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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conflict - The Clash of Belief and Unbelief, The discourse on the Good Shepherd, Part XXXII, John 10:9,10 - Lesson 79
Read Verses John 10:1-9, for review: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
In verse 7 Christ said that he was the door of the sheep.
He was the door by which those in Judaism could come out.
But in verse 9 he says that he is the door that has to do with salvation for any man, Jew or Gentile.
He is the door into the presence of God.
By nature we are separated from God by a wall of sin.
It is a barrier that no man can breech.
We try to climb the wall by our own strength, by our intellect, by our knowledge, but the wall bars us forever from God.
Man tries every possible way to find God but God cannot be found.
He has to reveal himself to you. And he does it by only one door.
And there is no hope without this door.
God is the only one who is able to provide a door and that door we are told here in John 10:9 is Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ placed himself in that wall of sin by taking on the sins of the world.
By placing himself in that wall he breeched it and became the door by which his sheep can enter into the presence of God and go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus Christ is not a locked door.
He is not a long dreary passageway of many steps, not a hallway, but simply an open door that can be traversed by one step, a step of faith.
He tells that he is the door by which if any man enter in he shall be saved, but he also tells us that there is liberty in him.
We may come in and go out and find pasture.
The door is the entrance of a dwelling place for those who are called by the shepherd.
Within the door those who are called will find their portion.
They will find that which they are most needful of for the shepherd knows their needs completely.
Note also the careful words of Jesus in saying that those that enter in enter in "by me".
No man enters in by their own power but those that enter in enter only by the grace of God.
Without Christ we can do nothing and that includes entering the fold of God.
So Christ empowers his own to come in. It is all of grace and none of us even to the entering in.
John 10:10, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
In contrast to Jesus Christ as the door, the thief is not interested in the welfare of the sheep.
He is only interested in stealing, killing and destroying.
He is involved in deceit and violence. Ezekiel knew about these shepherds when he wrote in:
Ezek 34:1-9, And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
And Zechariah tells of the leader of the false shepherds, the is the idol shepherd that we find in: Zec 11:16,17, For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
This thief is the anti-christ who comes into the fold not by the door but comes over the wall bent on destroying the sheep.
But Jesus emphasizes the difference between himself and the thieves and the robbers who take from the sheep.
Jesus takes nothing and He brings life, the thief brings death.
The thief's motives are totally malicious, the good shepherd desires the sheep's wellbeing.
He wants them to have plenty of pasture and enjoy cool waters.
When Antichrist comes Jesus will destroy him and abundant life will flourish. |