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. 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. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His
Life for the sheep. 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. The hireling fleeth, because he is an
hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd, and
know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even
so know I the Father: and I lay down My Life for the sheep. 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. Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down
My Life, that I might take it again. 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, Chapter 10, verses 1-18.
Jesus
answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do
in My Father’s Name, they bear witness of Me. But ye believe not,
because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My
Voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater
than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s Hand.
I and My Father are One. John, Chapter 10, verses 25-30.
Wow!
There are so many wonderful comparisons that Jesus makes in this
passage that I’m afraid I might leave some out. If I do, please
forgive me. This is what this passage means to me, although I
realize others may interpret it differently.
Jesus
is speaking of the sheep as Christians (His people.) People who want
to lead Christians (His people) astray aren’t going to do it in a
forthright manner. They aren’t going to come through the front
door and say, “I’m here to deceive you and lead you astray.
Follow me and you are bound to lose your Salvation.” If the
Christians would know better than to follow them, they would stay
with the rest of the sheep knowing that Jesus, their Shepherd, would
always protect them and lead them to Salvation.
Instead,
people who want to lead Christians astray, do it in a more subtle
manner like the robber who sneaks in to steal the sheep. They work
slyly trying to deceive Christians by making them believe that they
are doing the Will of God-so sad!
True
Christians stay focused on Jesus and His will for us, as shown in the
Bible. That way we will know Jesus’ Voice and won’t be led
astray by others who profess to be followers of His, but aren’t.
God the Father gave us to Jesus to be His sheep, and Jesus and God
the Father are One.
Jesus
is dedicated to protecting us like a Shepard who protects His sheep
from wolves. A Shepherd would give His life to save His sheep, just
as Jesus gave His Life to save us from our sinful nature. Those who
deceive Christians are going to run for the hills when they see the
wolves coming or when we stop giving them the money or the things
they want from us. As long as we listen to our Shepherd’s Voice,
Jesus will keep us from being misled.
Here
are some related passages:
*For
ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd
and Bishop of your souls. 1 Peter, Chapter 2, verse 25.
*Behold,
the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for
Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him. He
shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with
His Arm, and carry them in His Bosom, and shall gently lead those
that are with young. Isaiah, Chapter 40, verses 10-11.
*And
the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together: for the Mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. The Voice said,
Cry. And He said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the LORD bloweth
upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah,
Chapter 40, verses 5-8.
*Beware
of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew, Chapter 7, verse 15.
*But
when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them,
because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no
shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is
plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of
the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.
Matthew, Chapter 9, verses 36-38.
*Behold,
send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise
as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew, Chapter 10, verse 16.
*Then
saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of Me this
night: for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of
the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I
will go before you into Galilee. Matthew, Chapter 26, verses 31-32.
*I
have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not
forget Thy Commandments. Psalm, Chapter 119, verse 176.
Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.
