John 10:7-18

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who ever came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ¹¹"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴"I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me-- ¹⁵just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father--and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. ¹⁷The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life--only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father."

First, Jesus is the door, or the gate, of the sheepfold. If the sheepfold signifies the elect, the true Church, eternal life, security, and good pasture, then it is only through Jesus that the sheepfold may be entered. When Jesus says, “All who ever came before Me,” He is not speaking of God’s prophets, but of everyone who offers life and salvation through some other way; and He calls them thieves and robbers. When Jesus says that the one who enters through Him will “come in and go out,” that is a phrase that means, “to dwell.” Those who are in Christ dwell in Christ, abide in Christ, rest in Christ, and find pasture. A pasture is a good place for sheep to stay. Jesus says that thieves come only to steal and kill and destroy. We are to be on guard, expecting assault, just as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:8. Jesus contrasts Himself with thieves, for He has no intentions of stealing, killing, or destroying; we ought to take comfort in His rod and staff (Psalm 23:4). He is life; He is truth; He is the only way, and in Him, there is not just life, but abundant and full life – eternal (high quality) life. Calvin says, “Life is continually increased and strengthened in those who do not revolt from [Jesus]. And, indeed, the greater progress that any man makes in faith, the more nearly does he approach to fullness of life, because the Spirit, who is life, grows in him.”

Second, Jesus is the Good Shepherd; He is so focused on the salvation of His sheep, that He does not even spare His own life. We saw that thieves, false teachers, destroy the sheep; now we are introduced to the hired hands, who are just nominal, uncaring shepherds; they may have sound doctrine and by such lead people to Christ, but their motives are impure, perhaps selfish, and not driven by and for Christ’s glory. The hired hands are not willing to sacrifice for the good of the sheep (unlike the pastor in The Mission). While they rightly take no ownership over the flock, as tenants of the owner, they ought to show care for His possessions. But they do not, and by fleeing in the face of danger reveal their hypocrisy.

On the other hand, the Good Shepherd lays His life, as the Lamb of God, down for His sheep. The Old Testament speaks of God as shepherd (Genesis 48:15; 49:24; Psalm 23; 28:9; 78:52; 80:1; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34; Zechariah 13:7). The New Testament also speaks of Jesus this way: Matthew 26:31; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 7:17. Jesus, knowing that His sheep were in mortal danger, because of their sins, voluntarily sacrificed His own life, so that they would be saved. This is an example of paternal affection, as in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus implies that knowledge proceeds from love, and is accompanied by care. And just as He loves, knows, and cares for His sheep, His sheep love, know, and care for Him. Our intimacy with Jesus is likened to Jesus’ intimacy with God the Father. To say that God knows you is to say that He is committed to your redemption. This is how we can tell if we are His sheep – not that we won’t have moments of fleeing in the face of danger – but that we are driven by love for Him and His sheep and by progressing in obedience and knowledge of His ways.

Third, Jesus speaks of His sheep. The sheep in the fold are the people of Israel, whom the Pharisees were supposed to protect – but not all of them are Jesus’ sheep. Which sheep do belong to Jesus? Those who hear His voice and follow Him. Just as we saw in chapter six, those whom the Father has not given to Jesus will flee at the sound of His voice and refuse to believe Him. But those who are His are taught by the Father and will hear and follow Him. Jesus is going to take His true sheep, which hear His voice, out of the midst of the sheep of Israel, which belong to a different master. But that is not all: for He also has sheep who are not from the fold of Israel – and so He is going to call out His sheep from the Gentiles, just as He did from Israel, and bring them all together as His true people. There would no longer be any distinction between Jew and Gentile, but there would be one fold and one shepherd.

Augustine said that just as there are many wolves within the fold, there are many sheep outside the fold. Here Jesus calls certain unbelievers “sheep;” in so doing, not only does He point out what they will be, but He refers this to the election of God. We are already God’s sheep, before we are aware that He is our shepherd. Romans 5:10; Galatians 4:9 And He must bring them also. His mission is round up all those whom the Father has given Him, and He’ll do it perfectly and completely (John 6:37; 17:12). We see it evidenced by so many different kinds of people from all over the world following His voice (Revelation 5:9).

V17-18 are amazing, because Jesus actually says that He will lay His life down and take it up again. It has been said that nothing that happened on Good Friday cost Jesus His life. The thorny crown, the beatings, the weight of the cross, the nails through the hands and feet were not responsible for His death. A “normal” man undergoing that same crucifixion would have taken much longer to die than did Jesus, and the cause of death would have been asphyxiation for a “normal” man. But Jesus determined the right time for His death, and it wasn’t due to any outside cause. He laid down His life once His work was finished.

John 10:1-6

¹"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ²The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. ³The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what He was telling them.

This chapter includes Jesus’ monologue after restoring the blind man’s sight and His later teaching at the Feast of Dedication. He calls Himself the gate, or the door, and the good shepherd; and He explains His authority to both lay down His life and take it back up again. And the audience is still divided and in suspense over His identity. In our tabernacle tour, we’re gazing at the golden lampstand, as Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness.

The first half of this chapter (21 verses) has clear ties to the previous one. The Pharisees, considered shepherds of the people of Israel, did not care for the blind man but harshly “drove” him – rather than “leading” him – out of the synagogue. Jesus found and brought the man to saving faith and then addressed the Pharisees who were with Him (the disciples were presumably with Him as well). After explaining that the Pharisees were truly the blind ones, Jesus then speaks this parable to everyone in earshot. John included very few parables in his Gospel – and even this parable is different from the typical parables of the synoptic gospels. For one thing, there is not one single point of similarity that Jesus is emphasizing, but He makes use of several different images of the illustration to apply to Himself in different ways. He speaks in v1-6 of three primary features: first, the door to the sheepfold, second, the good shepherd, and third, the good shepherd’s sheep.

The Pharisees were the thieves and robbers who were destroying the sheep by failing to enter the sheepfold through and lead the sheep (the children of God) to the gate, or the door, as other translations declare, which is Jesus Christ. The true shepherd, also Christ Himself, cares for the sheep and leads them to Himself as the only valid entrance to the sheepfold. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Some have said that the shepherd here can also be equated with the faithful Pastor or Minister or layman who leads people to Christ. It is certainly true that we (pastors, ministers, and laymen) are to shepherd the flock, but the context here is speaking of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

The watchman in v3 is God the Father, who opens the door for the Good Shepherd (Jesus has earned the “open door” by His works, unlike mere men), and the sheep (God’s children by election) listen to Jesus (efficacious grace), who knows them each by name (intimate foreknowledge) and leads them (rather than drives them) on the path to righteousness. The sheep (namely the blind man healed in this context) do not follow the stranger’s voice (the Pharisees), but they follow the Good Shepherd, because the Holy Spirit, who has regenerated them, gives them discernment. The elect cannot be led astray (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; 1 John 2:19). Though this truth does not prohibit warnings or encouragements.

When the Pharisees – and the rest of the audience – heard this parable, they did not understand. They should have thought of Ezekiel 34. There, God berates the religious leaders of the Jews as wicked shepherds who destroy the sheep. Therefore, God Himself, in the Person of the Son of David, will come to shepherd the sheep. Jesus is basically telling the Jewish leaders that this prophecy is coming true; they are the wicked shepherds of Ezekiel 34 for failing to enter the sheepfold through the gate and lead the sheep through the only door.

Calvin says of v1-6, “It is useless, I think, to scrutinize too closely every part of this parable. Let us rest satisfied with this general view, that, as Christ states a resemblance between the [true] Church and a sheepfold, in which God assembles all His people, so He compares Himself to a door [or a gate], because there is no other entrance into the Church but by Himself. Hence it follows that they alone are good shepherds who lead men straight to Christ; and that they are truly gathered into the fold of Christ, so as to belong to His flock, who devote themselves to Christ alone.” In v7-21, Jesus comments on those three features, explaining them in order.

John 9:35-41

³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" ³⁶"Who is He, Sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in Him." ³⁷Jesus said, "You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you." ³⁸Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped Him. ³⁹Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." ⁴⁰Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" ⁴¹Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."

After all this, Jesus found the healed man, now hopelessly excommunicated from the synagogue, which would have been the only spiritual hope he likely thought he’d ever had, and explained to him who He truly was. The man did not know then who was the Messiah, or the Son of Man, that he could believe in Him; but Jesus told him, “You have seen Him” – which was a statement that summarized the true meaning of the miracle. By the mighty work of Christ, the man had come to see Jesus, with physical eyes, when he had always been blind before; but in the same way, it was through Jesus’ work that he came to see Him with spiritual eyes, and so have eternal life. This is another example that perfectly fleshes out the process of John’s purpose statement in John 20:31. And the man worshipped Jesus. Convinced that Jesus was Messiah, the man, in complete admiration, bowed down before Him. It calls to mind John 6:37, “All the Father gives Me will come to Me and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

Jesus then expanded the principle taught to the healed man to a general truth taught to all around Him: only the blind need to be given sight, and so He came to give sight to the blind. But when He says, “For judgment I have come,” He means to make those who already see become blind. When one recognizes that he cannot see God because of his sin and ignorance, Jesus is always willing to give him spiritual sight. But He hardens in their blindness those who believe they are already spiritually knowledgeable – they are “blinded by the Light.” This was the purpose for many of the prophets, including Isaiah and Jesus, who, as Isaiah did, fulfilled Isaiah 6:9, which reads, “He said, ‘Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’” If the Pharisees knew of their blindness, Christ would forgive their sins – but since they already thought that they could “see,” in a spiritual sense, He left them in their sinful state. This hardening of sinners, or giving them over to their sins, is a terrible and righteous judgment of God (see Romans 1:18-32). Let us be thankful that, in His great mercy, He has chosen to show us our need and open up our eyes instead!

Some of the Pharisees acknowledge that Jesus insults them, so they ask, “Are we blind too?” First we see their pride, manifested by their being satisfied with themselves and refusing to have anything taken from them, and their anger at Christ by arguing with Him, because He has pointed out their wound. Second, the word “too” is emphatic; for it means that, though all the rest be blind, still it is improper that they should be reckoned as belonging to the ordinary rank. It is too common a fault among those who are distinguished above others, that they are intoxicated with pride, and almost forget that they are men. The rhetorical question is meant to draw a negative answer, “Of course you’re not blind.” But of course, they were blind! And Jesus’ response is not a simple, “Yes, you are blind.” Rather it’s as if He says, “If you would acknowledge your disease, it would not be altogether incurable; but now because you think that you are in perfect health, you continue in a desperate state.”

Finally, one commentator points out the interesting fact that there’s no mention of the blind man’s name. Why didn’t John slipped in the man’s name? Was he Peter or Joseph or Matthew? Perhaps John is saying, “Look, I don’t want to tell you his name, because slip in your own name, because this is every man’s name. This is your name; this is my name. We need the touch of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to see. John Newton, blinded by then broken in then healed from his sinful state, wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see!”

John 9:18-34

¹⁸The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. ¹⁹"Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" ²⁰"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. ²¹But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. ²³That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." ²⁴A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this Man is a sinner." ²⁵He replied, "Whether He is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" ²⁶Then they asked him, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" ²⁷He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples, too?" ²⁸Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this Fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this Fellow, we don't even know where He comes from." ³⁰The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will. ³²Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." ³⁴To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

The Pharisees (here called Jews) are not willing to believe that this man was truly healed of blindness until they had called his parents to testify. They had just divided over the miracle, and now they try to justify their disbelief by saying that there really is no miracle – only some kind of hoax. They find the man’s parents, hoping that their testimony will prove their faulty thinking to be correct, but instead, the parents testify that this man is their son, who had been born blind.

However, unlike the man himself, as we will see by his second testimony, his parents are afraid of the Jews, and so they refused to answer any questions beyond the circumstances of his birth, pointing out instead that he was of legal age to answer for himself. They prudently avoid danger in the presence of the Jewish leaders, though they reveal their ingratitude by their unwillingness to glorify God by attesting to the miracle. By this time, the Pharisees had already made it clear that they would expel from the synagogue anyone who professed that Jesus was the Christ; being excommunicated was not a sacrifice they were willing to make, and so they chose not to pursue any further knowledge of Jesus, being content with their comfortable ignorance. And they further shift this burden of testimony onto their son. How many today are the same, and would rather live in their comfortable sins than be willing to listen to the truth that Jesus will one day come to judge the world! Let us assure our hearts that the pursuit of the truth, which is in Jesus, is well worth any sacrifice that comes with it, including excommunication. Consider Martin Luther and countless others…

The Pharisees question the man again, this time exhorting him (ironically) to “give glory to God” by telling the truth – which for them seems to be that Jesus is a sinner (Joshua 7:19 – “Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give Him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.’”). They don’t really want the truth, which would glorify God, unless it happens to coincide with their beliefs. The man claims nothing about Jesus’ moral condition, but simply restates that he has experienced an extraordinary miracle. He does not fear those who have the power to excommunicate him, for he has been an outcast his whole life. He knows what Jesus has done for him, and he will not deny it. But the Jews continue to press him, asking him again of the details of the affair. At this point, he turns to sarcasm – he has already told them all about the healing, so maybe the reason they want to keep hearing about it is that, deep down, they actually want to be Jesus’ disciples.

Calvin says, “Not only does he persist in his opinion, but he freely and severely reproaches them, that after having abundantly ascertained and known the truth, they endeavor to bury it by their continual inquiries. He charges them also with wicked hatred of Christ, when he asks, ‘Do you want to become His disciples, too?’ For he means that, though they were a hundred times convinced, they are so strongly prejudiced by wicked and hostile dispositions that they will never yield. It is an astonishing display of freedom, when a man of mean and low condition, and especially liable to be reproached on account of his poverty, fearlessly provokes the rage of all the priests against himself.”

In a way, this man was similar to the crippled man at the Pool of Bethsaida (John 5) – Jesus healed him physically, at first, but the man did not yet know and believe in Jesus as the Christ until He came to him later and explained the Gospel. But in another way, he was much different. The crippled man seemed unwilling to say anything definite about the Man who had healed him, for fear of the Jews. But this man is very straightforward and unafraid. In fact, he becomes very critical with the Pharisees, and is eventually driven out of the synagogue. Even though he had not yet learned the truth about Christ, he emphatically states that he must be a prophet, come from God.

The Pharisees’ response, hurling insults at the man and accusing him of being Jesus’ disciple, reveals the heart of the dispute: they still believe they are following the Law of Moses, whom they knew was from God. They did not know if Jesus was from God, so if He disagreed with Moses, Jesus must be wrong. Their reasoning is certainly correct, but their understanding of Moses is woefully inadequate. Moses did not contradict Jesus – he prophesied of Jesus. And Jesus, as we know, was far superior to Moses. But they were blinded by their own prideful tendency to use Moses as a guide to earning self-righteousness, and completely missed the Gospel truths about Jesus that Moses had proclaimed.

The healed man did not undertake to argue about the interpretation of the law with the Pharisees, but still declared, all the more emphatically, that if Jesus was a sinner, it is certainly remarkable that God would use such a Man to give sight to the blind, given that this type of healing had never been done by all the prophets before Him! The man uses this logic to confirm his prior assessment that Jesus was no sinner, but rather a prophet from God. The Pharisees were outraged at this rebuke, and, making a snide comment about how his birth as a blind man indicated that he was a sinner from the womb, they expelled him from the synagogue (excommunication). The man is cast out. (See John 6:37).