The Gospel of John - Outline Part 25 - The Shepherd and the Thief

TITLE

John 10:1-21 – The Shepherd and the Thief

EXPLANATION

Jesus, in His earthly ministry, was a master at using figures of speech.  Here in chapter ten we find one of His classic illustrations.  Continuing the discourse from the previous chapter, Jesus pictured a shepherd who has a flock of sheep living in a sheepfold.  Using this setup, He drew a comparison between two characters.  One enters the sheepfold by climbing over the wall.  The other enters by the door.  The first is a thief and a robber, who is Satan.  But the second is a shepherd, who is Christ.  The sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd, but they flee from the thief, who is a stranger to them.

Then the Lord clarified that He Himself is the door for the sheep.  Everyone else who had come before Him were impostors, and the true sheep did not listen to them.  Only those who listen to the shepherd and enter through Him will be saved and find pasture.  The thief’s only intention is to kill.  But, the shepherd’s purpose is to give abundant life.  The shepherd is so committed to this objective that He is willing to die for His sheep.  A hired hand, by implication the Jews Jesus was speaking to, would flee from the wolf, or the thief, rather than stay and defend the sheep.  This hired hand does not truly care for the sheep as the shepherd does.

Continuing the illustration, Jesus again emphasized that He was the shepherd.  As the shepherd, He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him.  This mutual awareness is akin to the intimate knowledge that Jesus and the Father have of each other.  The sheep of the shepherd include both those of the present fold, by implication the Jews, as well as sheep from outside the fold, by implication Gentiles.  Jesus said that He would gather all the sheep together and make one flock.

Jesus would do this by laying down His life.  It is for this that the Father loves Him.  After laying down His life voluntarily, the shepherd would take it up again.  He had the authority to do this; in fact, the authority was given to Him by the Father.

This teaching caused division among the Jews, just as much of Christ’s teaching did.  Some said He was insane, or had a demon, or both.  However, some of the people listened and rightly pointed out that neither Jesus’s words or His works were those of a demon possessed man.

APPLICATION

There are two perspectives from which to view this passage; that of the shepherd and that of the sheep.  As the sheep, we must recognize that we are essentially dumb, defenseless, and gullible creatures desperately in need of a shepherd.  That shepherd, being the Lord Jesus Christ, is not merely an impersonal God.  He is an intimate caretaker, friend, and companion.  He was willing to die for us.  How then can we possibly doubt that He loves us and is willing to do whatever is required to take care of us.