John 10: The Lord Jesus Is My Good Shepherd

If I were to survey Christians and ask them what the most popular or most famous Psalm is, or even if I asked them to name a Psalm of the top of their head, the first one that came to mind, I’m pretty sure I would get the same answer for all 4 questions. The 4 questions would all yield the same answer: Psalm 23. If you don’t recognize the Psalm by its number, you’ll recognize it by its first line: “The Lord is My Shepherd.” This Psalm has become quite famous, so famous you can find lines of it on everything from stationary to home décor. It’s so famous that it’s a popular choice of Bible memory for children. Perhaps you memorized it as a child. Well, it was no different for the Jews in the 1st century. Psalm 23 was well known by all the Jews during the time of Jesus. So when Jesus uses his next “I AM” statement to compare himself as a shepherd, it will perk all the ears of the Jews. So we’re going to take a closer look at this metaphor of Jesus being the good shepherd. I will first put up the key “I AM” verses, and then I will look at this chapter topically to compare Jesus to a 1st century shepherd.

John 10:11,14-
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”

John 10:7,9-
Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep…I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.”

Just as the shepherd enters by the gate, so Jesus has the truth (vs. 2). Back in Bible times, sheep pens were simple areas. Sheep pens were a space enclosed by a high stone fence or stone wall in the shape of a circle or a rectangle. There was only one opening in the wall. The only person that would go through that opening would be the shepherd, or possibly a gatekeeper or hired hand under him. Going through the gate was the “right” way to go to the sheep. Anyone who went through the gate the right way was a good person and good to the sheep. In the same way, Jesus approaches us in the right way. He’s not out to deceive us or trick us. He’s not broad or vague. He’s up front with us. He tells it like it is. He has the truth, the good truth, the saving truth. He gives us the truth to for our own good, to save us from the evil in the world. Jesus is not out to hurt us, but to protect us, so he presents the good news in a loving way. However, there’s a flip side to this…

Just as thieves and robbers go over the sheep pen to steal and kill sheep, so false prophets and antichrists use dishonest methods to win over people (vs. 1, 10). Not everyone (or should I say “everything”) was out to be nice and loving to the sheep as the shepherd. Everything from wolves to thieves threatened the sheep. Some would steal sheep; others would kill them. Both wolves and robbers never entered the sheep pen by the gate. They would use other methods, like climbing over the wall to get to the sheep. What a dishonest method! Ladies and gentlemen, the threat to Christians is just as real today. There are false prophets, false teachers, false apostles and antichrists among us today. Just like thieves and robbers, they use dishonest methods to steal people’s souls away from God. They appeal to the sinful desire, by proclaiming selfish desires as good. They disregard the Bible, claiming it is a weight that holds people down. They are bold and arrogant in their empty words, which they cannot back up. They deny the Sovereignty of God or Jesus, making themselves equal, or better, to them. What seems like a movement to better the world ends up bringing to hurt to the people involved, both in this life and the next. Christians, be on the eye for those who “come over the wall,” whose methods are deceitful, tricky and dishonest. Don’t listen to them. Trust in Jesus, and listen to Him. Focus on the one who goes through the entrance, not the one who goes over the wall. For the one who goes in at the entrance also guards the entrance from those who go over the wall. On that note…

Just as the shepherd is the gate of the pen, so Jesus is the way to heaven (vs. 7,9). There was a reason that thieves and robbers had to go over the wall instead of through the entrance. Back in Bible times, sheep pens did not have a “door” or “gate” as we would think. It did not have a “door” or “gate” with hinges and a knob or latch. The entrance of the sheep pen was merely a gap in the wall. When the sheep were in the pen, the shepherd would sit or lie down in the gap, and thus literally become the “door” or the “gate.” No one or nothing could go in or out of the sheep pen without the shepherd knowing and without the shepherd giving permission. In the same way, Jesus is like the gate. (Quick note: This is why I do not consider “I am the gate” as an “I AM” statement. Since the good shepherd became the gate, I see Jesus simply using synonymous parallelism, meaning he’s using two different terms for the same meaning.) First and foremost, this is seen as salvation. The only way to get to heaven is to go through Jesus. But second, remember that nothing harmful can get through the entrance because the good shepherd stands in the gate. In the same way, Jesus protects anything harmful from entering through the opening. Of course, the really deceitful people will try climbing over the wall. Jesus does protect us from those deceitful people who go over the wall, but we still must be on our guard. How do we be on our guard?

Just as the shepherd knows the sheep, and the sheep know the shepherd, so Jesus knows His followers and His followers know Him (vs. 3,14). Good shepherd knew everything about their sheep. As we know from the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7), shepherds knew how many sheep were in their flock. If the shepherd’s flock got mixed in with another flock, he would still know which sheep were his. Shepherds were usually close to their sheep, even if they knew they would be sent to the slaughter for either food for people or sacrifice for God. Shepherds would name their sheep and treat them like pets, from birth until they were sold. There was a very loving relationship there, and as stupid as sheep are, they at least knew when they had a nice, kind, loving shepherd. The sheep would know their name. The sheep would know the shepherd’s voice. The sheep would come whenever the shepherd called. Like I said, the relationship was very loving, and it was mutually loving. In the same way the shepherd loves his sheep, so Jesus loves us. He knows us by name, and everything about us, even down to the numbers of hairs on our head. He knows us past, present and future. He’s by our side from conception to death, and even after that. And the best part is that, like the good shepherd, he’s called us. Notice how the good shepherd does not call his sheep in a mass, but by name, one by one. So Jesus has called us, not just in general, but specifically by name. Anyone who recognizes how much Jesus loves him or her will truly be motivated to love Jesus in return. The first step to loving Jesus is getting to know him. And the first step to knowing him…

Just as the sheep follow the shepherd’s voice, so should Christians listen to and obey God’s commands (vs. 4b). When the shepherd calls for the sheep, the sheep comes. Whatever the shepherd says, the sheep does. The sheep doesn’t question the shepherd because the sheep knows the shepherd says what is best for it. The sheep doesn’t even need to see the shepherd, for the sheep recognizes the shepherd’s voice. If a sheep is this trustful to its shepherd, so Christians also need to be trustful and obedient to their shepherd, Jesus Christ. Sometimes Christians are tempted to question God’s decision in their life or in the world. We really need to cast those temptations out of our head, for Jesus does know what’s best for us. The biggest temptation to question is when it comes to God’s Law or Christ’s teachings. Sometimes people think that God is keeping us from “fun” or he’s all work and no play. But that’s sin trying to convince that our selfish, evil desires are what’s “fun” and “good” for us. So Christians must shut out that temptation and familiarize themselves with the words of Jesus. How do we do that? First step, read the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word. Second step, remember what Jesus says, whether it is by reading it over and over or having a discussion with someone about what you read. Either way, the repetition will help it stick in your memory. Between repetition and memory, you’ll know what Jesus says for you. Third step, respond in obedience. It’s no good if you read and remember, but don’t do anything about it. As James 1:17 simply puts it, “Do what it says.” Not only does it show that we love God, it also helps us be able to recognize the voice of Jesus. Because we all know there’s a flip side to it…

Just as sheep avoid a stranger’s voice, so should Christians avoid listening to the ungodly (vs. 5,8). Why don’t sheep listen to strangers? Simply put they no the strangers are up to no good. They know most strangers are thieves and robbers who want to steal or kill them, so they avoid them. Christians should have that same hesitance towards the worldly ways of this world. The ways of the world are deep in sin, and they are no good for Christians. Those ways will just lead us further away from God, not closer. Our objective as Christians is to get as close to God as possible in our fallen state. Therefore, we need to not listen to any voice that is not godly. For if we do, we could easily find ourselves deceived. Don’t be deceived. Continue to remind yourself of what God has said of you, and avoid anything that does not match up with it. Don’t worry, though, you’ll have someone to help you: your Good Shepherd.

Just as the shepherd goes ahead of the sheep, so Jesus goes ahead of His followers (vs. 4a). The shepherd is a leader. He leads the sheep out of the pen until they are out. He leads them to the pasture. He is the first one in the pasture to make it is safe for the sheep. He knows all aspects of the pasture, just in case the sheep gets lost or stuck. He keeps a watchful and protective eye over the sheep, just as if they were in the sheep pen. When I think of “goes ahead,” I think of God “going ahead” of the Israelites into the Wilderness and into the Promised Land. Well, since Jesus is God, Jesus goes ahead of His followers in the same way. What better example than the life of Jesus. Jesus, while here on earth, was human just as much as he was God. He had a human body, just like yours and mine. He felt all the human needs: hunger, thirst, tiredness. He dealt with every temptation known to mankind. Jesus knew what it meant to be human, so when he taught, he was realistic because he knew how hard it could get. He met our human needs. He knew what it was like to be sick, so he healed the sick. He knew what it was like to be rejected by society, so he reached out to the social rejects. He knew how bad people wanted answers, so he answered questions. He knew how much people loved a good story, so he told stories. I think if there’s any lesson that can be learned from the life of Jesus here on earth, it could be that Jesus was just as human as we were, yet he lived out His teachings perfectly. If He can do it, so can we, or at least we can try or strive to do our best to get to that point, or something close to it. Most importantly, though, Jesus saw we were hurting ourselves in our fallen and depraved state, so He did something about it…

Just as the shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, so Jesus lays down His life for His people (vs. 11-18). If you wanted a dangerous job in the 1st century, believe it or not, shepherding was one of them. The shepherding lands were full of many wild beasts, such as lions, leopards, panthers, bears, jackals, hyenas and wolves. The one thing they all have in common was they all loved munching down on sheep. If you want to know how tough shepherding was, just read shepherding accounts of Jacob and David (Genesis 31:38-40 and 1 Samuel 17:34-37 respectively) to get the picture. A good shepherd would fight off these animals tooth and nail to defend their sheep, even it meant being mutilated and mauled. Bad shepherds or hired hands would flee at the sign of danger, leaving the defenseless sheep on their own to be mauled. Why would a good shepherd defend his sheep? Once again, it goes back to the intimate relationship with the sheep. He loves them and cares for them, so he will do anything to defend them from harm. Jesus does the same. John 10:11 is most commonly translated “for the sheep” but a better translation would be “on behalf of the sheep.” Jesus lays down His life on our behalf, for our own sake. He knows the danger people are in, that is sin and evil. He knew it leads us to death and hell. But Jesus loved us personally, loved us intimately. So He was willing to pay whatever price it would take to get us back, even if it was His life. How ironic, yet fitting, that it is the shepherd, who will be the once-and-for-all sacrifice, for the animal that was usually sacrificed on the Day of Atonement was a sheep. Jesus willingly laid down his life for His people, and God the Father was pleased by this. We too should give Jesus the credit for what He has done by praising and worshipping Him.

Just as a shepherd has other sheep in other pens, so Jesus has followers from other places in the world (vs. 16). I know this one kind of sticks out weird, but I thought it was kind of cool to mention. Sometimes a shepherd would keep his sheep in the same pen with sheep from another shepherd. Sometimes a shepherd would keep his sheep in multiple pens. Sometimes a shepherd would do a combination of both. But when it was time for the sheep to graze in the pasture, he would call all his sheep together as one. Truly, the other sheep in other pens are the Gentiles. How do we know these Gentiles are true sheep? Just like the real sheep of the shepherd, they know the shepherd’s voice and follow. The Gentiles who hear the teachings of Jesus and follow Jesus are true believers. They will join up with Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah, and they will become one. This is what I see happening in Acts. Gentiles from other tribes and nations (other pens, if you will) all over the world, coming together as a new kingdom and a new nation, the kingdom of God. And what made this all possible? The works of Jesus.

What does Psalm 80:1, Ecclesiastes 12:11, Isaiah 40:11 and Jeremiah 31:10 all have in common? All of these Old Testament verses describe God as the Shepherd of His people Israel. All of the Jews knew these verses, and they all knew God as their Shepherd. So when the Jews heard Jesus proclaim that He was the Good Shepherd, all the Jews knew He was proclaiming to be God. If you need internal evidence, just keep reading the chapter. In John 10:30, Jesus says that He and the Father are one, that is, God. In John 10:31-33, the Jews get ready to stone Jesus because they say Jesus claims to be God. Even the opponents of Jesus are claiming Jesus is God, or at least claiming that Jesus is claiming that Jesus is God. Think back to the original questions that I asked you in the introduction of John. Who does Jesus say He is? Who do the opponents of Jesus say that He is? God the Son. Yet another “I AM” statement proves Jesus is God the Son, just like John intended. John will continue to show us Jesus is God the Son with the “I AM” statements right into the next chapter of the book of John.