JOHN 10:1–6
“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out”
(John 10:3).
The imagery of the coming Messiah as a Shepherd is pervasive throughout the Old Testament. The prophet Zechariah spoke of the “Shepherd Savior” in chapter 13: “ ‘Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My companion,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones.’ ” Jesus uses this passage in reference to Himself just before His arrest: “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ” Then again in John 10, Jesus refers to Himself as the shepherd of the sheep.
Jesus makes a number of significant parallels between sheep and the church. First, He says that the shepherd does not enter the sheepfold by climbing over the fence. He doesn’t have to because He has the right and the authority to enter through the gate. In those days, watchmen were placed at the entrance, and only the shepherd was allowed to pass.
Second, He says that anyone who does not enter through the door is a thief and a robber. Those who do not go through Christ, who do not enter by the way of Truth, are thieves among the people of God. They seek to take that which is not theirs. Anyone who speaks in the church, but not in the name and with the authority of Christ, is an imposter, a thief who wants to deceive Christ’s church. How many people have followed false teachers only to be led astray at the risk of their very souls?
Third, the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice. Those who are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ have their minds set on what the Spirit desires, they are spiritually discerned, and they know the truth when they hear it. Those who have not been renewed by God’s Spirit cannot hear the truth, they can only hear the lies spoken by their father, the devil.
Lastly, the sheep follow the shepherd. The church does not do its own thing. It does not make up its own rules. Sheep always follow their master. They do not obey the commands of thieves and robbers, but they obey their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
CORAM DEO
Ezra 1–2
John 19:23–42
The comparison of the church to sheep is a common one. How is God portrayed as a shepherd in the verses below? Why do you think God compares Himself to a shepherd and His people to sheep? Are there limits to this illustration? Memorize a verse from today’s study to remind you that Christ alone is your shepherd.
For further study: Ps. 23 • Ezek. 34:11–31
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june