I’m reading through John 10 for the day. My recollection of the chapter title (“The Good Shepherd and His Sheep”, NIV) is that the primary metaphor here is that Jesus is always the good shepherd. But the text here also says, twice, that Jesus is the gate.
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep 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 are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to 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 authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
It’s good to recognize here that Jesus is talking to the Pharisees (religious leaders). What is he trying to communicate to them before he starts using metaphors? “Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.”
- Is he warning them against false prophets?
- Is he criticizing them for trying to climb in some other way (aka not through Jesus)?
- Are human leaders (pastors, church leaders, etc.) ever compared to the title of shepherd or should that only be reserved for Jesus?
- Jesus says he is the good shepherd… maybe we can all acknowledge that we try to emulate Jesus but he stills needs to be the sole “one” shepherd of the “one” flock (in verse 16)
- As I think about it more, I find it interesting that Jesus is both the “gate” and the “shepherd who comes through the gate.” Trippy. I guess just as trippy that Jesus is both “God” and “the son of God.”
“16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.“
Final thing of interest. I’ve wondered briefly whether finding the evidence for other alien life somewhere in the universe would ever debunk Christianity… (my current opinion is that Jesus is God revealed to mankind. If God is “creator of the Universe,” and he’s revealed what he’s wanted to us through Scripture and the life of Jesus, that doesn’t necessarily preclude other life forms..??!) But upon some research, I think it’s much more clear that Jesus is referring more to the Gentiles (people living outside of Jewish Israel) that he invites into his kingdom later on.
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