Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

John 10:12-13

John 10:12-13. He that is an hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth (and the wolf catcheth them and scattereth), because he is an hireling and careth not for the sheep. A true shepherd will purchase the life of his sheep by the sacrifice of his own life. The man who has taken the work of a shepherd for hire, who is only a hireling and careth not for the sheep, abandons them as soon as danger approaches, and gains his own life at the cost of the life of his sheep. Since the sheep are not to him as ‘his own' the very name of shepherd is denied him. It may seem that the climax which usually shows itself in the narratives and discourses of this Gospel is here wanting, ‘thief' and ‘robber' being far stronger terms of reprobation than ‘hireling.' But it is not really so: the thief at all events has betrayed no trust, and is less guilty than the hireling who in the hour of need forsakes the duty he had pledged himself to fulfil. Whom then does the hireling represent? If ‘the thief' who comes under the guise of shepherd stands for all who force themselves into the place of rulers and guides, for the sake of private gain, ‘the hireling' seems to represent those who held such place by lawful right, but when faithfulness was needed most deserted duty through fear. Godet points to chap. John 12:42 as exemplifying the description here given. The lawful rulers dare not avow their own convictions and thus guard the people who trust in them; the Pharisaic spirit is too strong for them; they save themselves by silence and give up those for whom they should care to the persecution of the enemy. Some of these will yield to the foe and deny that Jesus is the Christ; many will be scattered. It is possible therefore that ‘the wolf' may here represent this spirit of Judaism, but we should rather say that it is the enemy (Luke 10:19) of God and man who is represented under the symbol of the natural foe of the sheep and of the Shepherd. Whatever agency may be used, the ultimate source of the murderous design is the spirit of evil, the Devil, he who was ‘a murderer from the beginning.'

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

John 10:12-13

Old Testament

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