John 10:1-21 Jesus the True Shepherd“
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the 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. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
Jesus the Good Shepherd
“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?”
Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
I must confess that this chapter from the Gospel of John is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. There is so much assurance here for believers. Face it, folks, many of us have suffered rejection and repeated attacks in our lives. We have trusted people who have disappointed or even betrayed us. People have made promises, only to renege and even pretend that they never said anything to us. Now Jesus is speaking to all of us, assuring us of His watch care and His love.
The sheep folds in Jesus’ day might hold several different herds of sheep, depending on how large they were and their location. Sometimes there would be someone keeping the door while at other times, the shepherd might have to sleep in the gate hole to protect the sheep. But no matter what the arrangement, once the sheep were in the fold for the night, they were safe. And in the morning, the shepherd would lead his sheep out, calling to them. The sheep would follow because they knew the shepherd’s voice.
If the sheep were attacked by wild animals, the shepherd would fight off the animals, killing them if possible. David did not fear Goliath because he had been killing lions and bears with his slingshot for years. Goliath was simply a bigger target.
“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” Jesus was speaking to Jews, but he already had the rest of the world in view. It was never God’s intent merely to be a God of the Jews, but for the Jews to demonstrate what could happen if a small nation would love God and serve Him completely. Most of us qualify as sheep “not of this fold.”
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Jesus speaks of laying down his life and taking it up again. When Jesus was crucified, he voluntarily went to the cross, and then his Heavenly Father raised him from the dead, giving him power over death and the grave.
Have you ever heard the Shepherd’s voice? You’ll know when you hear it, for Jesus’ voice is the voice of love, of acceptance, of peace, of joy, and of contentment. Many of us sheep have wandered into mudholes and our wool is dirty; Jesus isn’t worried because he can clean up any mess. Some of us have gotten into addictions; again, Jesus can heal and make anyone whole.
I had a friend whose son had been in the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang, pushing drugs and pimping prostitutes. All the time this man was busy being bad, his mother was busy praying. One day, the man suddenly had an encounter with Jesus. As the motorcycle gang members were about to attack him, he holed up in a telephone booth and called his mother. She advised him to call the nearest church, which happened to be an Assemblies of God Church. The pastor who came to this man’s aid turned out to be a former Marine and lumber jack who was more than capable of helping him escape from the motorcycle gang. I first heard this man’s testimony in 1980 and then I met his mother in 1981, and she verified the whole story.
Want a new beginning? Trust the Shepherd! Jesus is more than able to meet any need and to handle any problem, no matter how difficult. Is it always easy to trust Jesus? Are you kidding? Sometimes, you feel as if you are walking across a yawning gulf on a narrow footbridge. But Jesus can guide your steps so that you will make it. May God help each of us to trust the Good Shepherd!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are battered and bruised and afraid to trust anybody or anything. Please speak to our hearts and give us Your peace and assurance. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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