Scripture reading – John 10
Continuing our study of the Gospels, I remind you that editors added chapter breaks and numbered verses to assist Bible students in studying the Scriptures. However, chapter numbers sometimes break up a flowing narrative of events. For example, the closing verses of John 9, where the blind man was healed, are the backdrop of John 10, where Jesus introduced Himself as the Shepherd of His Sheep (John 10:1-18).
Rather than an exhaustive commentary on this familiar chapter, I will suggest a few thoughts and insights on the role of a shepherd. As you read John 10, remember that Jesus’ appointment with the Cross was only six months later.
John 10 – The Good Shepherd
John 10:1-21 contrasts false shepherds characterized as “thieves and robbers” (John 10:8) with Christ, the Good Shepherd.
The Shepherds of the Scriptures
The Bible is filled with illustrations of shepherds and sheep. Some of the most admired men of the Scriptures were shepherds. Adam’s son, Abel, was the first shepherd. The patriarchs Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac were all shepherds. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness as a shepherd before God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt. David, Israel’s greatest king, was a shepherd when God summoned him to be anointed king (2 Samuel 7:7-8; Psalm 78:70-72).
The Shepherd’s Role (John 10:1-5)
Flocks of grazing sheep accompanied by shepherds were common in Christ’s day. The audience listening to the Parable of the Good Shepherd readily identified with every element of the story. Thieves and robbers, the shepherd using his body as the porter or door of a sheepfold, and strangers who sought to steal and lead sheep astray were known to all.
The Shepherd and the Door (John 10:6-11)
Shepherd was a beloved title for Christ in the Scriptures. David wrote, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). The prophet Isaiah foretold of the Messiah that He would “feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).
Despite the simplicity of the parable (John 10:1-5), we find that the people “understood not what things…[Jesus] spake unto them” (John 10:5). Jesus, therefore, declared of Himself, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep…9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture…11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:7, 9, 11).
The sheep of the “sheepfold” was, in essence, the congregation of sincere believers of Israel. To them, Jesus revealed His role and relationship as the shepherd of His people. As the “door of the sheep,” Jesus was the watchman, protector, and guardian of believers (John 10:7, 9). Unlike “thieves and robbers” who come “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:8, 10), Christ revealed He was “the good shepherd” and is compassionate, caring, and willing to give His life for the sheep (John 10:11). When the cowardly “hireling” flees, “because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep” (John 10:13), the “good shepherd” promised to “lay down [His] life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15).
The Shepherd and His Death (John 10:16-18)
Continuing the analogy of the sheep being the LORD’s congregation, Christ revealed there were “other sheep…which are not of this fold” (John 10:16). This is a reference to non-Hebrew, Gentile believers. What a wonderful revelation that Christ would reach beyond Israel and bring others who would hear and respond to His Word, and there would be “one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:17).
Christ promised He would “lay down [His] life, that [He] might take it again” (i.e., resurrection from the dead, John 10:17; Romans 1:4). As the Good Shepherd, His death would be a willing sacrifice, and He promised to “have power to take it again” thus fulfilling God the Father’s commandment (John 10:18).
Closing thoughts –
I close today’s Bible study by being reminded that Jesus Christ, as the Good Shepherd, is the model for all who aspire to be leaders, particularly pastors.
The kings of Israel were described as shepherds to God’s people. The tribes of Israel acknowledged that the LORD had commanded David, “Thou shalt feed my people Israel [as a shepherd tends His sheep], and thou shalt be a captain [prince] over Israel” (2 Samuel 5:2).
The role of the pastor in the New Testament is that of a shepherd (“pastor” is the Latin word for the shepherd and is not only the title but the nature and job description of a spiritual leader). In the Book of Acts, Paul described pastors as “overseers” and charged them to “feed the church of God which He hath purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).
Peter charged pastors to “2Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof…beingensamples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2, 3).
The pastor’s calling is a high and sacred office, and in Christ, we have the perfect model of the Shepherd.
Copyright © 2024 – Travis D. Smith
* Please subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals by entering your name and email address at the bottom of today’s devotion.
The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization. Your donation is welcome and supports the worldwide ministry outreach of www.HeartofAShepherd.com.
Heart of A Shepherd Inc.
7853 Gunn Highway
#131
Tampa, Florida 33626-1611