This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
Jesus told the figure of the sheepfold and the door, of the true shepherd whom the porter admits and whose voice the sheep know and follow and of strangers whom they will not follow, but those listening did not grasp what He was telling them. The faithful shepherd stands for Christ and the helpless, dependent flock for His followers, setting forth the Messiah's mission which He applied to Himself. The Pharisees did not see that the words were spoken against them, contrasting His care for God's flock with leaders who failed to guide and feed it and who even drove out one who bore witness to Him. When they weighed His meaning He told them plainly that He Himself is the door by which any person enters God's fold to find salvation and life, for the way into the heavenly Canaan is through Him and there is no other way. He drew this lesson from the familiar life of shepherd and sheep to make heavenly, divine and spiritual truth clear, accessible and memorable, so that daily surroundings would bring His words back to mind.
Parable and Its Hearers
This parable is of the sheepfold and the door, of the shepherd whom the porter lets in and whose voice the sheep know and follow, and of strangers whom the sheep will not follow. The shepherd and the flock were familiar to the hearers, the faithful shepherd representing Christ and the helpless, dependent flock representing His followers. The picture concerned the Messiah's mission, which Jesus applied to Himself.
The hearers did not grasp what Jesus meant by this figure and did not understand what He was telling them. The Pharisees did not recognize that the words about the sheepfold were directed against them. The parable set Christ's care for God's flock in contrast with the failure of Israel's leaders.
Those leaders had driven a man out of the fold for bearing witness to Christ, showing that they did not understand or fulfill their duty as shepherds. When the meaning was considered, He explained plainly that He is the door through whom people enter God's fold and find salvation and life. The way into the heavenly Canaan is through Christ, the door, and there is no other way.
How Jesus Taught
Jesus drew this parable from the familiar experience of the shepherd and the sheep, from facts of life and experience well known to His hearers, from nature and daily life, to illustrate immortal truth, heavenly truths, divine truths and spiritual truth. Christ loved to teach lessons of truth by such parables, and the shepherd and the sheep stand among them as a familiar picture of the spiritual and unseen made present in ordinary life.
His everyday images were simple yet held deep meaning, winning attention while making divine truths clear, accessible and memorable and helping hearers retain His lessons. Because the illustration came from what they constantly saw, seeing such familiar things afterward could bring His words back to mind, inviting hearers to interpret what they see in the light of those truths. The parable thus shows His spirit open to the influences of nature and His delight in gathering spiritual teaching from the surroundings of daily life. Like His other lessons it has something to interest every mind and to appeal to every heart, so that the daily task instead of being a mere round of toil bereft of higher thoughts is brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen.
Shepherd, Sheep and Fold
The care belonging to the sheep of Christ does not abandon the wandering to perish but goes after those who stray. He is the True Shepherd, and His sheep know and understand His voice. When the shepherd makes a peculiar sound with his mouth, every sheep understands it and knows where he wants them to go, so no whip or dog is needed to drive them. They follow Him willingly, press close together, and return when one strays, and their affection for the shepherd and quick response to His call display the close, intelligent trust between Christ and those who follow Him.
As shepherd He welcomes the sheep into the fold, and that welcome keeps open hope of restoration for Fannie in receiving her again. The same picture of the fold exposes false shepherding, for the people become as sheep without a shepherd when their leaders fail to guide and feed them. The scribes and Pharisees held authority yet acted as thieves and robbers by leaving the flock unfed. It also applies to a man who enters on friendly terms like a lamb but secretly takes the trained workers, a course that is spiritual blindness and an attempt of the blind to lead the blind.
Jesus told the figure of the sheepfold and the door, of the true shepherd whom the porter admits and whose voice the sheep know and follow and of strangers whom they will not follow, but those listening did not grasp what He was telling them. The faithful shepherd stands for Christ and the helpless, dependent flock for His followers, setting forth the Messiah's mission which He applied to Himself. The Pharisees did not see that the words were spoken against them, contrasting His care for God's flock with leaders who failed to guide and feed it and who even drove out one who bore witness to Him. When they weighed His meaning He told them plainly that He Himself is the door by which any person enters God's fold to find salvation and life, for the way into the heavenly Canaan is through Him and there is no other way. He drew this lesson from the familiar life of shepherd and sheep to make heavenly, divine and spiritual truth clear, accessible and memorable, so that daily surroundings would bring His words back to mind.
Parable and Its Hearers
This parable is of the sheepfold and the door, of the shepherd whom the porter lets in and whose voice the sheep know and follow, and of strangers whom the sheep will not follow. The shepherd and the flock were familiar to the hearers, the faithful shepherd representing Christ and the helpless, dependent flock representing His followers. The picture concerned the Messiah's mission, which Jesus applied to Himself.
The hearers did not grasp what Jesus meant by this figure and did not understand what He was telling them. The Pharisees did not recognize that the words about the sheepfold were directed against them. The parable set Christ's care for God's flock in contrast with the failure of Israel's leaders.
Those leaders had driven a man out of the fold for bearing witness to Christ, showing that they did not understand or fulfill their duty as shepherds. When the meaning was considered, He explained plainly that He is the door through whom people enter God's fold and find salvation and life. The way into the heavenly Canaan is through Christ, the door, and there is no other way.
How Jesus Taught
Jesus drew this parable from the familiar experience of the shepherd and the sheep, from facts of life and experience well known to His hearers, from nature and daily life, to illustrate immortal truth, heavenly truths, divine truths and spiritual truth. Christ loved to teach lessons of truth by such parables, and the shepherd and the sheep stand among them as a familiar picture of the spiritual and unseen made present in ordinary life.
His everyday images were simple yet held deep meaning, winning attention while making divine truths clear, accessible and memorable and helping hearers retain His lessons. Because the illustration came from what they constantly saw, seeing such familiar things afterward could bring His words back to mind, inviting hearers to interpret what they see in the light of those truths. The parable thus shows His spirit open to the influences of nature and His delight in gathering spiritual teaching from the surroundings of daily life. Like His other lessons it has something to interest every mind and to appeal to every heart, so that the daily task instead of being a mere round of toil bereft of higher thoughts is brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen.
Shepherd, Sheep and Fold
The care belonging to the sheep of Christ does not abandon the wandering to perish but goes after those who stray. He is the True Shepherd, and His sheep know and understand His voice. When the shepherd makes a peculiar sound with his mouth, every sheep understands it and knows where he wants them to go, so no whip or dog is needed to drive them. They follow Him willingly, press close together, and return when one strays, and their affection for the shepherd and quick response to His call display the close, intelligent trust between Christ and those who follow Him.
As shepherd He welcomes the sheep into the fold, and that welcome keeps open hope of restoration for Fannie in receiving her again. The same picture of the fold exposes false shepherding, for the people become as sheep without a shepherd when their leaders fail to guide and feed them. The scribes and Pharisees held authority yet acted as thieves and robbers by leaving the flock unfed. It also applies to a man who enters on friendly terms like a lamb but secretly takes the trained workers, a course that is spiritual blindness and an attempt of the blind to lead the blind.