The Shepherd…the Door
TRANSLATION
(1) “Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in another way is a thief and a robber. (2) But the one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) The gatekeeper opens (the door) for him. 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 ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (5) A stranger they will not follow but will flee from him, for they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” (6) Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
(7) Therefore, Jesus again said to them, “Very truly I tell you, I am the door for the sheep. (8) All who come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep do not listen to them. (9) I am the door. Whoever enters by means of me will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. (10) The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
OBSERVATIONS
This chapter contains two more of Jesus’ “I am” statements found in John’s Gospel, “I am the door” (vs. 7) and “I am the good shepherd” (vs. 11), echoing verse 2. Repetitions in this opening segment of John 10 help us understand its message. We find several words associated with shepherding: “sheepfold” (vs. 1), “shepherd” (vs. 2) and “sheep” (six times in vss. 2, 3, 4, 7, & 8). “Door” occurred four times (vss. 1, 2, 7, & 8) as well as “gatekeeper” (vs. 3). The phrase “a thief and a robber” and its plural “thieves and robbers” were repeated (vss. 1 & 8) along with an additional use of “thief” (vs. 10). Three more words, “enters” (vss. 2 & 9), “follow” (vss. 4 & 5) and “stranger(s)” (vs. 5), were each found twice. Four other words all related to voice recognition were also used: “hear” (vs. 3), “voice” (used three times in vss. 3, 4, & 5), “calls” (vs. 3) and “listen” (vs. 8).
Note that Jesus first called himself “the shepherd of the sheep” and later “the door of the sheep.” That should not be viewed as a conflict if we realize that, in the ancient Near East, shepherds frequently slept across the entrance to their sheepfolds at night, thus becoming the “door” that protected their flock from predators.
OUTLINE
I. Jesus identified himself as the shepherd who protects his flock from predators. (1-6)
II. Jesus identified himself as the door of the sheep who gives life to those who trust in him. (7-10)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus as the shepherd and sheepfold door is the one who protects and prospers the flock of God.
APPLICATION
The metaphor of “shepherding” is found throughout the Scriptures. The relationship between a shepherd and his flock became one of the principal ways to describe how a godly leader should nurture and guide those entrusted to his care. All of Israel’s patriarchs served as shepherds and learned how to become leaders by shepherding their flocks (think of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses). David learned the skills that made him Israel’s greatest king while serving as a shepherd. It is no wonder that Jesus chose the metaphor of shepherding to describe his Messianic leadership.
What characterizes the role of a shepherding leader? At least three marks in this passage describe the Messiah’s ministry:
#1 – Personal presence with and an intimate knowledge of his flock
#2 – Protection of his flock from anything that would harm or destroy them
#3 – Provision for all the needs, both material and immaterial, of his flock
This is the kind of shepherd that the sheep can fully trust and in whose care they can feel completely secure. Such a flock can confidently say with David, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.”