John 10 (Verses 7-21)
The Good Shepherd
Translation: New Revised Standard Catholic Edition
Scripture
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes[a] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Commentary
Okay. Who is keeping track? I skipped a few chapters, so I will continue to forge ahead with the story of the crucifixion and also fill in the missing chapters. Sometimes I do the posts late at night and am not 100% on my game :-)
Today’s post would normally be from Genesis (because I alternate), but I am going to pause the Genesis story for now and continue to push ahead with John. Once we finish John, then I will push to finish Genesis. Lets get to it…
Here He gives another allegory. He has spoken about the door of the sheepfold, but now He moves one more step and says that He is the Door of the sheep. The Lord Jesus is the Door for those coming out of Israel.
Jesus Christ is the Way. He is the only Way. He is the Way out for you and He is the Way in for you. He has come to bring us an abundant life.
The thief comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I think this is a test you can apply to a church/religious organization. Is it a religious racket? Is somebody getting rich out of it? Compare it to the Good Shepherd who came to save sinners and to give us life, abundant life. It costed him everything, but it is free to us.
Jesus is also called the Lamb of God. How can He be the Lamb of God and at the same time be the Good Shepherd? This may sound like mixed metaphors, but it is one of the most glorious truths in Scripture. He is the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He came down and identified Himself with us who are the sheep—but He is the Shepherd also. The fact that He became a Lamb emphasizes the humanity of Jesus Christ. The fact that He is the Good Shepherd emphasizes the deity of Christ. He alone was worthy and able to save us. No other human being could do this; He had to be God.