Jesus the True Shepherd

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:1-5).

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the teachers of the Law at the end of chapter nine. He seems to direct His illustration at them. This is one of Jesus’ enigmatic sayings; on one level it is simple to understand.[1] The sheep are God’s people; the sheepfold represents the safety and rest of the Lord. The shepherd is the one who cares for and protects the sheep. But who are the thieves and robbers? In the context of the conversation it is clear; Jesus is referring, not simply to false Messiahs and those who teach false doctrine and scatter the people of God as a wolf scatters a flock.[2] Jesus is referring to those who have been legitimately put in charge of caring for the sheep, but have shirked their duties:

Some have thought that Jesus here refers to false Messiahs who had come before his time. But this is historically incorrect and also untrue to the figure. False Messiahs would be false doors to the fold not thieves and robbers who fight shy of ‘the door.’ When Jesus adds that these ‘are’ thieves and robbers he comes down to the present and includes the present Jewish leaders. All, past and present, ‘are’ self-seekers.[3]

When we apply the Berean Test[4] to Jesus’ message to the Jews in John chapter 10, it seems to be the same message spoken hundreds of years before by God to His people through the prophet Ezekiel:

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them... ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.[5]

We in the west do not have a good understanding of a Middle Eastern shepherd, or the relationship he has with his animals. The people listening to Jesus did. We might understand that the shepherd cares for his flock, but it is more than that. The idea that the sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice might seem far-fetched. Kenneth Bailey, in his book, The Good Shepherd, explains that,

in the open wilderness of the Holy Land the shepherd walks slowly ahead of his sheep and either plays his own ten-second tune on a pipe or (more often) sings his own unique “call.” The sheep appear to be attracted primarily by the voice of the shepherd, which they know and are eager to follow. It is common practice for a number of shepherds to gather at midday around a spring or well, where the sheep mingle, drink and rest. At any time one of the shepherds can decide to leave, and on giving his call all his sheep will immediately separate themselves from the mixed flocks and follow their shepherd wherever he leads them.[6]

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Teachers of the Law were the thieves and robbers. Jesus is the True Shepherd, seeking out His sheep, delivering them from all the places where they were scattered. We are those sheep. We hear His voice through the proclamation of His Gospel; He causes us to recognize His voice in His Word, and we follow Him. Through His Word we receive the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting, whether that Word comes to us through the preaching and absolution of our faithful pastor, whether connected to the waters of Holy Baptism, washing away the filth of our sins, or connected to the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, in which we eat the true body and blood of Our Lord Jesus, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. Those who try to proclaim another gospel, or another Jesus, are false shepherds, eating the fat and clothing themselves with the wool. They are thieves and robbers, trying to climb up another way into the sheepfold.

Bibliography

Bailey, Dr. Kenneth E, interview by Rev. Todd Wilken. Jesus, the Good Shepherd (May 7, 2015).

Bailey, Dr. Kenneth E. The Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey From Psalm 23 To The New Testament. Kindle. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014.

Engelbrecht, Rev. Edward A., ed. The Lutheran Study Bible. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009.

Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1942.

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[1] Enigmatic sayings: difficult teachings. E. A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible, English Standard Version (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House), 1775, 1801.

[2] R. C. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel. (Columbus: The Wartburg Press), 716.

[3] ibid.

[4] Acts 17: 10-12

[5] Ezekiel 34: 1-4, 11-12

[6] Kenneth E. Bailey, The Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey From Psalm 23 to the New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press), 41-42, Kindle.