The Shepherd of the Sheep

Lesson #163

With this lesson we will finish the first section of chapter 10, defined by John 10:1 - 6. I just noticed that we didn’t cover verse 40 and 41 of chapter 9. Let’s use them as an entry into this section of chapter 10, which is a kind of parable or word picture; the picture contains a sheepfold, sheep, a door, a shepherd, a gatekeeper, and a stranger. Anyone who enters the sheepfold not using the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. At the end of chapter 9, Jesus said to the Jews, in answer to their question about being blind, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains” (John 9:41 ESV). Jesus now develops a story in which to show that the Jews are blind and guilty. These Jews are the thieves and robbers that climb into the sheepfold and are also the strangers of verse 5. Let’s look at the story again and see what Jesus is presenting to the Jews and us. “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” (John 10:2 – 4). Jesus is gathering a flock; people from the sheepfold of Israel. Notice that he calls the sheep by name and they hear him and follow him as he goes before them. Jesus was calling people then and he calls people today. The question is, do we hear the voice of an insane man or the voice of God.

Jesus is telling the Pharisees this story, to give them another chance to show that they were not blind. Jesus continues: “A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:5 ESV). The Jews were not hearing Jesus with understanding and the more that Jesus explained to them the more they took offence to him. Jesus is trying to explain to them and to us that he is the door and also the shepherd. This divides the people of the world into two groups; those who want to understand how this is possible and those who do not care to understand and say it is foolish.

In verse 6, John summarizes what the outcome was: “This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them” (John 10:6 ESV). The conclusion is as Jesus said at the end of chapter 9; they are blind and their guilt remains. The same is true today. Those who are his sheep will hear his voice and follow him and learn from him while others reject what he says and remain on the road to eternal destruction.

Prayer

Father, thank you for giving me the ability to hear and the desire to understand. The more I study to write these lessons the more I learn about Jesus and the stronger is my desire to follow him in obedience and then one day to stand before him and see him face to face in all of his glory. Thank you for the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading that is kept in heaven for me, guarded by the power of God. How can I not look heavenward and rejoice and bow low to worship?