Jesus As Lamb Shepherd and Gatekeeper Research Paper

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IntroductionOne of the stumbling blocks for those coming to faith is the role that Jesus plays in their salvation. The fact that Jesus has a dual nature as God and Man is perhaps the largest stumbling block, for it is a mystery that one can sense through interaction with the biblical record of events, but the mystery remains something that can only be accepted through faith. To assist in the development of that faith, the Gospel of John shows us that Jesus has another dual nature that can help man see Him more clearly: that is, Jesus as both Shepherd and Lamb.Thesis StatementThis paper will use John 1:29-34; 10:1-21; and 19:31-37 to show how Jesus is both Shepherd and Lamb and why understanding Our Lord in this manner can help us to develop our faith more fully so that we can come to Him for salvation.Research QuestionHow does John present Jesus as both Shepherd and Lamb in the Fourth Gospel and what does this mean for us today?MethodologyThe primary method here is to employ hermeneutical principles to discover the values and truth of the Bible. The principles employed here will be the synchronic approach, i.e., discovering the world within the text; the diachronic approach, i.e., discovering the world behind the text; theological synthesis, critical exegesis, and the existential approach. The biblical methods employed will be literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical.OutlineThe paper will begin with a discussion of the text using the synchronic approach so as to establish the world conveyed within the text. This will be followed by an explanation of the world behind the text using the diachronic approach. Biblical theology will then be used to establish theological synthesis of ideas conveyed in the text. A critical exegesis will then be presented in the fourth section, followed by the application of the existential approach to show how the text links with contemporary issues relevant to the Church, society and the world. A conclusion ends the paper in which a summary and critical reflection completes the examination of the text.Synchronic ApproachAs Gorman notes, the Bible was written for real people at a real point in history, who had real lives at the time of its writing.[footnoteRef:1] The text itself is filled with contextual clues that can increase understanding. To understand Jesus as both Shepherd and Lamb in the Fourth Gospel using John 1:29-34; 10:1-21; 19:31-37, it is imperative to understand the literary context of the text. [1: Michael Gorman, Elements of Biblical Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020), 76.]John uses a “poetic format” and a “uniquely solemn pattern…that some would call semi-poetic” to convey certain truths that transcend man’s understanding.

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[footnoteRef:2] The opening of the Fourth Gospel touches on Christ’s beginning in eternity. John 1:29-34 conveys the first days of Jesus’ public life as Man, when he was being asked by the Jews and Levites, “Who are you?”[footnoteRef:3]. It is a fair question, but not altogether an honest one, for the Jews were not willing to accept that their Messiah should be One of such earthly humility. His way was being prepared by John the Baptist, who was preaching repentance. John the Baptist is the first to declare who Christ is in John 1:29-34, and it occurs in the wider context of the Jews seeking to know who He is. John the Baptist declares: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with…

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…culture that prevails today. Even the Church seems unsure of how to proceed, as though it were without a shepherd who understood the Good Shepherd that is Our Lord. It is important to reconnect with these Scriptural verses so as to understand them inside and out, to understand their significance and the meaning that contextual analysis can provide, for it is in this manner that one can strengthen one’s faith to go to Jesus and find peace, hope and love in Him......

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