John 10:1-10. "Follow God’s Voice"
Everton Community Church. Sunday October 17, 2010.
This week saw two radically different outcomes from mine disasters. In Copiapo Chile, 33 miners began their first weekend above ground since a rescue that gripped the world, of their 69-day ordeal trapped deep in the earth. (http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Rescued+miners+nightmare+experience/3682562/story.html#ixzz12Wqrf98D)
Twenty Chinese miners have been killed and another 17 are missing after an accident underground in the central Chinese province of Henan Saturday. Although the Chinese Government promises to do everything it can to rescue the miners, their care for them is almost non-existent. Although they promise many things they do not deliver.
For the people of Israel, the care they received vacillated from empty promises to tender compassion. The most tender picture of a leadership that cared was that of a shepherd. Throughout Israel’s history, shepherding had always been a familiar part of everyday agrarian life. And the people all knew that sheep are the most helpless, defenseless, straying, and dirty of animals. They require constant oversight, leading, rescue, and cleaning or they will die. Being a shepherd was good training for leading people. In fact, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been shepherds (Gen. 13:1–11; 26:12–14; 46:32; 47:3), as were Israel’s greatest leaders: Moses (Ex. 3:1) and David (1 Sam. 16:11; 17:28, 34; 2 Sam. 7:8). It is not surprising, then, that the Old Testament writers frequently used shepherding imagery, depicting Israel as God’s flock (Pss. 74:1; 77:20; 78:52; 79:13; 80:1; 95:7; 100:3; Ezek. 34:12–16), God as her Shepherd (Gen. 48:15; 49:24; Pss. 23:1; 28:9; 80:1; Isa. 40:11; Jer. 23:3; Ezek. 34:11–12; Mic. 7:14), and her leaders as God’s undershepherds (Num. 27:16–17; 2 Sam. 5:2; 1 Chron. 17:6; Ps. 78:70–72; Jer. 3:15; 23:4). The New Testament writers also used that same familiar terminology to describe the church (Acts 20:28–29; 1 Peter 5:2–3).
But while the metaphor of a shepherd suggests tender care, it can also depict harsh, abusive, autocratic rule. The Bible refers to false spiritual leaders, as well as true ones, as shepherds. It is important to distinguish the voices. In verses 1–10 Jesus contrasted Himself with Israel’s false shepherds and calls us to follow God’s voice in recognizing: 1) The Voice of the True Shepherd (John 10:1-6), 2) Following the Voice through the Only Door to the Fold (John 10:7–10)
1) The Voice of the True Shepherd (John 10:1-6)
John 10:1-6 [10:1]"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. [2]But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. [3]To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4]When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. [5]A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." [6]This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. (ESV)
In His discussion with the Jews, Jesus switched to a common Old Testament theme to illustrate who He was. Those Jews would remember Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd” (verse 1; see also Psalm 80:1). They would recall Isaiah’s description of the Lord, “He tends his flock like a shepherd” (Isaiah 40:11), and Ezekiel’s, “As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep” (Ezekiel 34:12). They would know the Messiah was to be the shepherd of God’s people (Ezekiel 34:13) (Baumler, G. P. (1997). John. The People’s Bible (148). Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Publishing House.).
The phrase amēn, amēn (truly, truly) introduces a statement of notable importance. Jesus began this discourse by identifying Himself as the true Shepherd, in sharp contrast to all false shepherds. Each village in the sheepherding regions of Palestine had a sheepfold where sheep were kept at night. The shepherds would graze their flocks in the surrounding countryside during the day, and then lead them back to the communal sheepfold in the evening. There the shepherds would stop each sheep at the entrance with their rods and carefully inspect it before allowing it to enter the fold (cf. Ezek. 20:37–38).
Once in the fold, the sheep were in the care as it says in John 10:3, of the gate/doorkeeper who would keep watch over them during the night. He would give only the shepherds access to the sheepfold. There is considerable disagreement as to the identity of the gate/doorkeeper in this verse. Some think this expression refers to the prophets of the OT who foretold the coming of the Christ. Others believe it refers to John the Baptist, since he was the forerunner of the true Shepherd. Still others are equally sure that the gate/doorkeeper in this verse is the Holy Spirit who opens the door for the entrance of the Lord Jesus into hearts and lives. Based on how Jesus represents himself in John 10:7, it is most likely Jesus Himself. (MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997). Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 10:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
Regardless of who exactly this gate/doorkeeper was to represent, in general terms he was the undershepherd, who has been given the charge of a portion of God’s flock (see 1 Pet. 5:2) (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson study Bible : New King James Version (Jn 10:3). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.).
This is what God has charged pastor’s with:
1 Peter 5:2 [2]shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; (ESV)
• Men are either Christ’s under-shepherds/pastors, or they are the devil’s. The word pastor means shepherd in Latin, and it comes from a verb meaning to feed. No man is a pastor under Christ who does not feed people from the Word of God. A fold of sheep is a number of sheep under one shepherd; a flock is the totality of all the sheep under their great Shepherd. A church is thus a fold. (Rushdoony, R. J. (2000). The Gospel of John (128). Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books).
Anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but as it says in John 10:1, climbs in by another way, was a thief and a robber. Since the gate/doorkeeper obviously would not let strangers in, would-be rustlers had to climb the wall of the sheepfold to get at the sheep. Only the one as it says in John 10:2 who entered by the door was a shepherd of the sheep.
The one who enters the sheepfold by the door is seen to be the shepherd. He has the right to enter, and this is recognized when the gate/doorkeeper opens to him. In the case of a small flock there would be no such official, but what is apparently in mind here is a large fold where several flocks find shelter. One gate/doorkeeper can thus look after a large number of sheep (Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (446–447). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Each of those common elements of everyday life had a symbolic meaning in the Lord’s metaphor. Though some argue that the sheepfold represents the church or heaven, the context (cf. v. 16) indicates that it represents Israel. In addition, it is hard to see how thieves could break into either the church or heaven and steal sheep (cf. vv. 27–29). The door is Jesus Himself (vv. 7, 9), who alone has the authority to lead out of Israel’s fold His own elect sheep. The thieves and robbers represent the self-appointed (cf. Matt. 23:2) Jewish religious leaders, who, doing the work of the devil, not God, climbed the walls of the sheepfold to spiritually fleece and slaughter the people.
Lying prophets, often posing as true shepherds, threatened the early church (as they still do today). Jesus cautioned, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15). Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). Peter wrote, “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1). In his first epistle John cautioned, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Scripture also predicts the coming of the ultimate false shepherd, the final Antichrist. (cf. Dan. 11:36–45; 2 Thess. 2:3–10; Rev. 13:3–10)
Continuing with the figure of speech in John 10:3, when the shepherd comes in he calls the sheep, who know his voice. The Eastern shepherd often has an individual call for each of his sheep, and it is this that is in mind here. The sheep know their shepherd and recognize the call he gives his own. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice with understanding and appreciation. The shepherd does not call sheep in general, but his own sheep. He has a call that they (but not other sheep) recognize (Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (447). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
In the OT, God communicated with his people preeminently through the law (which spelled out God’s moral expectations for his people) and the prophets (who called people back to obedience to the law). People listened to God’s voice by living in conformity with his revealed will. At the present time (from the perspective of the earthly Jesus), those who desire to follow God should do so by listening to Jesus’ words and by obeying his commandments (e.g., 15:10) (Köstenberger, A. J. (2004). John. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (301). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic.).
Christ said that His sheep hear His voice when He calls them out of Israel and into His messianic fold. His imagery pictures the human response to the effectual, divine call to salvation (John 6:44, 65; 17:6, 9, 24; 18:9; Rom. 1:7; 8:28–30; 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:2, 23–24; Gal. 1:6, 15; Eph. 4:1, 4; Col. 3:15; 1 Thess. 4:7; 2 Thess. 2:13–14; 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Peter 1:15; 2:9, 21; 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3; Jude 1). Jesus calls his own sheep by name, because they are His. Their names were “written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain” (Rev. 13:8; cf. 3:5; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; Phil. 4:3), and they have been given to Him by the Father (John 6:37). The shepherd calls his own sheep by name, that is, individually rather than collectively, which contrasts with the general call issued to the entire flock (Carson 1991: 383). In Jesus’ case, the “sheep” are called out of Judaism (Carson 1991: 383; Barrett 1978: 369) (Köstenberger, A. J. (2004). John. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (301). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic.).
When he has put all his own sheep out of the fold the shepherd leads them out of the fold to their destination by walking before them. This is a very different picture from that of driving the sheep (which is more familiar in lands like Australia today). The word does have about it the air of force. Left to themselves the sheep might not go in the right way, but the shepherd constrains them. He uses force if necessary to ensure that their best interests are served (Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (447). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
• This refers not only to salvation, but also to daily guidance (cf. vv. 4 & 9) (Utley, R. J. D. (1999). Vol. Volume 4: The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John. Study Guide Commentary Series (96). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.)
John 10:4 notes that when he has brought out all his own, he goes before/ahead of them, and the sheep follow him. In the Near East the shepherd went ahead of his flock, alert to any potential dangers, making sure the trail was safe and passable, and leading the sheep to feed in the green pastures he had already scouted. So it is in salvation. Jesus savingly calls His sheep and leads them out of the fold where they were kept, taking them to the “green pastures” and “quiet waters” of God’s truth and blessing (Ps. 23:2).
The reason the sheep follow the Shepherd is because they know his voice. The recognition of Jesus’ voice is likened unto the call of His disciples. “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him” (Matthew 9:9). The Shepherd called him; he recognized His voice, and promptly followed Him (Pink, A. W. (1923-45). Exposition of the Gospel of John (515). Swengel, Pa.: Bible truth depot.).
Quote: Philip Keller writes:
The relationship which rapidly develops between a shepherd and the sheep under his care is to a definite degree dependent upon the use of the shepherd’s voice. Sheep quickly become accustomed to their owner’s particular voice. They are acquainted with its unique tone. They know its peculiar sounds and inflections. They can distinguish it from that of any other person.
If a stranger should come among them, they would not recognize nor respond to his voice in the same way they would to that of the shepherd. Even if the visitor should use the same words and phrases as that of their rightful owner they would not react in the same way. It is a case of becoming actually conditioned to the familiar nuances and personal accent of their shepherd’s call. (A Shepherd Looks at the Good Shepherd and His Sheep [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979], 39–40)
• We are to become so familiar with God’s voice as outlined in His word, that the similar sounding terminology used by false teachers can be distinguished from the truth.
• People fall prey to cults and false teaching when they only listen for terminology and don’t care to consider how that terminology is actually used. Cults often use evangelical terminology but define the terms in the opposite manner.
• Even as a tool in apologetics, other faith systems quite often misunderstand the terminology that we use, and we need to be clear and explain what we mean in the words that we use.
Actual sheep recognize the voice of their own shepherd, and will not respond to that of another. In the Word of God the true shepherd addresses his sheep. They know his voice, and follow — i.e., trust and obey — him (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 1-2: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to John. New Testament Commentary).
• This means that they do not quibble over God’s Word: they accept it as is. They do not regard certain texts as not meaning what they say, nor do they bypass certain doctrines because they dislike them: His sheep hear His voice. Their authority is not their own verdict concerning God’s Word, but God’s Word as it is (Rushdoony, R. J. (2000). The Gospel of John (128). Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books.).
John 10:5 notes that a stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for/because they do not know the voice of strangers. Travelers in modern Palestine have sometimes been able to document this. It appears that strangers, even when dressed in the shepherd’s clothing and attempting to imitate his call, succeed only in making the sheep run away. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice but do not know and do not respond to that of a stranger (Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (448). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
The word for know and recognize are the same word in Greek (oida), so the sheep will be known by whom they know. Here is a beautiful picture of both divine sovereignty in the shepherd’s call and the human response in the hearing, knowing and following by the sheep. We also find the theme of discernment, since there are more voices calling to them than just their own shepherd’s. Following Jesus means refusing to follow (false) shepherds (Whitacre, R. A. (1999). Vol. 4: John. The IVP New Testament commentary series (256). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.).
Please turn to 1 John 4
True believers will not abandon Christ, the Good Shepherd, to follow false shepherds. True believers recognize the truth revealed by God (8:31–32, 47, 51–52) and reject error.
John expressed that truth in his first epistle:
1 John 4:1-6 [4:1]Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2]By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3]and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. [4]Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. [5]They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. [6]We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (ESV)
Those who are Christ’s do not leave Him to follow those who deny the truth. The apostle John concluded this first metaphor with a footnote in John 10:6: This figure of speech Jesus used/spoke to them, but they did not understand what (those things were which) He was saying to them. The Greek word translated figure of speech (paroimia) describes veiled, enigmatic language that conceals a symbolic meaning. It denotes language of which the meaning is not obvious, but which conveys to those who probe deeply enough spiritual truths of importance (Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (448). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
This picture Jesus has drawn is not simply a comparison or an allegory. His illustration is a general parable, called a mashal, “a mysterious saying full of compressed thought.”( W. B. Westcott, The Gospel According to John, p. 215.) Those whose eyes have been opened spiritually, such as this new disciple healed of blindness, would see the truth hidden in the figurative language. But the spiritually blind, those who had cast the healed one out, would be baffled and angered (Fredrikson, R. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1985). Vol. 27: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 27 : John. The Preacher’s Commentary series (175). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
Though the figure of speech was presented plainly enough to the religious leaders, they failed to grasp its significance. So ingrained was their belief that as Abraham’s descendants they were part of God’s flock that they completely missed Jesus’ indictment of them when He stated that He was the true Shepherd and they were false shepherds to whom the sheep would not listen. Like His parables (Matt. 13:10–16), this figure of speech served a twofold purpose: It revealed spiritual truth to His followers, and concealed it from those who rejected Him.
Illustration: (Ira Sankey (Moody’s Song Leader)
Christmas Eve 1875, Ira Sankey was traveling on a Delaware River steamboat when he was recognized by some of the passengers. His picture had been in the newspaper because he was the song leader for the famous evangelist D. L. Moody. They asked him to sing (a) hymn. Sankey (sang) William B. Bradbury’s hymn, “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.”
As he sang, one of the stanzas began, “We are Thine; do Thou befriend us. Be the Guardian of our way.” When he finished, a man stepped from the shadows and asked, “Did you ever serve in the Union Army?” “Yes,” Mr. Sankey answered, “in the spring of 1860.”
Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?”
“Yes,” Mr. Sankey answered, very much surprised.
“So did I, but I was serving in the Confederate army. When I saw you standing at your post, I thought to myself, ‘That fellow will never get away alive.’ I raised my musket and took aim. I was standing in the shadow, completely concealed, while the full light of the moon was falling upon you. At that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to heaven and began to sing… ‘Let him sing his song to the end,’ I said to myself, ‘I can shoot him afterwards.’ He’s my victim at all events, and my bullet cannot miss him.’
But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now. I heard the words perfectly: ‘We are Thine; do Thou befriend us. Be the Guardian of our way.’ Those words stirred up many memories. I began to think of my childhood and my God-fearing mother. She had many times sung that song to me. When you had finished your song, it was impossible for me to take aim again. I thought, ‘The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty.’ And my arm of its own accord dropped limp at my side.”
(K Hughes, Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, Tyndale, 1988, p. 69)
2) Following the Voice through the Only Door to the Fold (John 10:7–10)
John 10:7-10 [7]So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. [8]All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. [9]I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. [10]The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (ESV)
Here Jesus changed the metaphor slightly. In the first figure of speech, He was the Shepherd; here He is the Door to the sheepfold. This is the third of seven statements in John’s gospel where “I AM” is followed by a predicate nominative (v. 11; 6:35; 8:12; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5). Now Jesus becomes very specific and personal in illuminating the meaning of His illustration. There is a singleness, an exclusiveness, about His solemn declaration, “I am the door of the sheep.” One theologian has called this “the offense of the particular.” He is the one entrance by which the sheep can enter the fold and join the flock. There is no other way for them to have access to the full treasure of life (Fredrikson, R. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1985). Vol. 27: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 27 : John. The Preacher’s Commentary series (175). Nashville, Tennessee:).
• Why is this exclusivity so offensive? Human pride desires that the individual is the one choosing the options.
• Imagine going to the parent of a family whose son or daughter just died in combat and say that is not enough. Why could you not have other children who could have died for freedom. I desire to have another option of another son to look up to.
• Consider this from God’s perspective: He had one Son. He sent His only Son to die to pay the penalty of sin. He had no more to give and He gave all that He had. It fully accomplished the redemption for a people who do not deserve it.
Since the religious leaders had failed to understand His first figure of speech, Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” “Door” is used metaphorically in other places in the New Testament (e.g., Luke 13:24; Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9,) but this is the only passage in which Jesus himself is seen as the door. The thought is not unlike that of John 1:51, where Jesus is the ladder connecting heaven and earth, or John 14:6, where he is the Way, but here it gets its force from the imagery of the sheepfold. There is but one door to a fold, and sheep and shepherds alike must enter by this door. There is no other way for them (Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (450). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Sometimes the shepherd slept in the opening of the sheepfold to guard the sheep. No one could enter or leave except through him. In Jesus’ metaphor He is the door through which the sheep enter the safety of God’s fold and go out to the rich pasture of His blessing. It is through Him that lost sinners can approach the Father and appropriate the salvation He provides; Jesus alone is “the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through [Him]” (John 14:6; cf. Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 1:30; 3:11; 1 Tim. 2:5). Only Jesus is the true source of the knowledge of God and salvation, and the basis for spiritual security.
The Lord’s assertion in John 10:8 that “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers,” does not, of course, include Israel’s true spiritual leaders (such as Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, among many others) Jesus’ attitude to the people of the Old Testament is clear in 5:46; 8:56) He must have in view the whole of the Jewish hierarchy of his day. They were not interested in the well-being of the sheep but only in their own advantage. The Sadducees in particular were known to make quite a lot of money out of temple religion, and there are denunciations of the Pharisees (Luke 16:14) and the scribes (Mark 12:40) for covetousness. We should almost certainly take “before me” as part of the imagery rather than as indicating Jesus’ predecessors the religious leaders. The shepherd comes to the fold for his sheep (vv. 2–3) the first thing in the morning. All who came before/preceded him accordingly must be thieves and the like, working in the darkness. All the more is this likely to be the case in that Jesus does not say that they “were”, as the NIV translates (the verb is εἰσίν.), but that they “are” thieves and robbers. The emphasis is on his own day (Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (451). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Jesus was referring to Israel’s false shepherds—her wicked kings, corrupt priests, false prophets, and pseudo-messiahs. However, the true sheep did not listen/hear them; they did not heed them and were not led astray by them.
In John 10:9, Jesus reiterated the vital truth of verse 7: “I am the door;” and He added the promise, “If anyone enters by/through Me, he will be saved” from sin and the wrath of God (Rom. 5). Christ’s sheep will experience God’s love, forgiveness, and salvation; they will go in and out freely, always having access to God’s blessing and protection, and never fearing any harm or danger. They will find satisfying pasture as the Lord feeds them (cf. Ps. 23:1–3; Ezek. 34:15) on His Word (cf. Acts 20:32). The sheep come in, as to a place of safety and out, as to “green pastures and still waters” (Ps 23:2) for nourishment and refreshing, and (finally) at the close of this earthly scene (Rev 7:17) (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Jn 10:9). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.).
Revelation 7:17 [17]For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (ESV)
Please turn back to John 6
In John 10:10 we see the utter contrast to the thieving false shepherds who, like their father the devil (8:44) came only to steal and kill and destroy the sheep. The world still seeks its humanistic, political saviours—its Hitlers, its Stalins, its Maos, its Pol Pots—and only too late does it learn that they blatantly confiscate personal property (they come ‘only to steal’), ruthlessly trample human life under foot (they come ‘only…to kill’), and contemptuously savage all that is valuable (they come ‘only…to destroy’It is not the Christian doctrine of heaven that is the myth, but the humanist dream of utopia (Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (385). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.)
Jesus came that they may have spiritual and eternal life
John 6:51-65 [51]I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." [52]The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" [53]So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [54]Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. [55]For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. [56]Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. [57]As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. [58]This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." [59]Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. [60]When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" [61]But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? [62]Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? [63]It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. [64]But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) [65]And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." (ESV) (cf. John 5:21; 6:33, 51–53, 57; Rom. 6:4; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13)
• Jesus here has just explained the theological doctrine behind the imagery He uses in John 10.
• He shows how people naturally live in a state of radical corruption (Jn. 6:53 "no life". (Jn. 6:53 "the flesh is no help at all")
• People of their own will cannot come to God (Jn. 6:65 "No one can come")
• He shows how many cannot understand His message (Jn. 6:50 "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?".
• Those who "Follow God’s Voice" are the ones granted him by the Father (Jn. 6:65)
• Those are the one who are given faith by the Father which results in eternal life (Jn. 6:54 "had eternal life")
This is what Jesus shows in John 10:10 when he says that these “Have life” which means “to have eternal life,” that is, “to be saved” (see 10:9). Importantly, however, this does not merely entail participation in the age to come (as was the general view among Jews); according to John, Jesus gives a full life already in the here and now (which does not imply the absence of persecution [cf. 15:18–25]). In the OT, it is especially the prophet Ezekiel who envisions pasture and abundant life for God’s people (cf. 34:12–15, 25–31). As the good shepherd, Jesus gives his sheep not merely enough but more than plenty (cf. Ps. 23; Ezek. 34; see Ridderbos 1997: 359). That is what Jesus meant when he said that His believers would have life abundantly. Perissos (abundantly) describes something that goes far beyond what is necessary.
Our English word “abundance” comes from the two Latin words ab and undare which mean “to rise in waves” or “to overflow.” The first translation gives a picture of the unceasing rise of the waves upon a seashore. There the waves rise again and again. One wave surges forward and exhausts its force on the sand, but another follows and another and another. Thus it will continue as long as time lasts. The other picture is of a flood. This makes us think of a river fed by heavy rains, rising irresistibly until it overflows its banks. The abundant life is, therefore, one in which we are content in the knowledge that God’s grace is more than sufficient for our needs, that nothing can suppress it, and that God’s favor toward us is unending. The Greek word for “abundance,” perissos, has a mathematical meaning and generally denotes a surplus (Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John : An expositional commentary (Pbk. ed.) (748). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
• The matchless gift of eternal life exceeds all expectation (cf. John 4:10 with 7:38; see also Rom. 8:32; 2 Cor. 9:15) (Köstenberger, A. J. (2004). John. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (304). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic.).
(Format Note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (2006). The MacArthur New Testament commentary : John 1-11 (422–431). Chicago: Moody Press).
