Parables

Background

John 10 is largely devoted to Jesus' famous sermon commonly known as the Parable of the Good Shepherd. But this title is a bit misleading because, unlike a true parable, the sermon combines two different although similar snapshots of ancient life. We will therefore treat these snapshots as two distinct parables. A better description of the sermon's content overall is "extended metaphor," which means a highly resolved picture of one thing serving to represent something else. The sermon's actual subject is the relationship between Jesus and His people. Yet to create an opportunity for many instructive comparisons, He pictures that relationship as a shepherd caring for his sheep.

The sermon was an outgrowth of some alarming words that Jesus had just spoken to some Pharisees standing nearby in the Temple. Jesus had gone there to find a man that He had recently healed of blindness.

35 Jesus heard that they [the Pharisees] had cast him out [of the synagogue]; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

John 9:35–38

Since the man received his sight only after he obeyed Jesus’ command to go wash in the Pool of Siloam, Jesus was not present when the blindness was lifted. Yet the man was able to recognize Jesus by His voice and His words when Jesus found him in the Temple, and when Jesus identified Himself as the Son of God, the man bowed down and worshipped Him.

Jesus then declared to the crowd that He had come into the world to relieve the blindness of the unseeing and to make blind the seeing.

And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

John 9:39

Sensing criticism of themselves, the Pharisees dogging Jesus’ footsteps flared up defensively.

And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?

John 9:40

Jesus’ corrected them by pointing out that they placed themselves in the wrong category.

Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

John 9:41

They were not the blind, but the seeing. But He added that the categories referred not to a man's true condition, but to his self-diagnosis before God opens his eyes.

The Pharisees thought that they could see—that in man's world they were the most advanced in their grasp of spiritual truth and the holiest in their manner of life. But in reality they were blind, for they were sinners as bad as anyone else. Moreover, they could not even recognize their long-awaited Messiah, the man God appointed to be their Savior from sin. Therefore, they were doomed to remain under sin’s bondage. The only people who can escape from the presence and penalty of sin are those who, because they understand that their spiritual blindness has brought them under divine condemnation, come to Jesus for healing.

First Parable

Setting

Afterward, Jesus began to develop the first of His two new parables. We will call it the Parable of the Sheepfold. His opening words establish the setting.

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.

John 10:1

It was a sheepfold with a door at the entrance. For Jesus’ immediate hearers, the picture He intended readily took shape in their imaginations, because shepherding was a familiar occupation. But our conception of how sheep were cared for in the ancient world is rather vague. What we need to know is that a sheepfold was generally not the private property of a single man. Rather, the several folds scattered about the vicinity of a village were held in common by all the local shepherds. At the end of the day, each flock was taken to the nearest fold and herded inside, where they were allowed to mingle with any other flocks brought to the same refuge. A typical fold was enclosed by a stone wall high enough to keep out large predators, and a single gap outfitted with a door provided the only entrance. In the absence of a door, one of the shepherds would simply lie across the opening to provide security. When morning came, separating the flocks offered no great difficulty, for when each shepherd called to his own sheep, they recognized his voice and followed him out to the pasture.

Who threatens the sheep

The first figures to appear in Jesus’ parable are neither the sheep nor the shepherds. Rather, He speaks of thieves and robbers who enter the fold not by passing through the entrance, but by climbing over the wall. Why, in painting this scene, does He start with figures of secondary importance? Because the parable was doubtless spoken right after He rebuked the Pharisees for their resistance to the truth, and one of its main purposes was to expose more clearly the dangers in Pharisaism. The thieves and robbers are none other than the Pharisees. Jesus was warning His hearers that the Pharisees were false teachers continually working to steal sheep away from the flock of God. They preached impressive words to the humble in the flock of Israel and actively recruited them to a prideful religion leading to destruction.

Who protects the sheep

In a sheepfold used by several shepherds, they provided security overnight either by taking turns as watchers or by hiring another man to serve in their place. The first parable speaks of a watcher called the porter who had the job of guarding the entrance by managing an actual door. If he was a good porter, he could be relied on to admit no one except an authorized person. Robbers could avoid a fight only by coming on a dark night and sneaking over the wall somewhere at the far end.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

John 10:2–5

The porter is a figure for God the Father. The rightful shepherd is Christ. The thought here is that the Father sent the Son into this world to call men to repentance. Jesus summarized the human condition in these words:

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 13:3

Yet throughout His ministry, He limited His outreach to the lost sheep of Israel.

But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 15:24

It was these sheep in particular that the Father authorized His Son to conduct out of the fold. The fold, then, must represent the form of Mosaic religion that prevailed in Jesus’ day. If the Jews would follow Jesus, He would take them to all the places of joy and trial that lie along a believer’s path in this world, and then afterward He would lead them to eternal rest in heavenly pastures.

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 23

The shepherd who is Christ would summon His sheep not by issuing an impersonal command to the whole flock, but rather by naming them one-by-one. Here is a touch of tenderness, letting us see the love in Christ’s heart for each of His sheep. Each is important not because he makes the flock larger, but because he has immeasurable value in himself. His value has one basis only. God, reckoning not by what a person deserves but by what a person can become through grace, has chosen to make every one of His sheep an object of love, and whatever is precious to God is therefore precious.

The sheep who belong to Christ have no trouble distinguishing His voice from any stranger’s. If they hear friendly calls from thieves and robbers, they will not come. Rather, they will perceive the danger and run away. The meaning is that the true children of God cannot be lured into a false religion. Though they may be like silly sheep in many respects, they have enough discernment to recognize the Good Shepherd and to follow His guidance into real truth. By God’s grace operating in their hearts, they are resistant to the worldviews that Satan has invented to make sinners content with their sin.

Reaction of Jesus' hearers

The parable of the sheepfold made no impression on those who heard Him speak it.

This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

John 10:6

Its cutting edge missed them completely. They must have dismissed it as another of Jesus’ weird monologues, and because of their spiritual dullness they drew from it no spiritual benefit.

Second Parable

Setting

Jesus continued by offering another parable, which was similar to the one preceding it yet altogether different in key respects. We will call it the Parable of the Door. The shepherd is still Christ, but now the porter is missing, because the setting is not the same sheepfold. The one in the previous parable had a door; the one in the new parable does not.

Way of salvation

To understand the profound ideas presented in the second parable, we must view the full scene that Jesus is painting.

7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

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.

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.

John 10:7–10

If this parable preserves Jesus' role as the shepherd, why does He now refer to Himself as "the door" (vv. 7, 9)? Although on the surface these two titles seem inconsistent, they are not, because the lack of a door in the sheepfold He is now describing requires the shepherd to station himself at the entrance. He himself must serve as a door, monitoring all traffic whether it is entering or exiting the fold.

To shed more light on this new metaphor, Jesus explains that the only way to enter the fold is through Him, and if anyone enters, he is saved (v. 9). Clearly, then, the fold in this parable is not Israel, but the Kingdom of God. A central theme of the Gospel of John is that entrance to God’s Kingdom is possible only by spiritual rebirth.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:3

Spiritual rebirth is the result of believing in Jesus.

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

John 7:37–39

So, in this new parable, Jesus is merely reaffirming what He has often said before and what He will often say again—that He is the only way to salvation.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6

Besides salvation from the dire consequences of sin, the sheep who enter through the door who is Jesus gain many other benefits as well, which He summarizes as going in and out and finding pasture (v. 9). He does not mean that they will go in and out of the Kingdom. Beyond the door He envisions more than just a sheepfold, but rather a whole new world. The fold itself is a place of rest at night. But during the day, when the sheep must do the work of finding food, they find that they can leave without jeopardizing their security in Christ. In the sunny world outside, they find pathways to safe pastures. Indeed, Jesus is always there to lead them to the best grazing. Of course, the pastures primarily signify opportunities to feed on our spiritual food, which is the Word of God.

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Deuteronomy 8:3

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Jeremiah 15:16

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

1 Peter 2:2

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:12–14

Thieves and robbers

In the second parable as in the first, Jesus contrasts Himself with wicked men seeking to harm the sheep. He again identifies them as thieves and robbers (v. 8). But here they take on a slightly different meaning. He identifies them as "all who ever came before me." Thus, as He surveys all who preceded Him in the history of the nation, He cannot be singling out the religious teachers and leaders, because it would have been a serious exaggeration to characterize them all as evil predators. Among them were godly men. Even among the scribes and Pharisees were many, especially in days past, whose hearts were right with God. Jesus must be referring to another group who came before Him. Most likely, He is speaking of all the false messiahs who had tried to create a following among the Jews.

Two examples are mentioned in the Book of Acts.

34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.

36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Acts 5:34–39

When the Sanhedrin arrested the apostles and tried to stop them from preaching the risen Christ, the well-respected rabbi Gamaliel rose to the apostles’ defense, arguing that intervention by the leaders was either unnecessary or risky. If the new movement was hysterical foolishness, it would soon wither and die from its own lack of spiritual vigor. If it was an authentic work of God, they could do nothing to stop it. Indeed, their opposition would make them God’s enemies.

Gamaliel reminded the council that Jesus was not the first who attracted many followers by claiming to be somebody special. Others included a certain Theudas. Critics say that this reference to Theudas is an anachronism. According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, Theudas lived somewhat later than the events recorded in Acts 5. He was a rabble-rouser who promoted himself as a great magician during the administration of the procurator Fadus, who held office in 44–46 AD,¹ whereas Gamaliel's speech cannot be dated much later than AD 34. But Theudas was a common name, and revolts and agitations of all kinds were common in the history of Judea. Josephus records elsewhere in his writings that one of the leading instigators of turmoil after Herod’s death was a certain Judas, who wreaked widespread havoc under the delusion that he should be king.² We need only suppose that Josephus, who makes many mistakes, has got his name wrong, writing Judas instead of Theudas. Gamaliel stated that Theudas won four hundred men to his side before he was killed and his supporters were scattered.

The other figure Gamaliel mentioned was Judas of Galilee, someone who also appears in the writings of Josephus. There we read that a certain Judas of Galilee led a revolt against the Romans in AD 6. He convinced many Jews that the census and taxation then underway were the first steps of enslavement. But he too was killed, and his revolt came to nothing.³

Theudas, Judas, and many others who put themselves forward as political champions of the nation boasted that they had the backing of God. Some claimed to be the Messiah Himself. But, as Jesus teaches in this parable, all false messiahs were truly thieves and robbers. They came "to steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (v. 10). They stole sheep by drawing them away from true religion, where they could pursue lives pleasing to God. They recruited them instead to a false religion fomenting rebellion and violence. We see, therefore, why Jesus emphasizes the deadly effects of their teaching. It killed and destroyed, He says. He means not only that it brought spiritual death, but also that such teachers were responsible for bloodshed leaving hundreds or thousands of their followers dead on the ground.

However successful these maniacs were in deceiving the masses, their victims did not include the true people of God, the sheep that gained entrance to the fold through the proper door. "The sheep did not hear them" (v. 8). So it always has been. Purveyors of cults and false religions never find a market among those with humble hearts. They appeal solely to the self-righteous, for the basic difference between true religion and all other religion is that the former demands an understanding that nothing in self can please God. Every false religion presents human merit and human works as a road to divine favor. But in fact "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6). We often misquote this verse, replacing the plural form of "righteousness" with the singular. We say, "All our righteousness is as filthy rags." But the prophet actually used the plural form in Hebrew,⁴ so as to stress that all our many attempts at being good—all without exception—are a complete failure unless they proceed from the grace of God.

Credentials of the Good Shepherd

As Jesus developed the parable further, He presented His credentials as the Door. Whereas the thieves and robbers were killers, He is the giver of life (v. 10). Apart from the timeless and transcendent life possessed by God Himself, there is no life that Jesus, the living Word, did not create.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 1:1–5

When He created man, He intended that man should live always in His presence, yet Adam's sin spoiled the Creator's benevolent plan and left all mankind subject to death. To rescue them from the awful destiny brought upon them by the terrible choice made by the first man, Jesus authored another kind of life, a life wholly dependent on His own life. But to make this new life available, He had to enter this world as a man and take the role of substitute for all other men. As their substitute, He could pay the penalty for their sin by submitting to the pain and disgrace of dying Himself. In other words, He could lay down His own life for the sheep (v. 11). Yet He could also confer His righteousness upon all who believed in Him so that they would be eligible to live forever.

But notice that Jesus mentions two benefits of His death. One is life. The other is life "more abundantly." The life we enjoy in Christ is superior not only in duration, but also in quality. It recommends itself to us not only because it lasts forever, but also because it brings us to the heights of true happiness. Right now if we know Christ, we have a more abundant life. There is available to us a love, joy, and peace that the unsaved cannot access.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22–23

Of course, we fail to access them whenever we prefer to live in the flesh rather than in the Spirit. But if they elude us, it is our own fault. Life more abundant in Christ will become far more real when we cast off this flesh and assume our immortal bodies, for then we will be free of sinful distractions. Throughout eternity, our moment-by-moment life will soar as far above minimal existence as the eagle flies above the valleys. We will never pause for sorrow or regret, but continually explore new dimensions of joy, for as the Psalmist promises,

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 16:11

Return to the First Parable

Setting

In verses 1 to 5 of John 10, Jesus presents Himself as a shepherd coming into the sheepfold with the porter’s approval. The fold was Mosaic religion, and the sheep were the Jews. Then in verses 7 to 10 of the same chapter, He speaks of another sheepfold, one lacking a door, so that in His role as the shepherd, He must station Himself at the opening to guard the sheep. As a result, He is both the Door and the Shepherd. The fold now must be the Kingdom of God, for He says that the sheep are able to enter it only by believing in Jesus.

In verse 11, the setting changes again.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:11–15

Here Jesus shifts back to the viewpoint of the parable in verses 1 to 5. He marks the transition by no longer picturing Himself as the door and by introducing for Himself yet another name, the Good Shepherd. Why is He good? Because He is willing to lay down His life for the sheep (vv. 11, 15). We will show that in this portion of John 10, the fold is again the religion of Israel, and the sheep are all godly Jews.

Therefore, what we have in this discourse is two distinct but related parables. Jesus starts with one, moves to the other, and returns to the first. The nesting of the second within the first yields a structure that we could diagram as ABA, which is a common feature of Hebrew poetry as well as many Biblical passages. The technical name for it is chiasmus.

Another threat to the sheep

With His return to viewing the sheepfold as Israel, Jesus enlarges the story by telling what happens when the sheep are grazing outside in the pasture. There they face a new danger. Thieves and robbers are the greatest threat at night, when the sheep are resting within stone walls. If the shepherd falls into a deep sleep, he might not hear an intruder slinking into the pen to purloin a fat, wooly sheep. But during the day, the greatest threat is any wolf nearby. This fierce predator ravenous for easy prey cannot scale the walls of the fold, but it can attack and plunder the sheep when they are out in the open. There, they must depend on the shepherd for protection. Yet in coming to their defense, he puts himself at risk, for a single man with no weapon mightier than his staff is scarcely able to defeat a wolf in face-to-face combat. Yet a shepherd who loves his sheep will accept the danger and fight for them, just as David did when his flock was attacked once by the bear and then once by a lion.

34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

1 Samuel 17:34–37

But Jesus’ hearers knew that helpless sheep were not always so fortunate as to have a fearless defender. Many flocks in the field belonged to a wealthy man who did not need to watch them himself. Instead, he could hire another man for the job, but a hireling working for little wages had no deep commitment to the safety of the sheep. His pay at the end of the day did not give him enough incentive to jeopardize his life if a wolf appeared. He would rather run away. Moreover, he felt no personal affection for the sheep. He had not tenderly nursed them when they were young. He had not played with them when they were lambs and given them all pet names. He had not tended their wounds, or cared for them when they were sick. He had not patiently kept his watchful eye upon them both through the cold of winter and the heat of summer. He had not devoted the best years of his life to being their companion both night and day. So, it mattered little to him if one of the sheep was devoured by a wolf. Again, he would rather save his own skin than save a sheep.

The contrast between a loving shepherd and a coldhearted hireling furnished Jesus with a perfect opportunity to teach a profound lesson. He identified Himself as the Good Shepherd, whose love for the sheep was so great that He was willing to lay down His own life on their behalf. He was of course referring to His death on the cross, a horrible experience that He willingly endured to save us from our sins. We who gain life by believing on Him are therefore the sheep of His flock.

But who then was the hireling who failed to protect the sheep? Here is another reference to the Pharisees, although now viewed in a different light. In verse 1 they were called thieves and robbers. He meant that the worst among them were dangerous false teachers, deceiving the people with lies that led them away from God. The principal lie told by many Pharisees is that we become right with God by compiling a record of perfect obedience to a list of rules and regulations, whereas the only true requirement is that we seek God’s forgiveness and mercy.

When Pharisees reappear in verse 12 of John 10, they are called hirelings. The meaning is that they had a legitimate role as teachers of the law, a role that God Himself designed for these learned men and, in a sense, hired them to fulfill. In this role they were supposed to be guarding the flock. They should have been using both word and example to lead others in the path of truth. The unlearned in the nation needed them to faithfully unfold and explain the mind of God as revealed in the Scriptures. But the Pharisees were failing to do the work that God intended for them. When the wolf crept toward the flock, they ran away. In other words, they did nothing to protect the flock from the chief enemy of man’s soul, who is Satan. Satan himself is often compared to a predator, especially to a lion.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1 Peter 5:8

Elsewhere Jesus uses the wolf to picture wicked men who do Satan’s bidding.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Matthew 10:16

Jesus’ use of two figures for the Pharisees suggests that He viewed them as divided into two groups. One was more like attacking thieves, the other more like cowardly hirelings. The thieves were the ones who aggressively promoted the false religion of prideful works. Repeatedly throughout His ministry, Jesus severely condemned such Pharisees as rank hypocrites. He said, for example, that they were "like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matt. 23:27). This rebuke is merely one point of a searing indictment taking up nearly all of Matthew 23 and leaving no doubt that the hearts of these Pharisees were drenched in wretched filthiness.

Yet among the Pharisees may have been another group better compared to hirelings than to thieves. Their view of God's will was more accurate because they grasped that He was more interested in love than in ritual, in justice than in legality, in mercy than in rigid demands, but still they did little to resist other Pharisees who were leading the nation in the wrong direction. Among the champions of the newer legalistic religion were the most powerful leaders of their religious party. So, the men more inclined to be old-fashioned in their views kept silent to protect their own standing. Out of self-interest, they held back from challenging the evil trends.

Modern thieves and hirelings

So it has always been. Every religious movement tends to decay over time. When it reaches the peak of success, its leaders enjoy considerable power and influence in society. Therefore, as the older generation passes away, the new men attracted to the top tend to be more interested in building their careers than in following God at whatever cost. Self-interest leads them to chart a course toward a more man-centered religion, less demanding of faith and more focused on human works. What emerges is a kind of either Sadduceeism or Pharisaism. Sadduceeism downplays the supernatural and puts ritual in its place. The modern counterpart is theological liberalism, which denies the authority of Scripture and assures people that the only religion they need to be right with God is occasional church attendance. Pharisaism upholds the supernatural but pretends that God is satisfied with our good works. The modern counterpart is Catholicism and the other cults that mute any criticism of the Bible, but teach that keeping up a religious and moral life is the ticket to heaven.

The downward slide in any overripe Christian movement is generally spearheaded by the most prominent leaders. These are the thieves and robbers in Jesus’ parable. The other leaders who fondly remember the spiritual heights achieved in days past, but who go along with recent trends just to avoid conflict and to protect their cozy places in the church—these are the hirelings.

Such a breakdown is evident in the recent history of fundamentalism. The movement is drifting away from traditional positions on doctrine and practice. It is moving in a clearly Sadduceean direction. In the realm of doctrine, the gospel is being watered down to deemphasize sin and hell. Scripture is still revered as the Word of God, but interpretations doubting its perfect truth especially on matters of science and prophecy are becoming acceptable. In the realm of practice, standards forbidding a worldly lifestyle are crumbling away. The old model of church growth through personal evangelism and Spirit-empowered preaching is being replaced by a new model, conceiving the church as a package of attractive programs and activities. The right way to grow is therefore by means of marketing techniques. Public gatherings need to be entertaining. Other forms of outreach need to have mass appeal.

The thieves and robbers in the current spectrum of churches are the leaders who are pushing change. Some of these are the most conspicuous and widely respected. The hirelings are the other leaders who are failing to resist compromise, but are quietly adjusting their own convictions to keep up with the crowd.

Another flock

Jesus then informed His audience that they were not His only sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

John 10:16

Besides the flock including all of His present followers, He had another flock belonging to a second sheepfold. But soon, as the “one shepherd,” He would “bring” all His sheep into the “one fold” that would replace the two folds then in existence.

If the first fold was drawn from the nation of Israel, the second fold must have been drawn from the world of gentiles. He was evidently referring to the gentiles who would someday become Christians. The separation into two folds was therefore only temporary. Once Jesus had given His life for man’s salvation, all who believed in Him would become part of His body, so that all Jews and gentiles among them would be one in Christ. As Paul taught, the wall of division would be broken down.

11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:11-12

In Christ, there would no longer be any meaningful difference between Jew and gentile.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

The one fold with one shepherd that Christ would soon create is the church, which would shelter within its walls all believers regardless of their ethnic or national background.

In this enlargement of His first parable to bring another sheepfold into view, Jesus was recalling Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would be a light not only to His own nation, but also to the whole world.

And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Isaiah 49:6

When Joseph and Mary visited the Temple soon after Jesus' birth, Simeon came to them as God's messenger and recited this prophecy of Isaiah. God was giving the young parents better understanding of the solemn task entrusted to them (Luke 2:32).

The last turn Jesus took in developing the two parables about the Good Shepherd makes sense when we consider the setting. He was still in Jerusalem, where He had come to participate in the Feast of Tabernacles. The feast was over, yet He lingered to heal the blind man and rebuke the Pharisees. A short time before, while the feast was underway, He plainly set forth His claim to be the Messiah, and He raised this claim to an even higher level by making Himself equal with God the Father.

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 8:58

The Jews could never complain that He failed to tell them who He was. But how did they respond? For the most part with unbelief, although a few were receptive to His teaching. Many became so indignant that they took up stones to cast at Him.

Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 8:59

If it was never clear before that the nation as a whole would reject Him, it was certainly clear now. He was now heading down the road to inevitable death at their hands. But Jesus knew full well what the aftermath would be. His death on the cross would be the decisive stroke in God’s war against sin and condemnation. His sufferings would open a new phase of history, when the gospel of salvation would go to men everywhere, both Jew and gentile, and multitudes would receive it. So, to console Himself after His ill treatment by the mob, He looked forward to the spacious fold that He was building for sheep from the whole world.

Father and Son

Jesus concludes His two interwoven parables on the Good Shepherd by reflecting on His relationship with the Father.

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

John 10:17–18

The Jews did not love Him, but His Father did. Why? Because He was willing to die so that others might live. Even at the terrible price He was obliged to pay, He was willing to be the linchpin of eternal life for others.

How did Jesus know that He was the Father’s dear Son? Because between them was a bond of perfect understanding. "As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father" (v. 15). He knew the Father’s mind—the mind of the God that the Jews worshipped—as well as the Father knew His mind. Here was a remarkable assertion. What mere mortal could represent himself as knowing God as well as God knew him? To comprehend the ways and powers and thoughts of an infinite Being is nowhere within reach of merely human understanding. The finite must fall infinitely short of knowing the infinite. It takes God to know God. Therefore, what Jesus was saying was that He was the Son of God in a unique sense, deriving from the Father all His attributes and sharing even His supreme deity. In other words, Jesus was claiming to be God in the flesh.

Then Jesus’ reflections turned to another comforting thought. Not only did His Father love Him, but the crucifixion that the Father had appointed for Him would be essentially a prelude to life. He would conquer death and rise from the grave. Thus, He would be the only man who proved Himself stronger than death. For this unprecedented victory He would not be dependent on anyone else. Its achievement would not require the help of the Father or the Spirit. Nor would it come as a result of any unusual circumstances beyond His control. It would be purely and simply His own victory. He would rise again because He Himself had "power to take it [that is, His life] again" (v. 18).

Yet His power surpassed even the great power necessary to escape from death’s stranglehold. It was not that He and death would enter into battle and death would for a time gain the upper hand. No, death would not even be able to overcome Him temporarily. When the authorities crucified Him, He would die for one reason only. Not because He was helpless to resist, but because He Himself willed it to happen. The only way He could die was by His own consent. He did not succumb to natural causes. His death was not the outcome of any condition that doctors have used to explain the deaths of other men. Through terrible abuse His body did become moribund, in the sense that it lost its ability to sustain its own life through natural processes. Yet, as the Gospel writers agree, Jesus did not die until He Himself "gave up the ghost" (Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30).

The astounding power that Jesus was claiming over death itself served to underscore His earlier claim that He was the author and provider of life (v. 10). As a gesture of His love, He reached out to strengthen our confidence that He is able to give us eternal life as He promised, even though we, like Him, may have to undergo the daunting experience of death. He wanted to assure us that we can entrust to Him our eternal destiny.

Jesus concluded by revealing why death would be unable to hold Him in its grasp. He said that His power over this dark enemy was a result of His Father’s "commandment," a word that could also be translated "decree."⁵ The meaning is rather obscure, since it refers to events within the remote and lofty realm of God’s eternal counsels. What happens there lies beyond our easy comprehension. But evidently when the Father planned man’s redemption, He determined the exact characteristics of the Son after He became incarnate. Although the Son would lay aside the exercise of absolute power and knowledge, the Father decided that one divine attribute to be retained by the Son was an inherent power over His own life, whether to lay it down or take it up again. To lose that power would perhaps have been an unacceptable or impossible compromise of His deity.

Reaction of those who heard

The crowd listening to Jesus’ deep and difficult teachings continued to be divided.

19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

John 10:19–21

Throughout the Feast of Tabernacles which had just concluded, Jesus’ mind-bending pronouncements had aroused heated arguments among the people. From the outset, there were some who wanted to kill Him and some who were ready to believe in Him. His enemies could not imagine that the real Messiah would be a man like Jesus.

28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.

29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.

30 Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

John 7:28–30

But His supporters had come to the common-sense conclusion that only the Messiah could have performed Jesus' wonderful works.

And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?

John 7:31

The two opposing sides steadily moved apart, each becoming more confident that it was right.

When they weighed His claims by the tests found in Scripture, they reached different verdicts. The believers viewed His words as proof that He was Moses’ successor, but His enemies decided that His birthplace failed to satisfy prophecy.

40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.

41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?

42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

John 7:40-42

At last His enemies forsook mere talk of killing Him and took up stones.

Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 8:59

Then came His healing of the blind man, a miracle recorded in John 9. This fueled the debate to white-hot intensity. It encouraged His supporters and perhaps won more to His side. But His enemies stumbled deeper into hostility. The only way they could explain the miracle was by dismissing it as a work of Satan. It followed that Jesus must be Satan’s ally. Indeed, they took refuge in a lie already being circulated by the Pharisees—that Jesus was an evil sorcerer possessed by a devil (v. 20). The same charge haunted Jesus throughout the remainder of His ministry, and, as we see in the Babylonian Talmud, the Pharisees passed it on to future generations as their excuse for killing Jesus.⁶

As if it were not enough to impugn Him as diabolical, they added that He was crazy (vv. 19, 20). In this last slander it is evident how desperate they were to discredit Him. It was not convincing to say only that He was a sorcerer, because a sorcerer would have used enticing words rather than words that defied comprehension. Yet it was also not convincing to say only that Jesus was crazy, because a madman cannot do miracles. So, to justify themselves, they descended to the blatant contradiction of calling Jesus both a madman and a sorcerer. It was a contradiction, because Satan’s choice of a man to champion his cause would never be a pitiful victim of insanity.

The final verdict of His enemies is a sad illustration of how resistant most people are to obvious truths that would save their souls. It reminds us to keep witnessing to the lost with hearts of compassion, and to keep praying that they will give their hearts to God, not Satan, and thereby win heaven, not hell, as their eternal home.