John 10:1-29

John 10:1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

The positiveness of our Lord's teaching is noteworthy. Whatever may be said about dogmatical teaching now, it is certain that his teaching is of that character. He does not raise questions, but he solves them. He does not suggest probabilities, but he declares certainties. This might be taken as the key-word to all the Saviour's teaching, «Verily, verily.» He makes a strong asseveration; he speaks as one having authority, not as the scribes who only claimed to have authority, but as the Sent One of the Father who really has it: «Verily, verily, I say unto you.» Whatever comes to us with the imprimatur of the «Verily, verily,» of the Son of God is not to be questioned or doubted by us for a single moment. «He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.» Christ himself did enter by the door. He came according to the ancient types, and symbols, and prophecies. He came as God said that he would come. He entered by the door. There is no irregularity about Christ's office as the Shepherd of his sheep. It is confirmed to him by the sanction of the Holy Ghost. The witness of the Father is borne to him: «This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.» We rejoice to think that Jesus our Saviour is also Christ the Anointed. He is Jesus to us, but he is the Anointed of the Father. He comes by right as the appointed Shepherd of the sheep entering in by the door.

John 10:2. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth;-To him

John the Baptist, as the porter, opened the door. He pointed to him, and said «Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.» And every God-sent minister is a porter to Christ, opening the door to him; that is our office, to stand and open the door that Christ may come forth among you, and that you may come in to him, and find the spiritual pasture on which your souls can feed. «To him the porter openeth;»

John 10:3. And the sheep hear his voice:

Those who are really chosen of God hear and heed the voice of Christ but those who are not Christ's chosen ones will not heed his discourse, but will listen to the many voices which attract the ears and the hearts of sinful men. The elect of God are known by this mark, that they hear the voice of Christ. Just as you can find out, in a heap of ashes, whether there are any pieces of steel there by simply thrusting in a magnet so can you find out God's chosen people by the mighty magnet of Christ's voice.

John 10:3. And he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

Sometimes he leads them out from the midst of the world's flocks, and sometimes he calls them by name when they are in his fold, and leads them out to even higher and better pastures, calls them and leads them out to higher truths than they have before received.

John 10:4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them,

Christ never drives his sheep, he leads them. As the Eastern shepherd always goes before his sheep, so does the Saviour go before his flock: «He goeth before them,»

John 10:4. And the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Christ's sheep are marked in various ways. They are marked on the foot:

«the sheep follow him.» And they are marked in the ear, «for they know his voice.» They follow the track of their Shepherd, and they give heed to the voice of their Shepherd; and by these tokens they are known to be his sheep.

John 10:5. And a stranger will they not follow,

There are strangers constantly coming into our different churches. We know they are strangers, for they preach strange doctrines, and do not keep to the old paths. Those that are not Christ's sheep follow them directly. «Here is a very clever man,» say they, and off they go after him; but of God's elect it is written, «A stranger will they not follow,»

John 10:5. But will flee from him:

They are frightened at the very sight of him. They cannot tell what deadly pasture he is preparing for them, so they «flee from him,»

John 10:5. For they know not the voice of strangers.

They know the voice of their Shepherd, but they know not the voice of strangers, so they flee from them.

John 10:6. This parable spake Jesus unto them but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

They thus proved that they were not his sheep, for they did not understand his words.

John 10:7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

There were many false christs that rose up before Jesus Christ appeared, and there were many persons who followed those false christs, «but the sheep did not hear them.» They still waited with holy Anna, with patient Simeon, and the rest of the faithful who waited for the appearing of the true Shepherd, and were not misled by the pretenders who were only «thieves and robbers.»

John 10:9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.»

Christ is the door just as truly as he is the shepherd, and as he is everything that is needful and good for his people. If I come to Christ, I must come to him by Christ. Any of us who will but enter in by Christ, who is the door of his Church, shall find salvation, and more than that, we shall find liberty, for we «shall go in and out.» Our daily pathway shall be a safe one, and we shall have abundant supplies for all our daily needs. We «shall go in and out and find pasture.»

John 10:10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I trust that the first purpose of Christ's coming has been fulfilled to many of us, for we «have life» through him, but ought we not to be encouraged to hope that we may reach a higher standard of that life, and so have it more abundantly? We do not want to have just enough life to enable us to breathe, but we want life enough for usefulness, for joy, for triumph, for likeness to Christ, for communion with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Christ is the good Shepherd, and therefore he never fled as the hireling fleeth. He cared for the sheep, for they were his own. The wolf might come, but the good Shepherd was ready to meet him. He would not have his sheep scattered, but he would gather them in the cloudy and dark day, and in every time of danger he would be the center around which they might rally.

John 10:14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Our translators have spoilt this passage by putting a full stop where there should not be one, and by breaking it into two verses. It should run thus: «I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.» Christ here sets forth the intimate knowledge that there is between himself and all his people, as much as there is between the Father and the Son. It is wonderful teaching, full of depth and spiritual power. As the Father knows the Son, and the Son knows the Father, so certainly does Christ know his Church, and his Church knows him, or shall do so in the future.

John 10:16. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:

They are of this flock, but they are not of this fold. The flock is divided, and lies down in different fields for the present: «Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:»

John 10:16. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.

Christ's death was to be the act of his own free will, as well as of the violence of wicked men.

John 10:18. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad, why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

Christ's sayings always cause a division between those who hear them. There must always be two opinions, just as there are some who are his sheep and some who are not. When you go and try to speak for Christ, do not be at all astonished if people ridicule you. What did they say of the Master himself? «He hath a devil, and is mad.» They will not say any thing worse than that of you. And when they have said it, what does it matter? Hard words break no bones. So have courage enough to bear opposition, and you may, like your Master, yet find some who will defend you, for there may be those who will say, «These are not the words of him that hath a devil.»

John 10:22. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jesus round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

«You are not my chosen people; there has been no work of grace in your hearts, and therefore you do not believe.» What a brave way that was of putting the truth.» Some would have said, «Because you do not believe, you are not my sheep;» but Jesus puts it the other way, «Because you are not my sheep, therefore you do not believe.»

John 10:27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.

This great truth angered the Jews so much that they «took up stones again to stone him.» They proved, by thus treating the good Shepherd, that they were not his sheep.