"And when he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and
the sheep follow him, for they
know his voice." John 10: 4.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In John 10, we see a parable
taught by our Lord about the good
shepherd and the sheep.
Jesus will never leave or forsake
us, just as a good shepherd would
never forsake his sheep without
them being in the fold of safety.
This parable tells us there is
only one entry into the kingdom,
through Jesus Christ, who is the
"Door" to eternal life.
A shepherd was a common Old
Testament picture for a leader of
God's people, both religious and
civil, who tended to the needs of
God's people, whether good or bad.
Analogies from "sheep and
shepherds" are used throughout the
Bible, and the Jews could easily
relate to these parables.
Moses and David were both two
great leaders of Israel, and both
were shepherds. Many other
writers related the analogy of
shepherds and sheep.
This chapter begins with the
words, "verily, verily," which
means, "it is true....it is true."
Our Lord begin His discourse in a
solemn manner. His words
were a Hebraism which meant, "this
is a most important and
interesting truth." Jesus
was about to form His church, and
would admit none into the kingdom,
except those who heard His voice
and followed Him. All who
were in the true church, had to
enter through the right door. The
shepherds could enter if the
porter let them in and recognized
them. This was especially
important for the leaders of the
people to see how the porter would
only open the door of the communal
fold to the good shepherds.
All others were as thieves and
robbers who tried to enter another
way. These came to kill,
steal, and destroy the sheep, for
their own personal gain and
purposes.
Understanding the sheepfold and
the role of the shepherd helps us
to better understand this parable
given by our Lord.
Shepherding was a 24 hour a day, 7
day a week proposition which was
lonely, and sometimes very
dangerous. Without the
shepherd, the sheep would die, as
they were helpless, and could not
go out alone to find food or water
for themselves.
The sheepfold in John 10: 1 refers
to a place of shelter for the
sheep. In the sheepfold,
they could rest for the night and
be safe from the attacks of wild
beasts. The shepherd could also
sleep, yet he was willing to lay
his life down to protect the sheep
and be subject to harm, instead of
letting the sheep be in danger.
When the sheep entered the fold
for the night, they would pass
under the shepherd's rod and be
counted, to make sure not one had
strayed. If one was missing,
the shepherd would make provision
for the flock to be safe inside,
and then go out after the one lost
sheep to bring it back to join the
other sheep in the fold.
Each sheep would be inspected at
night for cuts, wounds, fever, or
scratches. Then the shepherd would
pour oil on any sheep that needed
special care, massage their
wounds, and speak comfort to them
with soft words.
In certain times of the year, the
Shepherd would lead his sheep away
from the village to green pastures
where the feeding was better.
While they were away, the sheep
were kept in temporary sheepfolds
of brush, mud, a cave, or other
type sheepfold. In this
instance, the Shepherd would guard
the entry to the sheepfold and lay
down in front of the only
entrance, to be as the one door to
the sheepfold and keep out all
harm.
When the sheep remained in the
village, they all stayed in one
large common sheepfold, where
there were flocks of several
different shepherds. There
would be one shepherd (porter), to
stay with the sheep at the
sheepfold, and guard them. In the
morning, the other Shepherds would
return for their flocks. It
is ironic that although the flocks
of different shepherds were all
mixed together, each sheep knew
when it was called by name, and
recognized their own shepherd's
voice. The Sheep always had a good
shepherd to lead and guide, or the
porter to be with them. The
porter or watchman for all the
sheep only opened the gate for the
"good shepherds."
Sheepfolds were low buildings
opening into a court, open to the
sky, and were surrounded with a
stone wall or a fence at least
waist high or taller. These
sometimes had a layer of thorns on
top, for protection from the wild
animals. The entrance to the
sheepfold had to be carefully
guarded. Shepherds would lay
across the entry way to guard it
with their lives, just as Jesus
laid down His life for His sheep.
John 10 is warning us of those who
try to enter the sheepfold in
another way. Those who try
to enter the sheepfold in any
other manner than the door, do not
have good intentions. Verse
9 tells us, "All that ever came
before me are thieves and robbers:
but the sheep did not hear them."
True sheep will recognize only the
true shepherd and follow him.
The world outside the sheepfold is
where the wolves lie in wait, but
we are to take the gospel message
out into the highways and byways,
as 'salt and light.' Jesus
said, "behold I send you forth as
sheep in the midst of wolves, be
ye therefore wise as serpents and
harmless as doves." At times
the path to reach sinners may be
rough and dangerous, but with the
Lord going before us and leading
the way, we will find safety and
pasture. Everything we need has
been given us by the Lord, whether
we are "in the fold or in the
fields" with the Good Shepherd.
If we are true "sheep of the
Lord," we will hear His voice
through His Word, prayer, and in
fellowship and communion with Him.
When we are as His sheep, we'll
follow Him, and never walk alone.
As we walk in the world as
witnesses, the Holy Spirit goes
before us to lead us. We can
have fullness of joy at all times,
if we let the Lord's ever abiding
presence fill our hearts and walk
in His spirit, as He leads us.
As the words to a little chorus
tell us, "walk in the spirit of
the Lord and you'll see Jesus."
..........Amen, and amen.
Blessings In Christ,
Jo Ann Kelly © 2006, 2005.
J. P.'s
Inspirations
