God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that through Him the world could be saved! Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and no one comes to the Father except through Him. He did not leave us here unprotected but gave us Holy Spirit to guide and direct us and to get us safely home. We just need to listen to Him. We are all one as believers in the Body of Christ in the unity of Holy Spirit.
As our risen Savior Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. He will return in glory and His Kingdom will have no end!!
Praise be to God. It is finished!!
John 10:16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Jesus explains in John 16 that although He is no longer physically present on earth, He has sent a Helper who is with us (John 16:7). When we receive God's Spirit through our faith in Jesus, He lives in our hearts, giving us the strength and power to obey the Father even under challenging circumstances.
Still, just because we believe in Jesus doesn't mean we automatically, immediately display the fruit of the Spirit. In the same way our muscles grow stronger through working out, our spiritual muscles grow as we work them out in everyday life. As we choose to act against our fleshly desires and cooperate with the Spirit in us, we mature and grow to look more like Jesus. First5
John 10:1-10
10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. The New King James Version
In John 7, Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. The events take place on that visit to Jerusalem. Chapters 9 and 10 are closely connected, suggesting that Jesus had the Pharisees of chapter 9 in mind when He spoke the opening words of chapter 10.
A sheepfold was a walled enclosure or high fence made with stakes, and having one door or gate; often the enclosure was a cave.
The Pharisees had secured their power by illegitimate means. A thief steals in secret; a robber plunders openly with violence. In contrast to the thief, the true shepherd would come through the door. The doorkeeper was the undershepherd. Calls expresses personal address rather than a general or authoritative invitation. The naming of sheep was an ancient practice. This was good practice for the undershepherd who has been given the charge of a portion of God’s flock.
Brings out is a translation of the same Greek word used in 9:34, 35 of the Pharisees casting out the man born blind. The false shepherds put out the sheep to rid themselves of trouble. The true shepherd puts out the sheep in order to feed them. The sheep know the voice of the true shepherd.
A stranger is anyone whom the sheep do not know, not necessarily a thief and a robber. Sheep would not follow a stranger’s voice even if he used the shepherd’s call and imitated his tone. Jesus is the shepherd; here He is the door. Some shepherds lay down across the entry of the sheepfold at night to sleep. Wild beasts would be discouraged from entering, and sheep would not exit. Thus the shepherd was also the door.
The thieves and robbers were the Pharisees.
Jesus, the shepherd, gives spiritual life and access to spiritual food. The thieves take life; the shepherd gives it. Abundant life includes salvation, nourishment, healing and much more. Life here refers to eternal life, God’s life. It speaks not only of endlessness, but of quality of life. With Christ, life on earth can reach much higher quality, and then in heaven it will be complete and perfect. The NKJV Study Bible
The fold of the sheep was a courtyard surrounded by a stone wall. If it had a gate, there was usually a gatekeeper guarding it who would know which shepherds had legitimate business there. Several families might use the same sheep pen. The point is that sheep follow the right shepherd. The audience misses the symbolism of the parable.
Just as sheep recognize their shepherd and follow him, so those who truly belong to Jesus will recognize Him and follow Him. Jesus is the gateway for eternal life as well as the one who leads the sheep.Faithlife Study Bible
John 10:4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
John 10:5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
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