John 10:1-42

The Good Shepherd. The Feast of the Dedication

1-18. Allegories of the Fold and of the Good Shepherd. This chapter continues Christ's discourse to His Pharisaic disciples begun at John 9:39. His words take the form of an allegory which is intended partly to rebuke the Pharisees, partly to comfort the blind man, and partly to instruct the Church as to the duties of Christian pastors. The blind man, unjustly expelled from the fold of Judaism by false shepherds (the Pharisees), finds refuge in the flock of the True Shepherd, i.e. in the Christian Church, the mild discipline of which is contrasted with the cruel severity of the synagogue. The allegory is based entirely on OT. figures: see Psalms 23 Ezekiel 34 Jeremiah 23:1; Zechariah 11:4.