1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
"Truly, truly" is used to indicate the sincerity, the certainty, the absoluteness of what Jesus is about to say. Like he is saying, "Listen up, this is important."
The Greek word is "Ἀμὴν" or "Amen".
So, there is one who enters by the door, and many others that sneak into the fold. There are shepherds and there is a Shepherd.
Think of the parallel to David -- a good shepherd and King. Jesus is, in every way, a better shepherd and a greater King.
The point has been made -- many times over by this point -- that these religious leaders are not motivated by a love of God, nor by a love for the people. In fact, they have displayed an outright apathy for the well-being of those that fall in the margins of society.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
This is probably a good time to talk about pastors, or people with similar job titles, based on 1 Peter 5:2-4 (with the understanding of pastors as shepherds).
They are under-shepherds, so to speak. Now, just as Jesus says in John 10, there are those that are called, and there are those that find another way into the flock. Sometimes, it can be extremely difficult to tell the difference.
The thing to remember is this: The flock, as always, is God's. Under-shepherds are invited to share in the work, but never for their own glory, nor for power.
And there will be a day when the "Chief Shepherd" returns to claim his fold. Those that were left to care for his sheep will give an account of their work. It is a profound and solemn responsibility.
Who is the gatekeeper in this passage?
The sheep are called by name, like each of us were called by name into faith. It is a deeply personal relationship.
Think of Psalm 23, David is led by God to green pastures and quiet waters, as he faces troubles in his life. So, Jesus leads all of his sheep to new pastures.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Our Good Shepherd has gone before us. He went into death, willingly. He broke free from death. He ascended to the Father.
He has set a perfect example for us. We follow his lead, in all things. No matter what any of us may accomplish in this life, no matter what accolades we may acquire, the best we will ever do is an accurate imitation of Jesus.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
"...I am the door of the sheep." - It was understood that there was only one way into an actual sheep pen during that time. When the sheep entered in, they found safety, comfort, and a place to be filled up.
Think about the history behind what Jesus is saying: Israel, at times, truly did know their Shepherd. YHWH was always faithful to His people, even when they were faithless. And whenever they listened to Him, they found pasture. They found goodness and fullness of life. This Shepherd is the same Shepherd they have ALWAYS known. They can trust him.
The Shepherd stands at the door and fights off the predators.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Not economic abundance. Not really anything to do with life being easy.
So, what does it mean when Jesus gives life "abundantly"?
Well, let's think about in terms of the analogy: If we are sheep, and we are invited to live within the sheepfold, then abundance of life means we can live securely. We know our Shepherd, and he knows us. We can trust him. It means we NEED a Shepherd to begin with! We are not meant to fend for ourselves.
And we can trust our Shepherd to provide us the food that we need. Eat freely of the food that the Shepherd has given to you. You don't need anymore or any less than that.
We can trust the Shepherd to fight off the thief, and all those that come to take the life of the sheep.
It means security and certainty. It means eternity with the Shepherd. It means life, as we are intended to live it.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing 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.
This is a really Good Shepherd. It is one thing to fight off predators that are attacking the sheep, but to actually die in exchange for the sheep is pretty extreme!
The life of the Good Shepherd is, objectively, more valuable than the life of any one sheep, or the value of the sheep combined. It is not a fair exchange.
That just goes to show the oddity of God. He was not obligated to free us from sin, death, and the devil. He chose to free us. He chose to give His Son for us.
Sheep are -- seemingly -- a dime a dozen.
And yet, God does not view us in that way. So, He sent Jesus. And Jesus treasures what the Father has given him. He knows us personally, intimately. And still, we are precious to Him.
16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
There are many folds and one flock.
Depending on where you are in the world, the Church may look different than what you are used to = different folds.
As long as we profess Jesus Christ, and we listen to Him, then we can still be unified and look different. Adiaphora!
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
The Father charged Jesus with this task, as Jesus was the only one who could accomplish this task. He was the only one who could give up his life, as a perfect sacrifice because he was the only perfect Son. He did not need to die.
He had all the authority to refuse, but He didn't. He wouldn't. He loves to do the will of his Father.
Jesus willingly gave up his life. It was not taken from him.
19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
I always feel compelled to say that the claims Jesus makes are shocking!
We would probably have the same reaction that these people are having, if we were in their shoes.
If I heard someone say they would willingly die and rise from the dead, of their own authority, I would think they were insane until I was proven otherwise.
If I told you I could dunk a basketball, you would probably doubt me until you have seen me do it! (I can't)
But just because Jesus' claims are shocking, it does not mean they aren't true. Jesus proved His own words to be true.
How do we know they are true? Well, Jesus rose from the dead. If that doesn't happen, then he really is just a madman.
Because we know his claims are true. Because we can trust what he says of himself, we can trust Jesus. We can trust that he loves us because he has proven himself faithful and worthy of our trust.
We can know for certainty that we are the sheep of his flock. He has given his life, so that we may find abundance of life. We know his voice. His Word has taken root in our lives.