John - Chapter 10
CHRIST - THE DOOR – THE GOOD SHEPHERD – ONE WITH THE FATHER
JOHN 10
(1-10)
We must look back just for a moment to chapter 9 ending to understand exactly who Jesus is addressing as chapter 10 begins by Jesus speaking one of His most used lines, “Verily, verily, I say unto you...”. At the end of chapter 9 He is speaking to the Pharisees and as we begin that talk is ongoing.
At the occasion of the excommunication of the man healed of blindness, Jesus now delivers a parable to the Pharisees, who had overheard His last conversation with the man who was healed. He begins His talk with the word picture of the door of the sheepfold and the proper and improper way to enter it. He is making the point of spiritual leaders being in a pastoral relationship with believers who are the sheep. Those who enter improperly to the sheepfold are “thieves and robbers” and His parable finger is pointing at the Pharisees as false shepherds.
To gain understanding of these verses we should first note that the Lord speaks of three doors in these 10 verses:
The door into the sheepfold (1)
The door of the sheep (7)
The door of salvation (9)
In each village in these days was a large sheepfold which was common property to all who were shepherds, protected by a wall 10 to 12 feet high, normally rocks. When night came, the shepherds would lead their flocks into this common area for safety, all going through the door of the sheepfold. Their safety for the night was left in the hands of a porter who stayed all night at the door and watched for thieves or animals trying to get in or to scale the walls. In the morning the different shepherds arrived to call their own flock to themselves to go to graze. Each called his sheep by name and his sheep would respond only to his voice and none other could call them.
The sheepfold pictured here is a symbol of Judaism, in which some who were God's elect were found. Jesus had come to enter Judaism by the proper door to call his sheep out. Jesus had presented himself to Israel in a lawful way, the way prepared by prophecy in scripture. He had been virgin born, of the Covenant people, of the line of David, in the royal city of Bethlehem (all foretold in the OT). He was born under the law (Gal 4:4) and circumcised on the 8th day, and presented in the temple at the purification of Mary (Luke 2:22). He had met all requirements to be accepted as the shepherd.
Verse 3 tells us to Him the porter openeth with the reference here to John the Baptist. Three things are shown to confirm Jesus is the Good Shepherd:
He entered the fold by the door and did not climb over the walls.
He entered by the “porter” opening the door to Him.
His sheep now recognized His voice and responded.
Last chapter (9:4) further confirmed the evidence by the teaching that He had come working the works of God. Now we see in verse 10:3 that He calls His own sheep by name. His own sheep were those given to Him by the father from all eternity. We were already taught in 6:37 that “... all the Father giveth me shall come unto me...”.
Notice verse 3 is very clear that He only calls His “own sheep by name”.
In chapter 11 we have an even greater evidence of this teaching as the Lord will raise Lazarus from death by calling him BY NAME to come forth.
This call needs to be understood as the 2nd call to the elect by God. There is always the general call that goes out to all who hear the gospel and Matthew 20:16 teaches that many are so called while few are chosen. The 2nd call is the effectual call to the heart in conviction to each of His sheep. This call is inward and cannot be over ruled (Rom 11:29). Romans 8 grants us the most in depth view of the “golden chain” of the call to the elect.
Jesus teaches in verse 7 that He is the door of the sheep. He himself is the door by which the elect will pass from Judaism into grace through faith. We have a foreshadow of this door in Exodus 33 when Moses placed the tabernacle outside of the camp when unbelief and rebellion were present. All who sought the Lord then had to leave the camp . So here, just as in the time of Moses, those who sincerely seek God had to leave the camp (Judaism) to find Him (Christ).
Finally in verse 9 Jesus grants His strongest teaching “... I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved”. Notice here no more talk of sheep, now we view the true picture of salvation as Jesus teaches of “ANY MAN”, meaning Jews or Gentiles. Remember the wonderful lesson of 3:16 “WHOSOEVER”!
(11-21)
As we take wisdom from the lesson of verses 11-21 concerning Christ being the Good Shepherd, it is likely that to first understand the will of God for us on this matter, we should revert to prophecy. In this case we have some of the clearest prophecy possible on this matter from the words of Ezekiel 34:
Ezekiel 34:1-4 teaches us on the Pharisees in our gospel.
“And the word of the Lord came unto me saying,
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick,neither have ye bound up that that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost: but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them”.
David's poetry of Psalm 23 shows us the other side of this matter:
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want... he restoreth my soul... he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake”.
Notice that Jesus teaches strongly on this matter of the shepherd abiding with the sheep:
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (14)
Hebrews 13:20 teaches us of the great shepherd, and 1st Peter 5:4 teaches us of the chief shepherd.
Jesus teaches of laying down His life for the sheep (15) and that the life He gives is given freely, no man takes it from Him(18) and He has the power to lay it down and the power to take it up again (18). This has been commanded from the Father (18).
A division appears among the people again with some saying He has a devil, but others ask the more powerful question. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
(22-42)
Winter is the season and Jesus walks along the portion of the temple known as Solomon's porch, which is not inside the temple but is a long colonnade shielded somewhat from the wind. The Jews surround Him, and challenge Him to reveal himself as the Messiah. His answer is clear and direct. He says I told you and you believed not. Jesus speaks further using the shepherd image again by telling them they are not His sheep. His sheep follow Him, know His voice, and he knows them. He gives them eternal life and none can pluck them from His hand. He says His Father gave them to Him and the Father is greater than all and gives His powerful conclusion in verse 30:
“I and my Father are one”.
They seek to stone Him but Jesus verbally stops them by asking which of His good works they intend to stone Him for. They reply that they intend to stone Him not for any works but rather for blasphemy, claiming to be God.
As they seek to seize Him, He again slips away and goes back to the Jordan river where John preached and baptized. Many came to Him and said that John had done no miracle but the things John had said about Jesus were true.
And many believed on Him there.
