Jesus Christ is the Great I Am; the only qualified Shepherd

Chapter 10:1-21 is the shepherd discourse which occurs the day after Christ heals the blind man.

 

There are two doors on this chapter. One is the door of ingress [the way in] and one is the door of egress [way out]. At the time that this was written there were a lot of customs concerning sheepfolds and these have to be understood to understand the passage.

 

The message is given in Jerusalem at the sheepfold by the Sheep Gate.

 

The occasion for the first message: It was given at the sheep gate and every morning sheep went out of it, and every night sheep came back into it.

 

The sheep gate is always a sort of back door to a city and it has to be near the pens.

 

Every night before sundown a shepherd would lead a flock in the sheep gate. Each sheepfold to which they were led had walls 12 feet high and one gate/door.

 

Early the next morning the shepherd came down to the sheepfold where there are, say, five different flocks.

 

How is he going to get his sheep separated from all the others? He has a call which he has used for years, and all the sheep in his flock hear that call and get right in behind him.

 

He goes through the gate still making the call and his sheep follow him to some pasture located outside of the walls of the city.

 

All the shepherds in Palestine led their sheep by being out in front and having a call. The sheep followed that call.

 

On the way out in the morning there are always thieves hanging out in the dark alleys trying to get some of the sheep.

 

This is the background to this passage.  

           

In verse 1-6 the Lord sets up this parable/allegory on the door of egress, the door of ingress, and the two shepherds. So we call this passage the shepherd discourses.

 

John 10:1 "Truly, truly [point of doctrine], I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

 

John 10:2 "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

 

John 10:3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.

 

 

John 10:4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

 

/ “puts forth” - exbalo, the same word used for tossing out the once blind man. They threw him out in excommunication. Christ throws him out into the pasture to grow in grace and truth.\

 

“his own” - They are His own private sheep, personal sheep. Believers are His forever.

           

“and the sheep follow him” -

 

/ “follow” is akoloutheo which means to follow someone because you want to, because it is your own personal soul desire.\

 

Christ provides the pasture and the sound for you to follow. You have to make the decision to follow. He does not force you.

 

If you respond to the Lord Jesus Christ you feed in His pasture. The feedback to you is the delicious grass and the refreshing water which makes you healthy and strong.

 

These are all analogies to the spiritual life. When you first taste doctrine and receive it with humility you recognize certain positive effects in your life. This motivates you to keep following by your own self determination.

 

Some Christians love to take credit for their apparent spirituality. You can take no more credit for feeding in Christ’s pasture than you would eating something that someone gave you when you were hungry.

 

Some people take in doctrine with false motives. We cannot assume that these people are feeding properly in the green pastures of Christ.

 

/Proper motivation is reflected in this passage. He goes before them and that is why they follow.\

 

People who “listen” to doctrine for some other means other than following Christ reveal a false motivation. I have seen people come and go in this local assembly for 20 years. Some were here to find a husband or wife, some because they were lonely, some to make friends, some to gain approbation, some just simply to get compassion and attention, and I’m sure there are other motivations and all of them are selfish.

 

The true motivation for doctrine is the most unselfish - it is for following Christ your Lord.

 

/Acts 20:29-30

"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.\

 

/1 John 2:19

They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.\

 

John 10:4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

 

/“for they know” - now they know Him better because when they feed in His pasture they get to know Him, and therefore they know His voice.\

 

/ “they know” - oida, they know it and can never forget it. Once you get Bible doctrine you love the Lord and you’ll never forget Him. Nothing will ever take His place.\

           

/“his voice” - this time the voice is the voice of categorical doctrine.\

 

The believers who become winners in the CWL hear doctrine and they never lose sight of it. They have their own bouts with reversionism, but somehow they always seem to keep doctrine and following the Lord a top priority. Because of this singular drive to follow Christ they grow up rapidly and gain confidence and security that people and circumstances cannot alter.

 

But then on the other hand there are believers who are spiritual yo-yo’s that always remain as baby believers.

 

/EPH 4:14

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;\

 

 

The reason they can be thrown all over the place by every false doctrine that hits the market is because of what we already mentioned, wrong motivation. They’re not in this in order to follow Christ, they have some other selfish motivation and therefore, being self absorbed, they become easy targets for satan’s false ministers.

 

However, if you are like this take courage because you do have a purpose in the CWL; you are a people test. You force strong believers to function in their impersonal unconditional love and thereby strengthen them.

 

Every local assembly has these. They are to be loved and respected and honoured just as much as TLJC because they possess His +R and are just as loved as the strong believer.

 

John 10:4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

 

John 10:5 "And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." 

 

Verse 5 - the condemnation of the religious leaders. “And a stranger.”

 

/The word “stranger” is allotrios, which literally is “one whom you know belongs to another.” In context it refers to religion which belongs to satan.\

 

So by context “stranger” is not a great translation here.

 

This is one who is not of your own (positive believer) who can lead astray and so they are dangerous.

 

/Therefore this is a person you could never love as a friend or companion once you learn Bible doctrine because they are religious.\

 

Once you learn Bible doctrine you can never love religion and you can never love legalism.

 

/“they will not follow” - Once you have become spiritually self-sustaining you will always despise religion and therefore will never be sucked into a religious system.\

           

“but will flee” -  this word means to separate or to avoid, and not so much to run.

 

/This means to avoid or separate from the religious person’s false doctrine. You flee from false doctrine because you have true doctrine; you have fed in the pasture.\

 

/“they do not know the voice of strangers” - oida [inherent knowledge] plus the negative. Once you are spiritually self-sustaining you will never fall for religion.\

 

John 10:6 This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

 

/“This figure of speech/parable.” The word is paroimia [para = to put alongside; oimia = road]. It means to put two roads side by side.\

 

/One road you know, so you put another road alongside it so you understand that road.\

 

In other words, He has taken this story of the shepherds at the sheepfold so that they will now know and understand what happened to the once-blind man when he was saved.

 

You take a road you can understand and if you put another road alongside of it you can understand that.

 

This is really an allegory in which a common occurrence symbolises a principle of doctrine.

 

“Jesus spoke to them” - for their advantage; but they [the religious crowd] did not understand.”

 

/The sheep “know” - oida = inherent knowledge. [no oida anymore!] The religious crowd did not understand - ginosko = to come to know. [Now it is ginosko.]\

 

They understood what He was saying about the first road, but since they were not saved the second road was unknown. They didn’t understand.

 

We all start out with ginosko, we need to come to know, and when we believe the gospel and gather some doctrine in our souls we gain oida, which is inherent knowledge.

 

Like a child crossing the street at age 2, he has no idea that it’s potentially dangerous, but when he comes to know that it is, he inherently looks to see if cars are coming.

 

He was talking about the once-blind man and how he was converted, and the whole process. While they understood the shepherds and the sheep they didn’t understand what point He was making.

 

 

 

In verses 7-10 we have two doors in view. In verse 7 we have the first door and in verse 8 we have the relation of the Pharisees to the first door.

 

In verse 9 we have the second door and in verse 10 we have the relation of the Pharisees to the second door.

 

In each case we have the truth and then we have those who oppose the truth. The first door is the door of ingress - entering the door, verse 7.

 

John 10:7 Jesus therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly [point of doctrine], I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

 

/“I am” is the present active indicative of eimi, the absolute status quo verb: “the door” - He is not only the door but He keeps on being the door.\

 

The concept is that this goes on forever and ever and ever, just like all the other “I am” statements concerning Himself.

 

1. John 6:35

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

 

John 6:41

The Jews therefore were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven."

 

John 6:48

"I am the bread of life.

 

John 6:51

"I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh."

 

2. John 8:12

Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."

 

3. John 8:18

"I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

 

4. John 8:58

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."

 

5. John 10:9

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 

6. John 10:11

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

 

7. John 10:36

do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world,' You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

 

8. John 11:25

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,

 

9. John 13:13

You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.

 

10. John 14:6

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

 

11. John 15:1

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

   

John 18:6

When therefore He said to them, "I am He," they drew back, and fell to the ground.

 

   

12. John 18:37

Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

 

/Ex 3:14

And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM [the self existing One] has sent me to you.'"\