Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G091 The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd
John 10:1-21

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All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

John 10:1-21

1 “Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold through the door, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

2 But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out.

4 And whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.

5 But they will by no means follow a stranger, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

6 This illustration Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly 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 hear them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

12 But a hired hand, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13 But the hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and is not concerned about the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and I am known by My own.

15 Just as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.

18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father.”

19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these words.

20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is raving mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

21 Others said, “These are not the words of one being demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

In this lesson, we will study together some very important truths. The Lord Jesus used the imagery of the sheepfold, the flock, the doorkeeper of the sheepfold, the thief, the robber, the shepherd, the hired hand, the door of the sheep, the pasture, and the wolf to represent these truths.

The teachings of the Lord Jesus in the passage of Scripture we are studying in this lesson are His continued words to the large crowd at the Temple, which included the Pharisees who opposed Him. They were the ones who witnessed the man who had been born blind being healed by the Lord Jesus and bowing down to worship Him.

John 10:1-3

1 “Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold through the door, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

2 But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out.

The term “sheepfold” is a compound noun. The first part, “αὐλή” (aulē) /ow-lay’/ (G833), means an open courtyard surrounding a house, enclosed by walls or a fence. The second part, “πρόβατον” (probaton) /prob’-at-on/ (G4263), is used to refer to grazing livestock with four legs, particularly sheep. Therefore, the term “sheepfold” in the original Greek of the Bible refers to an open area around a house, used as a place to keep sheep at night.

A “sheepfold” could also refer to an area in the field, far from villages, enclosed by a fence where sheep are brought in at night to protect them from thieves and wolves.

The sheepfold has only one door for entry and exit. A thief who wants to steal sheep would try to climb over the walls or fence to enter the fold and secretly take the sheep. When discovered, the thief might turn into a robber, using force to overpower the doorkeeper to seize the sheep. There were also professional robbers who would attack the shepherd or the doorkeeper to take the entire flock of sheep.

Wealthy individuals often hired doorkeepers to guard the sheepfold. At night, the doorkeeper would watch over the entrance to prevent intruders from entering. Early in the morning, when the shepherd arrived, the doorkeeper would open the door for the shepherd to enter, call the sheep, and lead them out of the fold to take them to pastures and streams for food and water.

Sheep owners who were not wealthy enough to hire help would serve as both the shepherd and the doorkeeper for their own sheepfolds.

In the Middle East, shepherds have the habit of naming their sheep, a practice that continues to this day. There is a very close relationship between the shepherd and the flock.

We can understand that:

The “sheepfold” is the Church.

The “sheep” refers to God’s people within the Church.

The “door” in these verses represents the permission of the God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Only those who have faith in the salvation of the God—those who truly repent of their sins and fully believe in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ—are allowed by Him to enter the Church and become sheep in the fold (John 6:65). Only those whom the Lord Jesus grants the ministry of shepherding (Ephesians 4:11) are permitted by the God to enter the Church to shepherd it.

“Climbs up some other way” means infiltrating the Church without faith in the salvation of the God, without being granted a ministry by the Lord Jesus Christ, and without the God’s permission.

The “thief” is someone who blends into the Church for personal gain. Such a person does not truly believe in the Gospel; their purpose is to seek material benefits from God’s people.

The “robber” refers to false teachers from heretical religious organizations who attack the Church, spreading doctrines contrary to the Scriptures and corrupting the Church.

The “doorkeeper” is the God, who always watches over His people.

“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalms 121:4).

“The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” (Psalms 121:8).

“I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.” (Isaiah 27:3).

Although the God is the One who watches over the Church, any local Church that sins by harboring false teachers or compromising with heresies, like the Churches in Pergamum and Thyatira (Revelation 2), and does not repent, will be allowed by the God to scatter.

The “shepherd” is the person whom the Lord Jesus grants the ministry of shepherding to care for God’s people within the Church. The role of a shepherd in the Church cannot be self-proclaimed, nor can it be conferred by religious organizations. The Word of God clearly teaches:

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers…” (Ephesians 4:11).

We would like to quote below from the sermon “The Ministry of Shepherding.”

“As stated above, the true shepherd of the Lord is not someone trained, recognized, ordained, and salaried by religious organizations. The Church of the Lord is not the organizations that gather within religious denominations. Wherever there are people who sincerely believe in the Lord and live according to His Word, gathering together, that is the gathering of the Church. In those gatherings, the Lord will use one or more individuals to teach His Word to the Church. These are the elders in the Church. Among these elders, there will be those whom the Lord entrusts with the ministry of shepherding.”

“If the Church fully obeys the Lord and lives according to His Word, the Holy Spirit Himself will reveal to the Church who has been entrusted by the Lord with the ministry of shepherding in a local Church. Acts 13:1-3 provides a clear example, showing that if the Church pleases the Lord, it will hear the guidance of the Holy Spirit regarding the ministries within the Church. As for the individual entrusted by the Lord with the ministry of shepherding, or any other ministry, they themselves will also know that the Lord has chosen and set them apart for the ministry.”

Dear brothers and sisters, please read or listen to the sermon “The Ministry of Shepherding” to learn more details about the ministry of shepherds in the Church.

Although in verse 11 the Lord Jesus refers to Himself as “the good shepherd,” the term “shepherd” in verses 2 through 4 refers to those whom the Lord Jesus grants the ministry of shepherding, to care for God’s people within local Churches.

A true shepherd has a close relationship with the true sheep. A true shepherd loves the Lord above all else and therefore also loves God’s people more than themselves and is willing to sacrifice everything for them. A true shepherd understands the personality of each of God’s people. The phrase “calls his own sheep by name” implies that a true shepherd has close, personal interactions with God’s people in the Church. A true shepherd does not set themselves apart as a superior class above God’s people; instead, they humble themselves, serving God’s people.

The phrase “leads them out” implies that a true shepherd cares for the spiritual life of God’s people. Just as a shepherd leads sheep to green pastures and still waters, a true shepherd in the Church leads God’s people to understand the truth of the Word of God, so they may grow in His Word and find rest in it. This is accomplished through faithfully and wholeheartedly teaching the Word of God.

John 10:4-5

4 And whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.

5 But they will by no means follow a stranger, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

A true shepherd lives according to the Word of God to set an example for God’s people. The true people of God obey the shepherd and live according to the shepherd’s example. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they know that the shepherd preaches the Word of God faithfully to them. Moved by the Holy Spirit, they eagerly live according to the Word of God.

When a stranger falsely claims to be a servant of the Lord and, in the Lord’s name, preaches things contrary to Scripture, the true people of God immediately recognize this and avoid such a person. “They do not know the voice of strangers” because the preaching of that person does not come from God, does not come from Scripture, and is not confirmed by the Holy Spirit in their spirit.

Only those who believe in the Lord but do not wholeheartedly live according to the Word of God and who do not live wholeheartedly for the Lord are led astray by heresies.

John 10:6-7

6 This illustration Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

The words spoken by the Lord Jesus, recorded from verses 1 to 5, are a parable. However, those who heard Him did not understand the meaning of the parable.

The people of Israel knew that God’s people are called the sheep of the Lord. Surely, everyone among them was familiar with Psalm 23 and Psalm 100.

Psalm 23 begins with the following two verses:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” (Psalms 23:1-2).

Psalm 100 includes the verse:

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalms 100:3).

However, they did not understand the parable about the sheepfold and the shepherd. Therefore, the Lord Jesus spoke another parable. He acknowledged that He is “the door of the sheep.”

John 10:8-10

8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The verse, “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers,” does not include Moses and the prophets or anyone whom God sent to shepherd His people, as recorded in the Scriptures. Instead, this verse refers to those who falsely claimed to be prophets, shepherds, or the Christ during the approximately 400 years of God’s silence towards the people of Israel. This period spans from the death of the Prophet Malachi to the appearance of John the Baptist.

During this time, many individuals rose up, claiming to have been sent by God to deliver the people of Israel. Notable examples include Theudas and Judas, as mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.

“For before these days, Theudas rose up, claiming himself to be someone, to whom was joined a number of men, about four hundred. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this arose Judas the Galilean, in the days of the census, and caused considerable number of people after him to revolt. That one also perished, and as many as were persuaded by him were dispersed.” (Acts 5:36-37).

The words of the Lord Jesus were meant to affirm that, before Him, anyone who falsely claimed to be sent by God to shepherd the people of Israel but was not recorded in the Scriptures was a thief and a robber. In reality, except for a few, the majority of the people of Israel did not listen to such individuals.

The Lord Jesus declared Himself to be “the door,” meaning that He is the only way for someone to be saved and to enter the Church. Therefore, He later affirmed: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Later, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Peter, also affirmed:

“Nor is there salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven which has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

“Enters by Me” means entering the Church through faith in Christ.

“Will be saved” means that the God will forgive their sins, freeing them from the punishment due to breaking the God’s commandments; they will be cleansed from the sinful nature by the Lord Jesus, freed from the bondage of sin; and they will be given life and power from the Holy Spirit to overcome sin and death.

“Will go in and go out, and will find pasture” means being part of the Church, with the Lord Jesus sending true shepherds to guide them so they may be nourished with the Word of God, growing in faith and in the knowledge of God’s Word.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” means the sole purpose of the thief is to exploit God’s people, even if it harms them, both physically and spiritually. Stealing refers to material possessions, while killing and destroying refer to spiritual harm—leading a person to lose their faith and be eternally lost.

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” means that the Lord Jesus came to give both physical and spiritual life to anyone who believes in Him. Physical life refers to the resurrection or transformation of the physical body, living forever in happiness in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spiritual life refers to the eternal growing knowledge of God.

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” (John 17:3).

Those who believe in Christ have an abundant life both physically and spiritually. The abundant life referred to here is not a life filled with material wealth, although some of God’s people are blessed with material abundance. Abundant life in the Lord means an abundance of joy in life and an abundance of strength from God to live according to His Word, no matter the circumstances. The life of the Apostle Paul, as described in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, was filled with countless hardships, suffering, difficulties, and lack, yet it was an abundant life, enabling him to overcome all challenges. God’s people, while enduring suffering, still have joy and contentment. For they know that it is the God’s will, and their suffering will be rewarded by the Lord Jesus in due time.

“And if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer together, so that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:17).

The true people of God cannot avoid suffering for His name, for they are called to endure suffering for His name (1 Peter 2:21). The true people of God do not complain or grumble when they face hardships but rejoice and give thanks to God, knowing that everything the God allows to happen works together for their good (Romans 8:28). The true people of God always have abundant life in the Lord, even while they are still in this life.

John 10:11-13

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

12 But a hired hand, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13 But the hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and is not concerned about the sheep.

The adjective “καλός” (kalos) /kal-os’/ (G2570) encompasses meanings such as beautiful, excellent, pure, prominent, noble, truthful, useful, and worthy of admiration. It is translated into English as “good.”

The Lord Jesus identifies Himself as the “good shepherd” because He is the Good One, the one who leads those called to the ministry of shepherding in the Church. A good shepherd is always ready to lay down his life to protect the flock. In the case of the Lord Jesus, He laid down His life so that those who believe in Him would become His sheep.

Following the example of the Lord Jesus, all true shepherds are also ready to lay down their lives for the flock. Laying down one’s life does not only mean giving up one’s physical life but also includes giving up the means of living, such as money, possessions, status, power, and more, when necessary, to protect the flock.

The term “hired hand” mentioned here refers to a hired shepherd. In reality, a hired shepherd is rarely willing to sacrifice for the flock. When the flock is attacked by wolves or thieves, the hired shepherd may run away to save himself, leaving the sheep to be torn apart by wolves, scattered, or allowing the thieves to steal the sheep. Hirelings are those hired by religious organizations bearing the name of the Lord to do the work of preaching the Word of God. They will never place the interests and safety of God’s people above their own. A hired shepherd often places himself above God’s people, being proud, boastful, greedy, and deceitful.

We need to make this distinction clear. There is only one Church of the Lord, which is the collective body of those who truly repent of their sins, fully believe in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and wholeheartedly live according to the Word of God. The Church of the Lord is not the religious organizations bearing the name of the Lord, even though they may call themselves “churches.” But within these religious organizations bearing the name of the Lord, there are true believers of the Lord. Often, the true believers in these religious organizations are shepherded by hirelings.

The Lord Jesus is the “Good Shepherd.” Those who receive the ministry of shepherding from the Lord Jesus must keep themselves to always be good shepherds following His example.

The true people of God need to read and meditate on the Word of God day and night to carefully follow it (Joshua 1:8), by which they will discern the false teachings of the Word of God in the religious organizations and escape from them. In these last days, the true people of God must remain vigilant, keeping themselves holy in living according to the Word of God, and avoid teachings that do not align with the Scriptures. The true people of God gather together to form a local Church, and the Lord will give them a good shepherd.

John 10:14-16

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and I am known by My own.

15 Just as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Once again, the Lord Jesus acknowledges Himself as the “good shepherd.” He knows each person who belongs to Him, and they also know Him.

The verb “know” not only means an external recognition but also a very intimate understanding of one another, like the mutual understanding between a husband and wife. The Lord Jesus compares His knowing of God’s people and their knowing of Him to the way the God knows Him and He knows the God. It is complete knowledge according to the capacity of understanding.

It is natural that the Lord Jesus knows each of God’s people. However, it is not true that just anyone who claims to be God’s people is known by Him. The Lord Jesus Himself said that many will call Him Lord, prophesy in His name, cast out demons, and perform many miracles. But He will tell them that He does not know them (Matthew 7:22-23). He only knows those who do the will of the God, that is, those who keep the Ten Commandments of the God and believe in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 7:21). Even in the End Times, there will be such people, those whom the Lord Jesus knows (Revelation 12:17; 14:12).

The fact that the Lord Jesus is known by each of God’s people is something worthy of our reflection. A person truly knows the Lord Jesus only when they genuinely repent of their sins, fully accept His atoning death, and wholeheartedly live according to the Word of God. Living according to the Word of God begins with reading and meditating on the Word day and night, carefully following it (Joshua 1:8). Following this is faithfulness, enduring suffering to live according to the Word of God. God’s people know the Lord Jesus, the God, and the Holy Spirit through meditating on the Word of God and the experience of living according to it.

The tree, when it first grows to a meter with a few branches, or when it reaches tens of meters with many branches, always has life sap filling every part of the tree. As God’s people’s understanding of the Word of God and their experience of living according to it increase, their knowledge of the Lord also grows, causing them to always be in a full knowledge of the Lord.

Once again, the Lord Jesus reminds us: “I lay down My life for the sheep.” This is a truth, and it is also something that must happen for mankind to be saved and become His sheep. This is the greatest thing He could do and is pleased to do for His flock.

The Church was established by the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, and initially, it consisted only of God’s people from Israel. They were the sheep in the fold at that time. However, among the Gentiles, there were also those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and became His sheep. He would bring them into the Church; that is, He would bring the sheep from outside into one fold, under His own care.

Although each local Church has a shepherd whom the Lord has sent to lead and care for God’s people, the Lord Jesus is the shepherd of the universal Church, without distinction of location, ethnicity, or anything else. Revelation 1:13 tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ walks among the local Churches.

John 10:17-18

17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.

18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father.”

The God loves the Lord Jesus because the Lord Jesus is willing to voluntarily lay down His life so that the will of the God may be fulfilled. The will of the God is that the Lord Jesus would offer His life as a sin offering for mankind. The command of the God is that the Lord Jesus would lay down His life and take it back again after completing the salvation of mankind. And the Lord Jesus, in His human form, has the authority to lay down His life and the authority to take it back. This means that the Lord Jesus has authority over death, even though it may have an effect on Him. His resurrection after death is the moment He completely defeated death, and anyone who belongs to Him also triumphs over death just as He did. The first death cannot hold them, and the second death has no power over them.

John 10:19-21

19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these words.

20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is raving mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

21 Others said, “These are not the words of one being demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

After hearing the Lord Jesus speak the parable about the sheepfold and the shepherd, the parable about the door of the sheep and the good shepherd, the Jews were divided among themselves. They split into two groups. One group remained hardened, opposing the Lord Jesus, saying that He had a demon and was mad. The other group, with clear discernment, said that a person with a demon could not speak the words that the Lord Jesus spoke, nor could they heal the blind.

In today’s world, there are three types of people. The first group does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and openly opposes Him. The second group pretends to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to please their loved ones or for personal gain, exemplified by countless people who claim to be disciples of Christ within religious organizations bearing the name of the Lord. The third group truly repents of their sins, completely believes in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and wholeheartedly lives according to the Word of God. They are the true sheep of the Lord, in His sheepfold, which is the Church.

Truly repenting of sin means feeling sorrow for violating the Ten Commandments of the God and not wanting to repeat the offense.

Wholeheartedly believing in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus means believing that through His death, one is forgiven of their sins, not by any other work or anyone else’s deeds.

Wholeheartedly living according to the Word of God means reading and meditating on the Word day and night, carefully following it to keep the Ten Commandments of the God, the New Commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Commandment of Holiness of the Holy Spirit, as written in Exodus 20:1-17, John 13:34, and Acts 15:29.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
12/21/2024

Note:

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.