truly, truly a good shepherd

I sure do like me
some exclamation marks!!

But as a writer,
I'm supposed to keep
a tight reign on my punctuation.

You know...
understand all the rules
and follow them.

And while a blog
might allow for a bit more flexibility,
if you want to be respected
you should at least honor them
(most of the time.)

That being said,
my leading sentence
breaks all the rules.

Because you are never
supposed to use more than one
exclamation mark.

Which I kind of get,
and kind of don't.

I mean not everyone
places the same value
on that mark.
So how do I know that
they REALLY understand me?

And maybe I do it
just to get attention.

But unfortunately,
the exclamation marks
come at the end
of the sentence
so most likely, unless the person
re-reads the sentence
they may have missed
what was important in the message.

So what if...
instead of putting them at the end
we placed them in front...
at the beginning of what we felt
was important for others to hear?

Interestingly enough,
I found a set of words
for just that purpose
that were used long ago.

They come in a variety
of translations and variations
but they all mean the same thing.

Jesus was known for speaking them
and here is just a sample of the ways
He would introduce a sentence
with exclamation...

Very truly I tell you, (NIV)
I tell you the truth, (NLT)
Truly, truly, I say to you, (ESV)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, (KJB)
I assure you, (HCSB)
I can guarantee this truth, (NET)
Most certainly, I tell you, (WEB)
and even
Most assuredly, I say to you, (NKJV)

And for the longest time
I just thought He was
trying to convince people
that He was telling the truth.

When in fact
He couldn't have lied
even if He tried.
He's God.
He is truth.

But when He began
to speak on a topic
that He knew the people
needed to hear,
He would say, Truly, Truly I say...

And what I found out
is that this word truly
has a meaning other than just truth.

It would seem that the root word
for TRULY in Greek is translated: AMEN.

Yep.
You read that right.
Just like we say at the end
of the prayer.
Amen. It's that same word.

And they both mean the same thing...
"so let it be."

Of course it does depend somewhat 
on how and when it's used,
like so many words and phrases
we use in the english language.

But when we see this phrase,
truly, truly I say to you...
it's spoken purpose was,
like the exclamation mark,
to get the attention of the crowd.

So when we notice Jesus using it
at the beginning of something
He was teaching, it meant
He was introducing a pivotal lesson;
something of great importance
that was essential for the listeners.
It was said so they would lean in
to hear, and to understand
the whole of what He was teaching.

Here is an example...
Truly, truly, I say to you,
he who does not enter
the sheepfold by the door
but climbs in by another way,
that man is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door
is the shepherd of the sheep.
John 10:1-2 ESV

Now this seems to be the beginning
of the lesson Jesus taught
about the good shepherd.

And since He really wanted their attention,
He threw in the verbal exclamation marks
encouraging the crowd to lean in
and really listen to what He was saying.

But just because
we find this at the beginning
of a new chapter,
does not mean, it was a new day,
a new teaching, or even a new topic
for Jesus.

As a matter of fact, He is still standing
before a crowd
with the man He just healed of blindness
and the Pharisees who judged him.

Just because the Bible was sectioned
into chapters and verses for our ease
of reference and notation,
does not mean life's action
stopped and started
based on the chapter headings.

These are not like scenes of a play
with curtains that come down
and sets that change.

This was real life,
happening right before the eyes
of the disciples.
And some of them wrote it down.

So now Jesus is still reeling from
the problem He encountered
with the Pharisees casting out
a man who did nothing wrong,
but just believe and receive his sight
for the first time in his life.

Yet they cast him from the synagogue
because he stood up for Jesus.

So Jesus throws in a few
exclamation marks
before He speaks,
because He has something
very important to say
and He wants the attention
of the people, the healed man,
and the Pharisees.

If you read my post
from yesterday
you may remember that Jesus
said this man was born blind
so that the works of God
could be revealed in him.

And it seems that this is more
of that revelation.

For this sets up a pivotal passage
about Jesus being the good shepherd
fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 34.

But rather than pointing
one huge finger in their face
and telling the Pharisees that they
are a bunch of judgmental frauds,
Jesus uses these Old Testament
references of sheep and shepherds,
gates and doors,
thieves and robbers
to speak the truth and reveal
the works of God.

Jesus is the door:
If anyone enters by Me,
he will be saved, and
will go in and out and find pasture.

Jesus is the good Shepherd:
The good shepherd
gives His life for the sheep.

We are the sheep:
And when He brings out His own sheep,
He goes before them; and
the sheep follow Him,
for they know His voice.

The Pharisees are
the thieves and robbers,
he who does not enter
the sheepfold by the door,
but climbs up some other way...
These were men who
made God's commandments
into rules and rituals to be seen.
They designed their own positions
to their advantage, feeding themselves
rather than feeding the flock.

But Jesus did not grasp at pride,
position or place higher than His sheep.
In fact, He humbled Himself,
even unto death.

“Therefore My Father loves Me,
because I lay down My life
that I may take it again.
No one takes it from Me,
but I lay it down of Myself.
I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again.
This command I have received
from My Father.”
John 10:17-18

And these are the exclamation
marks left behind
by the Good Shepherd.
Spoken first,
revealed daily through compassion.

Word of God
train me today...
To pay close attention when I see
the exclamation marks, Truly, truly!!

To not be deceived by thieves or robbers
who do not come in the name of Jesus
but climb in another way to snatch away
my abundant life!