Title: There Will Be Suffering, But No Regrets
Contents
There will be suffering, but no regrets (John 10:1-15)
I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, but the laborer is not a shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. I do not tend 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, so I lay down my life for the sheep (John 10:11-15).
Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John is related to the preceding chapter, chapter 9. Jesus opened the eyes of a young man who had been blind since birth, and that day was the Sabbath. The Pharisees and the high priest said that it was a sinner who took the pod and opened his eyes. But the young man who woke up refuted their words. “You cannot open the eyes of sinners because God does not listen to them,” he said. When mere beggars refuted their supreme authority, the young man was expelled from the synagogue. This is usually referred to as ‘expulsion’, but when reading the Old Testament, it is often said that ‘I will be cut off from among my people’. This was a punishment more terrifying than death. They were expelled from the community of God's people.
When they were expelled from school, they were kicked out of their homes from the village they lived in. I didn't sell anything to this person. No one could harm them and they could not be protected from the community. It's a scary bee. This young man opened his eyes and his condition was worse than when he was blind. Jesus went to meet a young man who lost everything while claiming to the end that Jesus was righteous. And to comfort him, he told the parable of the good shepherd.
I am the good shepherd As the Good Shepherd knows the circumstances of each of his sheep, so I know each and every one of my flocks. And just as the good shepherd lays down his life to protect his sheep, so I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. Today, while following me and claiming to be righteous, I lose everything and suffer, but I am the Good Shepherd. You will struggle for a while to follow me, but you will never regret it. If people pursue only things that are more comfortable, make more money, and are more profitable, the day will surely come when they will regret it. However, if you are prepared to be poor and to suffer for the sake of the truth for the sake of something good, you will experience suffering, but you will have no regrets. There are tears, but no regrets. Our Lord does not lie to bring people together. The Lord says Suffering follows those who follow me. But because I am the Good Shepherd, I will surely reward him.