Lesson 12 - John 10:1-5, 7-10, 14-18, 25-30 - THE GOOD SHEPHERD
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in John 9:8-11, 13-17, 35-41, we saw Jesus continue His mission as the Light of the World when He performed the Sixth Sign by miraculously healing a man in Jerusalem who had been blind since birth. As a sign, this blind man pictured the spiritual condition of every human being since the fall-showing that every person is born spiritually blind. The lesson illustrated four essential truths about the spiritual Light that Jesus offers this world: (1) The world is spiritually blind from birth-that since the fall, every human being is born spiritually blind; (2) As believers saved by faith in Jesus' Light, we must point people to Jesus Light while there is still time; (3) People in spiritual darkness, like the Pharisees in the lesson, are blinded from the truth about Jesus by their own sin; and (4) The foundation of true spiritual knowledge-seeing the True Light-is the understanding and belief that only Christ can open our eyes.
This week, in John 10:1-5, 7-10, 14-18, 25-30, we'll cover what's known as the 'Good Shepherd Discourse.' In it, Jesus refers to Himself using two metaphors: He is the 'shepherd' who enters by the 'door' which the doorkeeper opens for Him (vv. 2-5) and He is the door by which the sheep enter into salvation and go out to find their pasture (vv. 7-10). The term 'thieves and robbers' (vv. 1, 8, 10) describe the Pharisees in the immediate context but there were newer types of thieves and robbers at work against the church by the time this gospel was written in the latter half of the First Century.
Read John 10:1-5 - THE SHEEP LISTEN TO HIS VOICE AND FOLLOW HIM
1 "Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 But the one who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."
v. 1a1: "Truly, truly I say to you," - Jesus uses this double affirmation (lit., amen, amen) 23 times in this gospel to express the strongest possible emphasis on what He's preparing to say.
v. 1a2: "the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. - Jesus chose the good shepherd metaphor in this text in order to set up the contrast between Himself and the 'bad shepherds' who were misleading God's sheep. Since the shepherding of sheep was a very common type of livelihood in Palestine, John's readers would have readily recognized the analogy between Jesus' ministry and the shepherding of sheep. Moreover, many OT passages criticized the shepherds of Israel's past who had failed in their duty to lead the people as God's sheep (Jer. 25, Ezek. 24, Zech. 11, etc.). In this verse, Jesus described a flock of sheep in a fold (or pen) that had solid walls and only one door (or gate). Typically, several families who owned sheep that grazed close together hired a doorkeeper (or watchman) to guard the door, and the doorkeeper would admit only authorized people into the fold, while denying admittance to any unauthorized people who might be seeking to steal or kill the sheep.
v. 2: "But the one who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep." - Here, this verse pictures a large sheepfold capable of accommodating several flocks of sheep. Notice the sequence of events.
v. 3a: "To him the doorkeeper opens," - In this example, the doorkeeper recognizes this "shepherd" and opens the "door" for him. The "doorkeeper" is there to protect the flocks from outside threats.
v. 3b: "and the sheep listen to his voice," - The shepherd has a distinctive "voice" he uses to call his own sheep, and when they recognize it, they immediately gather around him.
v. 3b: "and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. - The words "his own" emphasizes the nature of the personal relationship that exists between the shepherd and every sheep in his flock. While inside the sheepfold, the sheep have the protection of the wall; but, as soon as the shepherd "leads them out," the shepherd become their only protection. This is why the sheep's need for a 'good shepherd' is so critical-for them it's a matter of life and death.
v. 4: "When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice." - We should also notice that the shepherd doesn't drive his sheep but "goes ahead of them," indicating that his sheep trust him to the point that they are willing to follow his "voice" anywhere.
v. 5: "However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." - Sheep are pretty stupid animals, but they are bright enough to trust the "voice" of their shepherd and to shy away from any voice that sounds strange to them.
Note: The main point of these verses is how God forms His flock. People come to Jesus because He calls them, and they belong to Him as His flock. But many of the Jews of Jesus' time disregarded His call because they considered Abraham, Moses, or even some famous rabbi to be their shepherd.
Read John 10:7-10 - IF ANYONE ENTERS THROUGH ME, HE WILL BE SAVED
7 So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.
v. 7: "So Jesus said to them again, 'Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.'" - Prefaced by another double affirmation, Jesus makes his third "I am" pronouncement (Gk. ego' eime, lit. = myself who exists). Notice that He doesn't refer to Himself as a door but as "the door." In the popular syncretistic culture today, a lot of people believe there are many doors to God, but this verse makes it clear that the only sure way or path to God is through Jesus Christ-THE DOOR.
v. 8: "All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them." - Bible scholars agree that Jesus obviously isn't referring to the OT Saints like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the OT prophets, but making a reference to the Jewish religious leaders of His own time.
v. 9: "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. - Once again, Jesus declares "I am the door," but now explains the present purpose of the door: It is a passage way that leads to safety (eternal salvation) and a pasture (assurance of God's provision). We could say that Jesus gives us an open door to God protection and blessings today.
v. 10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly." - For centuries now, many secular human political rulers and leaders of various religious cults have arisen in the world "only to steal, kill, and destroy." Jesus, by contrast, not only came to bring spiritual life to His people but came to bring them the best quality of life. Jesus didn't come just to gain a lot of sheep, but to also enable His sheep to flourish, enjoy peace, contentment, and every other good thing abundantly in this life.
Read John 10:14-18 - I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD
14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back. 18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. This commandment I received from My Father."
v. 14a: "I am the good shepherd," - After previously identifying Himself as the door, Jesus now proceeds to describe in greater detail His identity and purpose as "the good shepherd."
v. 14b: "and I know My own, and My own know Me," - The word used for "know" (Gk. ginosko) means far more than the knowledge of mere facts; it encompasses a very profound personal relationship which is based on trust and intimacy, and in this context, it expresses the importance of the mutual and shared knowledge that forms the strong bond between the shepherd and His sheep. The shepherd knows His sheep (humans) because He became flesh and lived among us.
v. 15: "just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." - Here, Jesus expresses an all-encompassing intimacy that begins with His relationship with Father and extends to all those whom the Father has given Him, which includes all who believe in Him. We already know that Jesus that Jesus will lay down His life for His sheep on the cross at Calvary.
v. 16: "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd." - The "other sheep...not of this fold" refers to Gentiles outside the fold of Judaism who would believe in Jesus. This is one of the few allusions in the Gospels that a new body would replace Israel as the people of God in the present age. These Gentile sheep, with those from Israel, will join together to become one fold; namely, the church. And this new fold will have one shepherd; namely, Jesus Christ, who will be the Head.
v. 17: "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back." - Here, Jesus explains why the Father loved Him as He did. First, we must understand that the Father loved the Son unconditionally from the beginning. But the Sons' full obedience to the Father's will in laying down His life resulted in the Father having a special love for the Son's obedience under testing. In a similar way, God loves all believers unconditionally, but when we obey Him, we enjoy a special intimacy with Him that only obedience produces.
v. 18: "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. This commandment I received from My Father." - This is a mind-boggling verse: Who was responsible for Jesus' death: the religious leaders, Judas, Pilate, the Roman soldiers? Answer: None of the above. The architect of the plan was the Father, and the Son complied with the Father's will. The purpose of the plan was to save the world from its sin. While those who plotted to take Jesus' life bear guilt for their actions, the bottom line is that it was never in their power to take it.
Read John 10:25-30 - I TOLD YOU, AND YOU DO NOT BELIEVE
25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
v. 25: "Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me." - The "them" are a group of hostile Jews questioning Jesus near the Temple precincts. Answering them, Jesus did not mean that He had publically announced He was the Messiah, because He had not. He meant that He had shown the Jews that He was the Messiah through His works. His miracles proved who He was. The Jews stubbornly rejected that testimony because they wanted a different kind of Messiah.
v. 26: "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep." This is the ultimate reason for their unbelief: They did not understand who Jesus was because they were not the sheep the Father had given to the Son. While this condition did not excuse their unbelief, it explained it. From a human perspective, we become Jesus' sheep by believing in Him; but from the divine perspective, we believe because we are His sheep.
v. 27: "My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;" - We might expect Jesus to say His sheep follow Him because they know Him, but notice that He says they follow Him because He knows them. We long to be known-to be accepted and understood at the deepest levels. This is an intimacy that speaks of profound love. Since Jesus knows the depth of the heart in every one of His sheep, it's no wonder that His sheep-you and me- feel this and follow Him.
v. 28: "and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand." - The eternal life that Jesus gives us is His own life. As a consequence of this, it's impossible for His sheep to ever perish. Their ultimate security rests with the Good Shepherd who promises that "no one will snatch them out of My hand." Therefore, we can see that it's impossible for even one of the sheep to slip out of the Good Shepherd's grasp. At the same time, we should notice that this verse is not teaching that believers will be saved from all earthly disasters; however, they will be saved spiritually, no matter what earthly disaster may befall them.
v. 29: "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." - This tells us that while the Father has given the sheep to Jesus' hand for safekeeping, He has not withdrawn the protection of His own hand. That's double-indemnity yes?
v. 30: "I and the Father are one." - To the Jewish religious elite, this statement was inflammatory. Jesus did not mean that He and the Father were the same person of the Godhead. This gospel has consistently presented Jesus as the unique Son of God. Instead, Jesus meant that He and the Father were one in purpose, power, and divine will. At the same time Jesus' claim to function in complete unity with the Father amounted to a claim to be deity. He is much more than a mere man.
APPLICATION-Following the Good Shepherd as the Sheep of His Pasture:
