There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
The promises God has made in his word to pardon and absolve all those who truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel.
Lord, is not this the word which you have spoken: that if the wicked man forsakes his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and returns to the LORD, even to my God, that you will abundantly pardon, Isaiah 55:7(ESV) will multiply to pardon?
To you, the Lord my God, belong mercy and forgiveness, for I have rebelled against you. Daniel 9:9(ESV)
Is not this the covenant which you have made with the house of Israel: that you will take away their sins; Romans 11:27(ESV) that you will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more; Jeremiah 31:34(ESV) that iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found? Jeremiah 50:20(ESV)
Have you not said that if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep your statutes, he shall live; he shall not die; all his transgressions shall not be remembered against him? Ezekiel 33:15-16(ESV)
Have you not appointed that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in Christ’s name to all nations? Luke 24:47(ESV)
Did you not promise that when the sins of Israel were put upon the head of the scapegoat, they should be sent away into the wilderness, into a remote area? Leviticus 16:22(ESV) And as far as the east is from the west, so far do you remove my transgressions from me. Psalm 103:12(ESV)
O remember these words to your servant, in which you have made me hope. Psalm 119:49(ESV)
Nehemiah 9:1-37 In this week’s study we see that sorrow for sin and repentance came in response to hearing God’s Word read and preached.
Theme
The Prayer of the Levites: Creation
It strikes me that this is the exact opposite of what most people do today. When the Jews of Nehemiah’s day confessed the sins of their fathers they acknowledged their guilt for their fathers’ sins. Otherwise there would have been no meaning to confessing those sins. This meant in its fullness that they considered themselves to be guilty for what their fathers did, they being part of the same people. At the very least it meant that they were guilty of the same sins and were therefore no better than their parents. But today, if people refer to the sin of their parents at all, it is to excuse themselves rather than to assume any personal share of the responsibility. They blame their wrong doing on their genes or their upbringing.
“I know I have a bad temper, but I inherited it from my father. There is just nothing I can do about it.”
“If you knew the kind of family I was raised in, you would understand why I break my commitments and think of no one but myself.”
“Where I come from everyone steals to get by.”
Some forms of psychiatry encourage this kind of thinking. Many church pulpits wallow in it. But when revival comes to a place people stop trying to excuse themselves by what others, even their parents, have done and instead confess their sin and wrongdoing openly. Like Isaiah, they cry out, “Woe is me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:6).
The main part of Nehemiah 9 consists of a long formal prayer by the Levites (vv. 5-38), who presumably had been leading the people in the personal expression of sorrow given earlier. This too is a prayer of confession; that is why it is included here. But it is also a prayer which directs the people’s thoughts to the goodness and power of God and prepares them for a final appeal to Him for mercy in their distressed condition. The tone of the prayer is set in the opening line in which the Levites challenge the people: “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting” (v. 5). Because the prayer praises God, there is something glorious about it even though it is a prayer of sorrowful confession. The prayer contains the three main parts:
1. The work of God in creation (vv. 5-6). Since the bulk of the prayer deals with the history of God’s dealings with the Jewish people, it is noteworthy that it actually begins by praising God as the Creator of the heavens and earth. This is a good place to begin in and of itself, of course. But the prayer also shows the influence on the people of the Scripture reading of the previous three weeks, since the Old Testament begins with a creation account. In fact, the entire prayer follows an outline based on the content of the early books of the Old Testament.
I sense, as I read the first verses of this prayer, that the Levites of Nehemiah’s day were closer to the Scripture and much wiser than most of our contemporary Bible scholars. Today the opening chapters of Genesis are a battleground for competing theories of origins: evolution, theistic evolution, the gap theory, six-day creationism, and progressive creationism. These theories need to be dealt with in their proper place and at a proper time. In fact, I have done so myself in my studies of the early verses of Genesis.1 But these theories are not what Genesis 1 and 2 are about. They are about the nature of God, His power and goodness, and about the duty man owes God as his Creator. Nehemiah 9:5-6 reflects this perspective. We cannot escape the irony that although God gives “life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship [him],” the masses of mankind do not—not even, it seems, the chosen people.
What did it mean for the people to confess the guilt of their fathers’ sins?
What is the meaning of Genesis 1-2 that the Levites’ prayer reflects?
Application
Reflection: How do most people today think about their sins and the sins of their parents? Can you give any examples where you have observed this kind of thinking?
For Further Study: Download and listen for free to James Boice’s message, “A Psalm of Repentance.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
Many people today do not understand the gospel. They live for their own kingdom, often wreaking havoc in their own lives, as well as in the lives of their family and friends. It’s likely that you are praying for friends and family members like this, asking the Lord to save them. As we pray, we should be encouraged. The Lord knows those who are His and will save them in His own time and in His own way. As we pray, we should also be grateful. If we know the Lord, it’s because He opened our blind eyes to believe in Him. This savior is “the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Jesus is the true “shepherd of the sheep,” whose “sheep hear his voice” (John 10:3). He brings out “all his own” and “goes before them” while they willingly “follow him, for they know his voice” (v. 4). Jesus pursues us, protects us, and provides for us. He is the only way to be saved from the guilt and condemnation of sin.
In speaking with the blind Pharisees Jesus proclaimed, “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7). Thieves and robbers, like the Pharisees, came before Him, but “the sheep did not listen to them” (v. 8). These thieves “steal and kill and destroy” (v. 10). But not Jesus. He is the door to salvation and abundant life (vv. 9-10).
Jesus is the good shepherd because He “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). In order to save God’s people and give them abundant life He had to die on the cross, which He willingly did. Unlike “a hired hand” (v. 12), who puts himself in front of the sheep, sacrificing nothing so that he can save his own skin, Jesus puts Himself on the cross, sacrificing everything so that He can save God’s people.
As the good shepherd, Jesus knows His own and they know Him, just as the Father knows Him and He knows the Father (John 10:14-15). What intimacy believers have with Christ! What’s more is that this intimacy is also between believers. All God’s people are brought together as “one flock” under “one shepherd” (v. 16).
Jesus will not just “lay down” His life, He will also “take it up again” (John 10:17). Such humble obedience pleased His Father who had sent Him to accomplish redemption for His people. Notably, Jesus has authority to “lay” His life “down of my own accord” and “authority to take it up again” (v. 18). His obedience, even unto death, resulted in His exaltation (Phil. 2:9-11).
Not surprisingly, Jesus’s claim to be the good shepherd caused division (John 10:19-21). Some didn’t bother to listen to Him because they thought He was demon-possessed and insane. Others could not believe that a demon-possessed man could open the eyes of the blind. But none were willing to confess, “Lord, I believe” and worship Him (John 9:38).
The Pharisees should have recognized that the prophets had spoken of this Shepherd who would both “gather the lambs in his arms” (Isa. 40:11) and be “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,” in order to gather “the outcasts of Israel” and “others to him” (Isa. 40:11; 53:7-8; 56:8). Unlike the bad shepherds of Israel who “scattered my flock” and “have not attended to them” the Lord promised to “gather the remnant of my flock” and “set shepherds over them who will care for them” (Jer. 23:2-3). Ultimately there would be one shepherd, “a righteous Branch” who would “reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (vv. 5-6). Likewise, through Ezekiel the Lord condemned the bad shepherds of Israel (Ezek. 34:2-6, 10), and promised, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep” (v. 15). He declared, “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them…and they shall all have one shepherd” (v. 23; 37:24).
Jesus was declaring that He is the fulfillment of all that the prophets had spoken. He is the good shepherd, the Righteous Branch, the descendant of David, and the eternal king. He came to “create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross” (Eph. 2:15-16). He is “the great shepherd of the sheep” who secured our redemption “by the blood of the eternal covenant” (Heb. 13:20). He is “the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” and “the chief Shepherd” who will one day appear to give godly under-shepherds “the unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4). In the new Jerusalem “the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17).
Dear reader, if you know this tender Shepherd as your Savior and Lord, thank God that He opened your blind eyes to believe in Him. So many today are like the Pharisees and do not understand the gospel. Many of you are praying for family and friends, asking the Lord to save them. Do not lose heart. The good shepherd has declared that He knows His own and every sheep for whom He has laid down His life and taken it up again will certainly be saved.
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace describes the ancient non-Christian evidence for the life of Jesus. What would we know about Jesus if we lost every possible Christian document (including the New Testament and writings of the Church Fathers)? What would the earliest unfriendly Greek, Roman, Syrian and Jewish historical documents tell us about Jesus? Here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast is located on iTunes or our RSS Feed):
Despite its widespread influence, very few people read the Bible every day. Our hesitation might stem from different beliefs, a lapsed faith, or difficulty seeing its relevance to life. In this message, Pastor Lutzer introduces the Bible’s origin and purpose as it speaks to us today. What if the revealed Word of God actually transformed our lives?
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.” (10:11–13)
Jesus’ identification of Himself as the good shepherd points back to the true shepherd described in verses 2 to 5. It is the fourth “I AM” statement in John’s gospel (see the discussion of v. 7 above). The Greek text literally reads, “the shepherd, the good one,” setting Christ the Good Shepherd apart from all other shepherds. Kalos (good) refers to His noble character (cf. 1 Tim. 3:7; 4:6; 2 Tim. 2:3; 1 Peter 4:10); He is the perfect, authentic Shepherd; in a class by Himself; preeminent above all others. Being a faithful shepherd entailed a willingness to lay one’s life on the line to protect the sheep. Robbers and wild animals such as wolves, lions, and bears were a constant danger (cf. 1 Sam. 17:34; Isa. 31:4; Amos 3:12). But Jesus, the good shepherd, went far beyond merely being willing to risk or actually risking His life for His sheep; He actually laid down His life for them (cf. v. 15; 6:51; 11:50–51; 18:14). The phrase lays down His life is unique to John’s writings and always refers to a voluntary, sacrificial death (vv. 15, 17–18; 13:37–38; 15:13; 1 John 3:16). Jesus gave His life for His sheep, because they were chosen to become part of His flock. The preposition huper (for) is frequently used in the New Testament to refer to Christ’s substitutionary atonement for the elect (cf. v. 15; 6:51; 11:50–51; 18:14; Luke 22:19; Rom. 5:6, 8; 8:32; 1 Cor. 11:24; 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:14–15, 21; Gal. 1:4; 2:20; 3:13; Eph. 5:2, 25; 1 Thess. 5:9–10; 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 2:14; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:21; 3:18; 1 John 3:16). His death was an actual atonement to provide propitiation for the sins of all who would believe, as they were called and regenerated by the Spirit, because they were chosen by the Father. Opposite the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep, is he who is a hired hand (like the doorkeeper of v. 3), and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, who sees the wolf coming (cf. Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:29), and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them (cf. Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34). The hired hand symbolizes the Jewish religious leaders and, by extension, all false shepherds. They are always mercenaries, doing ministry not for love of the souls of men or even love for the truth, but for money (Titus 1:10–11; 1 Peter 5:2; 2 Peter 2:3). Therefore they flee at the first sign of threat to their well-being, because they are not concerned about the sheep. Their overriding priority is self-preservation, and the last thing they care to do is to sacrifice themselves for anyone.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 431–432). Moody Press.
“I Am the Good Shepherd”
John 10:11–18
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the 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. “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—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
The claim of the Lord Jesus Christ to be “the good shepherd” is the fourth of the “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel. But if we were to order these sayings in terms of their popularity, I am sure that “I am the good shepherd” would be number one. It is not that we understand it so completely, for there is certainly much about shepherds and their care of sheep in Christ’s time that we do not know. It is rather that there is so much in Christ’s saying that our hearts know intuitively and for which Jesus is loved.
The Good Shepherd
For one thing, Jesus claimed to be the “good” Shepherd. And we know by comparison with other people—particularly with those who are in positions of responsibility, whether parents, pastors, or politicians—that he is uniquely good. That is, he is good in a way that they are not. The word “good” is itself interesting, and we sense its meaning even though we may never have heard of the Greek word it translates or what the Greek signifies. The word means “good” in the sense of being morally good; but it also means “beautiful,” “winsome,” “lovely,” “attractive,” or even “possessing all and whatever qualities make the object described a good thing or the person a good person.” Moreover, if we compare Christ’s “I am the good shepherd” with his parallel claims to be “the true bread” or “the true vine,” we also see that the word means “genuine” or “true,” as opposed to “false” or “artificial.” But we all sense this; that is my point. At least, it is my point as regards all Christians. We sense that by this phrase we are to recognize Jesus as the good, beautiful, winsome, lovely, attractive, true, and genuine Shepherd. Moreover, we understand that he is claiming to be that exclusively. For he is not a good shepherd, as though he were one of many in that class. He is the Good Shepherd. There have been other shepherds, of course. The Old Testament speaks of both good and bad shepherds of Israel. The New Testament speaks of shepherds for our day; for Jesus is termed the “Chief Shepherd” from whom the leaders of God’s people, the undershepherds, have assigned responsibilities (1 Peter 5:4). But compared to Jesus, we who are shepherds in the lesser sense scarcely seem to be that at all. For who of us could call ourselves “a good shepherd,” much less “the good shepherd.” Yet we instantly confess that he is both and love him for it. Why does he call himself the Good Shepherd? Or, to put it in other language, what is he like or what has he done that he should bear this title? The verses of John 10 answer the question in two parts. First, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he lays down his life for the sheep. We find that in verse 11. Second, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he knows his sheep and directs them properly. We find that in verse 14. In both of these aspects Jesus is above all other men or women.
His Death, No Tragedy
I am amazed at the amount of teaching about the death of Jesus that we find in verse 11, and the more so because the teaching is more or less incidental to Christ’s statement. The point Jesus is making is that he can be called the Good Shepherd primarily because he gives his life for the sheep. This is obvious, first, because he repeats it four times—in verses 11, 15, 17, and 18—but also because it is emphasized in contrast to the hired hand who runs away when danger threatens. The good shepherd is the one who sticks by his sheep, who defends them, and who will even die for them if necessary. This is the main point. What is amazing is the amount of teaching about Christ’s death that occurs over and beyond this. First, we are led to see that the death about which Jesus speaks is voluntary. This is evident in two places: in verse 11, which says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” and in verses 17 and 18, which add, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.” We must never think, in contemplating the death of Christ, that this death was somehow an accident or, even worse, a tragedy. It may or may not have been a tragedy when Alexander the Great fell sick and died at an extremely young age, or when Keats died in his early twenties. But it was most certainly not a tragedy when Jesus died at approximately thirty-three years of age. This was no accident. This was and is the great turning point of history. It was planned before the foundation of the world, for Peter spoke of Christ, saying, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23). It was this for which Christ was born, for the angel told Joseph, “You are to give him the name JESUS, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). It was this toward which Jesus’ life consciously and deliberately moved, as these and many other sayings of the Lord indicate. Jesus did not have to come to this earth, any more than a man has to be a shepherd. He did not have to die. Nevertheless, he both came and died voluntarily for our salvation. Second, we are told that his death was vicarious; that is, Jesus died not for his own sin—he had none—but for ours and in our place. He indicates this by saying, “The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” I cannot understand why so many have been urged to deny this. The words are plain enough, both here and elsewhere. They tell us that Jesus died, not only for others in the sense of “on their behalf,” but and even stronger than this, in the sense of “in their place.” The Greek preposition is hyper, the sense of which is given beyond any doubt in Romans 5:6–8, where the same phrases occur: “When we were still powerless Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man some might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The meaning is this: We are sinners; as sinners we deserve to die (both physically and spiritually); but Christ willingly died in our place, taking our punishment, so that we might be set free from sin and its penalty to serve God. Third, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was specific; that is, he died for a specified number of people designated in this verse as his sheep. We do not know who these sheep are, of course, and I am glad that we do not. If we could, we would be constantly prying into other persons’ lives to see whether or not the other one is chosen; and in that case we would be little better than spiritual peeping toms. It is not for us to know. We cannot know. If we had lived in Sodom, would we have judged Lot, Abraham’s nephew, to be a saved man? Probably not! Yet the New Testament tells us that he was accounted righteous in the sight of God, though he undoubtedly erred greatly in going to Sodom (2 Peter 2:7). Would we have considered Judas to be saved? Probably yes, in his case. But Jesus told us explicitly that he was a tool of Satan (John 6:70–71). We cannot know precisely who these are for whom Christ died. But Jesus does know them and died for them. The result of this is that he literally paid the penalty for their sins and theirs only, with the further result that they are now fully justified in the sight of the Holy God and can stand boldly before him. Finally, we are told the cause of the Shepherd’s death for the sheep. It is because he cares for them (v. 13) or, as we should more properly say, because he loves them. “What? Love sheep? Do you mean to say that you really love sheep, Jesus, and that you love them enough to die for them?” “Yes, that is right,” says Jesus. “I really do love them.” “But they are just sheep, and sinful sheep at that! We would understand if you should say that you felt pity for them, that you hated or were even grieved to see them torn by wild animals or scattered. But surely you would not go so far as to give your life for these poor silly creatures? Your love cannot be as great or as strong as that?” “But it is,” says Jesus. “I do love them. I love you.” “Me? Me, with all my sin?” “Yes,” says Jesus. “You are the one. I love you. I died for you. I want you to become a happy and useful sheep in my flock.” I do not know about you, but I cannot understand such love. I cannot fathom it. I cannot trace the reasonings of such love. But I do believe it and respond to it rejoicing. That is all we can do after all. David once wrote, “How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?” He answered, “I will lift up the cup of salvation [that is, I will believe God concerning his offer of salvation] and call on the name of the LORD [that is, I will praise him for it]” (Ps. 116:12–13). And so we do, knowing that ours is the loveliest, most glorious song of the universe.
Awake, my soul, in joyful lays,
And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise:
He justly claims a song from me,
His loving-kindness is so free.
He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all,
And saved me from my lost estate,
His loving-kindness is so great.
Foolish men may be ashamed of such a song and of such great love. But Jesus is not ashamed of it. It is rather his boast and glory: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” God forbid, then, that we should glory save in that which is his glory, even the cross “through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).
Knowing and Known
In the second place, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he knows the sheep and is known by them. There is comfort in that. Why is that comforting? It is comforting because we long to be known and know others, and yet are basically incapable of it. It is true that there is a certain amount of knowledge of one another between human beings. Friends know one another. Parents know their children, children their parents. There is often a special and beautiful knowledge between husband and wife. But in spite of these things, for each of us deep in our hearts there is a hunger to be known better, to be known for what we really are, and to share a corresponding and similar knowledge of another. It exists on the human level. It exists above all on the divine level. For though we are sinners and in rebellion there is, nevertheless, a certain emptiness or hunger to know God and be known of God. Augustine called it restlessness, adding, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” Moreover, there is comfort in the claim that Jesus knows his sheep because it is precisely as “his sheep” that he knows them. In other words, to be known of him is at the same time to be a member of his flock and thereby to be one for whom he died and who, as he says later, will never be snatched from his hand. This is a permanent relationship, then, and a personal one. I am his sheep? Yes, forever! Then he is my Shepherd, and that is forever too. Finally, there is comfort in the fact that Jesus knows his sheep. I therefore need not fear that something about me might suddenly rise up to startle him and diminish his love. There is a wonderful illustration of this point in the nature of sheep themselves. It is because of it, no doubt, that we find the image of the sheep and the shepherd so apt. Think of the characteristics of sheep. For one thing, they are all different. In our time, we are so oriented to mass-produced products and, even in ranching, to such large herds that we seldom think of differences. To us a sheep is a sheep, a cow is a cow, a dog is a dog … yes, even a person is a person. But sheep are different from each other, people are different from each other; and the Good Shepherd recognizes those differences. In fact, it is by their differences that he knows them. If they were all alike, they would be indistinguishable. I sometimes think that half our problems in the Christian church come from our trying to be exactly like another person, or from other people trying to make us be like them. Sheep are different. Jesus made them different and knows that they are different. So, be yourself, and strive to become all that Jesus wants you personally to be. Not only are sheep different, they also are helpless. Jesus knows they are helpless, and that is why he has become our Good Shepherd. Did you know, for instance, that a sheep will often get stuck on its back like a turtle, so that it is unable to move, and that in warm weather it can die in that position within a few hours? A sheep in that position is called a “cast” sheep, and it must be rescued. Or again, did you know that a sheep is undiscriminating in its choice of food, so that it will eat anything, even poisonous roots and weeds? Or again, that a sheep is helpless in the face of predatory animals, so terrified, in fact, that it often will simply stand there without uttering a bleat until it is attacked and killed? I see myself in these characteristics, and as I do I am even more grateful for my Good Shepherd. Jesus knows his sheep! Well, then, he also knows that they are wayward. A sheep can have perfect pasture, all that it needs or can ever need; yet, if there is so much as a tiny opening in an otherwise secure fence, somehow the sheep will find the opening, wriggle through, and wander away to less ample fields and into danger. I am like that, and so are you.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love,
reads the hymn; and it is true. All we like sheep have gone astray yet in Jesus we have a Shepherd who is constantly on the alert to keep us from wandering and to seek us out when we succeed (as we often do) in going astray. Finally, a sheep is useful. Each year, under proper management, it produces a valuable crop of wool. Thus, when we are told that Jesus knows his sheep, we know that he knows that of us also and that he desires to have us be useful both to himself and to others. I know that he does not need us. He who created the heavens and earth and all that is in them does not need sheep for what they can give him. He does not need our good works. He does not need us to convert people, or even to sing his praises. He has angels to do that. But the fact is: he has created us; he has called us into his flock; and he has given us work to do. How, then, will we do it? Will we be useful or useless? Industrious or lazy? Our attitude should be, “Lord, what would you have me do?” To be willing is to express gratitude to the One who is indeed our Good Shepherd.
The Chief Shepherd
John 10:11–18
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the 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. “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—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
The parable of the Good Shepherd is a parable in which believers can learn about the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is not only that. Like most passages of the Bible that tell us about the Lord Jesus Christ it also is one in which we can learn what we are to be as we are made like him. In other words, as Christ is the Good Shepherd, so, too, are we to be shepherds; and we are to find the standards for our shepherd work in his own. The Bible points to this truth in an interesting way. Three times in the New Testament Jesus Christ is represented as the Shepherd, but in each case the word “shepherd” is preceded by a different adjective. In John 10, Jesus is called the good Shepherd, as we have seen—“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (v. 11). Here the emphasis is upon the voluntary and vicarious death of the Shepherd. In Hebrews 13:20–21 Jesus is called the great Shepherd—“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” In this verse the emphasis is upon Christ’s resurrection and therefore also upon his ability to work through and accomplish his purposes in his sheep. The third passage speaks of Jesus as the Chief Shepherd and stresses his second coming to reward those who have served him as undershepherds. It is 1 Peter 5:4—“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” These passages highlight the focal points of Christ’s ministry. As the Good Shepherd, Christ dies for the sheep. As the Great Shepherd, Christ rises from the dead so he might serve the sheep. As the Chief Shepherd, Christ returns to reward those who have been faithful in the responsibilities to which they have been assigned as undershepherds. It is the last of these that highlights the point I am making. When Jesus described himself as the Shepherd he revealed many important aspects of what he is to us, but at the same time he also revealed what we should be to others. For we are all shepherds—if we are believers in Christ. To a greater or lesser extent we have all been given an oversight of others. Do we exercise our responsibility as Jesus exercised it—in the family, in business, in the affairs of the church, in government, or in other areas? Do we show Christ’s self-sacrifice and sympathy? Are we faithful? Whether we are or not, we may improve our service by reflecting on the characteristics of the Good Shepherd.
Found Faithful
The first and most obvious characteristic of the Good Shepherd is that he is faithful; that is, he is faithful in his responsibilities, not only when the skies are sunny and the countryside is peaceful but also when times are hard and when danger threatens. This is apparent from Christ’s contrast of himself to the hired hand who, unlike the Good Shepherd, “sees the wolf coming, … abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it” (v. 12). The hired hand is one who is doing a job primarily for what he can get out of it rather than out of a true sense of responsibility toward the sheep. So the question becomes: Am I a hired hand in relation to those for whom God has made me responsible? Am I faithful or faithless? Do I stay with the work? Or do I abandon it when I see the wolf coming? Before we try to excuse our conduct in this area (and we do try to excuse it), we need to hear one other thing said about the hired hand. It is in the next verse: “The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep” (v. 13). At first reading this may seem trite, but it is not at all trite. It reflects a profound principle: a man does what he does because of what he is. Pink writes, “The drunkard drinks because he is a drunkard. But he is a drunkard before he drinks to excess. The liar lies because he is a liar; but he is a liar before he tells a lie. The thief steals because he is a thief. When the testing time comes each man reveals what he is by what he does. Conduct conforms to character as the stream does to the fountain.” Therefore, before we try to excuse ourselves, let us learn that our conduct in testing proves what we are. Let us ask God for the character that proves faithful. There is much in the Word of God about faithfulness. Jesus spoke of stewards who proved that they were faithful by the way they handled their master’s goods (Matt. 24:45–46; 25:14–30; Luke 12:42–43; 19:11–27). Paul wrote, “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). He also encouraged Timothy to commit the gospel “to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2). He calls Onesimus a “faithful and dear brother” (Col. 4:9). Peter calls Silvanus “a faithful brother” (1 Peter 5:12). In Revelation, Antipas is called “my faithful witness” (Rev. 2:13). Faithfulness is of primary importance in Scripture. So whatever good characteristics we may have, we will prove of little value to the work of Christ if we do not possess this primary and essential characteristic.
Hardworking
Second, we must be hardworking and diligent. Nothing worthwhile is done without hard work. Yet many Christians act as though they have been saved by Christ merely to be transported to heaven on “flowery beds of ease,” as the hymn acknowledges. Our standard is to be that of the Good Shepherd who works hard for his sheep. In our study of John 10:10 we had occasion to look at Psalm 23, which tells us that the one who has God for his Shepherd does not lack any good thing. Specifically, he does not lack rest, guidance, safety, provision, or a heavenly home. These provisions are worth reflecting on in themselves—we did reflect on them earlier—but they also lead us to ask: Why does the sheep of the psalm not lack them? The answer obviously is that the Shepherd provides them and that he does so through much diligence and hard work. The sheep does not lack rest because the Shepherd seeks out green pastures in which he may lie down. He does not lack guidance because “he leads me beside quiet waters” and because “he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” He does not lack safety because the Shepherd defends him against natural disasters and wild animals. He does not lack provision because the Shepherd finds all that he needs and spreads it before him. He does not lack a heavenly home because the Shepherd has gone to prepare it for him and will return to lead him to it. All these items are provided through the hard work of the Shepherd. In the same way, the needs of God’s people—whether in families, homes, or churches—are provided by the hard work of those whom the Lord has appointed as undershepherds. This includes most of us. If God’s people do not receive good spiritual food, it is usually because some minister is not working hard enough to provide it. If a family lacks love and security, it is because the parents are not working hard to provide these things in the home. If the widows are not cared for, it is because the deacons are slothful. If the church is not given proper spiritual direction, the elders are failing in their responsibility. The list could be carried on indefinitely. Are we diligent? Do we work hard? One very hard worker, Watchman Nee of China, once wrote, “Only a diligent servant is of use to [the Lord. So] do not let us regard this matter lightly.… We shall have to deal with ourselves unsparingly before the Lord if we are to become workers who are not ‘unprofitable’ in his service.”
Patient
Third, we need to be patient—not with ourselves, of course, but with the sheep. This arises from the fact that sheep are sheep and that they need to be dealt with patiently. A Christian humorist once said, “To look at the behavior of some ministers you would think that instead of having said, ‘Feed my sheep,’ the Lord had actually said, ‘Teach my trained dogs new tricks.’ ” This stimulates an interesting train of thought, for it is true that some regard God’s people as anything but sheep. Some, as the humorist indicated, act as though God’s people were circus dogs. Others act as though they were attack dogs; so they are always telling them to “Go, get the liberals” or “Go, get the Communists.” Some treat Christians like horses, getting them to charge some obstacle. Still others regard them as robots—they don’t have to think; they just need to be programmed. But we are not dogs or horses or robots. God calls us sheep, and sheep need patience. Moreover, sheep are different, as I pointed out before. Some go too fast; we need to be patient with those. Others are too slow; we need to be patient with those who fall behind. In this as in other matters we need to learn from the Chief Shepherd.
A Good Example
Fourth, we need to be a good example. This is what Peter is talking about primarily in the verses in which Jesus is called the “Chief Shepherd.” He is writing to elders in these verses, though his words also apply more widely. He says, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:1–4). Are we like that? Are we examples of mature Christian understanding, faithfulness in the midst of persecution, Christian morality, love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control, and all the other virtues? The point of these words is that we should be such and that we also should be examples in our careful feeding of the sheep.
Self-Sacrificing
A shepherd must be self-sacrificing. This is the fifth characteristic. What is it that characterizes the good shepherd in Jesus’ description of him in John 10? Above all, that he gives his life for the sheep. We will never be able to give our lives as Jesus gave his life for us—he died for us as our sin-bearer—nevertheless, there are other ways in which we can give our lives for others. We can give our time in order to help them. We can sacrifice things that we would rather do or rather have in order to serve and give to others. In other words, we must put others ahead of ourselves. Our primary desire must be for their spiritual well-being and comfort. The world says, “Me first; others second; God last.” The order for believers should be, “God first; others second; myself last.” It does not sound like a very attractive order to the natural mind, but the truth is that this is the way to a full life and a joyful existence. It takes self-sacrifice if a parent is to raise children properly, if a pastor is to guide and teach his people effectively, if a Sunday school teacher is to help her pupils, or if any worthwhile thing is to be accomplished. But it is rewarding. It is a source of great joy.
Moved by Love
Finally, the shepherd needs to be moved by love. Jesus loves us; he cares for his sheep. So ought we to love one another and care for one another. By this men should know that we are his disciples (John 13:34–35). But where are we to learn this love? The only answer is: from Jesus. Therefore, we must learn to love him first of all, for it is only after this that we shall be able to love those whom he entrusts to our care. This was the last lesson the Lord Jesus Christ had for Peter. Peter had denied him three times, and the Lord wished to recommission Peter for service. So he came to Peter with the question: “Peter, do you love me?” It was repeated three times. On each occasion Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” and Jesus then replied, “Feed my sheep.” He knew that once Peter had come to love him he would love others also and would care for them. So it is with all the lessons we are to learn. It is from Jesus himself that we learn them. Take the men from the Old Testament who are known as having been shepherds, and ask them where they learned to be shepherds. Look at Jacob. He was not a particularly praiseworthy character. He was a cheat and a coward. But in one respect he was praiseworthy—he was a good shepherd. He was known for his faithful care of the sheep (Gen. 30:31; 31:36–42). Moreover, later (after the Lord had dealt with him), he was known for his care of his family in exactly the same way. We say to him, “Jacob, where did you learn to be a good shepherd? Where did you learn to care for the sheep?” Jacob replies, “Well, it is true that I did care for the sheep; but I did not learn it of myself. It was not that I was faithful. I learned it rather from the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd of Bethel, who revealed himself to me and who cared for me during the years of my exile.” We turn next to Joseph and say to him, “Joseph, you too were a shepherd in your youth; it is said of you that you were faithful in feeding the sheep (Gen. 37:2). Moreover, you were used by God later to feed people; for as ruler in Egypt you were used to store up grain that helped preserve millions of people during a great famine. Where did you learn that? Where did you learn to be faithful in feeding the sheep?” Joseph answers, “From the God of my fathers, who fed me during the years of my slavery and imprisonment.” “Moses, even you were a shepherd. You were raised in Egypt in the court of Pharaoh, but you spent the next forty years of your life in the deserts of Midian caring for the flocks of Reuel. It is said of you that you watered, protected, and guided the sheep (Exod. 2:16–17; 3:1), just as under God you later watered, protected, and guided the people of Israel during the forty years of their desert wandering. Where did you learn to do that? Where did you learn to give such care?” Moses tells us that it was not from himself that he learned it, but rather from God’s protection and guidance of him as he fled from Egypt. Finally, we see David. “David, you are preeminently the shepherd of Israel, the great shepherd king. As a boy you cared for the sheep; for you were the youngest in the family, and it was the job of the youngest to care for them. During those years you showed prowess in defending the sheep, for we read that you killed both a lion and a bear in rescuing them (1 Sam. 17:34–36). Later you showed similar prowess in defending Israel against even greater enemies. Where did you learn such courage?” David says he learned it from the Great Shepherd about whom he had written. “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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Ps. 23:4–5). Each one learned what he learned from the Shepherd of Israel. We can be good shepherds too if we can first say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then learn from him.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 753–764). Baker Books.
If I desire to flourish in soul, I must not hoard up my stores but must distribute to the poor. To be close and niggardly is the world’s way to prosperity, but it is not God’s way, for He saith, “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty.” Faith’s way of gaining is giving. I must try this again and again, and I may expect that as much of prosperity as will be good for me will carne to me as a gracious reward for a liberal course of action.
Of course, I may not be sure of growing rich. I shall be fat but not too fat. Too great riches might make me as unwieldy as corpulent persons usually are and cause me the dyspepsia of worldliness, and perhaps bring on a fatty degeneration of the heart. No, if I am fat enough to be healthy, I may well be satisfied; and if the Lord grants me a competence, I may be thoroughly content.
But there is a mental and spiritual fatness which I would greatly covet, and this comes as the result of generous thoughts toward my God, His church, and my fellow men. Let me not stint, lest I starve my heart. Let me be bountiful and liberal, for so shall I be like my Lord. He gave Himself for me; shall I grudge Him anything?
There are a number of Bible verses that can fortify someone in the belief that we have to do something good to enter Heaven. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all his goods, give to the poor, and then follow Him. If he did that, Jesus said he would have everlasting life (Matthew 19:16-22). If this is the way to immortality for a rich man, is it also the way for a poor man? If he sells what little he has and gives it to other poor folks, could that buy him a place in Heaven? Such thoughts are in conflict with the many instances in Scripture that tell us that it is impossible for any of us to buy our way into Heaven:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!” (Acts 8:20)
Here is another verse that the self-righteous could look to in order to try and buy immortality:
“And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)
If this verse is saying that the reward is everlasting life, it’s an even better deal than having to sell all of our possessions and give them to the poor.
His Chief Sin
The rich young ruler loved his money, and that was his chief sin. But look now at what Jesus said about every believer:
“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:33)
When we come to Jesus, we are acknowledging that God gave us life. Everything belongs to Him, and in the light of the cross and the gift of salvation, I gladly forsake the world, the flesh, and the devil. That’s biblical repentance.
Still, most of this sinful world is deluded into thinking that a ticket to heaven is as cheap as a pair of Walmart socks. All they need be is a good person who’s kind to others. They believe this even though most of them know Christ died for our sins. But I have found by experience that when I press them as to what Christ’s death means, most have no idea. They think Jesus left us an example of showing patience and love while in suffering. They are in complete ignorance as to the atonement.
“When we come to Jesus, we are acknowledging that God gave us life. Everything belongs to Him, and in the light of the cross and the gift of salvation, I gladly forsake the world, the flesh, and the devil.”
Fortunately, God has placed something in the hands of the Church that shatters self-righteousness. When the children of Israel created the golden calf, Moses came down from the mountain and threw the Ten Commandments at their feet in wrath, smashing them into a thousand pieces.
And there is the clue on how we should deal with this stubborn sin of self-righteousness—as with the children of Israel, it’s rooted in idolatry. Idolatry isn’t just making your own image out of wood or stone; it’s also making up a god in our minds. Sinners create an image of God that is congenial, loving, and kind. That god would never be angry. But that god doesn’t exist. He is just a figment of the imagination.
So, the way to deal with self-righteousness is to bring Moses down from the mountain. Let your hearer see his fiery eyes (see Romans 4:15). We should never be hesitant to put the fear of God into the heart of sinners, because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). And the way to put a healthy fear of God in any one sinner is to open up the Ten Commandments—as Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount. This is foreign to most contemporary churches, but it wasn’t in Paul’s day. Paul made Felix tremble (Acts 24:25). And that’s good because the Bible says through the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6). And when sinners don’t depart from evil, they will cause havoc in your church. And you don’t want that.
The Sadducees tried to trap Jesus with a clever question about the resurrection. It is this crafty question that is the backdrop for one of Jesus’s most profound displays of divine wisdom. In this message from Luke 20, we see Christ’s unmatched authority, His defense of the resurrection, and the hope that believers have in Him.
At the heart of God’s unfolding purpose for history is the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who is redeeming a people out of this fallen and fading world. In this message, W. Robert Godfrey revels in the glorious hope that we have in our triumphant Savior.
If you ask the average American, “Does sin exist?” you will probably get yes for an answer as a new study shows 84% of Americans do believe that sin exists. And yet, despite the majority acknowledging sin’s existence, only half of Americans believe that everyone is a sinner—and a full third think they aren’t the problem!
Of course, we expect poor theology from those who don’t profess the name of Christ. But shockingly, the research found that 25% of those who claim to be born-again Christians don’t believe they are a sinner, and a whopping 7 in 10 say we’re all “basically good at heart.”
This sentiment comes from our culture, not from the Bible. God’s Word is clear—not only does sin exist, but every single person is born a sinner standing under the judgment of death because of their sin.
In Romans 3:23, we read, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:12 states, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”
Romans 8:7–8, says, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
1 John 1:8 additionally underscores, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
And then how about this one: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
And it’s not just individual Bible verses that teach this. Think about the full scope of biblical history:
God creates a perfect world with two perfect people; they sin.
God cleanses the world, leaving just eight people; Noah and his descendants sin.
All of humanity is one group, speaking one language, descended from the same righteous man (Noah); they all collectively sin.
God chooses one man and makes a covenant with him; Abraham sins . . . and his descendants sin.
God miraculously brings his people, Israel, out of Egyptian bondage, giving them his law and providing for all their needs; they sin (over and over).
God rules over his people; they sin.
God gives them kings; the people and the kings sin.
God sends his Son; God’s own covenant people kill his Son.
God establishes his church; the church struggles with sin.
Whew—that’s a lot of sin! Really, the Bible is a record of mankind’s failure to live up to God’s perfect standard no matter the circumstances (remember that next time someone tells you that most people are basically good and it’s just their circumstances that make them do bad things!). We fail over and over again because we’re born sinners, dead in our trespasses, and at war with God. Even after we come to faith in Christ, we still struggle with “the old man” at war with the new creation that we are in Christ.
But you won’t hear this talked about in many churches. In order to attract people and keep them in the pews, many churches downplay man’s sin, focusing instead on inspirational and uplifting messages. This almost singular focus on the “positive” is unhealthy because it’s not what God does in his Word. He shows us our sinfulness, even giving us his law as a mirror to highlight it!
I urge pastors to preach all of God’s Word—including the truth about sin. After all, if someone doesn’t know they are a sinner, how will they understand the good news of the gospel? It’s only when we realize our hopeless state that we turn to Christ in faith, repenting of our sin and trusting in his death and resurrection on our behalf to cleanse us from sin and save us for eternity.
Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” (6:41–50)
Because their unbelief kept them from understanding, the Jews (this term has a negative connotation here as it frequently does in John’s gospel [cf. 1:19; 2:18–20; 5:10, 15–16, 18; 7:1; 8:48, 52, 57; 9:18, 22; 10:24, 31, 33; 19:7, 12, 14, 20, 21, 38; 20:19]) were grumbling about Jesus (as their ancestors had grumbled against God; Ex. 16:2, 8–9; Num. 11:4–6). Specifically, they were disturbed by two things He had said. The first was His claim to be the source of eternal life (v. 35). The verb translated grumbling (gogguzō) is an onomatopoetic word that both means and sounds like muttered complaints and whispers of displeasure. They were also outraged at His declaration that He came down out of heaven. They thought of Him merely on the human level, as a fellow Galilean, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother they knew (cf. 4:44; 7:27; Matt. 13:55–57). They also knew that He came from the despised town of Nazareth (cf. 1:46). And so, like the Jews in Judea (5:18), these Galileans hardened their hearts against their Messiah, who called for repentance and faith as a prerequisite to entering His kingdom (Matt. 4:17) and who outrageously, in their view, claimed equality with God. Those who continually reject the truth may find that God will judicially harden their hearts. For those who refused to believe His teaching, Jesus made the truth more obscure by means of parables. To His disciples’ question, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” (Matt. 13:10) the Lord replied,
To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.” (vv. 11–15; cf. Isa. 6:10)
John 12:37–40 says of those who rejected Jesus after witnessing His miracles,
But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.”
In the end times, those who will “not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10) will find that “God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false” (v. 11). At the present time, there is a partial hardening of Israel (Rom. 11:25), leading to the salvation of the Gentiles (v. 11). But one day, during the future time of tribulation, God will remove Israel’s blindness, and all the believing remnant of the Jewish people will be saved (v. 26; cf. Zech. 12:10–13:1). Rather than answer their confusion, Jesus commanded the Jews, “Do not grumble among yourselves.” He called for them to stop the mumbling complaints that reflected their rebellious and hard hearts. He had said and done enough, if they had been open and willing. Thus, there was no point in responding to their muttering discontent and disrespect with a detailed defense. They had willfully hardened their hearts, and would have only rejected the truth of His heavenly origin had He elaborated on it. Then Jesus uttered some very solemn words: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him,” emphasizing man’s helplessness and utter inability to respond to Him apart from God’s sovereign call. Unbelievers are unable to come to Jesus on their own initiative (cf. the discussion of verse 37 above). If God did not irresistibly draw sinners to Christ, no one would ever come to Him. To explain how lost sinners supposedly have the power to accept or reject the gospel of their own free will, some theologians introduce the concept of prevenient grace. Millard J. Erickson explains,
As generally understood, prevenient grace is grace that is given by God to all men indiscriminately. It is seen in God’s sending the sunshine and the rain upon all. It is also the basis of all the goodness found in men everywhere. Beyond that, it is universally given to counteract the effect of sin.… Since God has given this grace to all, everyone is capable of accepting the offer of salvation; consequently, there is no need for any special application of God’s grace to particular individuals. (Christian Theology [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1985], 3:920)
But the Bible indicates that fallen man is unable, of his own volition, to come to Jesus Christ. Unregenerate people are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13), slaves to unrighteousness (John 8:34; Rom. 6:6, 17, 20), alienated from God (Col. 1:21), and hostile to Him (Rom. 5:10; 8:7). They are spiritually blind (2 Cor. 4:4) captives (2 Tim. 2:26) trapped in Satan’s kingdom (Col. 1:13), powerless to change their sinful natures (Jer. 13:23; Rom. 5:6), unable to please God (Rom. 8:8), and incapable of understanding spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. John 14:17). Although the human will is involved in coming to Christ (since no one is saved apart from believing the gospel—Mark 1:15; Acts 15:7; Rom. 1:16; 10:9–15; Eph. 1:13), sinners cannot come to Him of their own free will. (Moreover, a comparison of verse 44 with verse 37 shows that God’s drawing cannot apply to all unregenerate people, as proponents of prevenient grace argue, because verse 37 limits it to the redeemed whom God has given to Christ.) God irresistibly, efficaciously draws to Christ only those whom He chose for salvation in eternity past (Eph. 1:4–5, 11). Once again, Jesus repeated the wonderful promise that all whom the Father chooses will be drawn, will come, will be received, and He will raise them on the last day (vv. 39–40, 54). Everyone who comes to Christ will be kept by Him; there is no possibility that even one elect person given to Him by the Father will be lost (see the discussion of v. 39 above). In verse 45 the Lord paraphrased Isaiah 54:13 to emphasize that His teaching was consistent with the Old Testament. What was written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught of God,” restates the truth of verse 44 in different terms. Those who come to saving faith do so because they are supernaturally instructed by God. Drawing and teaching are merely different aspects of God’s sovereign call to salvation; it is through the truth of His Word that God draws people to embrace His Son (Rom. 10:14, 17; cf. 1 Peter 1:23–25). As a result, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Christ. Jesus’ statement was also a subtle rebuke of His Jewish opponents, who prided themselves on their knowledge of Scripture. But had they truly understood the Old Testament, they would have eagerly embraced Him (5:39). As the only way to God (John 14:6), Jesus hastened to add that no one has seen the Father (1:18; 5:37; Ex. 33:20; 1 Tim. 6:16) except the One who is from God. Because He was eternally in heaven one with the Father, and then sent to earth by the Father, the Son can speak authoritatively about the Father (cf. Heb. 1:2). No one else can rightly make such a claim. Thus, only the Son is qualified to speak firsthand about the expectations of the Father and the truth of salvation. Jesus’ solemn statement, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life” (cf. v. 40; 3:15–16, 36; 5:24) sums up the importance of trusting God’s self-revelation in Christ. Those who believe in Jesus not only have the hope of eternal life in the future, but also enjoy the possession of that life even now, as the present tense of pisteuō (believes) indicates. The Lord concluded this portion of His sermon by restating the truth that He is the bread of life (cf. v. 35). He then contrasted Himself as the true bread of heaven (cf. v. 33) with the manna (cf. v. 31) that the Hebrew fathers ate … in the wilderness. Although it was miraculously provided by God to sustain the Israelites’ physical life, the manna could not impart eternal life, since the fathers who ate the manna … died (Heb. 3:17; cf. Jude 5). Jesus, however, is the true bread which comes down out of heaven (vv. 33, 35), so that one may eat of it and not die. Eat refers metaphorically to believing savingly in Jesus, which alone rescues sinners from eternal death (cf. 3:16; 11:26). Appropriating Jesus as the Bread of Life is the theme of the next section of this sermon.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 251–254). Moody Press.
Murmurs of Disbelief
John 6:41–47
At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”
It is one of the surest facts of Christianity that when the doctrines of man’s total spiritual depravity and the necessity for God’s electing grace in salvation are preached there will be resentment by many who hear them. That was true in Christ’s day, and it is true in our own. Moreover, we do not have to go far to find either contemporary or historical examples.
The Jewish Leaders
In Christ’s day this is precisely what happened. So we are not surprised to find that Jesus’ teaching about the necessity for God’s grace in salvation, which we have in John 6:35–40, is immediately followed by an outbreak of protest and resentment by certain of the leaders of Israel. The author of the Gospel reports the moment by writing, “At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They said, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he say, “I came down from heaven?” ’ ” (vv. 41–42). In these verses we have a change of persons from the verses that have gone before, and probably a change of place. Up to this point Jesus has been speaking in the open to the crowds that had followed him from the other side of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. Now he is speaking to the leaders who had heard his teaching, and probably speaking in the synagogue of Capernaum, as is suggested by verse 59. In this discussion Jesus restates his teaching and supports it by evidence both from the Old Testament and from experience. The first thing we are told, however, is that the Jewish leaders “grumbled about him.” The King James Version uses the word “murmur.” What does that mean? To understand what that means and to understand how close it comes to what we do in our relationship to the gospel, we must realize that the word “murmur” is one of those unique words in the English language that exist solely because they sound like the thing they describe. “Hiss” is such a word. “Tinkle” is another; “buzz” is a third. Such words are often used in poetry because of their unique character. One of the earliest examples of this device (known technically as onomatopoeia) is in Aristophenes’ play The Frogs, in which one of the lines given to those who represent the frogs sounds like frogs croaking. Aristophenes wrote:
Brekekekex co-ax, co-ax!
A better known example in the English language is Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Bells.” To some degree the whole poem is built on this device, but these lines will be an example:
Hear the tolling of the bells,
Iron bells!
What a world of solemn thought their monody compells!
In the silence of the night
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
In this stanza the words chosen by Poe suggest the matter being described. In exactly the same way then, murmur suggests by its sound what people do when they disagree with someone and protest what he is saying. Murmuring is the confused sound that runs through a crowd when people are angry and in opposition to some teaching. This is what the leaders of Christ’s day were doing in regard to Christ’s teachings. Others do it in our day. In fact, it is a sin that few, if any, are preserved from.
Christ’s Answer
It is interesting, too, that the objections of the Jewish leaders took the form of a criticism of Christ’s person rather than a direct criticism of his teachings. They did not say, let us notice, “There are three reasons why we cannot agree with you and why we consider your views to be wrong.” Christ’s teaching was too consistent and too self-authenticating for that. Instead, they attacked him personally, saying, in effect, “Don’t listen to him. He is a nobody from the sticks of Galilee, the son of a carpenter named Joseph. Listen to us.” In this they revealed their consummate snobbishness, demonstrated their pride, and revealed their ignorance. The irony is that they did not recognize at all that there had been a virgin birth and that Christ’s true Father was God. What did Jesus answer? It is important to notice that Jesus did not answer by defending himself on the personal level, as we might like to do. He could have done it, of course. But instead of this he returned to his teaching and restated it, giving two proofs. This was a challenge to his hearers to investigate his teaching for themselves. Finally, after having restated his teaching and given his proofs, Jesus stated the doctrine again for the final time. The verses that contain this read as follows: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes in me has everlasting life” (vv. 44–47). We need to take these statements one at a time. First, Jesus repeats what he had said earlier, but here he does so in even sharper language. Before, he had said, “You have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me” (vv. 36–37). This implies that no one can come, apart from a special act of God on his behalf, but it does not say this negatively. Now Christ does. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” This verse is so straightforward in its language that it has always been a battleground between those who are willing to accept the doctrine of election here taught by Christ and those who resist it on rational or humanistic grounds. It was discussed by Augustine and Pelagius, by Calvin and Arminius, by Luther and Erasmus. The latter case is particularly interesting. Erasmus had been led to attack Martin Luther’s teaching on the total spiritual depravity of man in a volume centering on the nature of the human will and on whether it can function in turning a man or a woman to God. Erasmus said it could. Moreover, he answered the obvious objection based on the argument of Christ in this verse—the objection that no one can come to Christ except the Father draw him—by saying that God draws people in the same way that an owner of a donkey might get it to move by holding a handful of carrots before its nose. The man draws, but obviously the will of the donkey is involved. According to this theory, God originates salvation but man nevertheless cooperates in it. This may make good sense to the natural human way of thinking. But it is not what Scripture teaches, and Luther said so quite openly. What better drawing could there be, Luther argued, than the drawing of the Lord Jesus Christ himself? He was present among the people. He taught them personally. Still they did not come. In fact, they killed him. Luther concluded, “The ungodly does not ‘come’ even when he hears the word, unless the Father draws and teaches him inwardly; which he does by shedding abroad his Spirit. When that happens, there follows a ‘drawing’ other than that which is outward; Christ is then displayed by the enlightening of the Spirit, and by it man is rapt to Christ with the sweetest rapture, he being passive while God speaks, teaches and draws, rather than seeking or running himself.” This was a good answer, of course. But we can go even further than this on the basis of Christ’s statement. Luther’s key word in answering Erasmus was “passive.” He said that man was passive spiritually, inert, as inert as a dead man might be, if we may use that image. In John 6:44, however, there is in addition to this truth the thought that man also actually resists the work of God within. That is, he is not only passive; he also is perverse and obstinate. We see this truth in the word that is chosen to speak of the Father’s work in “drawing” a man or a woman to Christ. This word always implies resistance to the power that draws. William Barclay gives a number of examples of this in his devotional studies on John’s Gospel. He shows that it is the word for drawing a heavily laden net to the shore, a net filled with a great number of fish (John 21:6, 11). It is the word that is used of Paul and Silas being dragged before the civil authorities in Philippi (Acts 16:19). It is used for drawing a sword from the belt or from its scabbard (John 18:10). Always there is the idea of resistance. So here also there is the idea that men and women resist God. Curiously, however, Barclay adds that “God can and does draw men, but man’s resistance can defeat the pull of God.” The curious thing about this statement, though, is that not one of his examples shows the resistance to be successful. The fish do get to shore. Paul and Silas are dragged before the magistrates. The sword is withdrawn. Indeed, we can go even further than this. As Leon Morris notes in his commentary, “There is not one example in the New Testament of the use of this verb where the resistance is successful. Always the drawing power is triumphant, as here.” People resist. In this their depravity is seen. But the power of God always overcomes the resistance in those whom he has determined before the foundation of the world to give to Jesus. Is this discouraging? Not at all. Actually, the fact that God does draw men and women to Christ in spite of themselves is our hope.
Evidence
At this point the Lord Jesus Christ gives two points of evidence to support his teaching. He did not need to give evidence, of course. His word was sufficient. Nevertheless, in speaking to these religious leaders he does support his statement—first, by a reference to the Old Testament, and then, second, by an appeal to experience. His reference to the Old Testament actually is a partial quotation of Isaiah 54:13. Jesus says, “It is written in the Prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God’ ” (John 6:45). As it stands in John’s Gospel, we might read this verse with the thought that the “all” in the quotation applies to all men, thereby thinking that somehow God illuminates all, and men either come to Christ or refuse to come to Christ on their own volition. The full text, as Isaiah wrote it, shows that this is not the case. Actually, Isaiah wrote, “And all your children will be taught by the LORD.” We see at once that the verse applies to God’s children only, not to all men, and that it implies that one must first be a child of God through the new birth before one can really understand about Christ and come to him. Jesus then goes on to show that this truth is also confirmed by experience: “Everyone who listens to and learns from the Father comes to me.” Why is it that you and I can present the gospel to some people and never seem to get anywhere, even when the circumstances seem entirely favorable? And why is it that others with maximum problems and limited understanding believe? The only answer is that God has taught the one person and has not taught the other. Moreover, all whom God has taught do come to Jesus.
Life before Faith
Finally, after having stated his teaching and having given two points of evidence to support it, Jesus repeats his teaching about the necessity of God’s grace in election a final time. He says, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life” (v. 47). I know there are many who have interpreted this verse in direct opposition to all that I have been saying. They have supposed that we are first to believe, after which, as a result of our having believed, we are given eternal life. But this would mean taking the verse in a way that would contradict all Christ’s previous teaching. Actually, it is a summation of it all. Perhaps this illustration, often used by Donald Grey Barnhouse, will help. We must imagine a battlefield over which troops are advancing in order to take a ridge that is just before them. Suddenly heavy fire opens up, and immediately the soldiers fall to the ground and hold their prone position until the enemy fire is silenced. Imagine further that all the soldiers are either dead, or alive and unwounded. When the firing stops the command comes once again to advance. Naturally, some of the soldiers do get up and move forward while others, the ones who are dead, do not. Why is it that the ones who do get up and advance get up? It is because they are alive and hear the voice of their commander. Does their getting up give them life? Of course not! It is rather the other way around. In the same way, he that “believes” on Christ does so because he already has “everlasting life.” The hearing and believing are the marks of the existence of the new life of God implanted within the individual. If you are not yet a Christian, this doctrine applies to you in the sense that the grace of God in election is your hope. There is no hope in yourself, either in your spiritual attainments or in your ability. In yourself you cannot even choose Christ. How wonderful, then, that God is able to do what you cannot do. He can draw you. Be cheered by that and prove that he is already at work in your life by coming to him. On the other hand, if you are a Christian already, I challenge you to allow these great doctrines to have their proper and transforming place in your heart. I am convinced that to accept the principles of Christ’s teaching in this chapter of John’s Gospel would necessarily involve both a mental and spiritual revolution for many thousands of Christians at the present time. It would certainly involve a radically different approach to preaching and the practice of evangelism, as well as to most other parts of church life and theology. The great question is this: Will the Almighty God of the Christian Scriptures be our God? Or will our God be something less, something tailored to our own greatly limited horizons? Let us have the God of the Lord Jesus Christ, of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and countless others, as our God. Let us stand with them in giving all might, majesty, dominion, power, and all glory in the matter of our salvation from beginning to end to that God only.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 511–516). Baker Books.
Gov’t shutdown underway: The U.S. government has entered a partial shutdown as of midnight after the Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain current government funding levels through November 21. Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have refused to vote on a CR in an effort to force Republicans to accept their demand for extending expiring COVID-enacted ObamaCare subsidies. Republicans have refused to be bullied. Senate Majority Leader John Thune noted that Democrats have repeatedly passed CRs in the past when they were in the majority, “but we are not going to be held hostage for over $1 trillion in new spending on a continuing resolution.” Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought issued shutdown guidance to government agencies, observing that, depending on how long Democrats hold out, it could result in permanent job losses for a significant number of federal employees.
100,000 federal workers resign: Part of this administration’s efforts to cut the federal bureaucracy involved offering deferred resignation packages (DRP) to employees. Roughly 100,000 bureaucrats took the DRP earlier this year and formally resigned yesterday. U.S. Office Director of Personnel Management Scott Kupor stated that the package was designed as a humane way to drive necessary movement and that it will save taxpayers over $ 20 billion annually. More fat trimming is expected at any moment now that the government has entered a shutdown, as the Office of Management and Budget ordered agencies to develop reduction-in-force plans.
TrumpRx: On Tuesday, Donald Trump and Pfizer announced a plan to build a government-run website from which American consumers can purchase certain drugs directly from manufacturers with cash. Some medications that will be listed on this website include a migraine drug, a rheumatoid arthritis drug, and a dermatitis treatment. In a separate but related announcement, Pfizer will be offering its drugs to Medicaid at “most favored nation” pricing, which likely means they will equal the lowest prices the drugs sell for abroad. In exchange, Trump is granting Pfizer a three-year grace period from his tariffs, provided the company invests in manufacturing in the US. For Americans with insurance, the proposed TrumpRx.gov website, expected to go live in early 2026, is likely to offer only modest savings, with the benefits primarily applicable to drugs not covered by insurance or those who are uninsured.
White House pulls BLS nominee E.J. Antoni: On Tuesday, the White House announced it had pulled the nomination of economist E.J. Antoni for commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Back in August, Donald Trump fired previous BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after accusing her of faking “the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory.” Antoni, who had been the chief economist at The Heritage Foundation when Trump nominated him, will return to his position there. Antoni’s nomination was reportedly pulled due to a rumored lack of backing from moderate Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. The White House issued a statement commending Antoni as “a brilliant economist and an American patriot [who] will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country.” A White House official noted that a new nominee would be named soon.
Team Trump stimulates coal: The Trump administration is reversing the anti-coal policies of the Obama and Biden administrations. On Monday, the Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior announced a $625 million investment in the coal industry. The plan will provide funding to recommission and modernize existing coal plants, as well as support new investments in coal power projects, innovations, and waste management systems. “Beautiful, clean coal will be essential to powering America’s reindustrialization and winning the AI race,” explained Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The funding and directives for this coal investment come from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed back in July. This action will also open up millions of acres for coal extraction, while also lowering the royalty rates that mining companies pay.
Useful idiot judge sides with pro-terrorists on campus: The American Association of University Professors, Harvard, NYU, and Rutgers chapters, with the Middle East Studies Association, sued the Trump administration over its targeting of pro-Hamas protesters on university campuses. Judge William Young sided with these anti-American and anti-Israel protesters, asserting the administration had coordinated efforts to “chill” their speech. The problem this robed despot failed to address was that the targeted “speech” was specifically the non-peaceful protests, where Jewish students were made to feel unsafe on campus or denied access to buildings.
Communist Chinese flag raised over Philadelphia City Hall: The communists are in the building. Almost 250 years after courageous Americans signed the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, cowardly anti-American leftists have raised the Chinese Communist flag over City Hall to celebrate the founding of one of the most evil regimes ever seen on earth. Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano objected and called on City Hall to “say no to raising a flag … that oppresses people.” The House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar warned Philadelphia not to raise the flag as well, but these objections were not heeded. The state of America’s great cities has never been sorrier, and the sooner liberty-loving Americans wake up to that fact, the better.
CCP influence in AZ? Back in May and June, Arizona Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed two bipartisan bills aimed at blocking China’s growing infiltration of the Grand Canyon State. The two bills would have banned healthcare and research facilities from using genetic sequencing equipment and software from Chinese enterprises that the Pentagon has deemed to be “Chinese military companies,” as well as blocked Beijing from owning land in the state. Weeks after her vetoes, according to campaign finance records, a CCP businessman, Pin Ni, wrote a $10,000 check to the Democratic Governors Association, a primary financial supporter of Hobbs’s 2026 reelection campaign. Michael Lucci, founder of the national security group State Armor, observes, “Hobbs has vetoed more legislation to protect her state from the CCP than any other governor in the country.” Interestingly, both current Democrat gubernatorial candidates for New Jersey (Mikie Sherrill) and Virginia (Abigail Spanberger) have received large donations from Pin.
Headlines
Federal judge blocks Voice of America mass terminations (Fox News)
Texas judge says guns can’t be banned from post offices (Courthouse News)
Second immigrant dies after shooting at Dallas ICE facility (Texas Tribune)
Sham marriages, elder “exploitation,” fake death certificates uncovered in massive Minnesota immigration bust (Fox News)
Jimmy Kimmel’s short-lived ratings spike comes to screeching halt (Fox News)
American Eagle CEO hits back at woke mob outrage over Sydney Sweeney ad as company boasts 1M new customers (NY Post)
Christianity Today has taken over $1 million in grants from one of Planned Parenthood’s biggest supporters (Not the Bee)
AI chatbot giants claim Charlie Kirk’s killer was right-wing, left-wing violence “exceptionally rare” (Washington Free Beacon)
45% of Dems downplay violent crime as “not that much of a problem” (Washington Stand)
Taliban kills internet across Afghanistan, citing morality concerns (Fox News)
Humor: 10 changes Hegseth is making to military health requirements (Babylon Bee)
“Could have been an email,” complained an anonymous defense official to Politico about the major military brass meeting called by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the commander-in-chief, Donald Trump.
Respectfully, Tuesday’s gathering of roughly 800 high-level military officers in Quantico, Virginia, was worth attending in person.
That doesn’t mean Trump didn’t use the platform for his usual sort of stump speech, which isn’t exactly the best use of military leaders’ time or money. It doesn’t mean that the meeting didn’t, as Politico groused, have “the feeling of a Hollywood production.” But Trump 2.0 is about making big productions of undoing the destruction of Joe Biden’s term. The messaging is as important as the policy for this version of Team Trump.
For context, consider that for the last decade and a half, the United States Armed Forces have served increasingly as a petri dish for left-wing social experimentation. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion replaced meritocracy with lower standards. Military and national pride were made subordinate to sexual-confusion pride. “Transgender” troops were given priority and funding while Biden’s Pentagon hunted all the supposed white supremacists dominating the ranks. Climate change was framed as the most important “enemy” our nation faces.
All of that utter garbage had to go, and Trump and Hegseth chose to toss it very publicly.
“Good morning and welcome to the War Department because the era of the Department of Defense is over,” Hegseth told the gathered brass. “From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: warfighting — preparing for war and preparing to win.”
Hegseth addressed the “decades of decay” that had overtaken the military, which he specifically said included the aforementioned focus on race, gender, and “historic so-called firsts.”
This administration has done a great deal from day one to remove the social justice, politically correct, and toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department, to rip out the politics. No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship. No more division, distraction, or gender delusions. No more debris. As I’ve said before and will say again, we are done with that s**t.
Instead, he argued, we need to prioritize readiness.
If you don’t want your child “serving with fat or unfit or under-trained troops” or in any other undesirable circumstance, then the military must uphold better standards. “Standards must be uniform, gender neutral, and high,” he said. “If not, they’re not standards. They’re just suggestions, suggestions that get our sons and daughters killed.”
That shouldn’t be controversial; it is only because of recent history.
The standards won’t just apply to the grunts, either. The gathered brass must also undergo tests, and Hegseth wasn’t polite about telling them. “If the secretary of war can do regular hard PT, so can every member of our joint force,” he noted. “Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world.”
PT tests will be required twice a year for “every member of the joint force at every rank.” That’s not going to be very fun for some of those guys in the audience, but Hegseth cares a lot more about how the rank-and-file see and perceive their leaders than he does about whether generals don’t like sweating anymore.
He also doesn’t give a rip about the sensitivities of modern feminists. In explaining the return to gender-neutral and high standards, he said, “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result. So be it. It will also mean that weak men won’t qualify because we’re not playing games. This is combat. This is life or death.”
If your feelings are hurt, dear cupcake, find another line of work. “Do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth told them.
If you were running a major sports team, you wouldn’t reduce standards so that a woman who throws 45 miles an hour can be your starting pitcher. You wouldn’t shift requirements so that a short, overweight middle-aged guy could be your starting point guard.
Why on earth would you put military lives and national security at risk so that a few misfits could feel better about themselves?
“We’re training warriors, not defenders,” Hegseth insisted. “We fight wars to win, not to defend.” In fact, he concluded, “Lethality is our calling card and victory our only acceptable end state.”
The world is more dangerous today than it was 10 years ago. The U.S. military must be prepared to confront these challenges, and it is up to the president and Congress to provide what Hegseth, the Pentagon, and every soldier, sailor, pilot, and Marine need to succeed.
What they don’t need is to be encumbered with nonsense left-wing social policies that don’t even belong on TikTok, much less in a military combat unit. They don’t need to be told that “diversity is our strength.” No, strength is our strength.
This in-person meeting was notable and worthwhile because Hegseth respects our leaders enough to not just send them an email. He wanted to look them in the eyes and tell them what most of them desperately wanted to hear — the United States Armed Forces are back, and they’re going to be better than ever.
Thomas Gallatin: Iowa’s Illegal Alien Superintendent Exposes a Problem — The fact that an illegal alien ended up as the superintendent of the Des Moines school district reveals the critical need for states to mandate E-Verify.
Emmy Griffin: Erika Kirk: A Hero We Should Celebrate — The widow of murdered political activist Charlie Kirk is a wonderful example of a Proverbs 31 woman. Turning Point USA is in good hands.
Sophie Starkova: The Academic Roots of Hate — It’s a story of demagogues and dogmas that dominate America’s institutions of higher learning, undoing thoughtful upbringing and indoctrinating generations of people.
Trump Sends 200 National Guardsmen to Portland Amid Chaos — President Trump has authorized the deployment of National Guard troops to safeguard federal immigration facilities from what he describes as attacks by “domestic terrorists.”
‘Logan Federico, Not Iryna’ — The father of a 22-year-old woman who was brutally killed by a career criminal absolutely unleashes during a House hearing against soft-on-crime policies.
Is Public Education Broken? — A recent Gallup poll found that only 35% of Americans are satisfied with the quality of K-12 education. That’s the lowest rating in over two decades.
SHORT CUTS
Who Wants to Tell Him?
“White men, something is broken, something is cracked deep inside when so many of you believe the answer to fear, to loss, to change is violence.” —Don Lemon
Scum of the Earth
“It is a tragedy that Charlie Kirk was killed in that way … but there is no legacy to honor. It was a legacy filled with bigotry, hatred, and white supremacy.” —Rep. Ilhan Omar
And That’s a Bad Thing?
“If you go back before the 20th century, there were no income taxes. There were no regulations on business. You could earn as much money as you want, leave 100% of it to your children with no taxes. That’s the world [Republicans] want back.” —Joy Reid
For the Record
“Remember this: House Republicans did our job by passing a temporary funding extension to keep the government open. If there’s a shutdown, it’s because Democrats put their radical agenda ahead of the American people.” —Rep. Tim Burchett
Re: The Left
“Free speech has won the war of ideas and is losing in the real world. That won’t change if Democrats always get to hide behind the First Amendment while freely censoring their opponents.” —Victor Joecks
Law and Order
“If New York wants to hand out CDLs to illegal immigrants with ‘No Name Given,’ that’s on them. The moment they cross into Oklahoma, they answer to our laws.” —Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
Make America Powerful Again
“it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It’s a bad look. It is bad, and it’s not who we are. So, whether you’re an airborne Ranger or a chairborne Ranger, a brand new private or a four star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass your PT test. … Today, at my direction, every member of the joint force at every rank is required to take a PT test twice a year, as well as meet height and weight requirements twice a year every year of service.” —Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
“We must be so strong that no nation will dare challenge us, so powerful that no enemy will dare threaten us, and so capable that no adversary can even think about beating us.” —Donald Trump
And Last…
“Today, in this more secular age, attacks like the one Sunday in Michigan are quickly forgotten. But look around the world. Any country where houses of worship are regularly attacked is in deep trouble.” —Gary Bauer
ON THIS DAY in 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T, which revolutionized automobile production and access. Ford famously said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it’s black.”
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our uniformed Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty and our Republic’s Founding Principles, in order that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss partisan issues in the Senate that led to the government shutdown and his upcoming legislation that would stop congressional lawmakers from being paid if a budget is not reached. #foxnews #politics #senate #governmentshutdown
U.S. — Celebrations have erupted all across America today as the federal government has actually shut down.
Tears poured forth from overjoyed citizens as the government finally closed its doors after years of devastating close calls.
“I thought I would never see this day,” said local man Chris Henning. “We’ve come so close so many times, I started to think it might never happen. To be able to look my kids in the eye and say ‘Yes, sweetheart, the federal government has really shut down’ — it’s an incredible feeling. What a beautiful moment.”
Fireworks could be seen dotting the skies as exuberant revelers took to the streets. “This could be the thing that finally brings the country back together,” said local woman Denise Perkins. “There’s not much we agree on anymore, but we can all rejoice together knowing the federal government is no longer functioning. It’s healing.”
At publishing time, the nation had become anxious as Congress threatened to reopen the government.
Tony asks questions about everything in his life. Is he a crazy conspiracy theorist?
As previously reported, Pete Hegseth’s big Tuesday speech at Quantico, for which some 800 Generals and Admirals from their bases around the world were summoned, focused on the ‘warrior ethos’ and tightening up discipline among all branches of the military. He also laid out his vision for the armed forces at a moment that two major conflicts rage across the seas: Ukraine and Gaza.
He took the opportunity to declare a reversal of the woke culture which had for too long reigned at the Pentagon during the Biden administration. “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship. No more division, distraction, or gender delusions. No more debris. As I’ve said before, and will say again – we are done with this shit,” the Pentagon chief emphasized.
“From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this, war fighting, preparing for war and preparing to win, unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit,” he said.
“To our enemies: F A F O.”
He pauses for dramatic effect. One or two guys cheer, the rest remain silent.
There’s a cultural clash here, where the generals see themselves as serious people doing serious things and are largely disgusted by Hegseth. pic.twitter.com/LX4eiBpsO6
Trump strikes Pfizer deal for 85% drug price cuts.
President Donald Trump announced a voluntary agreement with Pfizer in the White House Oval Office, requiring the company to sell medications to Medicaid at the lowest international prices starting in 2026, potentially saving hundreds of millions annually on treatments for cancer, arthritis, and other conditions. The deal includes up to 85% discounts on select drugs and the launch of TrumpRx, an online platform set for early 2026 that redirects users to manufacturers for direct cash purchases with 50-85% savings, bypassing insurers. In exchange, Pfizer committed $70 billion to U.S. manufacturing and research investments, focusing on cancer therapies, obesity drugs, and vaccines, while receiving a three-year tariff exemption; the announcement drew praise for affordability but criticism from vaccine skeptics over the partnership.
In a move that surprises nobody, the Trump administration has named a program to lower drug prices for Americans TrumpRX. The program itself is very ambitious, promising to lower prices by an average of 80-85% on many common drugs.
NBC News: President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration has reached a deal with Pfizer for it to voluntarily sell its drugs at lower prices to Medicaid patients. As part of the deal, Trump said, Pfizer will sell some of its drugs on a new “direct to consumer” website called “TrumpRx.” Trump said the website would be operated by the federal government, but offered few details about how the program would work. The deal Pfizer cut with the White House will give the company a three-year grace period on Trump’s planned tariffs on pharmaceuticals made abroad, which are expected to take effect Wednesday. The agreement on lower prices will cover “a large majority” of Pfizer’s primary care medicines, along with speciality brand-name drugs, which will be offered at discounts averaging 50% and reaching as high as 85%, a spokesperson for the company said. (NBC News)
For years, countries with socialized healthcare systems have relied on American medical innovation and drug manufacturing because their healthcare systems do not have the funds to support such research and development. As the president said, “The United States is done subsidizing the healthcare of the rest of the world.” (Townhall)
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces First Deal to Bring Most-Favored-Nation Pricing to American Patients
September 30, 2025
ADVANCING MOST-FAVORED-NATION PRICING: Today, President Donald J. Trump announced the first agreement with a major pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, to bring American drug prices in line with the lowest paid by other developed nations (known as the most-favored-nation, or MFN, price).
The agreement will provide every State Medicaid program in the country access to MFN drug prices on Pfizer products, resulting in many millions of dollars in savings and continuing President Trump’s historic efforts to strengthen the program for the most vulnerable.
The agreement ensures foreign nations can no longer use price controls to freeride on American innovation by guaranteeing MFN prices on all new innovative medicines Pfizer brings to market.
The agreement requires Pfizer to repatriate increased foreign revenue on existing products that Pfizer realizes as a result of the President’s strong America First U.S. trade policies for the benefit of American patients.
The agreement requires Pfizer to offer medicines at a deep discount off the list price when selling directly to American patients.
DELIVERING REDUCED COSTS: Today’s actions will result in tangible cost savings to American patients and the healthcare system as a whole. Taken together, more than 100 million patients are impacted by the diseases Pfizer’s medicines treat, and many of those will benefit from the President’s successful negotiation of lower prices for Americans. Examples include:
Eucrisa, a topical ointment for atopic dermatitis, will be made available at an 80% discount to patients purchasing directly.
Xeljanz, a widely used oral medication for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis, will be available at a 40% discount to patients purchasing directly.
Zavzpret, a commonly utilized treatment for migraines, will be sold directly to patients at a 50% discount.
ENDING GLOBAL FREELOADING ON AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION: President Trump is taking decisive action to rebalance a system that allows pharmaceutical manufacturers to offer low prices to other wealthy nations while charging Americans significantly higher prices.
According to recent data, the prices Americans pay for brand-name drugs are more than three times the price other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations pay, even after accounting for discounts manufacturers provide in the U.S.
The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet roughly 75% of global pharmaceutical profits come from American taxpayers.
Drug manufacturers benefit from generous research subsidies and enormous healthcare spending by the U.S. Government. Instead of passing that benefit through to American consumers, drug manufacturers then discount their products abroad to gain access to foreign markets and subsidize those discounts through high prices charged in America. Americans are subsidizing drug-manufacturer profits and foreign health systems, both in development and once the drugs are sold.
DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO PUT AMERICAN PATIENTS FIRST: President Trump is delivering on promises for American patients that the political establishment did not believe were possible.
On May 12, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled: “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients” directing the Administration to take numerous actions to bring American drug prices in line with those paid by similar nations.
On July 31, 2025, President Trump sent letters to leading pharmaceutical manufacturers outlining the steps they must take to bring down the prices of prescription drugs in the United States to match the lowest price offered in other developed nations
President Trump has been relentless in his effort to address the unfair and outrageous prices Americans pay for prescription drugs:
President Trump: “In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidizing socialism aboard [abroad] with skyrocketing prices at home. So we would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country. And when I say the price is different, you can see some examples where the price is beyond anything — four times, five times different.”
The Pentagon is right to pursue a merit-based culture and high standards of physical fitness and training in order to deter and, if necessary, win wars.
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