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NotWorthy
Guest
I figure we haven’t had a good thread on Peter’s Primacy for so long (what’s it been, three or four days, now?), so I wanted to create another one - this time with a different angle. I’ve often heard where Jesus uses John to indicate Peter’s Primacy, but Tim Gray presents it much better:
Then Jesus makes a sudden shift in verse 11, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” There is some background to the imagery that Jesus is conveying, and its related to the Festival, Hanukah. During this Feast, the Jews read from Ezekiel. God says, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, in these words prophesy to them (to the shepherds): Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?” Ezekiel is calling the leaders of Israel the shepherds, and the leaders have been unfaithful. They’ve abused the sheep and taken advantage of them. God says, I’m going to get rid of the shepherds and I’m going to solve the problem. Let’s look at verses 11-13 of Ezekiel 34. “For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the foreign lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel”.
Now, when Jesus tells Peter in John 21 three times to “Feed My Lambs", “Tend My Sheep”, "Feed My Sheep”, he’s transferring the Good Shepherd authority started in Ezekiel, and continued in John 10, to Peter.
Thank you!
Notworthy
Then Jesus makes a sudden shift in verse 11, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” There is some background to the imagery that Jesus is conveying, and its related to the Festival, Hanukah. During this Feast, the Jews read from Ezekiel. God says, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, in these words prophesy to them (to the shepherds): Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?” Ezekiel is calling the leaders of Israel the shepherds, and the leaders have been unfaithful. They’ve abused the sheep and taken advantage of them. God says, I’m going to get rid of the shepherds and I’m going to solve the problem. Let’s look at verses 11-13 of Ezekiel 34. “For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the foreign lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel”.
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When we look at this in the context of Hanukah, when the faithful Jews of Israel were scattered due to the persecution of the Greeks. Judas Maccabeas drew them back in to Israel when he purged the Temple. Now Jesus is transposing Himself over the Feast of Hanukah, claiming that He is the Good Shepherd - the one to draw his flock back to Israel. So when Jesus calls Himself this Good Shepherd, he's not calling Himself a king, or a religious leaders, who is He calling Himself? God. We see this also with Jesus saying ***I am the Good Shepherd***.Thank you!
Notworthy
