Bible Reading
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.
10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.
Devotional
A common way to help people understand what you are trying to explain to is use an example, a word picture ,or visual to put the story into a new, more understandable context. Sometimes it works and the listener understands what you are telling them, and sometimes the visual confuses them even more. In chapter 10, Jesus uses the picture of a shepherd and his sheep to explain and simplify His message. This visual would have been one of the most relatable and common sights in the area. Everyone either had sheep of their own or knew people who shepherded sheep. They would have understood each and every reference Jesus made.
Jesus makes a logical argument for who the real shepherds and who the false shepherds are. Political and spiritual leaders were often called shepherds in the ancient world, but Jesus explained that not everyone among the sheep is a true shepherd; some are like thieves and robbers. One mark of their being a thief and a robber is how they gain entry among the sheep. The idea is that there is a door, a proper way to gain entry and access. Not everyone who stands among the sheep comes that way. Some climb in another way. The religious leaders gained their place among God’s people (the sheep spoken of here) through personal and political connections, through formal education, through ambition, manipulation, and corruption. A true shepherd comes in the legitimate and designed way: through love, calling, care, and sacrificial service. The Pharisees should have easily picked up on and understood what Jesus was saying had their arrogance and pride not stopped up their ears.
In the spiritual picture Jesus spoke of, the door for the sheep pen had a doorkeeper – one who watched who came into the pen and who went out. The doorkeeper knows the true shepherd and appropriately grants him access. In towns of that time, sheep from many flocks were kept for the night in a common sheepfold, overseen by one doorkeeper who regulated which shepherds brought and took which sheep. The shepherd calls the sheep by name, showing that the shepherd has a personal connection with the sheep. The shepherd leads the sheep who recognize the shepherds voice, going out ahead of them, providing direction and leadership – without driving or forcing the sheep to follow. It is interesting to note that within the narrative of the Gospel of John, Jesus calls the following ‘sheep’ by name: Philip, Mary of Magdala, Thomas, and Simon Peter; and on each occasion, it is a turning-point in the disciple’s life.
Jesus uses another familiar picture of sheep farming when He explains the significance of the door or sheep gate. Out in the pasturelands for sheep, pens were made with only one entrance. The door for those sheep pens was the shepherd himself. He laid his body across the entrance, to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves. The shepherd was in fact the door, and Jesus claimed that this was His role among His own followers. He was not only the shepherd, but the door as well. He was also implying the Pharisees were like wolves, thieves or robbers and Jesus was standing in the way of any advance or threat against His followers. A thief implies deception and trickery, and a robber implies violence and destruction. No matter the threat, Jesus made it known who was standing in each role.
It’s interesting to note that when a sheep hears the voice, the true voice of their shepherd, they follow without force or coercion; but a thief or robber needs to use something other than the truth to make off with or harm the sheep. They must use deception, manipulation or force. This is how we know who the true shepherds and false shepherds of our world are; are they using clever deception, smooth words or bribes to get people to follow them? If so, then they are not uttering the truth, and they are not to be trusted or followed.
Jesus makes the ultimate claim for why He is the true shepherd and worthy to be followed. A true shepherd will lay down his life for the flock, something the Pharisees would never think of doing. The people lived to serve the religious leaders, not the other way around. Jesus was turning the common thinking of the day on it’s ear by using a very common picture of the servant role of a shepherd caring for His flock. Jesus declares that He is the good shepherd and foreshadows that He will soon lay His life down for His sheep. A hireling would not lay his life down for the sheep. Why would he if he has no relationship with the sheep? When the wolves are coming, the hireling will simply run away. But the true shepherd would never abandon his sheep, no matter what came for them. The bad shepherd (a hireling) thinks the flock exists for his benefit, but the good shepherd lives and dies for the good of the sheep.
In verse 16, Jesus speaks of other sheep and how those sheep will also follow Him and all will join together as one fold. This was a reference to gentile believers who would soon make up a large part of the early church as the gospel expanded outward. Jesus also makes a prophetic statement when he declares that He would lay His life down only to take it up again.
After all of these things were said, a similar thing happens to whenever Jesus speaks to a mixed crowd; the crowd becomes further divided. Some believe Him and others claim He is possessed by a demon. Some follow Him and others pick up stones to kill Him. The ultimate dividing line of society, both two-thousand years ago and still today, is this simply question: What will we do with Jesus?
Jesus makes a logical argument for who the real shepherds and who the false shepherds are. Political and spiritual leaders were often called shepherds in the ancient world, but Jesus explained that not everyone among the sheep is a true shepherd; some are like thieves and robbers. One mark of their being a thief and a robber is how they gain entry among the sheep. The idea is that there is a door, a proper way to gain entry and access. Not everyone who stands among the sheep comes that way. Some climb in another way. The religious leaders gained their place among God’s people (the sheep spoken of here) through personal and political connections, through formal education, through ambition, manipulation, and corruption. A true shepherd comes in the legitimate and designed way: through love, calling, care, and sacrificial service. The Pharisees should have easily picked up on and understood what Jesus was saying had their arrogance and pride not stopped up their ears.
In the spiritual picture Jesus spoke of, the door for the sheep pen had a doorkeeper – one who watched who came into the pen and who went out. The doorkeeper knows the true shepherd and appropriately grants him access. In towns of that time, sheep from many flocks were kept for the night in a common sheepfold, overseen by one doorkeeper who regulated which shepherds brought and took which sheep. The shepherd calls the sheep by name, showing that the shepherd has a personal connection with the sheep. The shepherd leads the sheep who recognize the shepherds voice, going out ahead of them, providing direction and leadership – without driving or forcing the sheep to follow. It is interesting to note that within the narrative of the Gospel of John, Jesus calls the following ‘sheep’ by name: Philip, Mary of Magdala, Thomas, and Simon Peter; and on each occasion, it is a turning-point in the disciple’s life.
Jesus uses another familiar picture of sheep farming when He explains the significance of the door or sheep gate. Out in the pasturelands for sheep, pens were made with only one entrance. The door for those sheep pens was the shepherd himself. He laid his body across the entrance, to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves. The shepherd was in fact the door, and Jesus claimed that this was His role among His own followers. He was not only the shepherd, but the door as well. He was also implying the Pharisees were like wolves, thieves or robbers and Jesus was standing in the way of any advance or threat against His followers. A thief implies deception and trickery, and a robber implies violence and destruction. No matter the threat, Jesus made it known who was standing in each role.
It’s interesting to note that when a sheep hears the voice, the true voice of their shepherd, they follow without force or coercion; but a thief or robber needs to use something other than the truth to make off with or harm the sheep. They must use deception, manipulation or force. This is how we know who the true shepherds and false shepherds of our world are; are they using clever deception, smooth words or bribes to get people to follow them? If so, then they are not uttering the truth, and they are not to be trusted or followed.
Jesus makes the ultimate claim for why He is the true shepherd and worthy to be followed. A true shepherd will lay down his life for the flock, something the Pharisees would never think of doing. The people lived to serve the religious leaders, not the other way around. Jesus was turning the common thinking of the day on it’s ear by using a very common picture of the servant role of a shepherd caring for His flock. Jesus declares that He is the good shepherd and foreshadows that He will soon lay His life down for His sheep. A hireling would not lay his life down for the sheep. Why would he if he has no relationship with the sheep? When the wolves are coming, the hireling will simply run away. But the true shepherd would never abandon his sheep, no matter what came for them. The bad shepherd (a hireling) thinks the flock exists for his benefit, but the good shepherd lives and dies for the good of the sheep.
In verse 16, Jesus speaks of other sheep and how those sheep will also follow Him and all will join together as one fold. This was a reference to gentile believers who would soon make up a large part of the early church as the gospel expanded outward. Jesus also makes a prophetic statement when he declares that He would lay His life down only to take it up again.
After all of these things were said, a similar thing happens to whenever Jesus speaks to a mixed crowd; the crowd becomes further divided. Some believe Him and others claim He is possessed by a demon. Some follow Him and others pick up stones to kill Him. The ultimate dividing line of society, both two-thousand years ago and still today, is this simply question: What will we do with Jesus?