A Shepherd’s Ministry

As we look at this section, it is helpful to understand a little bit about the role of the Shepherd and the personality of the sheep. Sheep are basically defenseless and helpless creatures. They also seem to have the attention span of Dorie the fish. They are forever straying away from safe and protected areas.  They are also easily confused and led astray.  

The shepherd was very well known in the Middle East region. They were considered some of the most responsible individuals, even though they were looked down upon by the religious leaders and many others. Interestingly, as we look through the Old Testament, it seems that God used the role of shepherding to train and equip people for future positions of leadership.

Not all shepherds are alike, however. There were many who were tender, caring and compassionate, while at the same time being unyielding and firm. There were other shepherds who were rude and harsh; looking out only for themselves and seeing their role as simply a job.

Most of us are thrilled and overjoyed when we first come to Christ as our Lord and Savior. At the beginning, most of us would dig into the Bible and try to learn as much about him as possible. We loved this new relationship. We wanted to spend time in prayer. However as time went on, we became less enthusiastic. Then we may have found ourselves becoming confused by voices that sounded similar to what we had already heard, yet were not the same. We may have even begun to question which voices we should listen to. Or, we become so much less discerning, that we listen to many wrong voices.

We do not need to listen to all the other voices in this world. We do not even need to check them out to judge their validity or credibility for ourself. We can trust God and what the Bible says. In fact, if I were to suggest a theme for our lives, It would be this:

I want to know Christ!

Knowing about His Ownership - 10.1-10

John 10.1-5: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he 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.  But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.  A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 

Again, as we are looking at these verses, specifically, verses 1 and 7, we are reminded that when Jesus begins a statement by repeating the word "truly," he is reminding everyone to pay close attention to what he is about to say. He is about to speak a profound truth.  These verses present the obvious differences and contrast between a true shepherd and a false shepherd. In this case, Jesus is speaking of himself as the shepherd. 

It is helpful to understand how sheep herding took place in that region. Every shepherd was responsible for his flocks out in the fields as they grazed. At nighttime, all of the shepherds would bring in the sheep to what was called a fold which was outside the village or town. The fold consisted of a stone wall, perhaps ten feet high, which surrounded it, and an opening which served as the door. The gatekeeper or shepherd knew exactly which sheep belonged to them. If an individual came who was not the shepherd to whom the sheep belonged, that person would not have access to the sheep. This prevented a great deal of rustling. However, if someone wished to steal the sheep, they would have to climb over the wall some other way. In the morning each shepherd would call his own sheep by name or by song.  They would recognize their shepherd’s voice and come out of the fold.

We can probably assume this passage comes on the heels of the conversation with the religious leaders and the man who had been healed from his congenital blindness, since this is referred to in this section.

The individuals who would come some other way than the gate, would be those who would be stealing the sheep. This was referring to none other than the religious leaders themselves. They were trying to take advantage of sheep that did not belong to them. Jesus came for his own people. The religious leaders did not want this to take place. This type of wording is not unusual. Throughout the Old Testament, we recall various places where the prophets spoke of the religious leaders, who were not living for God, as false shepherds. 

Even in the New Testament, there are warnings given about those who pretend to be true shepherds, who walk about in sheep's clothing but in reality are wolves set out to destroy. Here in these verses, Jesus speaks of calling out his own sheep who recognize his voice. Their names were written before the foundation of the world. And when Jesus calls, they will come because they recognize his voice. Then Jesus goes on to describe how he will lead them out into the pasture and guide and direct them. Again, those familiar with sheep-herding in that area, would recognize that the shepherd always goes in front of the sheep to make sure that they do not stumble onto any dangers. The shepherd is always looking ahead for where there would be safe water and good, green grass. 

The reason for the sheep following the shepherd is that they recognize the voice. It is a voice which they can trust and know has their best interests at heart. In actuality, if a stranger were to go to a bunch of sheep, they will not follow, but will rather run away or look for an escape.

We saw this in a trip several years back, as we stopped in South Dakota. Our friend, Paul Hetle, was going to move a large number of sheep from one field to another field for fresh grazing and water. He and I were simply responsible for closing and opening gates. He made sure there was water at the new location. I stood by a closed gate, several feet away from the open gate. As Paul headed out towards the sheep in the first field, they began to scatter as one group. Then they came running towards the gate opening. As they came, they saw me and began to become confused. I did not say anything, as my voice would merely have scared them. Instead, I stepped farther away from the gate opening, allowing them to run towards it as one group. After they were all in their new field, we could then close that gate behind them. 

This is part of the wonder and miracle of the true believer in Jesus Christ. As false teachers or false shepherds come along the way, a true believer will recognize that it is not the voice of the great Shepherd or one of his servants. That person will know that they cannot listen to that voice, regardless of how spiritual it may sound. 

Interestingly, Jesus even stated that the words which he used were not understood by those who did not belong to him. They certainly could not hear his voice with understanding. Whereas, those who were true followers of Jesus Christ, could understand what he was saying.

But as we go on to John 10:7 “So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep,” we see that Jesus is not done with this illustration. He simply changes it. Earlier, he states that he is the shepherd. Now, he states that he is the door. 

Interestingly, many shepherds would actually sleep by the gate to make sure that nothing could get in or out. Symbolically, it makes perfect sense. The only way to get into the safety of the sheepfold is to go by means of The Shepherd. The only way to become part of God's family is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Then, to be fed properly and to experience the blessings that are ours through Jesus, one must exit the sheepfold out to the pastures by way of Jesus Christ. It is there where he guides us and directs us and provides all that we need for our spiritual nourishment. This is also a wonderful picture of the freedom we now have when we become followers of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

In John 10.8-10, He speaks of all those who came before him as being thieves and robbers. He is not speaking of the true prophets of God, but rather those who stated they were speaking for God, when in fact, they were speaking only for themselves. Then Jesus reminds them that if anyone enters through him, that person will be safe. Obviously, that person will be saved from the power of sin and from the punishment of hell. 

In addition, we can go anywhere with Christ and never fear what anybody or anything can do to us. We will be satisfied because Jesus will provide everything that we need. This is, of course, in direct contrast to the false shepherds or the religious leaders. They, being children of the devil, were part of the stealing and killing and destroying of the sheep. Interestingly, Jesus promises that our eternal life is that we will have it abundantly. In other words, it will surpass anything that we could possibly imagine.  Borchert describes it this way:  The Greek word, perisson, means “that which goes way beyond necessity.” John wanted all his readers to know that the gift of Jesus is life beyond our wildest dreams.

Knowing about His Authenticity - 10.11-16

Earlier, Jesus described himself as the true shepherd. Here, in John 10:11, we read “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep,” he describes himself as the good Shepherd. The Greek wording should literally read,"the Shepherd, the good one." In other words, there is no one like him. The Greek word actually carries with it the idea of “genuine” or “authentic.”

A good shepherd would be willing to do whatever was necessary to protect the sheep. We recall from the Old Testament how David had to fight against wild animals. Here, we need to recognize an even greater care for the sheep. Not only would Jesus be willing to risk his life for the sheep, but he wants to give his life for the sheep. He uses the phrase "lays down his life." This is a voluntary death; it is not a murder. Even the word “for" speaks of Jesus death as a substitutionary death; on behalf of, and in place of ours. 

The contrast is shown in verse 12, with the hired hand who is not a shepherd and does not have a vested interest. When a wild animal such as a wolf comes along, the hired hand will leave to protect his own skin. This is a picture of the religious leaders. And it is not limited to just those during the time of Jesus. This would describe any religious leader who is misleading the sheep, even today. One commentator states that they are no different than a mercenary. All of the so-called ministry which they do is basically for prestige, power, and money. If there is a threat to their own person, whatever that may be, they no longer have a concern for the sheep. They will not sacrifice themselves for anybody else. 

We see in verses 14 and 15 the reason why Jesus, as the good Shepherd, is willing to lay down his life for the sheep. It is because of his love. Even the word “know” is a word that describes a love relationship. It is the same type of word that is used to describe the intimate love between a husband and wife. Jesus knows us because of his love relationship with us. We know Jesus because of our love relationship with him. 

Verse 16 is an encouraging verse that you and I should appreciate. John 10:16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” You and I are the other sheep. In other words, we were not in Israel's fold. And the glorious news is that when we hear Jesus’ voice and respond in belief, we will become part of this flock. Jesus is the Shepherd for every Jew and Gentile who would follow Jesus Christ.

Knowing about His Obedience - 10.17-21

John 10:17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.” Jesus explains how he can be the one true good Shepherd. That love relationship with his Father, requires obedience to his Father's commands, which he does. Throughout the Scriptures, we are reminded that a person cannot truly love God and disobey him at the same time. 

We're also reminded that this is not something that was done to Jesus; he did it of his own choice. He chose to sacrifice his life because he had the authority to do so, as we see in John 10:18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. He continues in that verse to show He also had the authority to rise from the dead. And this was all because of the loving obedience to the commandment he received from his Father. 

Interestingly, though the shepherds in the Old Testament would be willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the sheep, that really was not their purpose. They guarded the sheep so that the sheep would be qualified and able to die as a sacrifice for their sins. Isn't it marvelous to think that instead of sheep dying for our sins, the great Shepherd chose to die for our sins, the sheep?!

Once again, we see in verses 19-21, a division take place because of the things which Jesus spoke. Sadly, rather than consider carefully what Jesus was saying, they would rather speak with insults against Jesus. They had opportunity to repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ. Instead, they chose to attribute everything which he did to satan and his workers. 

But there were those who actually did seem to get it. They believed that the incredible miracles which Jesus did was proof enough that he indeed came from God.

Reflections

As we reflect on this passage, there are so many things that jump out for our benefit. However, let me point out just a few.

This first area is one which applies very strongly to me. I appreciate Gerald Borchert's commentary on this. He states, The very word “leadership” is developed from the shepherd imagery, where the shepherd goes before the flock and encounters the problems of the flock first. The shepherd does not issue commands in a pyramid fashion down to subordinates who carry out his wishes like a general or admiral who stays back out of range of the conflict; nor is a shepherd a whip-carrying organizer who drives the sheep into the pen or to a particular pasture. But the shepherd knows the setting, leads the sheep, and they follow him.

As a pastor, I believe this is quite obvious as to its application. But it is not limited to just me. I believe there are practical applications that all of us can glean from this. Bosses, there needs to be a personal consideration of how we lead those under our authority. Teachers, we need to also think about how we direct and train those under our teaching. Parents, perhaps this is one of the most difficult areas. We need to sit down with our spouse and our Lord and our children and evaluate how we are leading and training and nurturing our children. I must confess that I have not done it right many, many times. However, my desire is to be this type of shepherd even in my own family.  There are probably many other areas where you can find this to be practical and applicable.

Another practical truth which I believe we can glean from this passage is that of security and safety. If Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, then we are protected from whatever the enemy may try to do to us. With this security and safety, is the understanding of the need for us to be on intimate terms with Jesus. He is always available for us. However, too often we ignore him or get sidetracked by the voices of this world.

Something else which amazes me is the wonderful truth that Jesus came and willingly sacrificed his life, not just for those Jews who choose to follow him, but for you and me, as well. And knowing his command that we are to proclaim the good news to the world, we are challenged to show our love by obediently living out the Gospel and proclaiming it so that everyone with whom we come in contact can see Jesus.

However, for us to be effective in any of these areas for the glory of God, we must have this one desire above all else; I want to know Christ!