In John 10 Jesus details 3 sorts that work with the sheep, or the people.
1. The Thief: The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He uses up the sheep for his own desires and wants, and does not care about them or for them.
2. The Hireling: Wesley uses the word hireling, and I like it here. This person “Loves the hire, not the sheep” (Wesley) He enjoys making money off of the owner and little else. If a job came along that was better, he would abandon the sheep or if risk or labor increased over his pay, he would leave.
3. The Shepherd: The shepherd owns the sheep. They are  his and he is concerned solely about the care of the sheep. He will not abandon them for something else, because if he did, he would have nothing else.
So, Christian, which of these workers are you in your cubicle, in your grocery store, in your church? When we talk to people, do we just talk to get what we need out of them then move on? Do we just talk to the people we talk to because nothing better has come along? Do we take partnership, even ownership, of the friendship and dive in to care for the people we come in contact with?
I know I’m guilty of being all three of these characters at times.
John 10:17 w For this reason the Father loves me, x because y I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 z No one takes it from me, but y I lay it down a of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and b I have authority to take it up again. c This charge I have received from my Father.”
Adam had authority over his own life, but he gave it up and sold himself into the slavery of sin. Here is Jesus, born of the Holy Spirit and Mary, who had authority over his own life, and did not sell himself into slavery to sin but submitted it to the Father. This is the ultimate explanation by his life of what “whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 10.39)
Jesus did not seek to find or save His life, but to do whatever charge He received from the Father. Laying down His life wasn’t only done on the cross one day out of 33 years, Jesus layed down His life every single day so that the Father could take over.
We’ve been talking a lot at my house about when someone wrongs someone else, it’s not so much that they have evil thoughts toward the victim, but more that they are only thinking of themselves. I also heard John Piper say recently that we are never bored if we are always looking to see what God wants us to do in a given situation. God desires to be and deserves to be the center of all of our affections. Jesus lived for the Father, and not for Himself. God was in the center of Jesus’ life, and Jesus just rotated around the Father’s will.
