Golden Text.—"I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." John 10: 11.
(1) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers. (6) This parable spake Jesus unto them; but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them.
(7) Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the Door of the sheep. (8) All that came before Me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them. (9) I am the Door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. (10) The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. (11) I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd layeth down His life for the sheep. (12) He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them; (13) he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (14) I am the Good Shepherd; and I know Mine own, and Mine own know Me, (15) even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock, one Shepherd. (17) Therefore doth the Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I may take it again. (18) No one taketh it away from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from My Father."
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) In explanation of the parable of the sheepfold, what does Jesus say of Himself? Verse 7. Note 1. (2) What does He say of all pretenders? How do the true sheep regard them? Verse 8. Note 2. (3) Then what assertion does He repeat? What does He say of those who enter by that Door? Verse 9. Note 3. (4) For what purpose does the thief come? To what end did Christ come? Verse 10. Note 4. (5) What other office does He fill? What constitutes a good shepherd? Verse 11. Note 5. (6) What does Jesus say of one who is a mere hireling? What is the result of such unfaithfulness? Verse 12. Note 6. (7) Why does the hireling flee when he sees the wolf coming? Verse 15. Note 7. (8) What claim does the Lord then repeat? What proof does He give of this statement? Verse 14. (9) To what extent is this mutual knowledge recognized? Verse 15. Note 8. (10) To what further mission did Jesus refer? Verse 16. Note 9. (11) What does He say of the Father's feeling toward Him? For what special reason? Verse 17. Note 10. (12) Was Christ's death the result of His being overcome by the enemy? What power did He confidently assert? From whom did He receive commandment? Verse 18. Note 11.
NOTES.
1. The parable of the sheepfold had just been spoken by Jesus to His disciples; but they did not understand it, and He proceeded to explain it further. The door is the means of entrance to the fold, where there is safety and care. Jesus is that Door, because He is the "way" of salvation. He imparts the new life which makes one a member of the true flock of God.
2. "All that came before Me," refers to such as have claimed to be the Messiah; or such as have devised or advocated other means of salvation. Thieves gain their booty by crafty devices, and robbers boldly use the force of organization and various overpowering influences. But the real sheep, those who are keen to discern the Door, find their way into the true fold.
3. The door is not only a means of admittance, but it is also a barricade against enemies of the flock. Those who enter the fold through faith in Christ, and remain faithful to His Word, shall be safe from deceivers who seek to destroy. Whether in communion together, or abroad in the field of labor, they will feed on the Word of God and be assured of His protection.
4. Verse 10 shows the marked contrast between all human schemes of salvation and the plan offered by Christ. The former lead to death and destruction, while the latter, and that only, is the way of eternal life.
5. Of Christ, the good Shepherd, the prophecy had said, "He will feed His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs in His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young." Christ's giving His life for His people is too often limited to His expiation on the cross. That was but an incident in His life. From the day that He consented, or volunteered, to become the sinner's substitute, He has been giving His life for the sheep. He was slain "from the foundation of the world," and He is yet giving His life for the sheep, pleading His blood before the throne of Judgment in behalf of all who will "come unto God by Him."
6. The Hireling.—Canon Tristram says: "The shepherd in the East is usually the owner, or the son of the owner, of the flock, tho sometimes an agent, whose salary is a fixed proportion of the produce, as Jacob, under Laban. The hireling is the man who happens to be hired for fixed wages, merely for the day, and has no further interest in the flock." The Wolf.—Dr. Sadler says: "The wolf is the enemy of souls in any of his manifold disguises, as not only persecution, but heresy, worldly living, or a low standard of faith and morals."
7. "Because he is a hireling," such a shepherd will sacrifice the sheep for his own interest or safety, but he never will sacrifice himself for the sheep.
8. The bond of union between the sheep, the Shepherd (who is the Son), and the Father, is of the closest possible nature. It is expressed in the Lord's prayer to His Father for all His prospective disciples, "that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in us; that the world may believe That thou didst send Me. . . . I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one." John 17: 20-23. The sheep know the Shepherd through His Word.
9. "Other sheep" are those whose hearts are known to the Lord, that they will become His disciples when the Gospel shall have been preached to them. He does not mention another fold, but "other sheep."
10. The good Shepherd did actually lay down His life, and take it again, that He might destroy the enemy of His flock and deliver the victims of his wrath. See Heb. 2: 14, 15.
11. Christ did not lay down His life because of any power the enemy had over Him. His death was part of the process of overcoming the enemy. When He came out of the tomb, He brought the keys with Him (Rev. 1:18), proving His ability to unlock the grave for others, thus destroying "the works of the devil." 1 John 3: 8.
