Session 12 John 10:7-14,25-30
JOHN 10:7-14,25-30
MEMORY VERSE: JOHN 10:14
Home security is a huge business. We can install a security system ourselves or use professionals to install it, and we can self-monitor or use a company. We want to feel we are secure and the things we possess are secure. In Bible times, shepherds served as security systems that protected sheep. Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd, explaining that He protected His sheep.
(In PSG, p. 109)
Jesus often used parables, metaphors, and similes to teach spiritual truths in ways that ordinary people could understand easily. As He continued speaking to His disciples and others in John 10, Jesus employed two important word pictures. He likened Himself to a gate and to a Good Shepherd. Jesus was both the gate by which the sheep entered the pen and the Shepherd who called them forth. No one can legitimately enter without going through the gate—Jesus.
Jesus condemned false prophets who tried to steal sheep by climbing over the wall. The thief sought to steal, kill, and destroy. In contrast, Jesus came to give eternal and abundant life. This life is eternal because it can never be taken away or lost. Believers enjoy the protective care of Jesus and the Father because the two of them are one, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
This life is also abundant. It does not begin at death but at the moment a person is saved by faith in Christ. Jesus does not want His children merely making it through the day. He wants us to experience the overflowing joy of His presence through the Holy Spirit.
Unlike the thief who wants to harm the sheep, the Good Shepherd came to love, protect, and care for the sheep. The sheep represent believers who know Jesus. When He calls His sheep, they follow Him because they know His voice. They are familiar with Him and know He loves them.
Jesus loves His flock so much that He laid down His life for them. He is not a hired hand who flees when threatened by a predator. The hireling runs because the sheep are not his. The Good Shepherd isn’t looking to escape. He protects His flock even at the cost of His own life.
Interrupting Jesus, the Pharisees demanded He clearly state if He was the Messiah. Jesus had already made His identity clear, but they refused to believe. They became enraged when He claimed to be one with the Father. They tried to kill Jesus, but He escaped and traveled to the area around the Jordan River. People there remarked that even John the Baptist never did works like Jesus, and many of them believed in Him.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and rob-bers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.
Many children have heard their parents say, “I’m going to tell you just one more time.” That statement means the child needs to pay close attention. Similarly, Jesus said again, repeating and building on the truths found in verses 1-6. Jesus continued to use the word portrait of sheep introduced in verse 1 to describe His relationship to believers.
The term truly translates two Greek words that could be transliterated as “amen, amen.” This phrase asserts the importance of the spiritual truth that followed. Jesus emphasized the point by including “I tell you.” The statement was valid, and it was vital because it was spoken by the Messiah about Himself.
Jesus described Himself as the gate for the sheep. In His day, sheep often pastured in open fields, guarded by shepherds much like the ones associated with Jesus’s birth (Luke 2:8-9). Other times, sheep were kept in folds or pens to protect them from predators. Enclosed by stone walls, an opening was used as a gate, and the shepherd would sleep across the doorway. Anyone or anything wanting to harm the sheep had to climb the wall or overcome the guardian.
Earlier, Jesus had related the common experience of a sheepfold, the importance of the gate, and the relationship of the true shepherd and his sheep. In verse 7, He applied the parable to Himself. The term translated I and the syntax of the sentence connote exclusivity. Only He provides legitimate access to the sheepfold, a metaphor for the kingdom of God.
Jesus addressed not only His closest disciples, but also His most determined opponents. He depicted all who came before me as thieves and robbers. Jewish historians recorded various false prophets who claimed to be the Messiah. Other imposters would appear after Jesus’s earthly ministry. Jesus warned against anyone who sought to gather followers through deception (Matt. 24:23-24).
In the opening parable, Jesus emphasized that the sheep only followed the voice of their shepherd. They didn’t listen to a stranger because they knew the voice of the true shepherd. This statement does not mean that no one was deceived by the false prophets or phony Messiahs. Rather, He noted that true sheep (believers) could discern between pretenders and the true Shepherd.
9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.
Hebrew literature often used repetition for emphasis. Jesus again employed the I am statement in relationship to His role as the gate to the kingdom (sheepfold). Anyone desiring to be part of God’s kingdom enters by me. As He told Thomas later, no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). He is the only gate. Postmodern assertions that there are many ways to heaven are false; otherwise, Jesus didn’t need to die on the cross.
Jesus’s use of if introduced a conditional clause. Not everyone will accept Him as Savior and Lord. However, if a person comes to Jesus by faith, that individual will be saved. Some scholars relate this term primarily to being delivered from physical danger, disease, or disability. Certainly, Jesus healed many sick people and freed others from the bondage of Satan’s demons. But Jesus used saved in this context to mean eternal life.
Will come in and go out does not mean believers can somehow lose their relationship with the Shepherd. Once someone is saved, that person stands secure in Christ (John 10:28-30). Instead, Jesus focused on the promise that believers will find pasture. This metaphor portrays God’s protection, peace, and provision.
10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abun-dance.
Jesus contrasted the intentions of a thief (false Messiahs) and Himself. Anyone who does not enter through the gate (Jesus) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Self-centered frauds are not interested in the sheep’s welfare. Like their master, Satan, they hate God’s people. They would steal them, if possible, through deceitful doctrine and tempting enticements. The enemy wants to kill them and destroy their influence lest others hear, believe, and find salvation.
Jesus, however, came to offer life. This term can relate to physical or spiritual life. Jesus’s primary purpose on earth was not to teach, heal, or even provide an example to follow. First and foremost, He came to sacrifice His life so we can receive forgiveness and eternal life by faith in Him.
Jesus wants us to have life in abundance. Eternal life not only involves a quantity of days (living forever), but also a quality now and in eternity. Abundance involves overflow or having more than expected. Jesus gives us His abundant life through the Holy Spirit. The syntax of the double use of have and its verb form convey the idea that the believer not only possesses this kind of life but has it continually.
Believers find abundant life through faith in Jesus. People try to have fuller lives through possessions, positions, power, or pleasure. But we experience full peace and joy only through Him.
(In PSG, p. 112)
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Using the I am statement again, Jesus referred to Himself as the good shepherd. This would was likely a familiar idea to Jesus’s listeners. In the Old Testament, the psalmist used a similar illustration to describe the relationship God has with His people (Pss. 23:1-3; 95:7; 100:3). In addition, some prophets used shepherding imagery to contrast evil leaders with God’s loving guidance (Ezek. 34:1-31; Jer. 23:1-4).
In John’s context, the definite article (the) addresses Jesus’s uniqueness. He was not one good shepherd among many; rather, He was the only good shepherd. The term good translates a word often conveying a moral quality. In this context, it also connotes the concept of legitimacy. Jesus is the unique and true Shepherd.
As the good shepherd, Jesus lays down his life for the sheep. When predators attacked the sheep, a shepherd either fought or fled. Only the Good Shepherd was willing to risk his life to protect the flock. Moving beyond the metaphor, Jesus was connecting His death with salvation.
Jesus was not a victim of religious or political persecution. As God’s Son, no one had the power to take His life. Instead, He willingly sacrificed for us (John 10:18). The term for refers not only to dying on behalf of the sheep, but also to dying in place of the sheep—a direct reference to Jesus’s substitutionary death. Through His death, humans can receive life.
12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.
Contrasted with the good shepherd, the hired hand does not stay and protect the sheep. Instead he runs away. Danger frightens him, and his meager wages are not worth injury or death. He is not the shepherd. This statement does not mean the hired hand does not have responsibilities, but he doesn’t own the sheep. He essentially works for a paycheck, not because he loves the sheep. Consequently, his loyalty is limited.
The hired hand represented the Pharisees and other religious figures who did not bear true love for God’s people. They enjoyed position, prosperity, and power, but they were not willing to sacrifice themselves for the spiritual flock. Without a committed shepherd, the wolf, representing Satan, snatches and scatters them.
We should not read too much into the metaphor. Satan cannot steal a believer’s salvation (John 10:28-30). However, unless pastors and teachers emulate the model of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, they leave their churches vulnerable to the onslaught of the enemy.
Jesus emphasized the reason behind the hireling’s cowardice. He flees because he is a hired hand. As noted, this worker labored solely for wages. He really didn’t care about the sheep. This portrait contrasts starkly with the Good Shepherd who surrendered everything.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,
Jesus repeated His self-description as the good shepherd and emphasized the personal relationship He has with believers. Unlike the hired hand, He laid down His life for them because He loves them. They are His own. They belong to Him, but He also belongs to them. Referring to the analogy of verses 3-5, the Good Shepherd and the sheep know each other. They recognize His voice, and He knows each of them.
Believers can trust Jesus to protect them. Since He loved us enough to lay down His life for us on the cross, He will withhold nothing good from us. We need not fear the attacks of evil people or quake at harmful circumstances we face. Our Shepherd remains close at hand to provide, lead, care, and defend. He is always in control.
(In PSG, p. 113)
25 “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.
John shifted his scene to the Festival of Dedication. As Jesus walked along the eastern porch of the temple known as Solomon’s Colonnade, some Jewish leaders demanded that He clearly say whether He was the Messiah. Repeatedly, He had declared Himself to be God’s Son, the Christ. So, He reminded them of this fact: I did tell you and you don’t believe. The problem was not with His lack of clarity but with their stubborn refusal. The phrase don’t believe suggests more than doubt due to lack of evidence. It implies a determination to reject what He said and who He was.
Jesus referred them to the works that He did in His Father’s name, again emphasizing the unity of the Father and the Son. Jesus consistently asserted the relationship between His actions and the will of His Father (John 5:19-30), and His miraculous signs would testify to His identity as the Messiah. The word testify means to bear witness. It comes from a legal term that demands the highest form of evidence.
The problem was not a lack of validation or substantiating testimonials. These people did not believe simply because they were not Jesus’s sheep. The word because can mean “in light of,” offering the reading: “You do not believe in light of the fact that you are not my sheep.”
Jesus’s response must be seen in context with the intervening verses. He described people who were not of this sheepfold, but He also noted that Gentiles would be saved by believing in Him (John 10:16). While Jesus would receive anyone who followed Him in faith, the Jews who confronted Him were not from His flock. Repeating His statement from verse 25, He said they don’t believe or, more accurately, they refused to believe. Such a lack of faith is a deal breaker when it comes to entering God’s kingdom.
For the third time in this chapter, Jesus referred to His personal relationship with His sheep. Multiple use of personal pronouns asserted His connection to believers: My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. The sheep recognized the Good Shepherd as He called them. They were not merely a flock, but Christ knew each one of them. Though believers number in the billions over the millennia, He knows each of us individually and loves us. Consequently, we should follow Him gladly.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
The word them refers to the sheep who believe and follow Jesus. He gives them eternal life. This simple statement contains several important truths. First, eternal life is a gift. We do not deserve it and cannot earn it. Second, this gift comes from God through Christ. It cannot be gained elsewhere. Third, this life is eternal, both in quality and quantity.
As a result of Christ’s gift, believers rest in the secure knowledge that their salvation is kept by Him. They will never perish. Jesus did not promise that Christians will never die physically. However, the saved soul transitions into Christ’s presence.
Nor can the enemy snatch them out of Christ’s hand. Jesus’s divine qualities include omnipotence, so the devil cannot wrest us from His grasp. We are secure in His righteousness and power.
Some readers may focus on the interjection who has given them to me rather than the main clause: My Father . . . is greater than all. Jesus emphasized that the security of believers is a result of the Father’s power. The statement contains several important points. First, the Father is Jesus’s Father. God also becomes our Father when we receive the Son by faith. Second, the Father is the source of our salvation through Jesus. He gives believers to Christ as they believe in Him. Third, because of the Father’s omnipotence, it’s impossible to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. Neither Satan nor sin can separate us from God (Rom. 8:31-39).
We have this confidence because of the unity between the Father and the Son. The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to state plainly if He was the Messiah. Jesus declared, I and the Father are one. Some scholars see this oneness as relating to intent, while others believe it relates to their fundamental nature. Regardless, this truth is not just a metaphor like the oneness of Christ’s body, the church (Rom. 12:4-5).
Human logic cannot grasp how God expresses Himself in three Persons while being one God. In His infinite being, God exists outside the realm of human understanding. The Jews understood that Jesus was claiming equality with God and sought to kill Him for blasphemy. What they could not comprehend, they condemned.
But believers rest in Jesus’s hand. He and the Father embrace us with unrelenting power and love. As is often stated, God does the saving, and God does the securing. Our role is to respond in faith.
(In PSG, p. 116)
od’s Purpose and Grace
Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. (See Malachi 3:6; 2 Timothy 1:12.)
Use other Scripture to help understand a Bible passage.
On a separate sheet of paper, create a two-column list. In the first column include descriptions of the sheep and the Good Shepherd from John 10. In the second column, write aspects found in Psalm 23. What insights from Psalm 23 help you appreciate John 10?