PM Home Bible Study Group; March 13, 2013
John 10:1-21
Theme: This passage highlights the different aspects of Jesus’ ministry of shepherding His people.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
In the passage before us, our Lord Jesus is presented to us as ‘Shepherd’. In fact, He twice presents Himself to us in it as "the good Shepherd" (v. 11, 14). As Dr. Harry Ironside wrote, "It is a rather significant thing that the word ‘good’ here is one that really means ‘beautiful’"; and that Jesus was really saying, "I am the beautiful Shepherd." And tonight, we will relish the beauties of our Shepherd.
In the Old Testament, Jesus—the promised Messiah—is presented as the Shepherd of His people. In Psalm 23, we’re told "The LORD is my Shepherd." Psalm 80:1 speaks of Him and says, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!" Isaiah 40:10-11 says, "Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young." Jeremiah 31:10 says; "Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’" In Ezekiel 34:12-15, we read, "’As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,’ says the Lord God."
In the New Testament, the Lord was clearly identified as that Shepherd. At the last supper, He told His disciples, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’" (Matthew 26:31; here quoting from Zechariah 13:7). In Hebrews 13:20, He is called "that great Shepherd of the sheep". The apostle Peter calls Him "the Chief Shepherd" (1 Peter 5:4). And the wonderful thing is that He will always be the Shepherd to His people. We’re told in Revelation 7:17 that, even in heavenly glory, "the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters."
Shepherds are not ordinarily thought of as ‘beautiful’. But this Shepherd—our Shepherd—truly is beautiful—the good Shepherd. And in the first half of John 10, we’re shown some of the aspects of His beauty. He is . . .
I. THE LEGITIMATE SHEPHERD (vv. 1-3).
A. The context of this passage is the story of His healing of the blind man in John 9. In fact, that healing is mentioned again in verse 21. That healing had raised a great controversy—not because of the fact of the healing itself, but because it was done on the Sabbath. Those who had been presenting themselves as the true shepherds of the Jewish people—the Pharisees—had opposed Him because He healed the blind man on the Sabbath and thus violated their interpretation of the Sabbath laws. They demanded to be thought of as the legitimate shepherds who could establish the spiritual rules; but through their unbelief in Him, He had exposed them as those who were truly the blind ones (see John 9:39-41).
B. Still talking to the Pharisees, He said, “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" (v. 1). They had not entered into their role over the people legitimately—that is, by proving themselves to be the true shepherds of God’s people. Only genuine, legitimate shepherds enter the fold in the proper way. When someone has to enter in through some other means, they show that they are not legitimate. As Jesus said, "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep" (v. 2). The "door", in this case, can be thought of as the promises of God’s word. And Jesus entered in fulfillment of those promises. The Scriptures make clear, unmistakable promises concerning the Shepherd that Jesus fulfilled—or that it is declared that He will fulfill—as no one else has or ever could:
1. That He would become incarnate by birth into humanity (Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:35; 2:11);
2. That He would be the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:18);
3. That He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23);
4. That He would be of the lineage of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 17:6-7; Matthew 1:1;
Romans 9:5; Galatians 3:16);
5. That He would be of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Hebrews 7:14; Revelation 5:5);
6. That He would be of the royal lineage of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13; Luke 1:31-33; Romans 1:3);
7. That He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-3; Matthew 2:5-6; Luke 2:4-6, 15);
8. That He would be called ‘Immanuel’ (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23);
9. That He would be worshiped and given gifts by Gentiles (Isaiah 60:3, 6, 9; Matthew 2:11);
10. That He would be called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2;13-15);
11. That He would have a “forerunner”, that is, John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-6; Mark 1:2-8);
12. That the Holy Spirit would rest upon Him (Isaiah 11:1-2; 61:1; Luke 3:21-22; 4:18; John 3:34);
13. That He would come on a saving mission (Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:16-19);
14. That He would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 11:4-5);
15. That He would be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; 62:1-2 Luke 2:30-32; Acts 13:47);
16. That He would be sought out by the Gentiles (Isaiah 11:10; John 12:20-22):
17. That He would be a Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53:3; Hebrews 2:18; 4:15);
18. That He would be rejected by men (Psalm 69:8; Isaiah 53:3; John 1:11; 7:5; 18:39- 40; Acts 3:14);
19. That He would be deserted (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31, 56);
20. That He would be scourged and spat upon (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67; 27:26);
21. That He would be given vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34, 48);
22. That His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16; Luke 23:33; John 20:25);
23. That He would be forsaken by God (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46);
24. That He would be surrounded and mocked by enemies (Psalm 22:7-8; 109:25; Matthew 27:39-44; Mark 15:29-32);
25. That He would be numbered among transgressors (Isaiah 53:12; Mark 15:27-28; Luke 22:37);
26. That men would cast lots for His clothing (Psalm 22:18; Luke 23:34; John 19:23- 24);
27. That He would suffer while dying because of thirst (Psalm 22:15; John 19:28);
28. That He would commit His spirit to God (Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46);
29. That none of His bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20; Numbers 9:12; John 19:33- 36);
30. That He would be pierced in the side (Zechariah 12:10; 13:6; John 19:37);
31. That He would would be among the rich at His death (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57- 60);
32. That He would rise from the dead without corruption (Psalm 16:9-10; Acts 2:27, 31; 13:33-35);
33. That He would ascend to glory (Psalm 24:7-10; 68:18; Acts 1:9-11; 2:33; Ephesians 4:8);
34. That He would be called the Eternal Son of God (Psalm 2:7, 12; Matthew 3:17; Luke 1:35; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5);
35. That He would be known as a Suffering Servant (Isaiah 42:1-4; 52:13-15; Matthew 12:18-21; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews12:3);
36. That He would be called the rejected Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20);
37. That He would be called the Morning Star (Numbers 24:17; Revelation 22:16);
38. That He would be the Prophet promised by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18; Acts 3:22);
39. That He would be seated at God’s right hand (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:44; Hebrews 10:12-13);
40. That He would be the Priest-King (Genesis 14:18; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:5-10; 7:1, 14-17);
41. That He would be the One who will strike the nations (Numbers 24:17; Revelation 19:15);
42. That He would be Ruler of the nations of the earth (Psalm 2:8; Revelation 2:26-27; 19:16);
43. That He would be the universal King (Zechariah 14:9; Psalm 110:1-2; Acts 2:34- 35; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Revelation 11:15);
44. That He would be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6; Ephesians 2:14-18); and
45. That His kingdom would be everlasting (Daniel 2:44; 4:34; 7:13-14, 27; Luke 1:33; Hebrews 12:28).
C. Truly, from the standpoint of the “door” being the promises of Scripture, Jesus proved Himself, in every way, to be the legitimate Shepherd from God who enters through that door. He Himself goes on to say, "To him"—that is, to the legitimate shepherd—"the doorkeeper opens . . ." (v. 3a); and we can take this "doorkeeper", in our Lord’s case, to have been John the Baptist. It was he who was universally recognized by the people as a prophet sent from God—as it were, the last prophet of the Old Testament economy (Matthew 11:13). He was the one who "saw" and "testified" of Jesus that "this is the Son of God" (John 1:34). And those who are Jesus’ sheep recognize His legitimacy as John testified of it. Others who rejected Jesus show—by their rejection—that they were not His sheep (see John 10:26). But as Jesus says of the one who is a legitimate shepherd, "and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out" (v. 3b). We can hear and trust Jesus! He’s legitimate! He came in through the gate!
II. THE RECOGNIZED SHEPHERD (vv. 4-6).
A. Sheep don’t follow just anyone. They follow only whoever they know and recognize. Many pretenders seek to come in to the flock of God and take captive of His people. But as the apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:18-21; "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth." One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to so work in His people that they know the true from the false. And this is reflected in the ministry of Jesus as our Shepherd. He says of the true shepherd, "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" (vv. 4-5).
B. It’s interesting to read of what the apostle John tells us next: "Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them" (v. 6). In a sense, they were demonstrating that they were not His sheep. They didn’t recognize Him as the promised Shepherd; and when He taught them, they couldn’t understand or grasp what He was saying. The degree to which they didn’t understand is shown to us later on in this chapter; because as He will say, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (v. 27). The sheep recognize their beloved Shepherd!
III. THE PROTECTING SHEPHERD (vv. 7-10).
A. Many people say that Jesus shifts His metaphor from a shepherd to the door of the sheep-fold. But there is a sense in which they are the same thing. The shepherd certainly goes in through the door to the sheep. But he is also, to them, a door in the sense that nothing can come to his sheep except through him. In some places of the world, a shepherd actually lays on the ground before his sheep; and anything that would seek to get at the sheep would have to go over him in order to reach them. This may be a part of what Jesus meant when we go on to read, "Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep’" (v. 7).
B. There may have been those who interacted with the sheep in such a way as to present themselves as true shepherds. But they weren’t true shepherds if they didn’t come through Him. He says, "All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them" (v. 8). As He would say later, in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Anyone who attempts to come in through some other means is not legitimate and presents a danger to the sheep. He said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" (v. 9).
C. The importance of this to the protection of the sheep is made clear. He says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (v. 10a). That’s the only reason someone would seek to get in to the sheep of our Lord through some other means than through Him. Their intentions are evil. They wish to take advantage of the sheep in some way. In Acts 20:28-31, the apostle Paul warned the pastors of Ephesus, "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears." But Jesus—the good and protective Shepherd—doesn’t come to His sheep in that way. He says, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (v. 10b). He came through the legitimacy of the promise of God’s word; and all who legitimately come to His sheep must come through Him. He protects His sheep from thieves and savage wolves.
IV. THE SACRIFICING SHEPHERD (vv. 11-13).
A. There were countless shepherds in Israel of old for whom a sheep was slain in sacrifice as a sin offering. But the Lord Jesus is a remarkable Shepherd. He was slain for His sheep! He says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (v. 11). As Isaiah 53:7 says of Him, "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." In this, He shows that He truly loves and cares for the sheep.
B. This would not be true of a mere "hireling"—someone who didn’t really care for the sheep; someone for whom "sheep-care" was just a job and nothing more. Jesus says, "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" (vv. 12-13). As Romans 5:6-10 has it, "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
V. THE RELATIONAL SHEPHERD (vv. 14-15).
A. A good shepherd knows his sheep well. He even gives each sheep a nickname—and knows every sheep by name. As the wisest man who ever lived once wrote, "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds" (Proverbs 28:23); and Jesus shows Himself to be a very wise and diligent Shepherd indeed! He says, "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own" (v. 14). He knows their needs in a deep, relational way; and they, in turn, know Him.
B. In fact, our Shepherd loves us in a way that models the deep relationship He enjoys with the Father. He says, "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." Everything that there is to know about the Father is known by the Son. And everything that there is to know about the Son is known by the Father. There is a deep love and and intimacy of relationship between them that is profound beyond human words. And this same Jesus—so loved and known by the Father—also loves and knows us. He is close to us, and cares very deeply about us. He gives everything for us—even to the extent of laying down His life for us.
VI. THE UNIVERSAL SHEPHERD (v. 16).
A. When Jesus spoke these words, He was presenting Himself primarily as the promised Shepherd of the Jewish people. But what an amazing thing it must have been to hear that there were "other sheep"—beyond the Jewish fold—that He also called His own! He said, "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice . . ." (v. 16a). This speaks of His love for the Gentile people who would also believe on Him. In Isaiah 46:2, the Father speaks of Him and says, "I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles." In Isaiah 56:8, He promises, "The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.”
B. There is a goal to this gathering of others from the Gentile world. As Jesus says, "and there will be one flock and one shepherd" (v. 16b). As the apostle Paul put it, the Lord Jesus would make the two most ‘divided’ people groups in the world—Jew and Gentile—into "one new man" (Ephesians 2:15). As Paul put it, this is the great ‘mystery’ that he felt privileged to reveal—"that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel" (Ephesians 3:6). He would not be the Shepherd of one flock, and then operate as the different Shepherd of a completely different flock; but there will be "one flock" and He would be "one shepherd" over them.
VII. THE OBEDIENT SHEPHERD (vv. 17-18).
A. The only way this could happen would be by our Lord laying down His life for His sheep—both of the Jewish flock and of the Gentile flock. And this was in complete obedience to the Father. So, He says, "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" (vv. 17-18). Our being united in Jesus isn’t strictly His idea—as if, somehow, conceived apart from the Father. It was the Father’s initiative all along! The Father is the one who sent the Son; and the Son is the one who went in obedience to the Father’s command—both out of love for the Father, and out of love for you and me. And the Father loves the Son because of this obedience; because the Father Himself loves us.
B. Notice too the great authority that the Son exhibits in this. He doesn’t lay down His life to thus forever forsake it. Rather, He lays it down with the power to take it up again. Jesus was not "murdered" in the sense that someone took His life against His will. They only took it because He gave it to be taken—and that only to serve His gracious purpose, with a view to His taking it up again. Though they tried to seal Him in a tomb and keep Him in death, they could not; because He also had the authority to take back up again what He willingly laid down! What an obedient—and authoritative—Shepherd!
* * * * * * * * * *
People didn’t understand such a Shepherd as ours. We’re told, "Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, ‘He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?’” (vv. 19-20). They were, of course, showing through this that they were not His sheep. But we’re told, "Others said, ‘These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’" (v. 21). They were showing true sheep-like qualities!
May God help us to believe on this wonderful Shepherd; and thus show ourselves to truly be His sheep! And may He help us to introduce others to Him, that they too might be shepherded by Him.