Text: John 10:10
Christ is called the Good Shepherd of God's sheep and as such the PASTOR (FIVE FOLD FULFILLMENT)
He is the APOSTLE, PROPHET, TEACHER, EVAGELIST, PASTOR
Christ in John 9 healed Israel's Blind - John 10 he was cast off by Israel's false shepherds
The Word of God says this:
1) The Lord God is our Shepherd (Isaiah 40:9-11; Psalms 23:1; 68:7; Zechariah 13:7). It reveals his Divinity.
2) The MAN that is My Shepherd (Zechariah 13:7). This reveals the Humanity of Christ by virtue of the incarnation.
3) The Shepherd of Israel dwelling between the cherubim's (Psalms 80:1; 99:1).
4) The Shepherd - Stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24).
5) The Shepherd (Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:23).
6) The One Shepherd (Ecclesiastes 12:11; Ezekiel 34:23).
7) The Good Shepherd (John 10:10).
8) The Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20).
9) The Chief Shepherd (I Peter 2:25).
10) The Shepherd and Bishop of our souls (I Peter 2:25).
The Shepherd vs 11, 14, 16; Ezekiel 37:24; Psalms 23:1 Jesus, Jehovah Raah Incarnate is the Good Shepherd. He gives His life for the sheep. Moses, Joshua, the Priests and prophets in the Old Testament were but "under shepherds". They did not give their life in a sin-sacrifice for the sheep. They live and died for them but could not redeem them from sin. But ALL POINTED to THE Shepherd! All True Shepherds do!
The Father of the Shepherd - vs 15, 17, 18, 29. God the Father is the owner of the sheep. he gave His sheep to his Shepherd, Christ (John 17:6, 9, 15).
The Sheep, the true Israelites, the children of God are God's sheep. Not the seed after the flesh, but the seed after the Spirit (Romans 9:1-9; John 8). All other Israelites are but "goats", clean nations, yet not real "sheep" before God. Israel - the sheep of His pasture. (SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL)
The Other Sheep - vs 16. The Gentiles would also come into the f old (Acts 28:28; Acts 10-11, 15; Romans 11). These would be the "other sheep's" not of this fold, yet it now ONE FOLD with Jew and Gentile
The Sheepfold - vs 16. Greek = "Poimne", translated "one flock". John 17:11, 21-23; Ephesians 4:4-6. Thus, one body, one Church, one flock, one of old. The unity of the sheepfold is revealed. The Eastern custom shows that there was but ONE flock, many under-shepherds, each caring for part of the whole.
III. The Door of the Sheepfold - vs 7, 9.
The Lord Jesus himself is THE DOOR. It Speaks of His own body and blood.
He is the only entrance to the fold of God (John 14:1, 6; Hebrews 7:25-27).
Noah's ark had one door. There was the door of the Passover Lamb. There is the door of the sheepfold. It is one way, one door, one Savior.
Jesus Mentions the Porter - vs 3. An Eastern custom refers to (Greek) "Thuroros", the door or gate-keeper. The door-keeper of the fold would open to true shepherds and allow them to get their flocks out to pasture in the morning, and then receive them into the fold at night. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE PORTER! He knows the true shepherds and opens to them. There were porters at the gates in the Temple of Solomon, the City of Jerusalem and the Tabernacle of David
Another custom is seen in this. Sometimes the folds were small enclosures to protect the flocks at night from wild animals; or a law building which opened into a courtyard. There was one entrance.
IV. Enemies of the Sheep
There are a number of enemies of the sheep which Jesus mentioned in this chapter.
The Stranger - vs 5. The Sheep hear the voice, but there is no witness within, but restlessness, caution, and eventually they wander away (Revelation 13:11). We are to know those that labor among us (1 Thessalonians 5:12).
The Thief - 1, 9, 10. The thief is one who steals by craftiness, by subtlety. His only purpose is to steal from the flock of their wool.
The Robber - vs 1, 9, 10. The robber is one who takes away violently, he takes by force. All who came before Jesus were thieves and robbers. That is, false Messiahs and religious leaders. NOT Moses, Joshua or true Old Testament ministries. True ministries recognized they were but "under-shepherds" and pointed to the shepherd, Messiah Jesus. They had a heart for the sheep. False ministries "fleeced" the sheep for what they could get out of them.
The Hireling vs 12, 13. A hireling is one who is paid to do a job. he has no real heart or call for the sheep. It is but a job to him; he gets paid for it. he will flee when the wolf comes. He will deserts the sheep and the wolf will catch, scatter or devour them.
The wolf - vs 12, 13. The wolf is applied to various ones who are the enemies of the flock of God. The Devil is a wolf; false prophets or other false ministries are wolves also. Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29; II Peter 2:1; Jude 1-5; Revelation 13:11. The inner nature manifests itself even though they come in sheep's clothing.
New Testament Shepherds - All fivefold ministries should have the heart of a shepherd, yet there are those who do have that distinctive pastoral call.
Jesus Christ is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, caring for sheep which have been led astray (I Peter 2:25).
All New Testament Elders are Bishops and therefore responsible to shepherd the flock of God (Acts 20:17, 28; I Peter 5:1-5).
It seems peter was a Pastor-Apostle by the Lord's commission to him in John 21:15-19. The Lord told him to "feed" (I.e., pastor, shepherd, feed) His sheep and lambs. "feed my sheep", 3 times.
Yet we see Peter in apostolic travelling ministry (Acts 9:31, 32). His Epistles have a "pastoral" note in them.
James seemed to become the Pastor-Apostle of Jerusalem after Peter had departed (Acts 21:18; Galatians 1:19; 2:9).
Paul certainly evidenced Pastoral ministry and gave us, what are commonly called "The Pastoral Epistles" of I and II Timothy and Titus, yet he himself was more especially a Teacher-Apostle.
Christ has set in the Church those who are Pastors as one of the fivefold ministries. It is a distinct ministry besides the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist and Teacher (Ephesians 4:11).
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