Shepherd

John 10:1-21

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. ²But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁷So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²He 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. ¹³He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶And 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. ¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸No 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.” ¹⁹There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” ²¹Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

My daughter, Hannah, raises chickens. It’s been a fun process to watch. At this point they are fully grown although not yet producing eggs, but still rather large. She allows them to roam the property ranging for bugs and weeds. But their favorite food is corn, sunflower seeds, and dried meal worms. Hannah is the only one who gives them these treats. So when she comes out of the house they come running to her. They know her and they know she has something good for them. When I come out of the house, they might look up, but then they go back to pecking the ground. They don’t know me and they know I don’t bear any tasty meal worms for them. It’s a pretty funny sight to see 14 chickens moving as quickly as chickens are able from wherever they might be roaming at the moment she comes out of the door. She even has a special call she uses on them to get their attention in case they might be too far away.

While these chickens aren’t sheep, they have been trained to behave much like the sheep in our reading for today. The image of Jesus as our Good Shepherd is an enduring one that is found back in the Old Testament. This Friday we will examine Psalm 23 which is famous for its descriptions of how the Shepherd cares for the sheep. It is fascinating how Jesus is described as every part of this image at different points in the Scriptures. He is known as the Shepherd, the Gate, and even the Sheep. In His words for us today we find Him owning the position of both Shepherd and Gate.

The ancient (and even modern) sheepfold is usually a walled square or circle which has only one entrance. Generally they are made of stone but sometimes can be made of thorny branches as well. The goal of the sheepfold is to keep the sheep in and the enemies out. The only entrance is generally guarded by the Shepherd as he literally lies down in front of the gate. In the case of Jesus, He is willing to lay down His very life in order to protect His flock. And there is only one way in and out of the sheepfold – through The Gate. In a later discussion, Jesus will speak these famous words:

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

He remains our only Gate.

Our role as sheep is clear. Sheep need protection and guidance. Without it they will perish. But we have a willing Shepherd who will see to all of our needs even when we do not know we need help. Sheep generally just eat and wander all day long. They tend to be rather myopic. But the Shepherd constantly watches out for their health and safety. He constantly keeps track of them. Even though I don’t live an agrarian life, I know that all of these illustrations sound like a pretty good deal for me. I also know that describing me as a myopic, wandering sheep is probably very accurate! I’m grateful that Jesus is willing to speak with me so that His voice is one I recognize. I am grateful that He has taught me well and when others come along who pretend to have a special treat for me, I realize they are false. It is ever a comfort to embrace my role as the care for sheep.