John 10:1-6 (ESV)

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Jesus contrasted those who enter the sheepfold through the door with those who try to get in some other way. Shepherding was common in the first century, and Jesus’ audience would have been quite familiar with the subject of the analogy. The sheepfold was like a gated courtyard where sheep were placed at night. Different owners would often use the same sheepfold, and a gatekeeper was hired to make sure no one unauthorized entered the pen. Jesus called those who attempted to jump the fence “thieves” because they were interested in stealing the sheep. The religious leaders of Israel were like thieves. They had just excommunicated the man born blind after he bore testimony to the fact that Jesus healed him. The religious leaders were called by God to take care of his sheep or his people. Instead, the Pharisees and other leaders abused God’s flock. When a legitimate shepherd wanted to access the sheep, the gatekeeper opened the door to him. The shepherd would enter the fold and call out to his sheep, even using the personal names he had given each one. He knew exactly which sheep were his, and the sheep knew his voice too. If a stranger called, the sheep would not respond. When the shepherd collected his sheep, he went out before them, leading them, and they all followed. Many believe Jesus was showing the Pharisees how his people were leaving the religion of Israel to follow after him.

The ancient shepherd would lead the way before his sheep. He would call out to his sheep, and they would hear and follow after him. Jesus’ opponents did not recognize his voice, as verse 6 makes clear. Although they should have, they simply didn’t understand what he was saying. Hundreds of years earlier, in Numbers 27:15-17, Moses asked God who would go before and lead Israel like a shepherd. In the very next verse, God tells Moses to lay his hand on Joshua, displaying to the people that Joshua would lead Israel. It is easy to miss that the Hebrew name “Joshua” is translated “Jesus” in the Greek. God’s plan was always for Jesus to lead his people. If Jesus is your shepherd, your leader, make sure you are following in his footsteps. He won’t let his sheep get too far off the path, and because they are his sheep, they won’t even want to. Sheep want to be near the shepherd.