A picture of help and hope and salvation: Jesus the shepherd

By Dean Collins

Thieves, doors, sheep, shepherds, robbers, sheepfolds, and gatekeepers. John used all these metaphors in the first 10 verses of his Gospel’s tenth chapter. There’s a lot going on in this passage.

Few deny that Jesus was a great storyteller. John was simply recording what he remembered Jesus saying. But Jesus, which is it? Are you the lamb of God, the gate, or the shepherd? And what about the gatekeeper? I thought metaphors were to make things easier to understand. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus claimed to be a wide range of “I Am”s. And thank God he is fully all of them:

The bread of life
The light of the world
The door
The good shepherd
The resurrection and the life
The way the truth and the life
The true vine
“I Am”

Born blind

To fully appreciate John 10 we need to remember it is an extension of the miracle story of the man born blind recorded in John 9. After healing the man born blind, Jesus apparently walked away without telling the formerly blind man what was about to happen to him. Jesus always knows, yet I suspect for our own good and almost always for the good of another pilgrim, he allows us to learn and grow through the experiences that follow his healing touch in our lives.

John 9 includes an introduction to theology from Jesus to his disciples, followed by this unexpected miracle in a blind man’s life. We have no hint that the blind man planned to be healed by Jesus this particular day or possibly ever. Jesus simply intervened in this man’s life and changed him forever.

Imagine waking up completely sightless every day of your life. Imagine being an adult and being dependent on aging parents and anyone else feeling a moment of compassion or pity who might toss a coin or a piece of bread your way in order for you to survive. Imagine being ignored by those in any position of authority. And then suddenly, on a day when everything felt as hopeless as every day before, Jesus stepped in and literally changed the script of your life.

Cast out

Maybe we would expect those around us to share our joy and celebrate our life-changing miracle. But instead, suddenly our story is a controversy. Once we were pitied and now we are interrogated and even cast out of the faith community because we dared to share what Jesus had done for us.

Jesus found the man the religious leaders tossed aside and introduced himself. As Jesus talked with this formerly blind man, the religious leaders began another argument with Jesus. In Chapter 10 Jesus continues his conversation with the self-appointment power brokers of faith by declaring that no one enters the sheepfold except through him.

The Pharisees might have seen themselves as the shepherds of God’s truth and way, but Jesus made it clear that he is the shepherd. He is the door. His Father, the gatekeeper of all things, had opened the gate. Jesus declared himself to be the door and entry place to life, to God, and ultimately, to eternity.

Only way

The response of the Pharisees to the miracle had been to question the crowd, to question the man’s parents, to interrogate the man himself, to call the miracle a work of the devil, and to banish the man from his faith tradition. Jesus twice in the first 10 verses of chapter 10 gave emphasis to his words by saying “truly, truly.” He was emphatic that the only way to the sheepfold came through himself. Those who came before him, including the religious leaders who claimed authority, could not offer access to the kingdom of God and to the benefits good shepherds bring to the sheep who follow.

Today, 2,000 years later, there are still those who claim to be the decision-makers, the rule-makers, and the life-makers. But Jesus speaks clearly to us today with the same declaration. The voice of the shepherd calls out even today. If we listen, we can still hear his voice. There is no maybe to his offer. He is the access to the divine life. He is the shepherd who will never abandon us. And even if we wander off, our good shepherd will search for us until we are found.

Father, thank you for making a way for us. We acknowledge that we have been tempted and at times we have followed the voices of thieves and robbers who want to take instead of give. Lead us beside still waters and to the green pastures of rest and security you offer through Jesus our shepherd. Amen.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭John‬ ‭9‬:‭34‬-‭41; John‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Mohamad Babayan at Unsplash.com

To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.