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Jesus Called Attention To The Serious Nature Of This Teaching

John 10:1 "Most assuredly, I say to you, ..."

The prophets dealing with the contrast of the true and the false shepherds (Jeremiah 23:1-4; Ezekiel 34; Zechariah 11:4-17 ). Jesus in Himself was all that was anticipated of the true shepherd - and His teaching is the complete Word on the subject.

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Jesus Exposed The Illegal Entrance Of False Shepherds To The Flock

John 10:1 "... he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

These Pharisees who claimed "we see" (John 9:41 ), are blind to their taking the wrong and wicked way of access to the sheep. They do not enter by the divine and appointed way of admission to the sheep, that of qualification through obedience to God's Word unaltered, and not added to. "Climbing up" actually setting their own interpretation above the Word of God. Being false guides of the people, like the thief and robber, they insistently pursue their own selfish goals which do not benefit the sheep, but ensnare, blind, and prey on them (Ezekiel 34:8 ).

What a solemn warning to spiritual leaders today to feed themselves and the flock upon the true Word of God. Not fanciful, personal interpretations, self-revelations, which are misinterpretations that disqualify them as true shepherds; not having God-given access to the sheep, because of their self-centred, egotistical "climb up" their own way in twisting the Scriptures to their own will.

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Jesus Demonstrated Himself To Be The True Shepherd By Legitimate Entrance To The Sheep

John 10:2,3 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

Jesus came in fulfilment of prophecy, answering all that was written concerning Him as Messiah. He conformed to all that was required of one living under the law (Galatians 4:4 ) He came working the works of God (John 9:4 ), showing that He was the owner of the sheepfold. The doorkeeper opened for Him - the Holy Spirit anointed John the Baptist to introduce His coming to the flock. His sheep hear His voice. The blind man who was given sight is an example of His sheep hearing and responding to His voice - and not listening to the voice of strangers, the false shepherds (John 10:4-5 ).

Here are the distinguishing characteristics of the sheep of Jesus the divine Shepherd.

	They recognise His voice, with its tones of lovingkindness, tenderness, power, distinctive from that of all other strangers.
	They follow Him - they go in His way for He goes before them.
	They follow His Word, in separation from those who follow other guidance, which wrong guidance they instinctively reject.

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Jesus Is Most Certainly The Door To The Father (Ephesians 2:18)

John 10:7 "Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep."

Jesus is the door of exit for the sheep from the false shepherds and their organised system. Through the Lord Jesus, deliverance out of cults and demonised doctrine is effected today.

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Jesus Warns That All Who Came Making Themselves Doors Of The Sheep, Before Him, Are Thieves And Robbers (John 10:8)

John 10:8 "All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them."

Jesus alone occupies the true office of mediator (1 Timothy 2:5 ). As in the past, so now, true believers (sheep) are protected by a spiritual discernment. A check in one's spirit when hearing wrong teaching should be diligently checked out in the Scriptures. This will protect from being seduced from the truth. False teachers, prophets, shepherds, were offensive to Jesus - He rebuked, opposed, and exposed them. So should we.

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Jesus Affirms He Alone Is The Door Of Salvation

John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

Living relationship with Jesus Christ is essential for under shepherds and sheep alike, for salvation and pasture. Safety and satisfaction, freedom, are found only in Him.

John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: ..."

This will be the stark reality of the antichrist. All false saviours, whether of humanistic, pagan ideology, or cultish, false messiahs or occult powers, come to kill and destroy, in the sense their followers are not only killed but know the destruction of spiritual death.

John 10:10 "... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

All other rivals shut up the way to life, and open the way to destruction. Jesus our Shepherd came to give life in ongoing abundance - the quality of life that is ever increasing. Through Jesus Christ we have abundance of renewing of the Holy Sprit,

Titus 3:6 "whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,"

Abundance of life flows out from those abundantly supplied (John 7:38 ), His abundant life that is ever increasing, satisfying, spiritual and everlasting life.

John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

Dr G. Campbell Morgan wrote "And so we come to the fifth "I am". "I am the shepherd, the good." That is to put it in the Greek form. I like to keep the Greek idiom because it suggests a contrast."

Jesus is indeed a contrast to all. There is no one as lovely and strong or powerful as He. How appealing to our sheep nature He is. His goodness is expressed in His giving His life for the sheep. This emphasises the doctrine of His substitutionary death for us.

John 10:13 "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep."

The wolf represents every sort of power that is opposed to Christ (Matthew 10:16; Luke 10:3 ). These hostile powers crush individuals, and ruin churches (Acts 20:29 ). We do not have to look far for examples. The hireling has no real concern for the sheep. He is consumed with self-interest - not the things of Jesus Christ. He can be just as devastating to the flock as the wolf.

John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."

Of mutual knowledge (Galatians 4:9; 1 Corinthians 8:9 ). Our intimacy, also the intimacy of mutual sacrificial love (John 10:15; Philippians 2:2 ). The true sheep knows fellowship, intimacy like to that of the Father and the Son. (1 John 1:3 ).

His sheep are one great flock independent of the folds.

John 10:16 "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."

He not only saved us by laying down His life, He also broke down the wall between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:13 ). Many folds but one flock, whether in a city, country or continents. All under the watchful care of Jesus the good Shepherd.

The death of Jesus was indeed self-determined, in full harmony with the Father's love and will (John 10:17-18 ). He had the right to lay down His life in substitutionary sacrifice, and the right to take life again in His resurrection in His human body, rising for our justification. The Son was perfectly free to do so of His own will, and so He was commanded of the Father.

Truth presented brings about either derision and rejection, or defence and acceptance (John 10:19-21 ).

Reviewing the Lord's teaching (John 10:1-21 ) certain shepherding principles need to be learned and applied.

	The under shepherd must belong to God and be called of God.
	The under shepherd qualifies to have access to the sheep through his personal obedience to God's Word.
	His shepherding heart must be occupied with the concern and welfare and needs of the flock.
	He must not permit his own interest and comforts to intrude between him and the flock (1 Peter 5:2-4 ).
	It must be recognised by him that it is the Holy Spirit who opens the door of opportunity for service - and who gives him continued acceptance with the flock.
	It is only by the ministry of the Holy Spirit that the sheep hear the voice of Jesus the good Shepherd through him.
	The undershepherd must not underestimate the ability of the sheep to discern by the Holy Spirit.
	Each individual member of God's flock is known by name to the good Shepherd. Undershepherds are therefore to give them personal and intimate attention.
	The key to shepherding is to lead the flock by example, of wholehearted obedience to Christ, "he goes before them" (John 10:4 NKJV).
	Motivated by the self-sacrificing spirit of Jesus, under shepherds should protect the sheep, and be willing to lay down their lives for them.

"Between John 10:21 and John 10:22 there is an interval which may be taken roughly as two months ... although John gives no hint that our Lord had left the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, the specific mention of the city implies a return from a distance. The feast of the Dedication ... was the feast instituted, 164 B.C. by Judas Maccabaeus, in commemoration of the cleansing of the Temple after its profanation by Antiochus Epiphanes (Matthew 4:52-57) ... illumination was a prominent feature, sometimes called the Feast of Lights." Ellicott

John 10:24 "Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, 'How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.'"

The touch of the eyewitness of this event is evidenced in the information it was winter - that wintry weather found Jesus walking in the shelter of Solomon's porch (John 10:22-23 ) There, Jesus was "surrounded". The word descriptive of force, threat and demand, certainly their questions were put to Him in that manner. The peoples' expectations were high at this feast. There was no doubt in the minds of the authorities, could He be a temporal Messiah come to break the Roman yoke? They were determined to get a clear answer, and force Him to act, and according to what would serve them best.

John 10:25 "I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me."

His answer as before, does not meet what they want, even though it was supported by the work of the Father. There are none so deaf as those who will not hear, nor blind as those blinded by their own assumptions.

John 10:26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you."

Two months have passed and they are being presented with the same challenging truth. Are there truths the Lord is having to repeat or re-emphasise because we hold on to wrong ideas? These hearers did not hear because they were not His sheep.

	Mutual personal acceptance John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them ..."
	Personal reception of eternal life John 10:28 "I give unto them eternal life ..."
	Personal assurance of safety John 10:28 "... they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

That is, no man or devil, wolf or hireling. The sheeps' confident, active trust is based on the Shepherd's supreme sufficiency. The hearing, following sheep will not want for protection - guidance, nor comfort.

John 10:29,30 "... and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰ I and my Father are one."

The declaration "are one" was recognised to be a claim to deity by the religious authorities. In this they were right.

As Ellicott points out, "The Greek word for "one" is neuter, and the thought is not, therefore of unity of person, but is of unity of essence. The Son is of one substance with the Father. In the plural "are" there is assertion of distinctness as against Sabellianism, and in the "one" there is the assertion of co-ordination as against Arianism."

The Jews "took up stones again to stone Him." (John 10:31 KJV), implying they fully understood and rejected our Lord's claims.

They rejected Christ's assertion of His deity - His supernatural good works witnessed against them.

John 10:36 ""do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?"

His argument is that mere earthly judges were called gods in the law (Old Testament) (Psalm 82:6 ). Surely He who was set apart and sent to reveal the Father, being one with the Father, could rightly affirm "I am the Son of God".

"'Believe the works' (John 10:37 ) even if the leaders could not test Jesus verbal claims, they could see His works, and these miracles should have led them to acknowledge the truth of His claims." Ryrie

Jesus again escapes out of their hands (John 10:39 ), and left Jerusalem for the region beyond Jordan, where John at first baptised (John 10:40-42 ). There, many believed on Him (John 10:42 ). What a contrast to the leaders' failure and blindness.

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QUESTIONS FOR GROUP INTERACTION

1. Do you seen the relationship of the events of John 9 with John 10? What are the shepherding principles that need to be learned and applied? (John 10:1-21 ).