“‘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. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.’ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.’”

Under the Watch of the Good Shepherd

The story of the man born blind, who Jesus healed in John 9 provided a clear, and simple example of who Jesus is – the One who gives true sight. While this is exemplified in the miracle of His giving a man sight who was brought into the world without it, we see that what Jesus gives goes beyond physical sight. In verse 39 He states,

“For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

Just as when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well concerning living water, or when He explains to those wanting to follow Him for the wrong reasons that He is the Bread of Life, this matter of sight and blindness is pertaining to the Spirit. When Jesus makes this declaration, the nearby Pharisees scoff at Him, questioning if that means they’re blind too. His final words, which close the chapter are His reply to them in verse 41,

“If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”

Chapter 9 was a significant display of what Jesus can do in a physical, miracle sense, which represents His greater offerings in the Spirit. As with turning water into wine, healing the crippled, or multiplying bread and fish, there’s an example with a larger meaning behind it. But as we enter into chapter 10, we’re not given a physical sign, but another profound explanation of both who Jesus is, and what He offers. This, as with His message that He is the Bread of Life in John 6, is not understood by everyone, but if we look at what is communicated in this section, we gain an understanding of Jesus’s relationship with the church, and our relationship with God.

1.      Understanding the Good Shepherd

The position of shepherds throughout the Bible is significant to say the least. Despite their lowly station, God’s people have regularly been tied to shepherds, both literally and metaphorically. Moses was a shepherd, David was a shepherd, and we see in the new testament that church elders are called to shepherd the church. It was the shepherds watching their flocks by night, as opposed to kings or religious rulers that the angels appeared to, to announce the birth of Jesus, and they’re a staple among God’s people throughout the Bible. We see the role with a positive connotation as early as Genesis 4:2–7,

“… Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.’”

While the issue of the offerings of Cain and Abel have nothing to do with their occupations (seeing as there’s nothing inherently righteous about shepherding, or sinful about farming), this is still the first example we have of a shepherd, and it’s a man who’s offering is spiritually right before God. If we jump ahead to Gensis 46 and 47, when God uses Joseph to make provision for His people in Egypt, they are welcome because of Joseph’s standing with Pharaoh, but are kept separate because of their roles as shepherds. Joseph tells his brothers in Genesis 46:33-34,

“When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

This is addressed again by Moses in Exodus 8:26. Under God’s instruction, Moses has asked the current Pharaoh to allow the Jews to journey three days into the wilderness, to make sacrifices to God. Initially, Pharaoh is completely against them, but after the fourth plague, he relents partially, and gives consent for them to make their sacrifices to God within Egypt. Moses replies,

“It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?”

The position of the Jewish people as shepherds allowed them to maintain a degree of cultural separation from the Egyptians, living alongside them, but protecting them from assimilating. In this they maintain their separate identity as God’s people during their time in Egypt, both as sojourners and then as slaves. When the Jews flee Egypt, God functions as a Shepherd to His people. Watching over them and guiding them as the cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, correcting and refining His flock through the gift of His Law. He pours out judgement and Mercy, using Moses as His point of communication and authority with the people. In the aftermath of Moses’s death, and the people entering the promised land with Joshua as their leader, they become progressively more wayward. This decline tracks throughout the book of Judges, with the people displaying ever increasing wickedness, culminating in a civil war that nearly wipes out the tribe of Benjamin. Throughout Judges the statement is repeated, and the book closed in Judges 21:25 with,

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

There was no king, no leader to shepherd the people who would consistently put God first, and guide them by what is truly right, instead of what is deemed right by human standards. When God raises up a man to take this position and lead the people of Israel, we see the return of another shepherd. Just as Moses, who was a fugitive, working as a shepherd for his father-in-law when God first speaks to him in Exodus 3, was raised up to a position of authority and leadership under God’s provision, we see a similar path for David. After God has rejected Saul, the first king of Israel, He tells Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:1,

“… How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

After Jesse has brough forth seven of his sons, and God hasn’t chosen any of them, Samuel asks in 1 Samuel 16:11–13,

“… ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.’ And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, ‘Arise, anoint him, for this is he.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward…’”

It was the youngest of the sons, the lowly shepherd, who had been provided with the heart that God was seeking. David’s time as king, while marked by numerous pitfalls and sins, was prosperous for the nation of Israel, and we see that despite his flaws, his heart was wholly true to God. When we move from looking to David, to looking at Jesus, we’re given an example of the perfect Shepherd, and perfect King, who always seeks the will of the Father without fail. The picture of the authority of a shepherd of God is given in David before he ever assumes his role as king, when he seeks to kill Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:32–37,

“And David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.’ And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ …”

David was a human man under the authority of God, and it was granted to him, not just to protect the flock, not just to seek vengeance against the predators that sought to harm and devour the sheep, but to rescue a lamb, the most vulnerable of the flock, from the mouth of a lion or bear. By God’s provision, he stood against Goliath the giant, the man of war, and he destroyed him. If a man can be raised up to such feats, it gives us some hint as to what Jesus, who is a man who is God is capable of. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:1–4,

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

This plainly tells us the established hierarchy, that God raises up leaders and guides from within His people, but that these shepherds are accountable to Him as the Chief Shepherd. We see God’s displeasure, and His warning against shepherds who have neglected, or abused the flock in Ezekiel 34:7–10, which says,

“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.”

We also see that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises in the rest of this same passage, where He says in Ezekiel 34:11–12,

“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.”

And in Ezekiel 34:20–24,

“Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken.”

If we zoom out and take a broad view of shepherds across scripture, we can immediately see the truth of Jesus’s words in John 10. He is the Good, and perfect Shepherd. His Word is Truth, and Light, a beacon for us to follow. He is the Way and the door by which we can approach the Father, the place where there is still water, and green pasture, and the restoration of our souls. He is the sacrifice, willing laid down for us, and He is the embodiment of a Love so great and devotion so deep, that in His power, death was defeated, and His life was reclaimed. He is the perfection of the will of the Father, and the foundation upon which we all stand. But in knowing this, in seeing the prophetic affirmation of His words in John 10, it merits considering what He opposes. What can we learn from what Jesus says here in regard to the enemy?

2.      Understanding the Thief

This could be said of the Bible as a whole, but the New Testament in particular is frequently punctuated by warnings concerning false prophets. From Jesus saying in Matthew 7:15–16,

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

To Paul writing in 2 Corinthians 11:3–6,

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.”

To Peter, referencing the history, and warning of the future in 2 Peter 2:1–2,

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.”

We see the varied examples of the figure that would harm the flock as Jesus outlines this point in John 10, and the distinction between light and dark should be easy to make.

“… he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.” … “A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” … “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” … “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

If we work through these identifying characteristics in order, the first thing we see is that the one entering the enclosure where the sheep are kept by a way other than the door is a thief and robber. What is the door? Jesus is the door. The one preaching a false gospel, or some new (or old) gnostic approach to God that alters or omits Christ is the thief. If we truly know the gospel, this is an easy thing to measure and determine. Like John wrote in 1 John 4:1–3

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”

The next thing we see, looking back to Jesus’s description of the thief in John 10, is that the flock know the voice of the Good Shepherd, and will not follow a stranger. This isn’t necessarily a cause for alarm, but can be comforting news. If we’re in submission before God, and have received His Word in faith, we’re protected from the messages of liars and deceivers. This doesn’t mean that we rely on “gut feelings” or intuition, but that we have ears attuned to the Word. Next, we see that the thief and robber identified before has a singular goal – to steal, kill, and destroy. This again gives us a clear understanding of false gospels. The satanic message that the Word of God is inaccurate, lacking, or outdated, the doctrines of false religions that present demonic idols and heretical worship, or the atheistic approach that turns science, time, and space into their gods, all share a common root. They stem from a place of deception, and lead to destruction. There is no hope or peace in them, because they are apart from God, and there is no rightness apart from God. This isn’t something that’s meant to steal you away to a better place, or true understanding, but a plundering that ends in death. Jesus presents a parable in Matthew 18:12–14,

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

The Good Shepherd is fully invested and cares for all in His flock, God intimately pursues His people. But the thief has none of these concerns, as with the wicked shepherds in Ezekiel 34, there is no compassion for the flock, only greed and self-interest. Finally, we’re given the example of the hired hand. While this sounds like it could be a third figure, he lumps in with the thief, as both lead to the flock’s harm, and neither are aligned with the will of God. He’s a hired hand, the sheep aren’t his and so there’s no sense of ownership concerning the flock or their fate. But whether he owns the sheep or not, he’s been placed in a position with some responsibility, which he abandons at the first sign of danger. God says in Ezekiel 33:2–6,

“Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.”

While it may not be the hired hand’s job to stand and fight and possibly die for the flock, his position leaves him at least somewhat accountable for their wellbeing. Yet he is like a watchman who delivers no warning. In serving a role that was supposed to be supportive at the very least, and abandoning this entirely, he becomes in many ways as much of a danger and liability as the thief. This can apply in a number of ways, from when Paul writes the qualifications for elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, to when James warns in James 3:1,

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

It also a reminder that just because someone says all the right things, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t consider their spiritual standing as it’s attested to by their works and fruits. The thief, the destroyer, the hired hand who runs and leaves the flock to be devoured – none are good or trustworthy.

3.      Understanding the Flock

As Jesus explains His position as the Good Shepherd, standing in perfect protection against the thief, we also see characteristics of the flock – of us as His church. As with the contrast between the Light and dark, determining the qualities of the flock should be obvious based on Jesus’s words. The sheep know the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him, and flee from the voice of the stranger. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28–30,

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

He says in Matthew 16:24–25,

 “… If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

And in John 15:14–15, He tells His disciples,

“You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

This all gives us a metric to measure off of when it comes to determining if we’re a part of the flock. It’s easy to speak positively of some of Jesus’s teachings. The world usually won’t begrudge you saying that you like something that Jesus said, as long as it’s followed by a “but.”  So it comes to a point where we have to ask ourselves some rather revealing questions: are we willingly and joyfully under the yoke of Christ? Are we denying self and the flesh, and taking up a cross to follow Him, embracing the judgement of the world and the Truth of His Word. Are we in a position where we can call Jesus friend? Are we following His commandments, not perfectly, as we struggle with our flesh, but in a way that, Like David, keeps God at the center of our aim? Does the Spirit convict us when we stray, or do we feel a misguided peace in sin? The answers to these questions help us to determine the dividing line of who is, and is not counted in the flock of the Good Shepherd – the one who lays down His life for His sheep. The final, profound thing we see about the flock, is the hope that exists for us all in Christ.

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

The original flock of God was the nation of Israel, the people that He separated and set aside as His own. Jesus came to them first, to fulfill the promises of God, and bring redemption to His people. But this offer didn’t end there, it only began. In the aftermath of His death, resurrection and ascension, the offer of the gospel is opened beyond those who are under the Law, to all those who accept Christ. Acts 10:44–48 shows this taking place as Peter shares the gospel with the household of Cornelius, the Roman Centurion,

“While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ‘Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.”

In the same intimate way that the Son knows the Father, and the Father knows the Son, so the Good Shepherd knows His flock, and they know Him. This is an invitation to a relationship that is opened beyond the people of Israel to the world. An invitation to be saved, to be led into safety and abundance, restored as we were before the fall. But there is only one Shepherd, only one Gate, and only one Way by which any may come to the Father, and that is through the Son.

Pastor Chris’s sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wX-yODPx1o