An Expository Study of John’s Gospel
CHAPTER 10
Scripture Reading: John 10 (KJV)
In chapter 10, the Lord speaks about Himself as the Good Shepherd. This chapter stands alone in the Bible of Truth.
THE REVELATION OF THE SON OF GOD TO ISRAEL
10:1-3 … “Verily, verily . . .” As stated earlier, this always means “most sincerely” or “most importantly.” “I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” One of the most difficult situations faced by a preacher or teacher of the Gospel is helping some people understand that no matter how cleanly and sincerely we live or professes to believe in the Lord, unless we have trusted and obeyed the Lord and have been born again, properly entering into the Family of God, we are not prepared to meet the Lord and heaven cannot be our home. Honesty, sincerity, cleanliness, goodness, compassion, helpfulness, kindness, friendliness, etc., are not enough, in and of themselves, to put us into heaven. We cannot get there on our own. Even though most will admit this when pushed, still some believe it is enough to please God. They are misguided in seeking to establish a relationship with God and may go through their lives never contacting the blood of Christ. As far as man’s requirements are concerned, perhaps they lived a noble life, but only by obeying the requirements of God will one be permitted to enter heaven. Jesus is here saying, in effect, “If you do not come into my Kingdom, the sheep-fold where My sheep are, the right way, you are not going to be admitted.” Everything in the Lord’s Kingdom goes to His Heirs, His family, His disciples and God’s children. If we are not in His family, it matters not how good we are, we will not receive an inheritance. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). They never became children of God. They did many wonderful things, but one cannot do enough to please the heart of God until His Son has been accepted. When we accept His Son, no matter how many bad things might have been committed, we become His child and heir to His Kingdom. When we are born again, we express to the world that our own goodness is unworthy and only the goodness of the Lord is sufficient to save. “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” All that will be said from this point on, in this chapter, has to do with the life of an Oriental shepherd.
10:4 … “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” When the shepherd called his sheep, and was satisfied that none were missing, he would start forth for the continually changing pasture. The hillsides and uncultivated plains were, in that day, common lands belonging to the village, and shared by all. In this way, no individual person retained the best pasturage day after day. Jesus leads His disciples in the same way. His Holy Spirit will guide into all Truth. Not any one of us is wise enough to choose what is best for our own lives. Hardly any person, in old age, is where, in youth, he planned to be, but the Lord knows, and He will guide all of us, who trust and obey Him, to better places than we could know or dream. “And when he putteth forth.” The Greek word here is different from that translated, “leadeth,” in the previous verse, and implies constraint. An energetic “putting forth” of any sheep who might be hesitating to leave the restful fold, or fearful of the dangers in untried fields. “His own sheep.” The Rev. Version reads, “all his own.” Not one is left out. The Shepherd is too wise to yield to the unwise wishes of his flock. “He goeth before them.” To this day, the Oriental shepherd goes before his flock, leading, not driving, the sheep, and keeping them near him through their recognition of his voice. The shepherd goes before, not merely to point out the way, but to see that it is practicable and safe. Likewise, our good Shepherd has gone and goes before us. If we trust and obey Him, He will lead us where He wants us to go. The Lord, Himself, is a perfect example of what He would have us to be. He lays no burden on us that He does not bear Himself. He has gone before us through the gates of death, leading the way to heaven. All Christians should be an example, a leader in every good work, guiding and directing all to the Lord. “And the sheep follow him.” Here is one test that we are his sheep; that we so trust and obey the Lord, our Shepherd, whom we will follow wherever He leads, always trusting that He will lead us in the right path, although we cannot see the green pastures, still waters, or the way to go. There are some sheep that are always straggling and getting into trouble. Sometimes they lose their way and are hurt or killed by other animals. But, those who stay near the shepherd are contented and happy. “For they know his voice.” This is true to the letter.
Illustration
A traveler in Greece once found three shepherds with flocks of six or seven hundred each, all mingled together, but the sheep answered to their names when called by their owner, but not if called by another. This traveler experimented with them. He called, and the sheep took no notice. The shepherd called, and they came. The traveler then said that the sheep knew the shepherd by his dress and not his voice. So, the shepherd exchanged clothes with the traveler and the sheep would still not obey the strange voice. But, even in the traveler’s clothing, when the shepherd called, the sheep came.
The Christian knows Christ’s voice. He knows Him not by the teachings of organized religious groups, which tend to change from time to time, but by His eternal nature; His goodness, truth and love, which never changes. The true disciple recognizes the voice of Christ. He knows whether a teaching is from Him by:
1. The inner witness of the Holy Spirit through the Word;
2. Comparing the voice heard with the Word of God;
3. Its truth and righteousness;
4. Its tendency.
Whatever leads away from God, whatever tempts to sin, whatever has not the Spirit of Christ pervading it, is not from God.
10:5 … “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” If a stranger calls they stop, lift up their heads in alarm, and if it is repeated they turn and flee, because they know not the voice of a stranger. This is simple fact.
Illustration
An Irish shepherd once called one sheep a distance away. And the sheep immediately raised its head, finding its way in and out among several others right to the shepherd’s feet. He put his hands on its head, and patted it for coming. It was a beautiful sight, and he repeated the scene several times, to the amazement of all watching.
In like manner, the true disciple knows his Master. He is like Him in purpose and hope. He has the same Holy Spirit dwelling within; he loves the same righteousness; he is full of the Word of God; he knows that whatever tempts him to do wrong must be the voice of the enemy; that whatever leads him to a higher life, to nearer communion with God, to all that is heavenly, must be the voice of God. His soul, trained in righteousness, easily distinguishes between sinful discords and divine harmonies. The true disciple can recognize a different spirit, tone and purpose, and therefore, will not follow a strange voice.
10:6 … “This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.” This was so often true. This is not a parable. The original word that is here translated into the English word, “parable”, is different from the one which is normally translated “parable”. We get the word, “parable”, from the Greek word, Parabole. It is almost a transliteration of letters into an English word. In our verse the word from which “parable” has been translated is a different word. In other verses it is translated, “proverb.” So this whole chapter is an extended “proverb.”
Illustration
Dr. William Harrison often defined a “proverb” as: “The concentrated common sense of countless centuries crammed into a single sentence.”
The Lord concentrated a great deal of common sense and inspirational sense into the tenth chapter of John. In this proverb, Jesus is actually the living embodiment of what had been prophesied throughout the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Throughout those ancient days God had said He was the Shepherd of His people, Israel. They were the flock of His pasture. The 23rd Psalm let the people of that day know, as well as reminding us, what it was like to have God as Shepherd. But through all of that time, God was represented by earthly shepherds; and earthly prophets and teachers. Only when Jesus came did we have the model of the perfect Shepherd. Surely, those who shepherd the flock of God today will read this chapter with special care and prayer, finding, hopefully, something substantial which will give them both a spirit and an insight into what it means to be a shepherd of God’s people. They serve under the Chief Shepherd, according to 1 Peter 5. The Lord is the Chief Shepherd and they are shepherds, as the Lord is High Priest and all Christians are priests. So, in this chapter, we gain much information about how to live our priestly lives by looking at the life of the High Priest. And, overseers of the Lord’s people can also gain a great deal of information on how to shepherd God’s people from looking at the Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd. Notice the various things said on the Lord's part and how the people responded as He gave them this extended proverb.
10:7 … “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” In different proverbs and parables, Jesus is represented as several different things: He is the Shepherd; the Door of the Sheep-fold; the Lamb of God; etc. So, we need to see Him as a multi-faceted Person. Like salvation: we can look at it from several different points of view, always gaining a meaningful insight. The life of Jesus and His mission can be viewed from several different points of view, but always gaining wonderful insights. Because the people to whom the Lord now speaks were aware of the shepherd and sheep, He uses an example of the life of an Oriental shepherd. In other countries there is often little or no understanding of Oriental shepherds. They shepherd in a different way and have many large flocks. At night, several Oriental shepherds carry their flocks to one large sheep-fold. When all the sheep are inside, a porter looks after them throughout the night. In the morning, any one of the shepherds can come to the door of the sheep-fold and call each of his sheep by name. They will then come to the door. The shepherd examines each one, making sure it is healthy enough to pasture. So, one by one they come out of the sheep-fold. When the last one is out, the porter shuts the gate, and the shepherd starts his flock toward the pasture. Every sheep in his flock will follow him, usually single file. Even today, in Bible areas, one can still see shepherds going along the countryside with a long line of sheep or goats following. This is the background of the Lord’s comments. Not only was the Lord the Good Shepherd; He was also the means of access to and from the sheep-fold.
10:8 … “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.” The Lord is not referring to His true and faithful prophets of the Old Testament, but the false prophets or false shepherds. What the Lord is saying must have upset the Pharisees and Scribes, whom He rebuked in His previous message as being the false shepherds; now they are the thieves and robbers of His people. So, they are not only fake shepherds, but they are also poor leaders of the Lord’s people.
10:9 … “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Here the Lord mixes man and sheep. It is not difficult to follow if we let our minds flow with what He is saying. In effect, He says, “I am the means of access into the kingdom and the means to life when you go out and exhibit life as one of My sheep in the pasture of my fold.” 10:10 … “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” The thief is one who does not care about the interests of the sheep. He is there for some type of reward by stealing or hurting a sheep. The Lord is saying, in effect, “I did not come to deceive, nor deprive anyone. I came that My sheep might have life abundantly. I am the well-being of My sheep.” If today, an overseer of the flock of God is paying attention to these thoughts of the Lord, then he is aware that he must be totally devoted to the well- being of the sheep whom he leads, by way of example.
10:11 … “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The Lord knows that in a few weeks He will be going to the cross. He knows His destiny on this earth as well as His destiny with the Father. He knows that soon He will lay down His life. No one will take it from Him, but He will soon lay it down Himself. He allows them to go through all their mock trials and then nail Him to a cross, but that will not kill Him. He will let them make of Him a sacrifice; but He yields His own life and takes it up again, as He says later. In effect, the Lord is saying, “I want you to know that as I laid aside my garments in the upper room to wash my disciple’s feet, I am going to lay aside My life.” When elders are ready to lay aside their first interests as individuals on behalf of the well-being of the congregation, only then are they walking in the steps of the Good Shepherd. They must have the total well-being of the flock in mind at all times. In a secondary sense, they must lay down their lives for the sheep; meaning they must lay aside many things they would rather be doing or places they would rather be going, if the needs of the flock require them to stay close by and personally administer that which they can not commit to another.
10:12, 13 … “But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.” This is true, not only of those who oversee the flock today, but also preachers, who feed the flock. Sometimes preachers see problems and run from them rather than helping to resolve them.
Illustration
A religious organization once had problems and divided, leaving only a small remnant. Several people told the preacher “Don’t go or you’ll never have another place to serve.” But, the preacher was too young at the time to be frightened, and said, “There is no need to stay where I am not needed.” He went where he was needed and did a good work that survives to this day as a healthy group of Christians. Sometimes a preacher must lay aside his concern for “career” or “future places of services” and make a sacrifice. The Lord will bless such a work, if done in the right spirit and purpose. Jesus was the model in this.
10:14 … “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” Notice the familiarity and friendship between the Lord and His people. Sometimes it is difficult for us to think of the Lord in super-friendly terms and often we do not consider deeply enough, probably because of His majesty and glory, the fact that we can become close to the Lord. But the Lord came down to earth, took the form of a man that He might be a man among men. He was actually one of us. And, while He was here as a man, He was a role-model to men. He wanted men to feel close to Him; to feel of Him as an older brother. Yet, He was also God’s only begotten Son who was destined to be the first born among many brethren in the spiritual re-birth and therefore He would be an older brother in the Kingdom. It must have been a wonderful experience, for those friends of the Lord, to actually have Him visit in their homes and be their friend in every way. He made them feel that He was their beloved friend and that is exactly what He wants us to feel today. The Lord wants to be and will be our best and beloved friend, visiting daily in our homes. He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him; like brothers; like family united in God.
10:15, 16 … “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” When the Lord says He knows the Father and the Father knows Him and He knows the sheep and they know Him, He is speaking of one great family. “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” We are those other sheep that were not in that earlier Jewish fold. The Lord came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and He spoke almost exclusively to Israelites, realizing many of them were not true Israelites, as pointed out by Paul in the Roman letter, they are not all Israel that are of Israel. But the Lord came to that remnant that would hear, believe and accept Him and He would be their Shepherd and they would be His sheep. He will soon lay down His life for them. The other sheep would be of the realm of the Gentiles. When the Jews rejected the Lord as God’s fulfilled promise of the Messiah (Rom. 9, 10, 11), God turned aside Israel as His preferred people, opening the door of mercy to the Gentiles. He did not reject the Jews, but He did eliminate them as exclusive and used their rejection of Jesus as His opportunity to open the door of mercy to the Gentiles. Paul pointed out in Romans, now that the Gentiles had been invited in on the basis of faith, God turned back to the Jews and also invited them in on the basis of faith. There is now no favoritism. God pointed out in Genesis 12, that through Abraham and his seed all the families of the earth will be blessed, and now through Paul in Romans, God points out that, by opening the door to the Gentiles (thereby giving the world the opportunity of entering the sheep-fold), He is keeping that promise made to Abraham. The physical decent of the Jews does not prove anything. The Gentiles, through faith, become the spiritual sheep and children of Abraham, just as surely as the Jews.
10:17, 18 … “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” When the Lord came down to be a man, God let Him know that His life was not going to be decided by the decisions of somebody else. The Lord’s life was not only in His own hands, it was within His own power. The Lord’s body was inhibited by the Eternal Spirit of God. He had not only a human spirit, but He was also embodied, without measure on the day He was baptized, the Divine Spirit. The quickening Spirit of God, resident within Him, allowed Him to lay down or take up His life whenever He desired. The Lord, even with this kind of power and freedom over life, wants us to know that He loves His sheep so much that He will not only willingly, but willfully lay down His life because that is the only way they can ever again be the sheep of God. The Lord bought us by His blood, one by one, because of His great love for us. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). He despised the shame He would soon bear while dying for us. He had no desire to experience the cross. But He did because He loved the lost sheep yet to believe and enter His sheep-fold. He loved us, even when we were lost, and loves us more when we accept Him and become heirs of God and joint heirs with Him of all that is in heaven.
10:19-24 … “There arose a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?” Alluding back to chapter 9 when the Lord healed the man born blind. “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.” We are now beginning the last three months of the Lord’s life on earth. It has been about three months since the feast of Tabernacles. “And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.” Sounds like a noble request. But, Jesus knew that if He gave them an unambiguous answer it would fall on deaf ears and drive them farther from Him. They were not ready for Him to tell them plainly. The few times when He did tell them plainly, like when He spoke about being the Bread and Water of Life after feeding the five thousand, they were ready to take up stones and kill Him. Even today, we do not always want to be told plainly. The old saying is true, “The truth does not hurt unless it is suppose to.” When we live in a situation where the truth hurts, we may resent the messenger more than the message. This is what these Jews were doing to Jesus. They resisted the Messenger, Who brought them repudiation of their lifestyle, in order that He might cause them to desire and accept a new lifestyle in Him.
10:25-30 … “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not.” Notice how often He says, “Ye believe not.” “Because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.” He speaks of invaders among His flock. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” They obey Me. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” They are in the hands of the God of destiny. “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” We need to ponder these words. When we feel fragile and frail in our spiritual life we need to remember that God can make us able to stand. He is able to give us all kinds of protection of which we do not know. He still orders the affairs of men; not by going out every day performing miracles, but by guiding our every step. God has a purpose for each of us and He will help fulfill that purpose. If we are seeking to know and fulfill His purpose, He will help us. If we follow some other purpose then He will not help us but may, in loving mercy, defeat us. That may be the only way He can stop us from going too far the wrong way. Sometimes a Christian may experience a calamity, perhaps because his life is heading in the wrong direction. The problem may have the potential of eventually taking his life, until God, in His loving mercy, turns him around.
10:31 … “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.” The Jews were unpredictable. The Lord was steadfast in what He said to them and we can see at this point why He did not tell them “plainly” that He was the Christ, though He had told them, but they would not believe.
10:32-34 … “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those words do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” – “gods” with a small “g.” God said of many of His prophets, that they were “gods.” They were God’s approved representatives among His people and, so, they were made in the image of their God. They were offspring of their God, making them little “gods.” Jesus is saying that He was not claiming to be God, but the Son of God.
10:35-42 … “If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?” In other words, where is your reason? The Lord never made a claim that His works did not certify and justify. “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode. And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true. And many believed on him there.” It is amazing how much John the Baptizer, filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth, accomplished though not given the power to perform miracles of any kind. He performed not one miracle. He was able to perceive what men thought. When some of the leaders of the Jews came to him, wanting to be baptized (because John’s popularity was gaining and they wanted to get on the band wagon), he knew there thoughts and called them a generation of vipers. He had that kind of power and it was needful in order for him to win a truly acceptable group to become the Lord’s disciples when He appeared on the scene. This was God’s purpose for John the baptizer; to prepare a people for the Lord. And, he obeyed the Lord and prepared the people. It was some of his disciples who became the first personal disciples of the Lord. When the Lord called Simon, Andrew, Philip, Matthew and all the others, He was calling sheep by name. And He called them to be His sheep in a personal calling. The Lord does not personally call us today, as He did His disciples, but the Lord was sent by the Father to certify God’s plan and fulfill His promises and prophecies. The Lord is the One who calls us and He does so as He stated earlier: “It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (John 6:45). This is how the Lord does His calling and receiving today. Those who come to Him become His disciples and God’s children.
Summary
Hopefully, from our study of this chapter on the Good Shepherd we can develop a new sense of warmth and friendliness for the Lord. We sometimes sing a song that may over stretch what we really feel, “My God and I” – “I'll walk with Him” – “We talk together.” God is certainly that concerned about our individual lives. He wants us to feel close enough to Him that when we walk in the garden we can sense His presence. Jesus stressed that if His sheep, His disciples, are going to fulfill their mission and ministry they need to invite other sheep not yet in the fold, so they might become the Lord’s also.
