So Jesus said again, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.’” (John 10:1-10).
Those listening to this parable would have been familiar with shepherds. It was not the most desirable of professions—shepherds were away from home at night and unable to protect their households. It was also a physically challenging profession—shepherds had to contend with the heat of the day, the cold at night, and the wild animals and thieves that threatened their flocks. They did, however, develop close relationships with their sheep. Shepherds frequently had individual calls for each sheep, and should his flock become mixed with another, a shepherd had only to call his sheep to gather them.
Jesus contrasts himself with thieves and robbers and later with the "false shepherds" who lead flocks astray. The parallel between effective leadership and shepherding was used in the Hebrew Scriptures, and people would have recognized it. These Pharisees are so concerned with obeying the rules and observing the Sabbath that they cannot hear Jesus’ voice and do not follow where he leads.
In our own lives, we are sometimes faced with “false shepherds”—promises or offers of things that will make our lives better but tempt us to lose our focus on Jesus’ call to each one of us as unique individuals.
- How do you experience the presence of Jesus as the Good Shepherd?
Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.