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 is a related passage:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew, Chapter 7, verse 15.
