Chapter 80
Olketa Fence Bilong Sheepsheep and Shepherd
JESUS kam long Jerusalem for Festival Bilong Dedication, or Hanukkah, wea celebrate-im mek-tu dedication bilong temple bilong Jehovah. Long 168 B.C.E., long 200 year bifor, Antiochus IV Epiphanes hem tekem Jerusalem and spoelem temple and altar bilong hem. But three year bihaen, they tekem back Jerusalem and dedicate-im temple moa for mek-tu taem. Bihaen, they celebrate-im diswan evri year.
Disfela Festival Bilong Dedication hem kamap long Chislev 25, month long kalenda bilong olketa Jew wea hem semsem withim lastfela part bilong November and firstfela part bilong December long kalenda bilong iumi distaem. So, samting olsem wan hundred day nomoa stap bifor important Passova bilong 33 C.E. hem kamap. From hem taem bilong cold, aposol John kolem diswan “coldfela season.”
Distaem Jesus talem tok piksa abaot threefela fence bilong sheepsheep and work bilong hem olsem Gudfela Shepherd. Firstfela fence bilong sheepsheep piksarem covenant bilong Law Bilong Moses. Law hia hem olsem wanfela fence, wea mekem olketa Jew different from bad fasin bilong pipol wea no insaed spesel covenant hia withim God. Jesus say: “Tru nao mi talem iufela, Man wea no go insaed long fence bilong sheepsheep thru long door but wea klaem go insaed long narafela ples, hem wanfela man for steal. But man wea go insaed thru long door hem shepherd bilong olketa sheepsheep.”
Otherfela pipol kam and say they nao Messiah, or Kraest, but they no trufela shepherd wea Jesus tok abaot taem hem say: “Doorkeeper hem openem for dis wan, and olketa sheepsheep listen long voice bilong hem, and hem kolem nem bilong sheepsheep bilong hem and leadim them aot. . . . They bae no followim wanfela stranger but bae they ranawe from hem, bikos they no savvy long voice bilong olketa stranger.”
“Doorkeeper” bilong firstfela fence bilong sheepsheep hem John the Baptizer. Olsem doorkeeper, John “openem for” Jesus taem hem showim aot klia hu nao Jesus long olketa tok piksa sheepsheep wea Jesus bae leadim go long gras. Olketa sheepsheep hia wea Jesus kolem them long nem bilong them and leadim go aot, they go insaed narafela fence bilong sheepsheep, olsem Jesus talem: “Tru nao mi talem iufela, mi nao door bilong olketa sheepsheep,” wea meanim, door bilong niufela fence bilong sheepsheep. Taem Jesus startim niufela covenant withim olketa disaepol bilong hem and pourim holy spirit from heven on top long olketa long Pentecost, olketa go insaed long disfela niufela fence bilong sheepsheep.
Jesus meanim moa work bilong hem: “Mi nao door; anywan wea kam insaed thru long mi bae kasem laef, and hem bae go insaed and aotsaed and faendem gras for kaikaim. . . . Mi kam mekem olketa savvy kasem laef and kasem for longfela taem. . . . Mi nao gudfela shepherd, and mi savvy long sheepsheep bilong mi and olketa savvy long mi, olsem Father hem savvy long mi and mi savvy long Father; and mi givim soul bilong mi for olketa sheepsheep.”
No longtaem go nomoa, Jesus comfortim olketa follower bilong hem taem hem say: “No fraet, little flock, from Father bilong iufela hem decide for givim kingdom long iufela.” Disfela little flock, wea namba bilong hem bae kasem 144,000, they kam insaed long disfela niu, or mek-tu, fence bilong sheepsheep. But Jesus go ahed for say: “Mi garem otherfela sheepsheep, wea no bilong disfela fence; mi mas bringim olketa tu, and olketa bae listen long voice bilong mi, and olketa bae kamap wanfela sekson, wanfela shepherd.”
Bikos “otherfela sheepsheep” they “no bilong disfela fence,” they mas bilong narafela fence, mek-three fence. Mek-tu and three fence hia garem different hope. Datfela “little flock” insaed wanfela fence bae rul withim Kraest long heven, and “otherfela sheepsheep” insaed long narafela fence bae stap long Paradaes earth. But, nomata they insaed tufela fence, olketa sheepsheep no jealous, and no feel olsem they divaed, from Jesus say, they “kamap wanfela sekson” under long “wanfela shepherd.”
Gudfela Shepherd, Jesus Kraest, hem willing for givim laef bilong hem for olketa sheepsheep insaed tufela fence hia. “Mi givim diswan from mi want for givim,” hem say. “Mi garem paoa for givim, and mi garem paoa for kasem back moa. Mi kasem disfela komand from Father bilong mi.” Taem Jesus talem diswan, olketa Jew start for divaed long tingting.
Planti say: “Hem garem wanfela demon and hem kranky. Why nao iufela listen long hem?” But samfela say: “Olketa toktok hia they no bilong man wea garem demon.” Then, they talem samting wea happen fewfela month finis taem hem healim man wea blind: “Waswe, wanfela demon savvy openem eye bilong pipol wea blind?” John 10:1-22; 9:1-7; Luke 12:32; Revelation 14:1, 3; 21:3, 4; Psalm 37:29.
▪ Wanem nao Festival Bilong Dedication, wanem taem nao they celebrate-im?
▪ Wanem nao firstfela fence bilong sheepsheep, and hu nao doorkeeper?
▪ Hao nao doorkeeper openem for Shepherd, and bihaen, olketa sheepsheep go wea?
▪ Hu nao insaed tufela fence bilong Gudfela Shepherd, and they haomas sekson?