A Study of John 10:1-6

“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. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 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.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.”

John 10:1–6 ESV

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

The one who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but instead climbs in another way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens for the shepherd, and the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice when he calls them and he leads them out. When the shepherd has brought out all of his sheep, he leads them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. If a stranger tries to lead them they will run away from him because they do not know his voice. Jesus used this figure of speech as He spoke to the Jews, but they did not understand Him.

Textual Analysis and Implication (what is being said and what does this mean?):

This discourse from Jesus follows a confrontation with the Pharisees (the Jewish religious leaders) that arose because Jesus healed a man born blind on the Sabbath. The religious leaders were angry Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath because according to their man made traditions, which they had added to Yahweh’s (God’s) law given by Moses, medical treatment or healing of any kind was only allowed on the Sabbath in life threatening situations. Even though Jesus miraculously healed the blind man, marvelously displaying the power of God, the Pharisees were angry their little rule had been broken. In their hostile response to this miracle, the Pharisees belittled and insulted the man for honestly telling them Jesus had healed him and could only have done so by the power of God, and by the end of  their investigation, they cast the man out of the synagogue, effectively kicking him out of the community.

For this reason, in these verses and the ones that follow, Jesus began to teach about the difference between His heart for the people, along with the way He and His under shepherds would lead the people, with the way the Pharisees, the religious hypocrites, led the people. And Jesus did so using the analogy of shepherds and sheep. The religious and political leaders of Israel and the people of Israel were commonly spoken of in terms of shepherds and sheep throughout the Old Testament. In fact, frequently throughout the OT, in passages such as Isaiah 56:11 or Ezekiel 34, Yahweh berates the shepherds of Israel for brutalizing His sheep (the people) for selfish gain. And in passages such as Jeremiah 3:15, He promised to send good shepherds one day who would lead His sheep with selflessness and compassion. In fact, in Ezekiel 34:10-16, Yahweh said that He Himself would tend to His sheep to heal and strengthen them.

With this context in mind, to begin His discourse in verses 1-2, Jesus said the person who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by a different way, is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. In 1st century Near Eastern cultures, oftentimes, multiple families kept their sheep in a single enclosure, or sheepfold. These enclosures had a single entrance with a watchman placed there to let authorized people in and keep intruders out. The true shepherds would enter by the appropriate entrance to care for the sheep, lead them to pasture and so on, but thieves would enter in some other way to steal or harm the sheep.

In this analogy the religious leaders, the ones who fumed in anger because Jesus healed a man who was born blind on the Sabbath, are like the thieves and robbers who enter the sheepfold by illegitimate means in order to abuse and brutalize the sheep for their own selfish gain. With few exceptions, they had no interest in leading and caring for the sheep with the compassionate, selfless care Yahweh leads His people with. These “thieves and robbers” are held up in contrast to the legitimate shepherd “who enters by the door.” The true shepherd, Yahweh and those who truly serve Him, enter the sheepfold by the appropriate means in order to selflessly lead and care for the sheep.

Jesus went on to say the gatekeeper opens the gate for the true shepherd. The sheep then hear the shepherd’s voice as he calls them by name and leads them out. The fact that the shepherd calls  his own sheep who then come to him implies multiple flocks were kept in one sheepfold. At times, Near Eastern shepherds have been reported to stand in different places outside the sheepfold while simultaneously calling their sheep with a unique call their own sheep recognize. The  sheep then file out of the sheepfold and go to their respective shepherds. In this analogy though Jesus describes the shepherd as going a step further and calling each of his sheep individually by name and then leading them out. In the same way, Jesus came to the “sheepfold” of Judaism and began to call His own Messianic flock, individually, by name and they came to Him. This assumes they were His before He called them.

This analogy falls in line well with what we read elsewhere, such as in John 6:36-44, 64-65, where Jesus explained that God the Father draws people to Himself and the true disciples of Jesus respond to this call. This analogy may also be an allusion to Numbers 27:15-17 where Moses prayed to Yahweh and asked for a leader who would lead the people so that they “would not be like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus can certainly be understood as the ultimate answer to that prayer of Moses.

In verses 4-5 Jesus added that once the shepherd has brought out all his sheep, he goes before the sheep and they follow him because they know his voice. However, the sheep will not follow a stranger, but rather, they will run away because they do not know the voice of strangers. Historically, in the West, shepherds drive their sheep from behind, frequently with the use of a sheep dog. But in the Near East, in Jesus’ day and at present, shepherds lead their flock of sheep from the front while calling them. This is the picture Jesus chose to describe the master and disciple relationship we have with Him. Jesus calls us, and we who believe, recognize His voice and follow Him. And in the same way, when an imposter (a thief or a robber) calls, we do not listen. The sheep who belong to Jesus hear His voice and follow Him.

In the final verse of this section of Jesus’ discourse, John the gospel writer adds, “This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.” As is shown again and again throughout the four gospel accounts, the opponents of  Jesus often did not understand Him. And this fits in exactly with what Jesus is teaching. If they are not the sheep of His fold, then how could they recognize His voice, understand and obey? And when they do start to understand what He is saying, i.e. His claims to divinity and how he came to save mankind from condemnation for our sin, etc, they respond with hatred and murderous plots. Essentially, when they do begin to understand, they reject Him and call for His blood. But as is often the case, faced with their lack of understanding, Jesus will go on to further explicate the meaning of His words in the rest of this passage.

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to think of our relationship to Jesus in terms of sheep and their shepherd. Jesus has a distinct voice, unlike any other, by which He calls to us. There is no one like Him, and He is the true Shepherd who calls us out of the world and leads us to His kingdom where there is full and overflowing joy forever. If there are voices calling us in different directions, seeking to entice our heart with the passing pleasures of this world, we must not listen. There is only one true Shepherd; our God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Self Reflection:

1. How can I grow in recognizing the voice of Jesus, my ultimate and true Shepherd? Perhaps by taking time to study the written word of God?
2. What are some examples of voices from the world that I need to reject? (Calls to consume and seek only my own comfort for example).
3. As I listen to the voice of Jesus, how has my life become an echo of His call? Can people see the work of the true Shepherd in my life? Can they hear His call through the way I live and interact with others?