Hi, friends. I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, and the miracles. Each month, we're reading all four books, as you know.

And this month's really fine. We're going in chronological order. So we're going to read gospel stories from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all mixed up all month long.

I mean, you definitely want to read along with our reading plan. You can get that at Annie F. Downs.com slash Gospels. So each day, I'm telling you the scripture references and the stories are the main themes we hit.

And then as I read, I'll tell you the headings and if the story is in more than one gospel, I'll tell you which gospel as I read.

So today is March 18th, day 18, and I will be reading John chapter 10, Luke 13, 22 through 35, Luke chapter 14, and Luke chapter 15.

We continue today through a lot of Jesus' teachings and some of my very favorite parables. So the translation I'm reading from this month is the new living translation.

This is day 18 in chronological order. The good shepherd and his sheep. I tell you the truth. Anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold rather than going through the gate must surely be a thief and a robber.

But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him.

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out after he has gathered his own flock. He walks ahead of them and they follow him because they know his voice.

They won't follow a stranger. They will run from him because they don't know his voice.

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant. So he explained it to them. I tell you the truth. I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the true sheep did not listen to them.

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.

The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming.

He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.

The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me just as my father knows me and I know the father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.

I have other sheep too that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

The father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life for me. I sacrifice it voluntarily for I have authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again.

For this is what my father has commanded.

When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. Some said he's demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?

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