I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      The ninth chapter of John’ gospel gives the account of Christ’s healing of a blind man.

                                                             1.      The man who was healed had been blind from birth, so the work of Jesus was an undeniable miracle of God.

                                                             2.      Rather than accepting the obvious truth about Jesus, the Pharisees took the opportunity to accuse Him, for He had violated their self-imposed tradition and healed on the Sabbath.

B.      This event created an opportunity for Jesus to teach the Pharisees about the kingdom of God, and His teachings are recorded in John 10:1-21.

                                                             1.      Jesus employed the familiar figures of a flock of sheep, a fold, a shepherd, and thieves in order to teach a spiritual lesson to the Pharisees and Jews.

                                                             2.      Let us consider these figures to understand Christ’s message about God’s kingdom.

II.      THE GOOD SHEPHERD VERSUS THIEVES AND ROBBERS

A.      Let us first notice the figures that Christ used in His teaching and consider their meanings.

                                                             1.      The sheep represented the citizens of God’s kingdom.

                                                             2.      The fold represented the boundaries of God’s kingdom.

a.       A fold was an enclosure for sheep consisting of a fence or some natural barriers.

b.       The purpose of the fold was to keep the sheep in and to keep predators out.

                                                             3.      The door of the fold was a figure of Christ.

                                                             4.      The good shepherd, who would care for and protect the sheep, also represented Christ.

                                                             5.      The thieves and robbers represented the Pharisees and any other false leaders that attempted to enter the kingdom of God.

B.      The Lord showed that the ways of the Pharisees made them illegitimate leaders of God’s people.

                                                             1.      Christ is the only way of entrance to the kingdom of God (John 14:6), but the Pharisees had rejected Him for their own devices.

a.       Instead of entering the kingdom of God through Christ, the Pharisees attempted to enter by their own ways (legalism, traditions of the elders, works of the Law, etc.).

b.       Therefore, Christ compared them to thieves who do not enter by the door but sneak in by some other way (v. 1).

                                                             2.      As a result, the citizens of God’s kingdom would not recognize the Pharisees as their leaders.

a.       Just as sheep do not respond to the voice one who is not their shepherd, the citizens of God’s kingdom would not follow the leadership of the thieving Pharisees (vv. 5, 8).

b.       Instead, the citizens of God’s kingdom would flee from the Pharisees as sheep fleeing from a stranger (v. 5).

C.      When the Pharisees did not understand the Lord’s initial teachings (vv. 1-6), He gave a further explanation that shifted focus from the thieves and robbers to the good shepherd and His sheep.

                                                             1.      Notice the Lord’s teachings in verses 7 and 9 – “I am the door of the sheep…if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”  Consider a few implications of this message:

a.       Those who do not enter through Christ will not be part of His kingdom and will not be saved, for there is no other valid entrance to the kingdom.

b.       Those who enter the kingdom through Christ will be safely led by the good shepherd, who is Christ.  Just as the sheep leave the fold to find pasture, so also the citizens of the kingdom will be led through the world safely by the Lord to find sustenance.

                                                             2.      Christ then set forth a great contrast between the motivation of Himself and the motivation of the Pharisees.

a.       Notice the contrast of verse 10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

i.         The Pharisees exploited their leadership for their own gain in glory, honor, and even riches.  They had no regard for the common people whom they ruled.

ii.        In contrast, Christ benefited nothing by His rule.  Instead, His sole concern was for His sheep, and they gained life through His efforts.

b.       The Lord further demonstrated this contrast by saying, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (v. 11).  In contrast, the Pharisees were like hirelings who would abandon the sheep to dangerous predators (vv. 11-18).

i.         Christ’s knowledge and ownership of the sheep invested Him in their well-being.  He cares for them because they are His own.

ii.        However, the Pharisees had no vested interest in the citizens of God’s kingdom, for they cared only for themselves.

iii.      This truth was illustrated in the treatment of the blind man, for Jesus healed him, but the Pharisees put him out of the synagogue.

III.   CHRIST’S SHEEP

A.      Let us now give attention to that which Jesus taught concerning His sheep.

                                                             1.      Christ’s sheep know the voice of the good shepherd (vv. 3, 14-15).

a.       It is not the sound of His voice that they recognize, but rather it is the message of God that He speaks (see John 7:16-18).

b.       Christ’s sheep are taught the word of God and know the truth.  Jesus said, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’  Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me” (John 6:45).

                                                             2.      Because His sheep know His voice, they follow Him (v. 4).

a.       They keep His word and imitate His example (see 1Pet. 2:21-25).

b.       They trust their shepherd so that they will follow Him wherever He leads them.

                                                             3.      His sheep do not follow others whom they do not know (vv. 5, 8).

a.       They will not be misled by false teachers and deceivers.  They know that the ways of men, such as the Pharisees, will not lead them into the fold of God.

b.       No amount of persuasive words will turn Christ’s sheep away from Him.  This is why He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

                                                             4.      His sheep enter the fold through the door, which is Christ (vv. 7, 9).

a.       They enter the kingdom of God on His terms and in His way.

b.       The Lord stated these terms in John 3:5 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

                                                             5.      His sheep are saved, and go in and out of the fold, and find pasture (v. 9).

a.       Those sheep that belong to Christ are saved and have abundant life because Christ has laid down His life for them.

b.       Christ’s sheep “find pasture,” meaning that He provides for their every spiritual need.

B.      Not only were these things true of the sheep in Christ’s presence as He taught, but He had “other sheep, which are not of this fold” (v. 16).

                                                             1.      The Mormons falsely apply this teaching to say that Jesus referred to persons in North America who would receive His latter-day revelations (the book of Mormon).

                                                             2.      In truth, the other sheep to which Jesus referred were the Gentiles.  In the same way and by the same terms, both Jews and Gentiles may enter the kingdom of God where they are now one flock with one shepherd (see Eph. 2:11-22).

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      After Jesus taught these things, the Jews were divided (John 10:19-21).

                                                             1.      Some of them said that Jesus was insane and had a demon.

                                                             2.      Others remembered the sign of the blind man’s healing and said, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed.  A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

B.      Today, men are still divided over the words of Jesus, but the flock of God is united under the Good Shepherd.

                                                             1.      Some unbelievers have claimed that Jesus was merely a good man.  Others have said that He was a fraud.  Still others have challenged whether He even existed.

                                                             2.      Nevertheless, Christ’s sheep still know His voice, and they still follow Him.  Likewise, Christ still knows His own, and He goes before them.  By Him, Christ’s sheep are one united flock saved for abundant life, and through Him they enter into the fold of God.