Gospel of St. John

The Door – 10:1-10

In the last chapter, Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees were unable to get the blind man to retract his story of the miracle and consequently excommunicated the blind man from the Temple.  Jesus was allowed to teach in the Temple because the Jewish leadership was split over his credentials.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the porter openeth; and calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out.  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him:  for they know his voice.  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him:  for they know not the voice of strangers.”  In each village, there was a large sheepfold which was the common property of all the farmers.  It was protected by a ten to twelve foot high wall.  All the shepherds brought their sheep into the fold at night and left them in the care of the porter who slept in the doorway and protected the sheep from thieves, robbers and wild animals.  When the shepherds returned to the door in the morning, the porter would let them in to call their sheep and lead them out to pasture.  Christ came through the door of Old Testament prophecy and began his ministry inside the fold of Judaism.  He was able to lead them out of Judaism because they knew his voice.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers:  but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door:  by me if any man enter in, He shall be saved and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”  Christ was the door through which the elect of Israel passed out of Judaism.  The Pharisees were called to be the shepherds of Israel.  But Christ called them thieves and robbers.  The blind beggar excommunicated from the Temple is a good example.  The position of the Pharisees was obtained by rigid adherence to an external law.  They claimed an authority that was not a part of that external law.  They demanded submission to all their claims.  If any man, not just Jews, enter in the door of Christ, he shall be saved.  Eternal life can only be obtained by the Divine power of God.  This power is available to “any” man and he shall be free of the bondage of the Law and will go in and out.  “I am the door” is the third title of Christ.  “I am the Good Shepherd” is the fourth.

The Good Shepherd – 10:11-21

“I am the good shepherd:  the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth:  and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”  The word good is used here as it is used in “good fruit.”  The fruit brought forth from Christianity is a Divine and spiritual fruit.  Thus Jesus is the Divine and spiritual shepherd.  He is again proclaiming his deity.  “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” refers to the crucifixion.  His life was not taken.  It was given freely in accordance with the will of God.  The hireling is paid to guard the sheep and has neither a proprietorship over them nor affection for them.  The laborer is worthy of his hire.  But, a hireling is a mercenary with no other impulse than the lust of lucre.  Discovering a hireling often requires the presence of a wolf to show his true character.

“As the Father knoweth me, even so know I 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 shall hear my voice;  and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.  Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh 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 commandment have I received of my Father.”  Jesus again acknowledges the crucifixion as a necessity.  Today, the statement about other sheep is often used to refer to different denominations or even other faiths with which we are not familiar.  This allows us to believe that people who do not know Christ as we know him can be saved.  Jesus led the sheep out of the sheepfold known as Judaism.  The sheep of another fold was in reference to the Gentiles.  Jesus knew that his objective was always to save Gentiles as well as Jews.  He simply had to start with the Jews first.  He is also clear that there will be only one fold and one shepherd in the end.  Jesus re-iterates that he lays down his life that he might take it up again.  No one can take his life.  Only he has the power to lay it down and to take it again as he was commanded by the Father.

The Good Shepherd – 10:22-42

“Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him,  How long dost thou make us to doubt?  If thou be the Christ tell us plainly.  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not:  the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.  But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow:  And I give unto them eternal life:  and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;  and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.  I and my Father are one.”  The Jews are following Christ around the Temple and baiting him to give them clear evidence they could use to get him prosecuted as a rebel against the Roman government.  Jesus never told the Jewish leaders that he was the Messiah.  He told the disciples, the Samaritans and the blind beggar, but not the Jewish leadership.  That could have been used to prosecute him as a rebel against the Roman government.  Although his works were clear evidence of his Messianic office, they were not going to be conclusive for the Roman authorities who ignored the prophecies in the Scriptures.  Jesus had admitted he was God, but that was of no consequence in Roman law.  He again declared that he was one with the Father.  It was not against Roman law but it infuriated the Jewish leadership.

“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.  Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father;  for which of those works do ye stone me?  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not;  but for blasphemy;  and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.  …  Jesus answered them, If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.  But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works:  that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.  Therefore they sought again to take him:  but he escaped out of their hand.”  The Jews were not allowed to inflict the death penalty.  Only the Roman government had that authority and yet few people survived being stoned.  Capital punishment was abolished by the Sanhedrin about 30 AD.  Yet Stephen was stoned about 34 AD.  St. James, the Just, was stoned about 62 AD.  This illustrates the depravity of those attempting to persecute Christ.  Stoning is still used as capital punishment in the Muslim world for a variety of offenses.  In some countries, people who received the sentence of stoning were not stoned by the authorities, but mysteriously disappeared when released to the public.  It would seem the greatest attraction to stoning was that no one could be declared singularly responsible for the act.

Jesus had performed nothing but good works throughout his ministry.  He asks which of those good works would cause them to stone him.  The Jews ignored the good works and insisted on stoning him because he declared himself to be God.  Jesus encouraged them to believe his works if they could not believe him.  They could not admit Jesus was the Son of God but yet they knew in their hearts that believing his works left them no alternative.  They would have to believe that only someone sent by God could have performed his works.  They chose, instead, to rid themselves of the one person who was capable of showing their sinful nature.

There were two purposes in our Lord’s incarnation.  He was to present himself to Israel as their promised Messiah.  And he was to offer himself as a sacrifice for sin.  As we conclude this chapter, Jesus’ public ministry is at an end.  He will no longer preach in the Temple or synagogue.  His private ministry;  that of offering himself as a sacrifice for sin, is all that is left.

A Village Sheepfold

An Individual Sheepfold