John 10:1-10:
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. 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.
What is Jesus teaching here? He is teaching all of us to discern:
His character
His voice
His way
1. His character
Jesus said:
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. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep (John 10:1-2).
What is interesting is that there is no break from John chs 9 to 10 so Jesus is still talking with the man that has received his sight. Right away Jesus wanted to teach this man how to differentiate the character of the Good Shepherd from that of thieves/robbers and false teachers. The false shepherds Jesus is referring to here are the Pharisees, who instead of caring for this man, condemned him and then kicked him out of the synagogue. The religious leaders left this man to wander alone and it was Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who went to look for him and found him.
These false shepherds were not helping the sheep but using them for their own benefit. In other words, these shepherds didn’t have God’s heart for His people and didn’t reflect His character. Instead of leading them into an encounter with the living God and teaching them His Word and caring for them, they were leading the people away from God and into empty religious rituals. Instead of bringing the people to God to graze in green pastures of His grace and mercy, these leaders were leaving them diseased, in their distress, and spiritually dead. While it was still day, Jesus would continue to teach the people the truth and express His character and nature to them so they would be prepared. He knew the night was coming and that is when thieves and robbers come in to steal, kill, and destroy.
We see throughout the Old and New Testaments God rebuking the false shepherds who harmed the sheep because of their lack of compassion, their greed, and selfish desire for power and control. He rebuked them for feeding the flock their own man-constructed traditions, for not expressing His character and nature and for walking contrary to His Word.
In v. 3, when Jesus came to the sheep it was through the gate. The gate or entrance was guarded by a doorkeeper or watchman whose job was to admit authorized persons and keep out intruders. If anyone was seen climbing into the fold on one of the other sides, it was safe to assume that he was an intruder, up to no good. Today, it’s normal for people to ring the bell when they come to your door and if you saw someone climbing over your neighbor’s fence or making their way through the hedges you might tend to think this is someone up to no good.
These intruders were supposed to be “God’s representatives to His people” but Jesus characterized them as thieves and robbers who steal by stealth or else by violent exploitation and intimidation. Abusive, false teachers who have an ulterior motive and agenda, they use deception or stealth to get rich off of people and exploit the poor through intimidation and manipulation. Not only what they taught them was wrong; it was also destructive. Through their laws, rules, and regulations they made God to look like a cosmic bully, presenting a distorted picture of God.
Throughout the history of Israel and the church, God has always been warning His people against false prophets and their teaching. That is why Jesus and His disciples taught the people the Scriptures and about God’s true character and warned them to continually be on alert about these things.
This is why Paul stayed in Ephesus for three years, teaching the church the whole counsel of God day and night because he knew that as soon as he left the attacks against God’s church would come. He warned the elders in Ephesus to guard themselves and the church against false teaching and against wolves who would come in to tear the church apart. Someone told me they just read an article about a wolf here in Austria, in Carinthia, who came into a sheepfold, killing 12 sheep. The wolf didn’t kill to eat, he killed for the sake of killing - he was ravenous. Jesus was saying here that these thieves just want to take and kill the sheep because this is their nature. This is the opposite of the character of the Good Shepherd.
As God’s people, Jesus wants us to be able to know His character so intimately so we will be able to discern false shepherds. Church historians tell us that after Paul, Timothy, and John had left the church in Ephesus some of the leaders in the church took elements of pagan religions and blended them with Christianity, in order to make it more acceptable to the pagan culture. These pagan or secular ideologies didn’t come through the front door, and because they weren’t being examined in light of the Scriptures, they made their way into the church, and began to be taught by those within the church and many were led astray.
This brings me to the second point - why it is so important to discern:
2. His voice
Jesus said in vv. 3-4:
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice (John 10:3-4).
The doorkeeper would only recognize the rightful Shepherd and open the door or gate for Him. I believe that the doorkeeper could be the Old Testament Scriptures that pointed to the Messiah, recognizing that He is the One who cares for the nation of Israel. Jesus walks into the midst of the sheep and calls out to each one by name. Those within the nation of Israel who heard His distinct call, who recognized His voice, went out of the sheep pen and followed Him. This is a picture of God calling you and I out from among the nations to follow Him. V. 5 says,
However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but they will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:5).
How well do you know Jesus’ voice? Jesus is saying when a stranger calls out to God’s sheep, they don’t respond, they won’t listen, they won't be distracted and won’t follow. They know the shepherd's voice. The shepherds of the Near East (both now and in Jesus’ day) led their flocks, they had distinct ways of calling them. I watched a video filmed in the Near East where four shepherds called out to a flock of sheep with the same call. When the first three shepherds called out to the sheep, they didn’t even look up. But when their own shepherd called out to them, they all looked up, started calling back to him and then began running to him.
This is the analogy of Master/disciple. The sheep follow wherever the shepherd leads because they know his voice and trust his character; by the same token, they will run from anyone else because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.
As the early church grew it had to deal with a lot of voices, false teaching and heresies which crept into the church. For example, questions were raised as to whether Jesus was fully man or fully God or half and half? Is it Jesus only or is there a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Is God’s Word inerrant, meaning without error or are only certain parts of the Scriptures inerrant? Is it good works plus God’s grace that ensures our entrance into heaven? Was the God of the OT different from the God of the NT and does the OT no longer apply to those in the new covenant, and so on.
Honestly, it is no different today - there is literally nothing new under the sun. The world is full of cults, people claiming to be the new Messiah. Progressive theologians are raising questions about Christ’s divinity, if the Scriptures are authoritative or are they merely a suggestion for how we are to live. They are redefining God’s divine institution of marriage - is it the union between a man and woman or is it also between man and man, woman and woman? What is human identity anyway? Are heaven and hell real or are they just a state of mind? Just like back in the 1st century AD churches are blending human philosophies and ideologies with the Christian faith to make it more acceptable to society. Some of these erroneous teachings are pretty obvious, others more subtle.
There are false teachings rising up in the church, hidden and embedded in movements that look like the Church. They believe that there is a way of being a Christian that is an alternative to the Christian faith. It's about experience over reason, subjectivity over objectivity, spirituality over religion, images over words, feelings over truth. They believe the Word is relative and not absolute. Jesus is simply our example of faith but He is not the Object of our faith. You do not have to come to God through Jesus, you can come any way you want. Which makes a saving faith in Jesus Christ meaningless. Another voice holds that only the words of Jesus written in red letters in the Bible are considered inspired and have authority and that all other words carry less weight. But even this group takes certain exceptions to Jesus' red-letter teachings.
The only way we will not be fooled or led astray is to really know God’s character and know His voice. He will never lead you down the wrong path nor abandon you. He’s our Good Shepherd and He calls to us to come through Him into the fold. He’s the gate and the gate offers us protection, peace, freedom and security from those who would attempt to turn us from following the Shepherd.
This is why it is important to know and study the whole counsel of God from the Old to New Testament and to keep the Scriptures in their correct context and doctrines aligned within the whole Bible. Are we as individuals and as a church examining the social movements and ideologies that are being propagated through the media and being adopted by churches today through the light of the whole counsel of God? Many of these movements use biblical principles and vocabulary, for example, justice, love, equality, and acceptance but in a way that is far from biblical Christianity in its methods and the fruit it produces. These movements are many times a potent blend of racism, paganism, and grievances and these movements encourage “partiality,” violence, lawlessness and undermine the unifying work of the Holy Spirit. That is not representative of God’s character or His voice. This is not the Gospel; it is an anti-Gospel.
When Jesus said, “Truly, truly” at the beginning of this passage and again in v. 7 He was saying, “this is of utmost importance.”
I know I have asked this question before but it is vital for our discernment. Whose voice are we listening to? Who or what is informing our thoughts and influencing our decisions? What is our standard for truth? Who or what is the final moral authority? Is it the news, cultural trends, and what’s being taught by secular humanism or is it the very words of God?
As God’s family, how should we think about and handle these issues today? This brings us to the third point - Jesus not only wants us to discern between His character and that of false shepherds, He not only wants us to discern and recognize His voice, He also wants us to discern:
3.His way
In v. 10, Jesus says:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
The way of Religion always takes, the law always kills, and lifestyles outside of God’s design destroy. Jesus way always gives us His life, strength, and wisdom (2 Cor 3:6). He not only calls us to live the righteous life for which we were designed, He gives us the power to do it and calls us to enter into abundant life. He gives us the ability to love and forgive, even our enemies, just as He did. He gives us the wisdom and strength to overcome injustice but not with vengeance.
The psalmist said because the Lord is my Shepherd, He provides all that I need. He feeds, guides, and shields me and lets me lie down in green pastures, leads me beside still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my life, renews my strength. He leads me in paths of righteousness bringing honor to His name. (Psalm 23:1-3). When you think of the way the world system works and God’s way, there is a great difference.
Jesus, who is gentle and humble said that His way is easy and His burden is light. He wants us to come to Him, He wants us to follow Him and wants to lead us. Jesus Christ’s desires that you find rest, that you come in out of the storm. Who here doesn’t have burdens? Who here doesn’t have so much on their plates they wonder how they will accomplish all that they are responsible for? Whose life is free of pain and hardship?
Jesus said take my yoke upon you and learn from me. His yoke is a yoke of kindness. Dane Ortlund described Jesus’ way like this:
"What helium does to a balloon, Jesus’ yoke does to His followers. We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness. He doesn’t simply meet us at our place of need; he lives in our place of need. He never tires of sweeping us into his tender embrace."
This is the way of Jesus. His is the way of kindness, humility, and love. We can come to Him with everything. It is the only place and the only way we will find rest - rest for our soul, our life.
As one pastor said: Jesus knows each of His sheep and He is a personal Shepherd. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. He knows if you are an older sheep you might walk a little slower now. He knows that if you’re a younger sheep you will be full of energy and enthusiasm and may tend to explore and wander off the path. He knows what we need - when we need to rest and when we need to eat, when we need guidance, comfort or when we need correction. Even His rod and His staff bring comfort. He knows us far better than we know ourselves. And as we draw close to him,as we learn to truth Him, we will discern His character, His voice, and His way.
