Session 12 John 10:7-14,25-30
Call on someone to read John 10:11-14.
Direct the group to pay attention to how Jesus set up the contrast between the true Shepherd and the hired hand.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,
Invite the group to circle all the uses of “I” in verses 11-14.
Explain why Jesus focused on Himself in these verses.
Emphasize the voluntary and sacrificial nature of Jesus laying down His life
for His sheep.
Guide the group to locate this week’s memory verse on Pack Item 8 (Handout: Memory Verse Bookmark).
Utilizing the bulleted point below,
explain the meaning of the word know in verse 14.
Instruct them to work in teams of two or three to paraphrase verse 14
Jesus’s words again created tension with the religious leaders,
mostly because they knew He was portraying them as false shepherds.
But Jesus stated that His sheep know Him and are secure in Him.