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Cattle Rustlers and Cowboys

¹ Jesus said, "All y'all Pharisees better listen up. A fellow who goes over the fence and starts walking through the cows on foot must be a cattle rustler. ² But the one who rides through the gate on horseback is the cowboy. ³ The cow boss tells him what gate to go through to get to the pasture the cows are in, and the cattle recognize the cowboy's voice. The cowboy knows each cow by number and leads them to tall grass and clean water. ⁴ When he gets them all out of the pasture, he doesn't have to push because they will follow. ⁵ They won't follow a stranger. They'll get boogered and run off when someone is walking through 'em on foot. They only recognize a cowboy who sits tall in the saddle and takes care of 'em." ⁶ Jesus told this story, but the Pharisees didn't understand what he meant.

⁷ Jesus explained to them, "Listen up! I am the gate for the cattle. ⁸ Any person who tries to get to the cattle in any way except through me are liars and cattle rustlers. The cattle will spook if they come near. ⁹ I am the gate. Through me, everyone will be saved. I lead to tall grass and clean water. ¹⁰ A cattle rustler only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that my cattle will have tall grass and clean water . . . and have a bunch of it.

¹¹ "I am the good cowboy. The good cowboy will die for his cattle. ¹² The day worker is not the cowboy and does not own the cattle. If a day worker sees a wolf or a rustler, he's not going to defend the cattle with his life. He will hightail it out of there. Then the herd is run through the fence and scattered. ¹³ The day worker isn't going to put his life on the line.

¹⁴ "I am the good cowboy. I know my cattle and my cattle know me, ¹⁵ just like the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I will lay down my life for my cattle. ¹⁶ But this isn't the only herd I care for. I have been given other herds that aren't in this pasture. I will gather them together too. They will listen and follow me also. Eventually, there will be one herd, taken care of by one cowboy.

¹⁷ "My Father loves me because I am willing to give my life and take it back. ¹⁸ No one can take my life from me, but it is my choice to give it. I have the authority to lay down my life and to get it back. This is the job my Father gave me to do."

¹⁹ The Jews who heard this were divided once again. ²⁰ Some said, "This guy is a total nutjob. Why are we even listening to this?"

²¹ But others disagreed, "Nutjobs don't speak with this kind of wisdom, nor do they heal the blind."

The Jews Toss Jesus Aside

²² It was now winter, and Jesus was at the Festival of Dedication of the Temple, or Hanukkah, in Jerusalem. ²³ Jesus was walking along Solomon's Porch in the church courtyard.

²⁴ Some Jews surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep up this ruse? If you are the Top Hand, tell us straight right now."

²⁵ Jesus said, "I've already told you, but you won't believe me. The things I do, and the fact that I only give God the credit, tells all you should need to know. ²⁶ But you don't believe me because y'all are not my cattle. You were another outfit's brand. ²⁷ My cattle know me, and I know them. They go where I lead them. ²⁸ The pasture I lead them to is eternal life. I'll never lose a single one, and no one can take a single one from me. ²⁹ My Father gave me each one. He is greater than everyone else, and no one could stand against Him and be able to steal one. ³⁰ My Father and I ride together."

³¹ They spat back, "We're not killing you for good works. We're gonna kill you for claiming that you are God."

³² Jesus calmly replied, "God himself said to some of your ancestors, 'I call y'all gods!' ³⁵ Now you know the Good Book never lies. So, if God himself called some of his Cowboys 'gods', ³⁶ why is it so bad that I call myself the 'Son of God'? After all, God sorted me off and sent me down here to y'all. ³⁷ I wouldn't believe me either unless I had seen the great things God has done through me. ³⁸ But God has done great things through me. If you don't believe in me, at least recognize the great things God is doing. If you did see these things and knew they were from Him, then you would believe that God and I are one."

³⁹ This set them off again, and they attacked Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him. He left like a boss—because he was.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus loped out across Jordan Creek where John the Baptizer had done all his work in the early days. He stayed there for a while, and many people came out to see him. A lot of folks said, "John never performed a miracle, but everything he said about Jesus is true." ⁴² A whole mess of folks there started believing in who Jesus was.