself for just one sheep?
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Speaker 4: Ignoring their protests, he ran out of the tent and looked down at the rolling hills leading to the forest. He tightened his belt and sandal straps, gripped his staff, and darted down the path. The forest loomed in the distance a jacket marg hence the fading light of the moon. The shepherd ran with fury, bent on reaching his lambs before the wolves did. The fire in his belly fought against the paralyzing chill of the valley. He reached the forest edge and paused. Shadows danced in the moonlight. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest, his hand shook, and his throat clenched. Danger awaited him in that forest. Was one sheep really worth leaving the ninety nine behind? Was one sheep worth dying for? The shepherd's jaw quivered slightly. He took a single step back, fear coiling around his heart. Then another sound emerged from the forest. The faint bleating of his lamb echoed from within. That was all Ethan needed to hear. The cries of his little lamb ignited the heart of a protector. He plunged in his staff, clutched tight, a meager shield against the teeth and claws that might await. Any merchant or vender would say that Ethan was foolish to pursue his lamb. What are you doing? It's only one sheep, they would shout. But they didn't understand, and they couldn't. They weren't there when the lamb was born. They didn't mend their broken bones when they stumbled upon the rocks. They didn't understand that sheep couldn't survive on their own. Their very lives depended on the love of a shepherd. It was love that drove the shepherd forward in into danger. The undergrowth, brittle and cold, snagged at his sandals, thorns tore at his cloak. Fear nodded him, but love burned brighter. The lamb's terrified bleat echoed through the moss covered trees. And the shepherd heard his little lamb crying. It fueled his heart and his passion and pulled him forward. He tore through the overgrowth and the thorns until finally reaching a clearing. He ran and ran and ran, tearing through the overgrowth and the thorns until finally the lamb's bleat stopped. Ethan looked around, calling out to his lamb and whistling a tune only it would recognize.
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Speaker 2: Come on, where are you?
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Speaker 4: His breath rose like a plume of smoke in the cool night air. The sheep called out to him, but this time it was accompanied by the ravenous box of wolves. Ethan darted back into the woods, ignoring the jagged bobs and cuts to his ankle. I'm coming, Ethan shouted. Ethan stepped into the clearing. The moonlight shone, revealing the wolves menacing glares. There were three of them, sleek and snarling, circling the lamb, and are ready to pounce the lamb. The poor lamb was trembling like a leaf in a storm, huddled against a gnarled oak tree. Ethan ran from behind and roared a challenge. Flung into the frozen night, the wolves turned tilting their heads menacingly towards Ethan. One larger than the others, its fur matted with frost, met his gaze. Ethan didn't back down. He gripped his staff and growled.
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Speaker 2: At the wolf, She's mine.
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Speaker 4: Flo He charged with his staff held like a spear, yelling a war cry that shook the leaves from the trees. The ruse responded with a chorus of snarls, fangs bared in anger and hunger. The clearing became a whirlwind of fur and teeth. The battle raged, a whirlwind of fur and teeth. The staff whistling, is it Perry? Snapping jaws back, The shepherd cried out with vicious swings, striking one of the wolves in the ribs whack. One wolf with piercing gray eyes pounced and tore at Ethan's arm, teeth sinking through his wool cloak. Pain flared, but he ignored it, adrenaline pulsing through his veins. He brought the staff down on another wolf's head. The beast yelped, staggering back. Stunned, Ethan paused for a moment, heavily tired and weary from the battle. Suddenly, the alpha sensing Ethan's weakness, went in for the kill. It lunged jaws wide, aiming for Ethan's throat. He held his staff to the wolf's jaws, stopping them from sinking in. The shepherd stumbled backward, flipping the wolf over his shoulders. They were off him for a brief moment. Preparing for another attack. Ethan looked towards his lamb. She watched wide eyed, the terror slowly ebbing from her gaze. At that moment, exhaustion threatened to pull him down, but the lamb, the lamb's eyes, her innocent, beautiful eyes, fueled his desperate will. He found in him a strength he didn't know he possessed. A primal roar ricked from his soul, and with a final brutal swing of his staff, he crushed the alpha wolf's skull into the.
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Speaker 2: Ground, seth mine.
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Speaker 4: The remaining wolves, sensing the rage and passion from Ethan, slunk away into the shadows, whimpering in their defeat. The shepherd sank to his knees, trembling beside the lamb with weak arms. He scooped her up and walked through the forest. Her tiny body was warm against his bloody chest. Her bleat this time was one of relief, one of gratitude.
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Speaker 3: Ah, you're safe, little one.
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Speaker 4: Blood soaked his cloak and dripped onto the frosted ground below. He was wounded, but victorious. Death's hunger wouldn't be satisfied with any of his precious flock. Though he was injured, he walked tall, and the lamb was cradled in his arms like a precious treasure. The sun's first light rose over the mountain range as they emerged from the forest. Its light kissed the earth below, painting the once gray forest with splashes of amber and gold. Ethan marched up the hill to see his flock being tended to by the other shepherds. He held his lamb high in the air, A smile brighter than the sunrise beamed from his face. The others ran to him, cheering and jumping for joy. They gathered the neighbors and had a feast in Ethan's honor. He had beaten the odds and fended off the wolves. But the true celebration was reflected in the bleating lamb's eyes as it nuzzled close to its shepherd. She was once lost, but now she was found.
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Speaker 1: Jesus finished his story and gestured to the pharisees.
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Speaker 4: Now the herders threw a feast and rejoiced over the return of the last lamb. But I tell you there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety nine righteous who haven't strayed.
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Speaker 5: Listen to Jesus in John chapter ten. I in the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd in does not know the sheep. So when he sees a wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. But I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. Humans are storytellers. Stories actually play a huge role in the spiritual and moral development of society. The stories we tell as people are attempts to explain and solve the problem of evil in our own way. Every narrative we tell has a similar plot does. In it, the princess is captured by a fire breathing dragon and the shimmering Brave Knight fearlessly sacrifices his own safety to save her. Aragorn, Frodo, and Gandalf bravely relinquish their comforts to save Middle Earth from Saaron in his evil armies. The Avengers overcome physical, political, and mental barriers to save the world, Like every two years or so, the best storytellers have the ability to tap into the universal longings, fears, and hopes of human beings. They're able to put them on display for people to see and walk us through the process of being saved. And there isn't a more universal experience than a human's longing to be saved, a human's.
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Speaker 2: Need for a hero.
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Speaker 5: If you look closely at the heroes that have shaped our psyche as a culture, they all have something slightly in common. These heroes have this common thread that's woven into them as if it was done on purpose. Superman was from another planet, another world. He lived life as a commoner in a rural area. Nobody knew about his powers until it was time for him to save the world. In several iterations, of the comics. He dies and rises again to save people as Land, being wholly and without fault, died on behalf of Edmund, who ate some forbidden Turkish delight from a witch. He died on Edmund's behalf, but eventually rose again to join him in battle so that Edmund could rise as a king. Atticus Finch took on the criticism and hatred of it an entire town also one man could experience justice and compassion. Gandalf sacrificed himself so the lies of his chosen fellowship could live, but he rose again to redeem them just in the nick of time, and empower them to become warriors, kings, and the hobbits that they were all called to be. I could go on for literally hours talking about Odysseus from the Odyssey, Maximus from Gladiator, and even Harry Potter, a prophesied hero who bore the scars of evil but lived to end it once and for all.
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Speaker 2: Who c S.
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Speaker 5: Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, who famously mentioned that stories are fractured reflections of the Gospel, and that in the heart of every human we see ourselves as victims, evil, as the villain, and our in desperate need of a hero. Every movie, every piece of literature, and every story we tell has the hero at the center of the story. Out of every religion or worldview, there is no greater hero than Jesus. He is the central figure and the hero of scripture. We have to understand that every single hero leading up to Jesus was just a shadow of him. David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, Joshua and Jericho, all these stories are shadows of the gospel stories, ultimately pointing to Jesus as the great hero, redeemer, and shepherd. So who are the sheep us? Here's the thing about sheep. They're the perfect prey. They have these huge, puffy and conspicuous bodies with their tiny, little numby legs. They have tiny brains, and they're easily guided into harm. They are a wolf's dream. They can't run very fast, they're super huge and noticeable, and they're dumb. God often describes himself as a shepherd, not because it was such a lofty title back then, but because we as people, as much as we'd hate to admit it, are a lot like sheep. No wonder, we're so anxious all the time, we feel unsafe and like we're victims to circumstance other people and even ourselves. As a result of our anxiety, we are desperate for comfort. We're desperate for a hero, and in the midst of our reeling and desperate search for any sort of safety, we will turn to what Jesus describes as hired hands. Jesus said that the hired hand doesn't really care about the sheep at all. They're just therefore a paycheck. So when a wolf comes to scatter the sheep and eat one of the lambs, the hired hand leaves. It's not worth it for him. He doesn't love the sheep, He just needs an income, so he bolts at the first sign of trouble. Jesus draws a comparison here to him in the hired hand. He says that the good shepherd, the one connected to the sheep, will willingly offer his life to protect them, but the one who's just hired to watch the sheep will allow anything to harm them if it means saving his own butt. Here's why so many of us live in a state of anxiety, fear, and inability to rest. We have put our trust in hired hands instead. Of the good Shepherd. We're people in need of a hero, but we've settled for less than a hero. We know that we're operating under the protection of a false hero, someone who claims and promises much, but at the first sign of trouble bolts. These false heroes, these hired hands that we look for for protection, come in many forms codependence with a loved one looking to them as your hero. Maybe it's your job, your income, your four oh one k. Maybe it's your grades, your abilities, or your talents. Perhaps I'm going to confess that the biggest false hero I have in my life, the number one person that I want to save me from my misfortune but ends up failing time and time again, is myself. I am a hired hand. I continually let myself down, and I continually fall short of what it takes to truly save me. Psalm twenty three says this, 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. And 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. David knew that even when he walked through the most diet of circumstances, he was able to experience comfort because the good shepherd, the true hero, was with him, not a hired hand that would run when things get hard. Can I just stop for a second and let you all know how much Jesus truly loves you. He lays down his life for the sheep. This is Jesus saying, I will do whatever it takes to have them. Jesus sees you and I, these silly little creatures filled with baggage and insecurities, as worth laying his life down. This episode depicted a shepherd that would risk it all just to save one little lamb. How much more so the creator of the universe, the creator of the stars, being mindful of you, bending himself down and dying for you. Let that sink in. For those of you that feel like you've been beaten around, there can be these voices of wolves and false heroes and hired hands telling you that you aren't worthy. You fall in short, and there's some serious things you need to clean up before you're worthy of being in god presence. But here's the reality. God's presence has come to you. He is the good Shepherd. Doesn't matter how far you've strayed away from him, he is going to find you. He is running after you. He died on the cross because you were precious enough to him to lay it all on the line. Romans eight thirty one through thirty nine says this, what shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring the charge against God's elect It is God who justifies who is to condemn Jesus Christ is the one who died more than that who raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I'm sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God. In Christ, Jesus. Let that reality wash over you. You don't need to be the hero of your own story. There's a good shepherd running after you. There's a good shepherd who will fight off the wolves on your behalf. You don't need to be the one who creates something good out of the bad. Jesus can do that, is doing that and will continue to do that. You don't have to face the wolves on your own. Jesus is standing between you and them, at the ready to defend you at every corner. We aren't conquerors because we have a good attitude. We aren't conquerors because we think things or manifest things into existence. No, we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus and in Christ Jesus alone. Yea, though we walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death, we will fear no evil. And that's not because we're some heroic protagonist in our own story. No, we walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death fearing no evil because our.
00:25:59
Speaker 2: Good show is with us.
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Speaker 5: Jesus is the hero. Let that sink in. Being redeemed means a few things for your identity. One, it means you're no longer a victim to sin. Two, it means that you don't have to bear the weight of being the hero, even for others. And three, it means we get to follow in the victory of Jesus. And what does that following look like. It looks like laying your life down for others. It looks like guiding other sheep into the pasture. You see, Jesus says this in verse sixteen of John ten and I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd. This is exciting. Jesus does this incredible redeeming work in our lives, claims victory over our sins, burdens, and insecurities, and he brings us into this amazing community with him that we might also bring others into this fold. So here's your exhortation today. You're not the hero, but you're also not the victim. Jesus is the hero, and he is redeemed and saved us. He has redeemed and saved you personally for a purpose. Follow the Good Shepherd Today for more inspiring stories, daily devotionals, and wisdom to last a lifetime. Make sure to download the Prey dot com app and continue to follow along this podcast. We have plenty more parables to go can't wait to dive into them with you.