The Good Shepherd

John 10:1-10

English Standard Version Chapter 10

I Am the Good Shepherd

10 “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.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

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.

When I was young and being homeschooled, my mom and grandmother taught the children’s class at Community Bible Study while the moms were in class. I helped from time to time after I got out of my class. Well one of the things I remember learning from the little’s class was a song that I still remember to this day. It went a little something like this, “I just want to be a sheep. Baah baah Baah baah. I just want to be a sheep. Baah baah Baah baah. I don’t want to be a hypocrite, because their not hip with it. I just want to be a sheep. Baah baah Baah baah. I don’t want to be a Pharisee, because their not fair you see. I just want to be a sheep. Baah baah Baah baah.” It is a cute song that reminds us that being a sheep is better than anything else, especially a sheep in the Lord’s pasture. And with that in mind, may God bless the preaching of this, His Most Holy Word.

Our text for this morning begins by saying, ““Truly, truly, I say to you.” Jesus begins with those all too famous words, “Truly, truly.” It’s kind of like any time you hear your middle name used by your mom or someone said, “Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. “ According to commentator Tenney, “This is a phrase peculiar to the fourth Gospel, and it generally introduces a solemn declaration about Jesus or his mission.” It’s basically a way of Jesus saying, “Listen up! Because what I am about ot say is important.” Or if you’d rather think of it this way, it would be like the town crier back in the day, going out in the middle of town and ringing the bell to tell of news within the town. However, unlike the town crier who always has bad news, Jesus brings good news to His sheep.

Jesus had something important to say on this day and so He begins, “Truly, truly.” He continues, “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.” David Guzik explains, “Political and spiritual leaders were often called shepherds in the ancient world. 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. This reminds me of the verses in Matthew 24:5–6, which reads, “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” Despite thieves, robbers, and those who try to mislead us, we must remain strong and true to God’s Holy Word. Political and spiritual leaders will come and go, but the Word of the Lord remains forever. Therefore, when we notice unusual events occurring in the world around us, may we take it back to the Word of God and seek our guidance from there.

Jesus continues in verses 2-3 by saying, “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.” It is the shepherd of the sheep who enters by the door. According to Warren Weirsbe, “to the Jewish mind, a “shepherd” was any kind of leader, spiritual or political. People looked on the king and prophets as shepherds. Israel was privileged to be “the flock of the Lord.”

Jesus opened His sermon with a familiar illustration, one that every listener would understand. Sheep. The sheepfold was usually an enclosure made of rocks, with an opening for the door. The shepherd (or a porter) would guard the flock, or flocks, at night by lying across the opening. It was not unusual for several flocks to be sheltered together in the same fold. In the morning, the shepherds would come, call their sheep, and assemble their own flocks. Each sheep recognized his own master’s voice.” So I can’t help but ask, are we so acquainted with the voice of our Master, our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we can distinguish His voice from the myriad of other voices vying for our attention? May we seek to know the voice of our Shepherd and Savior, Jesus Christ, more and more every day. May we recognize His voice when He calls us by name.

In verses 4-5 of our text for today, we read, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

As we learned in verse 1, may it be known that as the shepherd enters through the door, the thieves and robbers never do. No! They have to climb over the wall and enter the fold through deception. However, something interesting to note is that even if the thieves and robbers do get in, verse 4 tells us that they could never get the sheep to follow them, for they only follow the voice of their shepherd. Therefore, the thieves and robbers only option is to steal the sheep away. In addition, not only do the sheep know the voice of the Master, but verse 4 also tells us something else interesting. We read, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them.” How powerful is that. The shepherd leads his sheep so that any danger, obstacle, or entanglement, must be met by him first before it gets to his sheep. And brothers and sisters, the same is true of us. Psalm 139:5 “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” May this bring us comfort today! Comfort in knowing that our Lord and Savior goes before us. Whatever trial or obstacle that we may face in this life, may we remember that Jesus had to endure it first.

In verse 5, though we learn, “A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Yes, out Shepherd goes before us, However, we still need to be alert! 1 Peter 5:8–9 tells us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” May we know the voice of our Lord and flee when the enemy attempts to attack.

In verse 6 of our text for this morning we read, “This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.” One thing I have always loved about Jesus is how He used common, everyday items and things to teach valuable, eternal lessons. He used things and items such as sheep, pottery, gates, yeast, wind, coins, and the list goes on and on. Yet, in our text for today, even with Jesus using common, everyday items such as sheep and shepherds, we read that they still did not understand what He was saying to them.

Matthew Henry explains this lack of understanding. He writes, “They have no acquaintance with, nor taste of, the things themselves, and therefore do not understand the parables and comparisons with which they are illustrated. The Pharisees had a great conceit of their own knowledge, and could not bear that it should be questioned, and yet they had not sense enough to understand the things that Jesus spoke of; they were above their capacity. Frequently the greatest pretenders to knowledge are most ignorant in the things of God.

So, then, in verse 7, Jesus tries again. He begins in the same fashion that He started with at the beginning of this chapter. My mom used to work at a nursery with several Spanish speaking ladies and she could always tell when what she was saying they did not understand because they would just bat their eyes. Jesus, in speaking to the Pharisees, who do not understand, begins again.

In verse 7, we read, “So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” So here, we find Jesus claiming to not only be the Good Shepherd, but also the Door. Matthew Henry writes, “Though it may be an error in rhetoric to make the same person to be both the door and the shepherd, it is no error in divinity to make Christ to have his authority from himself, as he has life in himself; and himself to enter by his own blood, as the door, into the holy place.” How powerful is that?

I was listening to one of my favorite preachers this week J. John as he is known by and he was talking about taking 12 seminary students to a monastery one time. He said that as they arrived, the abbot was so thrilled to have them. He takes J. John and tells him that they have given him the best room at the monastery. The top of the top. So J. John follows the abbot, all excited about getting the best room. J. John opens the door and there before him is a twin bed, a desk and a chair. The best room he thinks! So, somewhat disappointed, J. John makes the plan to get to the shower, which is down the hall and around the corner, first in the morning. So all week, he gets up at 5am, gathers his supplies, makes the trip down the hall and around the corner to take his shower. However, on the last day, J. John goes to pick up his duffle bag which he had placed by a door, which he thought to simply be a wardrobe. Well as he goes to pick up his bag, the door opens. And lo and behold, it was an en-suite. LOL! Open the door! He says he felt the Lord telling him. Open the door!

Jesus Christ is the door we must open. The door to eternal life. The door to His pasture. The door to safety and rest. The door to salvation. He is here, but we must open it. Revelation 3:20 tells us, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Open the door!

Moving on to verse 8, we read, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Once again, simply backing up what we just talked about. However, in verse 8, Jesus makes mention of those “who came before” Him. Warren Weirsbe writes, “Jesus was referring primarily to the religious leaders of that day (John 10:8). He was not condemning every prophet or servant of God who ever ministered before He came to earth. The statement “are thieves and robbers” (not “were”) makes it clear that He had the present religious leaders in mind. They were not true shepherds nor did they have the approval of God on their ministry. They did not love the sheep, but instead exploited them and abused them. The beggar, in chapter 9, was a good example of what the “thieves and robbers” could do.” Sadly, we even see this today. Ministers who claim to be all about the people and for the people yet who are only out for themselves.

We see this clearly in the Bible with the example of the Pharisees. They were covetous, took advantage of widows, turned God’s temple into a den of thieves, and plotted to kill Jesus. With all of this in mind, aren’t we grateful for the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd that came to seek and to save the lost. Amen!

The last verse of our text for this morning, verse 10, reads, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” One of the best comparisons in all of Scripture. Jesus begins my describing the thief, most likely, Satan. He says once again, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Steal, Kill, and Destroy. Those are the 3 main goals and tactics of the enemy.

To end with today, I want to quote Commentator Matt Carter. He writes, “If your life is about anything other than Jesus Christ, that thing will steal your joy (v. 10). It will rob you of the delight God wants you to have in Jesus. If you pursue anything as ultimate in your life other than Jesus, it will fail. But in Jesus Christ, regardless of your circumstances, you can discover unshakeable joy and abundant life—not an abundance of possessions or even an abundance of laughs but a life overflowing with joy in Jesus. He promises the closer we walk with him and the more intimately we follow him, the greater our joy will be and the fuller our lives will be. Jesus didn’t call us out of the emptiness of sin to live in mediocrity. He called us to feast at his table, to rejoice in his presence. Stop wandering away from the Shepherd to seek out your own pasture and to find your own water. Every time you do, you will find the grass withered and the water bitter. Jesus is the gate. Through him we rest in the safety of the fold and rejoice in the sweetness of the field. The false shepherds of Israel cast the sheep aside, endangering their lives, but Jesus, the good shepherd, lovingly gathers his sheep to himself and then guards them from all danger.” Won’t you go to the Good Shepherd and enter through the door of Jesus Christ. Come to Him all you who are weary and heavy laden and He will give you rest.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!