John 10:2-4 "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."
As the transition from Chapter 8 to Chapter 9, so is the movement from Chapter
9 to Chapter 10. I'm thankful for the convenience of the chapter and verse
numbers, but sometimes we tend to put a break in the action where it is not
intended. Chapter 10 is a continuation of the conversation that was begun at
the end of chapter 9. The Pharisees had cast the young man out of the temple.
Jesus was there to catch him and lift him up spiritually. The Pharisees had
begun to question Jesus concerning their sight, especially their insight into
the Scriptures.
At one point, the young man had asked the Pharisees if they were wanting to be
a disciple of Jesus. "Then said they to him again, What did he to
thee? how opened he thine eyes? (27) He answered them, I have told
you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye
also be his disciples?" (John 9:26-27) Their answer to him,
"Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples." (John 9:28)
That was the beginning of the conversation that carried over into Jesus
and now into chapter 10.
In John 10:1, Jesus spoke of those who climbed up a different way. He called
them robbers. He had direct reference to the Pharisees who were more concerned
with their own reputation than of the well-being of those who were being
taught. In this conversation, Jesus is talking about the
"sheepfold." This is not speaking of heaven itself; rather He is
speaking of a place of heart where fellowship, safety, peace, and joy can be
experienced under the care of the true "shepherd of the sheep". He is
speaking of the kingdom of heaven which is experienced by the born again child
of God here on earth as we go through the rigours of life. This is the
kingdom Jesus spoke about in chapter 3. This is the kingdom which Paul
described in Romans 14:17: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." That which
brings true joy and peace is not found in material things; rather through the
righteousness of the Shepherd of the soul, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are not called into that "sheepfold," by the Pharisees who try to
bind us with things too heavy for us to bear. "For they bind heavy
burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they
themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." (Matthew 23:4)
Rather, we are called into that place of peace and joy by the voice of the
Shepherd Who has claimed us as His own and leads us in the paths of
righteousness for His name's sake. The young man, who had been blind, did not
follow the voice of the robbers who tried to get him to deny the power of the
Lord Jesus. He heard the voice of the Lord and believed Him and followed Him.
Let us not be guilty of following the voices of those who care nothing
for us; rather let us be faithful and true to the One Who cares for our very
souls. Jesus is His name!