Jesus the True Shepherd
Jesus the Good Shepherd
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What Does John 10:1 Mean?
John 10:1
Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah prepared people to think of Him as a Shepherd (Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23; 37:24). In John 10:1, Jesus explains that the shepherd enters by the gate, the lawful way of going into a sheep pen as opposed to some other way. By this, He contrasts himself with false messiahs, who by deceitful claims seek to steal sheep or who presumptuously try to exert control over the people. Jesus Christ came as the legitimate Heir of the chosen seed and fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Good Shepherd (Part One)
John 10:1-5
Although Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd, He is not the church's only shepherd. From the days of ancient Israel up through the New Covenant church era, He has also appointed under-shepherds to watch over His physical or spiritual flock—and this will continue into the Millennium (Numbers 27:15-17; II Samuel 5:2; 7:7; I Chronicles 11:2; 17:6; Psalm 78:70-72; Isaiah 44:28; Ezekiel 34:23; 37:24; John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; I Peter 5:2-4). The Chief Shepherd provides the pattern for His under-shepherds, and thus He gifts them to carry out their responsibilities in a way that reflects His own shepherding. Notice some of the attributes of a godly shepherd:
» He cares for his sheep to the point of giving his own life for them (II Samuel 24:17; John 10:11, 13).
» He knows his sheep (John 10:14).
» He is known by his sheep (John 10:14).
» He feeds his flock (Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:23; John 21:15, 17).
» He pays special attention to the young (Isaiah 40:11; John 21:15).
» He gathers his flock when they become scattered (Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:12).
» He oversees the flock willingly rather than by compulsion (I Peter 5:2).
» He is not greedy for money, but eager to serve (I Peter 5:2).
» He serves by example rather than force (Ezekiel 34:4; I Peter 5:3; see Matthew 25:20-28).
» He seeks out the lost sheep (Deuteronomy 22:1; Ezekiel 34:16; Psalm 119:176; Matthew 10:6; 18:10-14; Luke 15:1-7).
» He protects the sheep (I Samuel 17:34-36).
On the other hand, false shepherds also exist, those whom God has not appointed. Jesus describes a person who tries to access the sheep without going through Him as "a thief and a robber" (John 10:1, 8). The thief comes "to steal, to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10), though these actions may not be apparent on the surface. He also describes "hirelings," whose care is not for the sheep but for their own safety and security (John 10:12-13). Rather than laying down their lives for them, such hirelings abandon the sheep at the very time they need help the most.
God also calls attention to His appointed shepherds who have become derelict in their duties. In Jeremiah 23:1, the One who became Jesus Christ pronounces a "woe" on "shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture," who have "scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them" (verse 2). He says in Jeremiah 50:6, "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray . . .." Jeremiah 10:21 speaks of shepherds who "have become dull-hearted, and have not sought the LORD," and the result is that "they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered."
Likewise, Ezekiel mentions shepherds who feed themselves rather than the flock (Ezekiel 34:2-3), who rule with "cruelty and force" rather than strengthening, healing, binding what is broken, bringing back what was driven away, and seeking what was lost (verse 4). Though the most immediate application in these verses is to the physical leaders of the nations of Israel, it also applies in antitype to the shepherds of God's spiritual flock.
Even though under-shepherds do not always perfectly emulate the Good Shepherd, He has nevertheless established their roles and offices, and He has specifically gifted them to serve in this way. This is the order that Jesus Christ has ordained. Yet, our carnal tendency may be to either abuse or rebel against this order—either to become too dependent on an under-shepherd or to reject human shepherds altogether, believing that we are better off on our own, finding our own food, and determining our own paths.
David C. Grabbe
The Shepherd's Guidance (Part Two)
John 10:1-5
In the illustration many sheep are in an enclosure where several flocks come together for the night. The shepherd comes in the morning to lead them to their pasture, and he calls to his sheep by name. Though the individual flocks had become hopelessly intermixed during the night, the shepherd's sheep hear his voice and separate themselves from the larger flock.
Notice how often Christ emphasizes the voice of the shepherd in this short section: "The sheep hear his voice" (verse 3); "The sheep follow him, for they know his voice" (verse 4); "They do not know the voice of strangers" (verse 5). When the shepherd speaks, the sheep go to him immediately.
When "voice" is used in the New Testament, the writers all chose the Greek word phone, meaning "sound" or "spoken word." But phone can also mean "an address as to a group of people, a speech." Phone derives from phaino, meaning "to enlighten" or "to shine." From this root meaning springs the fact that phone can mean "disclosure" or "revelation" through an address or speech—a message!
This is its figurative meaning in John 10. The true and faithful shepherd will be preaching a message which his sheep will hear and immediately follow!
Mike Ford
The Shepherd's Voice
John 10:1-4
The sheep, like the lover in Song of Songs 2:14, know the voice because they know the Shepherd and trust Him. They trust His voice. In it, they hear safety, security, sustenance, joy, hope, encouragement, love, warmth, and correction that does not turn them aside. The voice is the effective means of communication between Christ and us. The voice not only identifies, but it also communicates concepts to us that reveal both character and emotion.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 4): The Voice of God
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing John 10:1:
| << John 9:41 | John 10:2 >> |
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In John 10:1, Jesus declares, "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." This statement contrasts the true shepherd, who enters through the gate as the legitimate way, with false shepherds or thieves who access the sheep deceitfully. Such individuals aim to steal, kill, and destroy, unlike the rightful shepherd who comes to protect and guide. False messiahs and hirelings, driven by self-interest, abandon the flock in times of need, failing to emulate the care and sacrifice of the true shepherd who enters by the door.