“I AM the gate for the sheep…I AM the good shepherd.” – John 10
Like most of you, I am not incredibly familiar with shepherding metaphors. Jesus’ metaphors about being a gate and a good shepherd have a lot of power at face value but, like most things with John, have multiple layers of depth that shouldn’t be missed. The simple take aways from John 10 are: you need to know Jesus’ voice so that you can follow him, he knows you by name, he lays his life down for you, more people are his sheep than you would expect, and no one can snatch Jesus’ sheep away. Let’s dive a little deeper.
We’ve been jumping around the Gospel of John following different themes. My hope is that you will read through the entirety of John and see how it all weaves together into a beautiful tapestry. John 10 starts with a five-verse parable about shepherds and sheep. You have to remember that John did not write his work with chapter breaks. The context of what we are reading in John 10 flows out of the question that dominates chapter 9: is Jesus from God or now? Is he a prophet? Is he the Messiah? Is he the “son of man” who will judge the world? In response to these swirling questions, Jesus stops to talk about shepherds and sheep. Why?
Throughout scripture, the picture of a shepherd with his sheep is frequently used to refer to the king and his people. Ezekiel 34 pictures the ideal king as a shepherd, likely modeled after the shepherd-boy David, who became the king after God’s own heart. This is the image that Jesus chooses to answer the question of his identity as the true king, not just of Israel, but of the world. We can be tempted to move quickly past these first five verses to get to the “I AM” statements in 9, 11&14. Before moving on to his own identity as the “Gate and Good Shepherd” who is King above all, Jesus first lays the contrast between true shepherds and false ones.
Read verses 1-5 again. Jesus might have had in mind the revolutionary leaders and warlords who emerged during his lifetime who were eager to lead Israel into confrontation with the imperial powers. He most certainly had the house of Herod in mind, who were eager to submit to Rome in exchange for their own power and wealth. Jesus is posing the simple question: how will you know God’s true, appointed king when he comes? There are a lot of voices out there asking you to follow them. They give promise of green pastures, protection, and security of a particular way of life. Your vote of confidence for them as a leader lines their pockets with money and power. When things get tough, they go home to their small palaces that you help build and enjoy their green pastures, protection, and security leaving you to fend for yourselves. I recognize that I am painting a cynical picture of elected officials, but my main point is this, none of them, not even one, are the Good Shepherd.
You can tell a true leader in the same way you can tell a good shepherd. The good shepherd does not do things in his own interest but in the interest of his sheep. This is the leader worth following. Know the voice of the shepherd so well that you can distinguish his voice from the other voices that makes promises in exchange for your allegiances. Jesus is answering the questions of his identity loudly. It’s as if he’s saying, “The fact that people are hearing me and following me, most notably the man born blind, is a sign that God has sent me.” Find a shepherd whose only interest is the wellbeing of his sheep and you will find a leader worth following because you would have found God’s anointed.
This parable is unpacked over the next three sections: 7-10, 11-18, and 25-30. Read this whole chapter and allow John to take you deeper into following the one voice you need to hear.
Moving from the Head to the Heart:
Sit with God in prayer and ask that he reveal to you voices that you’re following that are not the voice of Jesus.
Ask God to humble you so that you will continue to search after the voice of Jesus and not assume you know what he says.
Create space in your day to spend time listening to the voice of Jesus, see how he loves people, and ask God to help you follow him.