Christ and his Sheep: John 10: 1-10

Background/Review

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do good things happen to evil people? Because God is kind, merciful, and gracious to sinful people who deserve hell.

Jesus seeks out the blind man, reveals himself to be the Christ, and so worships Jesus - evidencing the faith that he now has.

We made the point that Jesus has to first seek us out and then reveal himself to us. Why? Because we are blind in our sin.

We do not find Christ unless he finds us, and if you are a believer, then Christ has found you and revealed himself to you, and you ought to worship him out of gratefulness for seeking you out and saving you from hell.

The Pharisees are standing by, and they overhear Jesus speaking to the newly healed blind man, and they ask if they are blind?

And Jesus tells them that since they think they can see, they are blind, because nobody can see apart from Jesus who is the light of the world.

We made the point that if you try to live your life apart from Christ in unbelief, you will delude yourself by looking for something other than Christ to direct you. You are in fact blind - under God’s judgement since you have rejected Jesus who was sent to cure blindness.

Transition: John 10 continues Jesus’ dialogue with the pharisees. It is not directly stated, but it is a (somewhat) safe assumption that the blind man is listening as are the pharisees. Jesus now speaks directly to the pharisees in John 10

The Nature of Sheep

John 10:1–5 ESV

“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. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Jesus uses the illustration of shepherds and sheep to teach a spiritual application.

To protect the sheep, we are going to create a sheepfold. This is a big circular pen with walls that are sizeable and prevent sheep from escaping. We will create one gate, and we will plant some vines on the wall for good measure.

The door is going to be guarded by a paid servant. The shepherd is going to take his sheep out grazing during the day and take them to the sheepfold come nighttime. There they enter the gate after a careful inspection by the shepherd. The gatekeeper is paid to make sure nobody enters through that door except the shepherd.

When morning comes, the shepherd returns to take his sheep out to pasture. His flock might be mixed with other flocks, but it does not matter because his flock will recognize his voice. He calls each one by name, and they recognize his voice amidst all the other shepherds gathering their own sheep. If another shepherd tries to summon them, they will panic and flee for several days before adjusting. They are loyal to their shepherd.

The shepherd will then walk at the front of the flock - leading them with his voice to the pasture. If anyone else were to try this, the sheep would scatter because they would not recognize the voice of the one calling.

After grazing, the shepherd will once again lead his flock to the sheepfold where he will inspect each one diligently at the gate for any injuries or defects before entrusting them to the care of the gatekeeper over the sheepfold.

John 10:6 ESV

This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

The pharisees are confused, and you may be as well, so let’s break this down.

The Spiritual Interpretation of the Illustration

John 10:7–11 7 “So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by 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 that they may have life and have it abundantly.

A. Jesus is the door

Jesus is like the sheep door. The sheep door is the one way into the sheepfold, and Jesus is the one way into heaven. There are not multiple pathways. Other religions are not an option. It is not ok to say that the Catholica and the Muslim and the Hindu are all headed for heaven, we’re just taking different pathways to get there. There is one gate, one way in, and it is Jesus.

You might find this harsh to say that people following any other religion are all going to hell, but it is the truth. There is one way in. But look at where the gate leads!

If anyone enters by Jesus, he is saved! He is saved! The picture of going out to pasture implies peace, prosperity, and tranquility. Those who trust in Jesus have peace. They have tranquility. They have blessings. They want for nothing. They are in paradise. Jesus offers this to you freely, all you have to do is enter by Jesus and no other, for if you try to enter another way then you are like a thief who is guilty of breaking the law and punished for his crimes.

So let’s talk about the thieves and robbers...

B. False teachers try anything but Jesus

People have come before claiming to be the Messiah, and they have come after Jesus claiming to be the Messiah

I saw a pastor on twitter about to baptize a believer and the guy said he was Jesus and the Messiah.

Those people are thieves and robbers. What do they do? Jesus says in verse 10: They steal, kill, and destroy. Why does a thief steal a sheep? For a meal, or to start his own flock for his own personal gain. Either way, the sheep is ripped from its’ flock or killed.

The same is true of false teachers - specifically the pharisees in this context. Anyone who claims to be Christ, or have another way aside from Christ, is someone who is seeking to destroy you. They want you to follow them so they can gain access to your wealth, your resources, and your admiration. And they will kill you by leading you away spiritually. You will die apart from Christ because you followed someone else.

I do not care how nice a person is, or how cute their smile is, or how kind and loving they sound. If anyone proclaims a gospel to you that is not centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ, then that person is like a thief and a robber - looking to destroy your spiritual life and kill you. That is what robbers do.

Do not be deluded into thinking that these people are harmless. Some of them may not realize what their false teaching will bring, but many of them do, and they are evil and wicked people who hate God and want to see his church destroyed and dismantled.

If you go on YouTube you find these people everywhere. Ask yourself, why are these people so hellbent on disproving God’s existence? If they don’t believe, why do they feel so strongly that you should not believe either?

It is because they hate God, and if they admit there is a God, or that Jesus is the only way, then they must acknowledge that they are to live according to his commands and put aside their sin. But they love their sin, and they love darkness; and so nothing is as repulsive to them as the thought of God therefore everyone who believes in God and speaks the truth reminds them of just how much they hate God and his law, and if they can convince the world that there is no God, then they don’t have to keep hearing about how their sin is evil and their lifestyle sinful.

Romans 3:20 “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

The law brings knowledge of sin, that is why God gave it to us. But if you erase the God then you erase his law, and now there is no such thing as sin. You can change your gender, you can sleep with a guy or a girl regardless of your sex, you can listen and watch whatever you want, treat people however you want. Why? Because what is sin? There is no sin, there is no God!

These people are robbers and thieves who have come to lead you astray and spiritually kill you.

Ezekiel 34:2–10 ESV

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. “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.

Everyone has an agenda. Jesus’ agenda is to see that you come to heaven.

C. True sheep are immune to false teachers

Jesus says that the sheep did not follow the voice of the robbers. If you are a believer, then you have the Holy Spirit. That is Christ’s mark upon you that says you are saved. You bear his seal, you have his Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will not let you wander from the fold of God. You recognize the voice of Jesus because you have God dwelling within you, and God knows himself. He is not fooled by false teachers, and he will not allow you to be fooled into following some who preaches apostasy and heresy.

You know God’s voice, and with the guiding of the Holy Spirit, you will follow your shepherd’s voice until the day you die. Don’t be fearful of losing your salvation or being fooled out of it. You are secure in Christ because you are one of his sheep, and you know his voice, and he knows your name.

If you are not a a part of God’s flock, you are not in the sheepfold, and you are a prime target for the thieves and robbers. You are already living apart from Christ, but some will seek to lead you from indifference to hostility. They will tell you that you can see when you are blind, and you will grow confident in your unbelief not realizing that death is closing its hands around your throat ready to drag you to hell.

The person most unable to help is the person who does insists that he does not need help.

Application

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is the gate. Nobody comes to God accept through him.

Please don’t be drawn away by false teachers. Search the scriptures for the truth and come to Christ.

Be encouraged that if you are a follower of Christ, God will keep you until the end.