I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own

 

 "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.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  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.  

 

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  

 

"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.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 

- John 10:1–18 

 

In our current reading, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, and it is the final year of His earthly life.  As we began chapter 9 of John's Gospel, Jesus healed a man blind from birth, something unprecedented in the Scriptures.  But the religious leaders did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."  So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains.

 

  "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.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."  Here, as we begin chapter 10 in John's Gospel, the conversation with the Pharisees continues; there is no break between the final verses of chapter 9, and this beginning of 10.  All of this takes place at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn festival commemorating the time Israel wandered in the wilderness, and the people lived in tabernacles (or tents).  My study Bible comments that here Jesus contrasts the leadership of the Pharisees with His own.  They have failed as pastors of God's people ("pastor" comes from the Latin word for "shepherd").  Their leadership has been marked by deceit and pride and lacks compassion.  Christ, on the other hand, fulfills all virtue.  My study Bible adds that, according to St. John Chrysostom, the door is God's Word, indicating both the Scriptures and Christ Himself (see verses 7, 9), as the Scriptures reveal God the Word.  One who tries to lead in a way that is neither in Christ nor according to the teaching of the Scriptures is a thief and a robber.  Rather than using this door so all can see His works openly, these false shepherds use underhanded means to control, steal, and manipulate people, which ultimately destroys their souls (verse 10).  In contrast, the pastors who lead according to Christ will find eternal life (verse 9).

"To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  My study Bible explains that, as Christ has intimate knowledge of each person, so also a true pastor in the Church will strive to know God's people by name, that is, personally.  Such pastors strive to know each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, expressing Christlike compassion for each one (Hebrews 4:15).  In return people will respond to a true leader, trusting that such a leader is a follower of Christ.  St. Ignatius of Antioch writes, "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  My study Bible comments further that indeed, the response of the faithful can be a better indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (John 7:47-49).  

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."  The phrase all who ever came before Me does not refer to Moses or genuine prophets, my study Bible explains, but rather to people claiming to be the Messiah both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37). 

 "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."  My study Bible says that the ultimate thief is Satan, who spreads lies and heresies among the people of God, luring away both leaders and people.  Life means living in God's grace here on earth, and the more abundant life, my study Bible says, indicates the Kingdom to come.

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  Here Christ reveals Himself as the good shepherd, and He teaches what that means.  He enters by the door (see verse 2, above), meaning that He fulfills the Scriptures concerning Himself.  He knows and is known by the Father.  He knows His people personally, and is known by them (verses 3, 14).  Finally, He gives His life for the sake of His people, a direct prophecy of His coming Passion.  

"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."  My study Bible says that the other sheep are the Gentiles, who will be brought into the one flock with the Jews under the one shepherd.  So, for example, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the beginning, it adds, it has been the Orthodox teaching that there be one bishop serving a city (Canon 8 of I Nicea), a principle which is affirmed in each generation.  Writing in the early second century to a Church that held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians, St. Ignatius taught, "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  Here, my study Bible says, Christ is clear that His life-giving death is voluntary.  He does nothing apart from the will of the Father.  As He laid down His life for us, we lay down our lives  for Him and for the sake of others.

In the final verses of today's reading, Jesus says, "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.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  It seems that these verses, coming together, indicate very clearly that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross will bring all together -- all the sheep should become one fold.  While we have many denominations of those who claim to follow Christ, and disagreements among them, it is clear that the Door is Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.  In writing this blog, I endeavor to address as many of that one flock as possible, because I believe that is important.  In the following chapter of John's Gospel, we will read that Caiaphas, as high priest that year, exhorts his fellow rulers to do away with Christ, saying, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish" (John 11:49-50).  This is seen as an unwitting prophecy, made for one purpose by a man, but prophetic of Christ's "lifting up" on the Cross, from the chair of the high priest.  This is one profound part of the meaning of the Cross, as it becomes a part of the reality of the Door for the sheep, that door by which all of us must go to the abundant life Christ promises.  It is, for this reason, a symbol of salvation, and remains so.  It also symbolizes the defeat of the thief who does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  Under the Cross, the sheep are united in a mystical reality, that pervades all things, places, peoples, walks of life.  This is not to say that it is some magical formula in which all are made one; rather, those with faith, who perceive in His words "spirit and life" and who know they have found the Door, are of one flock.  Let us live as His sheep, hearing His voice and not that of strangers, in faith following His words, as we are known by Him and may be known by one another.  

 

I am the good shepherd

 "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.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  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.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  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.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

- John 10:1-18

In our current reading in the Gospel of John, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, where He has been debating with the leadership.  On the last day of the feast, after the leaders sought to stone Him, He healed a man blind from birth, which is the sixth of seven signs in the Gospel.  Yesterday we read that after questioning the healed man, the religious leaders did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."   So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is as worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains." 

 "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.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."  As we continue into chapter 10, there is no break in Christ's response to the leadership.   We remain at the conclusion, the last day of the eight-day Feast of Tabernacles.  Here, in our entire reading for today, Jesus begins to contrast their leadership with His own.  My study bible says that these leaders have failed as pastors of God's people (it should be noted that "pastor" comes from the Latin word for "shepherd").  Their leadership, it says, has been marked by deceit and pride, and has lacked in compassion.  Christ, by contrast, fulfills all virtue.  The door, according to St. John Chrysostom, is God's Word, which means both the Scriptures and Christ Himself (who is the Word).   Those who try to lead in a way that is neither in Christ nor in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures is a thief and a robber.

"To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Here my study bible comments that as Christ has intimate knowledge of each person, so also true pastors in the Church seek to know their own people by name; that is, personally.  True pastors endeavor to understand each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, and express Christlike compassion for each (Hebrews 4:15).  In return, people will respond to a true leader, trusting that such a leader is a follower of Christ.  My study bible quotes St. Ignatius of Antioch:  "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  It is the leader that draws the faithful.  My study bible comments that the response of the faithful can be a better indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (7:47-49). 

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  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."   My study bible comments that all who ever came before Me doesn't refer to Moses or to genuine prophets, but rather to people who claim to be the Messiah, both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37).   The ultimate thief, it says, is Satan, who spreads lies and heresies among the people of God, and lures away both leaders and people.  Life means living in God's grace here on earth, while the more abundant life also indicates the Kingdom to come.   The thieves and robbers are those false shepherds, who fail to use the true door so all can see Christ's works openly.  My study bible says they use underhanded means to control, to steal, and to manipulate people, which is a way to destroy souls.  By contrast, pastors who lead according to Christ will find eternal life (find pasture).

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."   Jesus reveals Himself as the good shepherd.  It is He, my study bible notes, who enters by the door (that is, He fulfills the Scriptures concerning Himself).   He knows and is known by the Father.  He knows His people personally, and therefore is known by them.  Finally, He gives His life for the sake of His people.  This statement by Christ is a direct prophecy of His coming Passion.

"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."  My study bible says that other sheep are the Gentiles, who will be brought into the one flock with the Jews under the one shepherd.  Therefore, for instance, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the earliest centuries of the Church, my study bible tells us, it has been the teaching that there is one bishop which serves a city (Canon 8 of I Nicea).  St. Ignatius wrote, in the early second century, to a Church which held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians:  "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."   My study bible comments that Christ makes it clear here His life-giving death will be voluntary.  He does nothing apart from the will of the Father.  As He laid down His life for us, so we also lay down our lives for Him and for the sake of others.

What does it really mean to lay down one's life for Christ?  It means what He teaches in the Sermon on the Mount, to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).  If we carefully cultivate a constant prayerful sense of ourselves, we turn toward Christ as the Door, the One who opens up all else in life for us, the One who shows us the way and by whom we enter the true sheepfold.  As the Good Shepherd, He is the One who gathers us together, who protects and leads and guides.  A prayerful sense of life reminds us at all times that we need to seek our Shepherd, to make sure we follow that true guide.  It fixes our sights on the One who shows us the way and leads us into all things that we need, and steers us away from the thieves and the robbers who would destroy our souls.  There is a clear distinction here between following just any sort of leadership and the true leadership of Christ.  We are to look for characteristics in true leaders which follow the pattern of Christ, a pattern which is also set for us to show any sort of leadership in our lives.  There is first of all a loyalty to the Father, which cements the rest of the qualities Christ has spoken about Himself throughout the last several chapters in John, and while He has been at the Feast of Tabernacles.  A great hallmark of Christ is truth, which goes hand in hand with His loyalty to the Father.  He does not use deception, and moreover, His motivation is service -- which stems from love of the Father and love of the flock, who are "all that the Father gives Me" and "the one who comes to Me"  (6:37).  A prayerful life on our part is one that keeps us connected with all of these things, through the love of God who is love, and our Good Shepherd, who loves us to the point of laying down His life for us.  It is a prayerful life, in which we keep our intimate ties alive through communion with Christ, which holds us within this fold of one flock and one Shepherd.  Jesus teaches, again in the Sermon on the Mount, that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).   While many assume this is about what we do with our material goods in the world, we can also assume a clear connection to what it is we treasure most deeply in the heart, and our actions which shore up "treasures in heaven" -- which stem from that which we must cherish and hold most dear.  It is this active prayerful communion with our Good Shepherd that holds us in good stead and keeps us from straying to paths where we'll find cheap treasures that look good, but which ultimately do us no good in life.   As sheep, our very nature is that which needs worship whether we know it or not.  Should we not recognize that nature, we are likely to find all sorts of dreams and delusions, false fantasies and those who would exploit our unmet needs in order to mislead in all sorts of ways.  These are those whom Christ warns are thieves and robbers; they steal from us our real potential for the growth of the soul -- and the good things that are our real treasure so linked to our heart.  Let us consider what He offers, and also consider His warnings, and take them seriously.   Let us remember what is worthy of sacrifice -- and also what is not.  There is one active way to that true discernment, to the One whom we truly need.  Let us seek His voice, the One we know and who knows us.

There will be one flock and one shepherd

 "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.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  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.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  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.  Therefore My Father loves me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

- John 10:1-18

In our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles (beginning with the readings of chapter 7).  At the start of chapter 9, Jesus healed a man blind from birth (see Monday's reading).  Yesterday we read that the Pharisees did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they fears the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."   So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."

"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.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."   As we begin chapter 10, Jesus' conversation with the Pharisees continues, and there is no break between the end of chapter 9 and the beginning of chapter 10.  We recall that these events are happening at "that last day, the great day" of the Feast of Tabernacles.   Jesus begins to contrast their leadership with His own.  My study bible comments that they have failed as pastor's of God's people, and recalls that "pastor" comes from the Latin word for "shepherd."  Their leadership at this time is marked by deceit and pride, and they are lacking in compassion (witness their treatment of the man healed of blindness from birth).  But Christ, on the other hand, fulfills the virtues of a good leader.  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who writes that the door is God's Word, meaning both the Scriptures and Christ Himself.  Anyone who tries to lead in a way that is neither in Christ, nor is in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures, is a thief and a robber.   Rather than embracing the "door" so all can see His works openly, the false shepherds use underhanded means to control, to steal, and to manipulate people, which is ultimately destructive of their souls (verse 10).  But those who lead according to Christ will find eternal life (verse 9).

"To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Christ has intimate knowledge of each person.  My study bible comments that true pastors in the Church strive to know their people by name; in other words, personally.   A good pastor seeks to understand each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, and seeks to employ Christ-like compassion for each one (Hebrews 4:15).  In turn, people respond to a true leader, when they trust that leader is a follower of Christ.  My study bible quotes St. Ignatius of Antioch:  "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  In the tradition of the Orthodox church, the response of the faithful can be a better indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (7:47-49); indeed this is the way by which true saints are known.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them."  All who ever came before Me does not refer to Moses of genuine prophets, but rather to those claiming to be the Messiah both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37).

 "I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  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."  My study bible reminds us that the ultimate thief is Satan, who spreads lies and heresies among the people of God, luring away both leaders and people.  Life means to live in God's grace here on earth, and abundant life indicates also the Kingdom to come.

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  Our Lord is the good shepherd.   My study bible comments that He enters by the door; in other words, He fulfills the Scriptures concerning Himself.  He known and is known by the Father.  He knows His people (the sheep) personally, and therefore is known by them.  And He gives His life for His people -- a direct prophecy of His Passion to come.

"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."  Other sheep are the Gentiles.  They will be brought into the one flock with the Jews under the one shepherd.  Therefore, my study bible notes, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the beginning, in the Church, there has been one bishop serving a city (Canon 8 of I Nicea), a principle which has been affirmed in each generation.  In the early second century, St. Ignatius wrote to a Church that held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians:  "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."

"Therefore My Father loves me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  Christ makes it clear that His "life-giving death" (as my study bible puts it) will be voluntary.  Nothing He does is done apart from the will of His Father.  As He laid down His life for us, so we should also be prepared to lay down our lives for Him -- even in the sense of ongoing personal repentance in deferral to Him -- and for the sake of others.

My study bible affirms the sense of "one flock and one shepherd" in the teaching of St. Ignatius of Antioch, which is worth quoting once more:  "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."  There are those well-meaning people who hold separate Eucharists for particular groups, making a kind of effort at inclusion.  But the truth is here, that there is one flock and one shepherd.  This is not so that all blend together in a kind of seamless collective in which there is no uniqueness or individual concern.  On the contrary, to have one flock and one shepherd is to understand that we are all in this together.  For those who feel they are a part of a small and unique minority, and without much recognition for their particular needs, the one cup and one shepherd affirms their inclusion within a whole community.  For those who do not share the concerns of a small or unique minority within the community, one cup and one shepherd affirms that they, too, share with their brothers and sisters -- who may seem quite different from them -- the true identity of the sheep as one flock.  It is, rather than effacing special needs or hardship, a way of affirming inclusion, support, and community for all.  It assures us of the humility of being one flock, and at the same time declares one shepherd for all.  What we understand, moreover, because of Christ's words, is that there is one cup of reconciliation.  It doesn't matter where we have been, what we have done, who we are, or even what conflicts we have among us:  in Christ, there are all things reconciled.  He is our hope, and in Him is our true relation with one another; none of us is alone or excluded here, there is a place for all.  While certainly we live in a world populated with seemingly endless denominations which may spring up at any time, we must recall the truth of the theology we are given by Christ and which has been affirmed in the Church.  The truth is that there is really one cup and only one Shepherd for all of us.  We would do well to recall this for ourselves when we can, as this affirmation really teaches us about eternity.  Just as in mathematics, each parallel line will converge at an infinite point, so it is true for us in Christ.  We may seem to be on parallel tracks, but in Christ all things become reconciled, and His is our one cup.  In Him we have one Shepherd and we are one flock.  So consider, for today, what this means for us.  No matter the disagreement, we hold a hope for eternity, that in Him all things are reconciled.  What we don't know today will be given to us in time.  We don't dictate what that is nor what that time is, but we can be sure of where we place our faith.  He is the good Shepherd; He lays His life down for the sheep.  What He does is done for all of us, and His love does not have measure.  It is found in the abundance of the infinite place in which we partake of His cup, and in His grace for grace.  This is what He gives us and where we seek to dwell, even when we don't have answers for the place in which we find ourselves now.  It is to Him, in faith, we can go, and in His love we can rest assured that this is where we truly belong.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice

"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. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 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."

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 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. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

- John 10:1-18

In yesterday's reading (and that of the day before), we read the story of the sixth sign or miracle in John's gospel - that of the healing of the man who was blind from birth. See I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day and One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. The Pharisees sought to dispute the miracle and Jesus' qualifications and character. In today's reading, Jesus continues speaking to them.

My study bible has a note which I will repeat here, on the whole of today's passage: "Jesus' conversation with the Pharisees continues (there is no break between 9:41 and 10:1). Christ tells the Pharisees that they, not the blind man, are alienated from God. They are blind, and false shepherds of God's people."

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. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. My study bible says, "This parable of salvation uses the symbolism of the shepherd and his flock. This is the Gospel reading on the days the Church honors her true bishops and theologians." Jesus is reflecting, presumably, on the deepening loyalty of the healed blind man, whose sight has been restored. The Pharisees cannot persuade him to change his testimony regarding Jesus, and in fact the faith of the healed man simply grows with each new question until, we were told, "he worshiped Him." (See yesterday's reading.) In other Gospels, we are told many parables. We recall that the word parable can also mean riddle, allegory or proverb. In John's Gospel Jesus' illustrations open the door to deeper understanding; only their puzzling surface meaning and not the true understanding is immediately grasped by those listening to Him speak.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." My study bible notes, "In calling Himself the door, Jesus signifies He will bring His flock into an enclosed sheepfold with a central gate. Normally a hired guard would tend the gate while the shepherds rested through the night . But Jesus is the tireless Shepherd, always guarding the entrance. No one can enter except by way of Him." It seems to me that the door is also a reflection of another passage written by the author of this Gospel, that of Revelation 3:20: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." This door, this gate, it seems to me, is the door to the Kingdom in our hearts. Those who are His sheep, who know Him, will only open to Him. At the same time, they enter into the place where the Kingdom rests within us. It is the shepherd who takes them there.

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." My study bible notes here: "The thief--the devil-- steals, kills and destroys the virtues of Christian life and lays waste those who follow his heresies. Life more abundantly is the life of God's Kingdom, offered us by Christ Himself (see Ps. 23:5)." It is a question of knowing. This is the depth of relationship He offers, for those who "know His voice" and who know Him. This is a loving relationship of recognition and trust. Open to the wrong "leader" and you open only to a predator and a user, not someone who loves the flock. This is a thief, not the true shepherd.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." My study bible notes, "This is a prophecy of Jesus' impending death, through which His people are to be reconciled to God the Father. The good shepherd, Christ, and His under-shepherds look after the sheep even to the point of giving their lives for them." This is a depth of love that is reconciled even to the point of death for that love and protection. It is an absolute love, within which there is no question as to its loyalty. Jesus has preached earlier in the Gospel: "He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him. . . . When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." He has taught that the sheep are those given by the Father, led to Him by the Father, and that He is charged to lose none of them.

"But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." My study bible notes, "The hireling, the noncommitted religious leader, is contrasted with the shepherd, one who considers the sheep his own. The hired hand looks primarily after himself." What do we look for in religious leadership? As Christ is true to the Father, so we seek other "shepherds" of the flock who are true to both Father and Son. The millions of martyrs, and those today who die for their faith, testify to this bond. But those who use a position of leadership only to exploit and profit are false.

"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." My study bible notes here: "Other sheep are the Gentiles, who will be brought into the one flock under the one shepherd. Hence, the Church cannot be divided along denominational, ethnic, cultural or family lines." To whom does the Church belong? It is to all those who hear this voice, and it always will be.

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." A note here reads: "The Lord makes it clear this atoning death will be voluntary. Though He is God, He does nothing apart from the authority of His Father. If we seek to experience God's love and His power, we do so as Christ Himself does: by obeying willingly the Father's commands. As He laid down His life for us, we lay down our lives for Him, willingly and out of love." Jesus will follow in total faith and understanding of the will of His Father. He will lay down His life for the sheep, at the time that it is right to do so. For now, though the leadership has sought to arrest Him at the temple, He continues to preach and they are unable to stop Him. The Father is true, and He is true - and Jesus is true to what He has been given by the Father, including the sheep. He teaches us love in this understanding.

How do we understand love and relatedness? In the spiritual sense, in which Jesus teaches here, we know His voice. We open the door of our hearts, and He opens to us and shares with us this Kingdom. In Matthew' Gospel, Jesus warns of false prophets, who are "wolves in sheep's clothing." Here, John gives us an understanding: His flock hears His voice. Jesus has also taught us in John's Gospel: "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." To abide in His word is to hear His voice. And in the story of the blind man who receives his sight, we understand how this works in us to deepen our faith, and enlighten our understanding. We come to see not just at once in a miraculous sign - but over time as we "abide in His word" and continue to hear His voice, our enlightenment grows and our understanding, and relationship, deepens. What is it to be true? What is it to know something or someone? Jesus always teaches us about love and relationship, and the deepening of those ties is always linked with our deepening sight, understanding, and truth - summed up in the word illumination ("As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.") He is true to the Father, and the Father also works in the sheep so that we know the Shepherd's voice. How do we abide in His word and rest in this love?