Engage The Scripture Podcast
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Engage The Scripture Podcast
Ep. 44 John 10 1-21 “The Voice of the Shepherd — The Good Shepherd”
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In Episode 44 we step into the first half of John 10 and meet Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Right after healing the man born blind, Jesus speaks directly to the Pharisees, revealing who He really is—the Door of the sheep and the Good Shepherd who calls His own by name, lays down His life for them, and gives abundant life. We’ll see the difference between the true Shepherd and the thieves and hired hands, and hear the exciting announcement of one flock made up of both Jew and Gentile under one Shepherd. Real talk about real faith from East Tennessee.
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SPEAKER_02Welcome friends to the episode. It's a fresh start. And we're going to be looking at the first half of God chapter 1. We're calling this boys to the voice of the chef. No fancy stuff. Just real talk about real faith from beautiful into the state. And we are here to let God's word speak to our heart, to teach us and draw us closer to him. So come on in, pull up a chair, and let's engage the scripture together. Hello Britt, are you ready for chapter 10?
SPEAKER_00Hey Jeff, I'm right here and ready to go.
SPEAKER_02Alright, so today we're looking at the Good Shepherd Discourse in John chapter 10. Of course, it is spoken right after the event of chapter 9, where Jesus healed a man born blind and exposed the spiritual blindness of Israel's leaders. This section is all about identity, who Jesus is, who his sheep are, and why his voice divides the world. Here is who Jesus is talking to. There's no break between chapters 9 and 10, so he's most likely still speaking to the same group of Pharisees, the same leadership circle, who confronted him after the healing of the blind man. If you didn't catch the last episode with us, go back and catch up with us. So Jesus is looking straight at these blind guides, showing them what a true shepherd looks like. Okay, Brent, go ahead, start us off with our reading, verses one through three.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I'm reading from the ESV, John 10, verse 1 through 3. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
SPEAKER_02And right off the bat, Jesus uses that double truly truly again. We've talked about it many times. In John's Gospel, those two words are never just filler. They mean pay attention. What I'm about to say comes straight from God Himself. It's his way of showing this has full divine authority. And then Jesus paints this picture that everyone in Jerusalem would have understood. A shared sheep pen where different flocks stay together. There's one gate and a gatekeeper watching over it. And Dr. Carson points out that this isn't one neat parable. It's a bunch of word pictures put together. The main point here is recognition. The real shepherd is the gatekeeper, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Jesus says he calls each of his own sheep by name, one by one. This is personal. It's close and its own purpose. The picture also carries a lot of meaning from the Old Testament. Psalms 23 says, The Lord is my shepherd. Psalms 80 calls out, Give ear, O shepherds of Israel. In Isaiah 40, God gathers his lambs in his arms. In Jeremiah 23, Ezekiel 34, and Zechariah 11, God speaks against the bad shepherds who failed Israel and promises that he himself will come and shepherd his people. So when Jesus starts talking about shepherds and sheep, he is stepping straight into Israel's long prophetic story. Jesus is claiming to be the promised shepherd from God.
SPEAKER_00Jeff, that's huge, because everyone listening to Jesus would have known those passages.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. The sheep pen stands for the religious setup in Israel, the place where God's people were supposed to be safe and cared for. But we have already seen that in chapter 9, the Pharisees threw the healed blind man out of that pen. So Jesus is showing everyone what a real shepherd actually looks like. In real life shepherding, the gatekeeper only opens the gate for the approved shepherds. He knows their hearts and their motives. Jesus is saying the Father knows me and recognizes me as the true shepherd. The difference is clear. The thief slips in quietly and steals. These are the false teachers who take advantage of the people. The robber is the violent one, the kind of bad leader that Ezekiel 34 speaks against. I also want to point out here that Jesus is taking his people back from the corrupt human and spiritual powers that had scattered the flock. That's exactly what Ezekiel 34 and Psalms 84 describe. Okay, Britt, take us through verses four and five, please.
SPEAKER_00Verse 4 and 5, when he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.
SPEAKER_02Near Eastern shepherds don't drive their sheep from behind. They walk ahead of them and they call them forward. It's a clear picture of discipleship. Jesus leads his people by his voice. His sheep won't follow a stranger. This isn't stubbornness, it's discernment. They know the difference.
SPEAKER_00So when Jesus says they won't follow a stranger, he's saying they can tell the difference.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. Sheep are prey animals. Their only defense is to flee. They bond deeply with their flock and respond only to the voice they trust. A stranger's voice triggers fear. Like I said, shepherds knew each of their sheep by name. They talked to them constantly. The sheep learn the shepherd's voice through daily care, protection, and the shepherd's presence. And Jesus has already told the Pharisees in John 8, 42 to 47, why they don't respond to him. He says, You are of your father, the devil, you cannot hear my word. So they are clearly following another voice, not the shepherds. Jesus says they won't follow a stranger. The stranger is the thief or robber, the false shepherds of Israel. Ezekiel 34 is in the background. Corrupt leaders who feed themselves instead of the flock.
SPEAKER_00Verse 6. This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
SPEAKER_02When John says they don't understand, he's not talking about a little mix-up. This goes back to chapter 9. They didn't understand the healed man's story. They didn't understand who Jesus really was. So now Jesus gives them this shepherd picture. And once again, they don't get it. In John's Gospel, this kind of misunderstanding is never just a simple mistake. It's spiritual blindness. It shows they don't recognize his voice because they are not his sheep. John's been showing us that pattern all through the gospel. Notice this verse says Jesus used this figure of speech and uses the Greek word paronia, not parable. A peronea is a comparison or illustration. Jesus is comparing Israel to a sheepfold and the leaders to shepherds. The Pharisees still can't see it. And that sets up the next part where Jesus changes the picture and makes the point even clearer.
SPEAKER_00Okay, just to make sure we are all on the same page here, a sheep hold was a safe pen where the sheep stayed at night. In Jesus' time, it was usually a stone walled area built against a hill or a cave. Different flocks would all be brought into the same pen for protection from animals and thieves. There was only one gate, and a gatekeeper watched over it. In the morning the shepherd would call his own sheep by name, and they would follow only his voice.
SPEAKER_02That's right, you got it. And that sets up the next part where Jesus changes the picture and makes the point even clearer, Brent. Uh, please go ahead and read seven to ten for us.
SPEAKER_00Okay, verse seven. So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
SPEAKER_02Before we go any further, this is the third I am statement in John's gospel. I am the door. He is the only legitimate way into God's flock. He is the only access point to God's protection, his presence, and real life. This is John's way of saying the same thing we read later in John 14 and 6. Even though we haven't gotten to chapter 14 yet, Jesus has already made it clear right here that he is the only way in.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, let me read John 14, 6 as well, so everyone remembers. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
SPEAKER_02So here, Jesus isn't just describing the shepherd, he's describing the way in. And before we go any further, let me remind everyone of what we mean when we talk about the seven I am statements in John's Gospel. We mentioned this early on in the series. Many scholars point out a clear pattern in John's Gospel. John loves the number seven. He shows us seven signs, seven major teachings, and traditionally seven picture statements where Jesus uses the Greek words egoime, I am, and attaches a clear image to each one. These are his ways of telling us who he really is. We have already discussed two of those in previous chapters. Here they are. In John 6, I am the bread of life. Then in John 8, I am the light of the world. Now we have this third I am statement, I am the door. And we will see in the next verse, verse 11, he will say, I am the good shepherd, which will be our fourth I am statement. In later chapters, he will say, I am the resurrection and the life, John 11, I am the way, the truth, and the life, John 14, and then I am the true vine, John 15. Now, not all scholars agree on the number seven. Some point out that Jesus also uses the absolute I am without a metaphor, and those are just as important. You have the I am he from John 4.26, then unless you believe that I am he, John 8.24, before Abraham was I am, John 8.58, and those echo Exodus 3.14, God's name. When people talk about the seven I am statements, they mean the seven metaphorical ones, the ones with the images attached. And right here in John 10, Jesus gives us two of them. I am the door, and in a moment, I am the good shepherd. Okay, that was a lot, but I'm sure there is someone out there who needed to hear that again.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so Jesus said he is the door in verse 7. Then in verse 8, he says, All who come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
SPEAKER_02Let's tackle that part where Jesus says, All who come before me, he's not talking about Moses or the prophets. The Greek tense shows he's talking about the leaders in his own time, the corrupt religious rulers, the false messiahs, and the self-appointed shepherds.
SPEAKER_00So when Jesus says they climbed over the wall, he's painting a picture of thieves and robbers. They're not coming through the proper gate. They're sneaking in another way to steal, kill, and destroy. They're trying to lead God's people without going through him.
SPEAKER_02They bypass God's appointed way and try to take control themselves. But Jesus is the true door. He's the only legitimate way into the sheepfold.
SPEAKER_00Verse 9, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
SPEAKER_02Those that enter through Jesus, the true door, are God's true people, the faithful remnant. They have always recognized the shepherd's voice. The blind man in chapter 9 is the perfect example. He listened to Jesus, not the Pharisees. Then notice Jesus says, If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. So the Satai means rescued, keep safe, delivered from danger. Salvation is not just forgiveness, it's belonging to the flock under the shepherd's care. He will not only be saved, he will go in and out and find pasture. This picture of entering through the door meant freedom. It meant safety and provision for the sheep. That word pasture echoes Ezekiel 34, the restored kingdom where God Himself feeds his people. It's Psalms 23 in motion.
SPEAKER_00Okay, verse 10. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly.
SPEAKER_02In context, the thief here is not Satan directly. It's the Pharisees and the false teachers who block access to God's kingdom. The Greek word matters, klepto, steal, take secretly, thuo, kill, kill as sacrifice, using the sheep for their own gain. Destroy apolemy, meaning ruin, cause to perish. False shepherds steal spiritual life, sacrifice people for their own benefit, and destroy the flock. And when Jesus says he came to give life abundantly, he uses the word Zoe again, God's own life, not bios, physical life, not shuka, emotional life, but Zoe, the overflowing, God-given quality of life under the shepherd's care. The life he gives is not just long life, it's full, rich, abundant life under the care of the good shepherd. And the thieves and robbers? These are the false leaders who promise a lot but bring destruction. Okay, I think we've covered all that, Brent. Go ahead and read verse 11 through 13.
SPEAKER_00This part always gets me. The Good Shepherd laying down his life. Here we go. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
SPEAKER_02Now Jesus gives the heart of the discourse. I am the good shepherd, not sentimental, not soft. The word good means noble, worthy, genuine. It's the true shepherd promised in Ezekiel 34. And if you're not familiar with Ezekiel 34, let me give you the short version, because Jesus is pulling straight from that chapter. Ezekiel 34 is God's judgment of Israel's leadership. He calls them false shepherds, men who feed themselves instead of the flock, who rule harshly, who scattered the sheep, and who never straightened the weak or sought the lost. And then God says, I myself will come and shepherd my people. He promises to rescue his flock, to gather them, to heal them, feed them, and place over them one true shepherd, a shepherd like David, who will care for them the way God Himself does. So when Jesus says, I am the good shepherd, he is claiming to be the fulfillment of Ezekiel 34, the shepherd God promised to send. And remember this is not sentimental language. This is a direct messianic claim rooted in Israel's prophetic story. And notice this, he lays down his life. Not accidentally, not tragically, but intentionally. The hired hand would run. The good shepherd stays. The wolf scatters, the good shepherd protects. This is Jesus showing the clear difference between himself and Israel's leaders and the spiritual powers behind them.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. Verse 14 and 15. I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.
SPEAKER_02Okay, this is amazing. Now, Jesus isn't saying our relationship with him is identical to his relationship with the Father. That relationship is eternal and divine. But he is saying the pattern is the same, the same kind of knowing, the same kind of intimacy, the same kind of love, and yes, the same kind of loyalty. The shepherd knows his sheep the way the father knows the son, personally, deeply, and relationally.
SPEAKER_00Verse 16, and I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them always. They will listen to my voice, so there will be one flock, one shepherd.
SPEAKER_02This is the Gentile mission announced before the cross. The fold is Judaism. The other sheep are Gentiles. Just so everyone is clear, a Gentile is simply anyone who is not Jewish. In the biblical story, Israel is God's covenant people, and the nations are the Gentiles, everyone outside that covenant family. Jesus himself gathers them. And let me explain something here because some people have heard this verse translated as onefold. That comes from the Latin Vulgate, the Bible translation used in the Western Church for over a thousand years. The Vulgate translated Jesus' words as onefold, but the Greek text doesn't say onefold. It says one flock, one new community made of Jew and Gentile together under one shepherd. So why does that matter? A fold is a physical enclosure, a Jewish structure. A flock is a people, a new united community. Jesus isn't saying Gentiles must enter Judaism. He's saying he is forming one flock, a new messianic family made of both Jew and Gentile. And Heiser would say it this way: this is Jesus reclaiming the nation's disinherited at Babel. That Deuteronomy 32 worldview. One flock, one shepherd, one family. And Brent, let me slow down a minute. This is where something really important comes in, something most Christians never hear. Christianity and Judaism were never meant to be two separate religions. The early church severed that connection centuries ago, and both sides suffered for it. God is calling believers back to their biblical roots, back to the soil that nourished the faith from the beginning. Christianity grew out of an everlasting covenant God made with Abraham. Gentile believers become part of that covenant through faith in Jesus. But the root, the history, the culture, the worldview, it's Hebraic. The problem is that we read a Middle Eastern book with a Western mind shaped more by Greek philosophy than Hebrew thought. When you read Scripture through Western eyes, you miss things the biblical writers assume you already knew. That's why context matters. The Bible must be interpreted in the context that produced it, the ancient Near Eastern Mediterranean world, and not our modern traditions. And part of that context is this. So when we recover the Hebraic root, our understanding of Jesus becomes richer, deeper, and clearer, and more faithful to the world he lived in. Now, I know some people say we don't need all that Jewish background. We have Jesus. But Jesus comes from that background. He is the Jewish Messiah. You can't understand the shepherd without understanding the story he fulfills. When we learn the roots, we see our place in God's kingdom more clearly. Hopefully, Britt, that clears things up. Go ahead and read verses 17 and 18 for us, please.
SPEAKER_00Verse 17 and 18. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
SPEAKER_02Jesus' death is voluntary. His resurrection is authoritative. Both are commanded by the Father. The Father's love for the Son is eternal, but Jesus' obedience expresses that love. He lays down his life in order to take it up again. Death and resurrection are one mission. And let me point this out. Dr. Heiser would probably say this is the cosmic victory. The moment Jesus defeats the powers, judges the corrupt rulers, and reclaims the nations. Okay, Britt, go ahead and finish the section.
SPEAKER_00Verse 19 and 21. There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, He has a demon and is insane. Why listen to him? Others said, These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
SPEAKER_02Jesus' words divide the crowd. They always do. Some dismiss him as demon-possessed and insane. Others remember the blind man and say a demon cannot open blind eyes. And that's the point. His work validates his words. His healing of the blind man is Yahweh's signature, Psalms 146.8. This whole section ends where it began. With the blind man. The Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name, opens blind eyes, and exposes the blindness of those who refuse his voice. Amen, and that's it for today. Good stuff. Hey, that's right. Next time, we step into the Feast of Dedication. Where Jesus will make one of the most explosive claims in the gospel. I and the Father are one. And the leaders will pick up stones. But for now, we've heard the shepherd's voice. We've taken hard. We've watched till 515. You have Gentile. It's a one thought under one shepherd. Jesus is the good chapter. You guys have a great week. Hello.
SPEAKER_01Use simultaneous to Engage the Scripture Podcast, where context reveals the meaning. The spirit reveals truth. And together they illuminate God's word. If you have questions or want to dive deeper into today's topic, visit engagethescripture.com. Click on the link. This podcast is for educational and divisional purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not constitute professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to study scripture and seek guidance to trusted spiritual leaders. Used under a royalty free live test.