John 10:7-9 7Then Jesus again said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus again gives the gathered crowd a timeless truth in the form of an “I am” saying that reveals more about him. The metaphor gives the image of a sheepfold. He uses the same image from two different directions. The first image, in verse 8, is about getting out of the pen. The sheep are safely in the fold. No robber or thief can get into the pen and steal the sheep away. These enemies of the shepherd are deceptive, but because the sheep know the voice of the shepherd, they will not listen to anyone else. As the shepherd, Jesus guards the safety of his sheep. No one can cross into the fold and steal them. The phrase before me refers to those who claimed religious authority before the revelation of the Son of God. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day fit into the category. They deceived themselves and others into thinking that God wanted legalistic obedience to the law while they also neglected the faith of a sincere heart. The law was important but was intended to be the guide to holy love to God and neighbor. Some people did not listen to this wrong teaching but turned to God in faith. When they heard Jesus, they saw the truth he revealed.
This verse not only reflects on the past but serves as a warning about the future. The sheep need to listen for the right voice and not be tricked by those who pretend to be shepherds but are not. There are many people who claim to be shepherds and may even be in positions of authority in the church who do not abide by Jesus’ teachings or the Bible. They pick and choose what they want to obey. Uninformed and ignorant people will listen to the nice sounding rhetoric and fall prey to wrong teaching. The early church faced this issue within just a few decades of Jesus (see Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus). We must learn to listen to the right voice!
Jesus repeats the “I am” statement in verse 9 with the second application. The sheepfold represents safety and security. The sheep can be at peace and rest there. It is a special place reserved for the shepherd’s sheep and not ravenous animals or bad characters. Jesus is the protector who only allows his sheep to go in at night and out during the day for grazing. The key thought is that Jesus is the only way in and out. This theme has been repeated multiple times thus far in John and will find its climax in 14:6. In Jesus, we find the way, truth, and life for which people seek but do not find outside of him.
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