Hi everyone. Welcome back to our daily gospel
exegesis. I hope you're enjoying going
through the gospels in this way where we look at the literal
sense of the text. I'm so appreciative of your
support and the great positive feedback.
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And all of that is in the show notes, I'd love to hear from you
if you're benefiting from the podcast or if You have any
questions as well? Today we're looking at John
chapter 10 verses 1 to 10. Jesus said, I tell you, most,
solemnly, anyone who does not enter the Sheepfold through the
gate, but getting some other way, is a thief and a brigand,
the one who enters through the gate is The Shepherd of the
flock. The gatekeeper lets him in the
sheep, hear his voice one by one.
He calls his own sheep and leads them out.
When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them and
the Sheep follow because they know his voice.
They never follow a stranger but run away from him, they do not
recognize the voice of strangers.
Jesus told them this Parable but they failed to understand what
he meant by telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them.
Again, I tell you, most solemnly, I am the Gate of the
Sheepfold, all others who have come are thieves and brigands
but the Sheep took no notice of them.
I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me
will be safe. He will go freely in and out and
be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may
have life and have it to the full.
So the context of this passage is quite important, so in John
chapter 9, Jesus has healed, the man born blind.
And if, you know, the story after Jesus heals him, there's a
big confrontation between the man and the Pharisees and that's
recorded in John chapter 9 that's red on the fourth Sunday
of Lent. So you can go back and have a
listen to the podcast for that one.
The context turns out to be really important.
What Jesus is about to say is the continuation of similar
themes from John chapter 9, about religious authorities and
their disciples. He's going to in this reading
for today, he's going to use the metaphor of sheep and Shepherds,
which is a very common theme in the Old Testament.
If you read through the Old Testament, particularly the
prophets, and the Psalms often God is depicted as the shepherd
and Israel, his faithful people are his sheep.
But then it's also used another way in the Old Testament where
God's appointed leaders the Shepherds and the people of the
sheep. So there's one particular
reference, which Jesus probably has in mind when he gives them
this little Parable. So Ezekiel chapter 34 Verse 2 to
10. God says this, I will put a stop
to their shepherding, my flock, so that these Shepherds will no
longer pass through them. So that's in reference to the
people who are leading Israel at that.
At time, he says, I'm no longer going to let those people
Shepherd over you and Jesus in John chapter 9 before, this has
been talking about the Jewish leadership.
And here in John chapter 10, his continuing that same
conversation, he's talking to the Jewish leadership, not his
disciples, let's keep that in mind.
This particular passage as will see links a lot to other things
in the Gospel of John and also the Old Testament a lot.
So this one I tell you most solemnly.
So Jesus is about to say something that he wants his
audience to take note of and he's going to use an
agricultural metaphor that they would have been quite familiar
with heat right whenever Jesus does a parable.
He tries to include elements from their real life at that
time in first-century, Israel. This is one of the few parables
in the Gospel of John, there aren't many, but there are a
couple and the purpose of them is to try and teach the people
about Jesus own identity. Luckily Jesus interprets most of
the parable for us. In this case, not all the
parable, but most of it, he says this anyone who does not enter
the Sheepfold through the gate So let's talk about what that
meant in that context. So in that time, period sheep
were kept in a Sheepfold, it's kind of like a large pain and it
was either out in the countryside or it could be
attached to houses. And those sheepfolds or pens
were designed to protect the flocks of sheep at night from
thieves and predators. Jesus says, anyone who does not
enter the Sheepfold through the gate but gets in some other way,
is a thief and a brigand So sheep were valuable and thieves
would it was pretty common? That robbers would try and steal
the sheep in order to exploit them for their own personal
benefit. The problem for the robber was
there's usually a gatekeeper guarding the gate.
There's only one way into the pan and that's through the gate.
There's usually a gatekeeper there and the gatekeeper is only
going to let the Shepherd in his only going to let in people that
he recognizes. So, if a rubber wants to get in,
he's not going to need to find another way in.
And usually, that meant climbing a wall verse to the one who
enters through the gate, is The Shepherd of the flock, the
gatekeeper lets him in. So, the one person who comes and
goes through, the gate is the shepherd, verse 3, the sheep
hear his voice Now, in that culture sheep typically, they
would only respond to the voice of their Master.
The one that they had gotten used to following instructions
from. So the sheep hear the voice of
the shepherd. Now, don't at this stage.
You don't want to try and jump to a spiritual application just
yet you want to just think about and this is what you should
always do with Parables. Think about what it means, just
in terms of the setting, the Jesus is giving.
How would the original readers? What would they have had in mind
as they hear this parable? One by one.
He calls his own sheep and leads them out.
So when it was time for the Sheep to move to a different
pasture, the shepherd would make sure that every single sheep is
looked after he calls each one by name and he looks after them
on the journey, he makes sure that they get to their
destination because in his eyes, all of his sheep are valuable.
And you can probably start to imagine the connection here with
the gospel verse 4, when he is brought out his flock, he goes
ahead of them. So when the shepherd is moving
his sheep from one place to another, he would protect them
by walking in front of them and he's looking ahead to try and
find them better pastures, he goes before them.
The words here, the used for walk ahead and follow the
particular Greek words that are used here.
Characterize the relationship of teachers and disciples.
So so it was quite common to see these Greek words, used to
describe the way that teachers religious teachers will lead
people and their disciples followed them.
It might be deliberately, Jesus might be deliberately
contrasting. How the Pharisees drove out the
man in chapter 9, whereas Jesus leads his people.
So it's kind of like comparing good religious leadership with
bad religious leadership. That's probably, what's going on
in the background here. The Sheep follow because they
know his voice. And that Echoes other things
that Jesus says in the Gospel of John.
And so in John, chapter 8, verse 47.
Jesus says this whoever belongs to God, hears the words of God.
And then in chapter 18, everyone who belongs to the truth,
listens to my voice. So, this idea of the sheep only
listening to the voice of the shepherd has clear parallels
with what Jesus says about himself and his own message
verse 5. They never follow a stranger but
run away from him, they do not recognize.
Denies the voice of strangers. So apparently, what happened in
that culture is that if a stranger tried to take on the
role of the shepherd and tried to lead the flock, the Sheep
just wouldn't listen to him, and they would run away and they
would scatter and they would be confused.
So the Sheep a single-minded in their devotion and attentiveness
to their real Shepherd. They can recognize the real
Shepherd and their, their have their eyes and their ears fixed
on him. No other Pretender knows them as
well as the shepherd does. Verse 6.
So this is the end of that little Parable and it says,
Jesus told them this Parable now that's what our translation has
it as. But the Greek word here is not
the word for Parable. It's actually a Greek word for
figure of speech, but essentially we can consider it
to be a parable because it functions in a similar way to
the parables in the synoptic gospels.
Jesus, told them this Parable, but they failed to understand
what he meant by telling it to them.
So Jesus has been speaking. This to the Jewish leadership.
Hip and his hoped. That those the Jewish leadership
would understand what he was saying.
But they didn't. So Jesus now has to go on and
give them the interpretation and we should be thankful that he
does because now we don't have to guess what, the
interpretation is because Jesus gives it to us and it's always
important in those places where Jesus interprets his own
Parable. That is the interpretation.
We should go with. If you ever hear a sermon or a
lecture where someone takes a completely different
interpretation, which completely ignores what Jesus says about
his own parable. I don't think that's correct.
Now there could be more to it than what Jesus says, but we're
certainly, we have to start with Jesus or an interpretation of
the parable because he's the one who gave the parable in the
first place. Verse 7, I tell you most
solemnly. So that tells us it's not just a
side thing. He really wants his audience to
understand the point that he's making with this parable.
Now, before we look at the specifics, one thing Jesus
doesn't tell us, but he clearly means implicitly.
He doesn't tell us who the Sheep are.
And I think we need to answer that before we go any further
who are the sheep in this Parable?
Jesus doesn't tell us exactly, but it appears to be something
like this. The Sheep are those who are
truly seeking God and are open to the movements of his Spirit.
That's who the Sheep are. So it's not people in general,
it's not Jews in general. General.
It's those who are truly seeking God and open to the movements of
his spirit. So that's keep that in mind.
Jesus says I am the Gate of the Sheepfold Or as other
translations, put it. I am the door of the sheep.
Now, Jesus is going to explain what he means by that, in a few
verses time, but notice this is not where Jesus says, I am the
Shepherd in today's reading, we don't hear Jesus.
Say, I am the shepherd, He says that in a few verses time, and
we'll look at that when we, when we get to that in a lectionary
in another podcast, but in today's reading, there is no, I
am the shepherd instead, the focus is, I am the gate or I am
the door. This is the third of Jesus 7.
I am statements in the Gospel of John and all of those, I am
statements, if you study the Gospel of John, have to do with
trying to help people understand his identity.
Then verse 8 he says this all others who have come now there's
some controversy about this verse other translations have it
this way. All who came before me some
ancient manuscripts have before me some manuscripts.
Don't So the same basic, meaning appears to be the same though
because it's past tense, all others who have come.
So, Jesus is speaking of those, many teachers, and preachers,
the religious leaders, who the Jews have been exposed to before
Jesus came along. Now, he's probably not thinking
of people like Moses and the prophets because those were good
teachers and good leaders. So, Jesus here, when he says all
who came before me, he's probably thinking of those in
the immediate time period of his here.
Jurors. So in particular, he's thinking
of the Pharisees the Pharisees who claim to be good religious
leaders but he says about them, they are thieves and brigands.
So Jesus says that these those falsely false leaders that
they've been exposed to and basically those leaders have
tried to lead the Sheep astray and they've tried to exploit
them for their own personal benefit.
That's what robbers do with sheep.
Remember who the Sheep are the Sheep of those who listen to
God's message. So the thieves and brigands have
tried to take the Sheep but it hasn't worked.
Jesus says this, he says the Sheep took.
No notice of them, not no one took no.
Notice of them certainly some Jews were LED astray by
Pharisees and other not good, religious leaders at the time,
but the Sheep took no notice of them.
So those who are listening to God, recognize that these false
prophets were not from God verse 9, I am the gate, anyone who
enters through me? We'll be safe.
So, this is the meaning of I am. The gate.
And more literally it's not safe.
The word here is not safe, it's actually saved anyone who enters
through me will be saved. That means and this is what
Jesus is teaching here. People who listen to.
Jesus instructions will receive eternal life.
That's the that's the basic meaning they are those who
follow Jesus receive eternal life.
He will go in Freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.
So a person who continues to follow.
Jesus instructions can live his life without Confidence, that
Jesus will guide and protect him.
That also is going to lead into what Jesus says about the Good
Shepherd and that's in verse 11 onwards.
But notice what he says he's going to lead them to.
He will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.
So the pastor here is probably eternal life.
Those who go in via the gate, which is Jesus are assured of
eternal life. And that Echoes what God does
himself in a Ezekiel 34. So after Israel's leaders fail,
the people God says this in Ezekiel 34 verse 11, I myself
will search for the sheep in goodpasture's.
I will pass through them. So notice that in Ezekiel God
promises to be the pastor of Israel and here.
Jesus basically says that he is going to be the shepherd, he's
going to be the Gate of the sheep as well.
Notice the implication, he who goes.
Sorry anyone who enters through me, he will be safe.
So, the implication here is that anyone who enters via Jesus is
saved, and that probably implies that those who do not enter via,
Jesus are not saved, and that certainly is part of Catholic
teaching at needs to be unpacked, unpacked a little bit
but that's the basic idea and that fits with what Jesus says,
in chapter 14 of John. He says, I am the way.
No one comes to the father, except through me.
So a lot of people have a problem with this claim that
Christians The Jesus is the only way to God, but it's basically
what Jesus says about himself. Verse 10, the final verse Jesus
says, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the
full. So the thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy. So in that Society, the thieves
of sheep, they don't care about the Sheep.
They just they want the sheep for themselves so they can sell
them or kill them or use it for meat?
What's the reference here? Who's the thief in the parable
in, there's different ways of looking at it up till now, it's
certainly been referring to the religious leaders perhaps.
At this point, he might be talking about Satan.
Because we know the Satan wants to take people out of the
kingdom of God, and he doesn't actually care about people.
But it does still fit to say that this is referring to the
religious leaders who don't really care about the people and
their welfare. They just want people to follow
them. There's a question about because
in a few verses time Jesus is going to introduce a wolf into
the story, a wolf who tries to steal the sheep and perhaps the
thief, and the Wolf are the same but that's debated as well.
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the
full. So that's complete contrast to
the thief. The thief comes to kill and
destroy. Jesus has come so that the Sheep
may have life and have it to the full.
So the idea here is just as for sheep going through the Sheep
gate, that makes sure that they always have access to good,
green pasture. Jesus has come so that the
Sheep, his people, those who are listening to God, have access to
eternal life, and he uses the phrase, have it to the full,
which carries this idea of eternal life, which flows over
even into this life. Now the same Greek words are
used in the most famous verse in the Bible.
John 3:16 God. So loved the world that he gave
his only son. So that everyone who believes in
him, might not perish, but have eternal life.
So the Greek words, therefore, parish and life are in fact, the
same Greek words that Jesus uses here.
The thief comes to destroy and to make things Parish.
Whereas Jesus comes to give life, it's the same words.
So, if we were to summarize, that's not the end of the
parable, Jesus goes on. But that's the end of the
lectionary readings, for today. This is what Jesus has said.
So far. When the disciple, here's the
shepherd's voice, the disciple responds with attentiveness and
obedience, this response arises from the personal commitment and
relationship to Jesus who first new and called each one of the
sheep. Jesus calls his disciples to
follow him, to the Goodpasture of eternal life, which he shares
with the father, and the highwomen, Holy Spirit.
Now, one thing that the Powerball doesn't identify and
you think it probably would have by now, it doesn't actually tell
us what the gatekeeper represents, we know what the
gate represents and we know what the Sheep represents, but we
don't know what the gatekeeper represents.
Remember that the shepherd could only come through after given
approval by the gatekeeper. So, if Jesus is the shepherd,
who's the gatekeeper, now in all likelihood, we shouldn't over
read this, it probably means because Jesus hasn't given us.
Some meaning for it, probably means it's just a background of
the parable and it doesn't refer to anything in particular.
So we shouldn't overanalyze it because Jesus hasn't used it as
part of his interpretation here. But if we were to give it an
interpretation, we could plausibly say that the
gatekeeper is the father, so, the gatekeeper is the one who
gives the shepherd access to the sheep.
And if you read the Gospel of John, a common theme, is that
the father gives the disciples to Jesus.
So, perhaps the father is the gatekeeper that would Certainly
fit, but we don't know whether Jesus had that meaning in mind.
Now as I said there is more to this speech from verse 11
onwards. Jesus keeps developing this
Parable further, he intensifies things and he actually add some
more elements into the parable from verse 11 onwards, he tells
us who the shepherd is which he hasn't done so far and he also
introduces hirelings and wolves. So there's more characters that
come in and he also introduces a second Sheepfold into the story.
So the parable gets more complicated the second Half of
this, Parable can be heard it's a different times in the
liturgical year. So it's heard once on Sundays
and that's on the fourth Sunday of Easter in here, be and also
on weekdays you can hear this second half of the parable on
the Monday of the fourth week of Easter in here.
A so, once in a year, be on a Sunday once in here a on a
Monday and you can certainly scroll through the past podcast
It's to find that if you'd like to listen to it.
So let's finish by taking a look at where the catechism includes
this passage or interprets. This passage for us.
There's two short places paragraph 75 for takes the
Sheepfold to be a symbol representing the church and that
certainly fits so paragraph. 75 for says, the church is
accordingly, a Sheepfold, the soul and necessary.
Gateway to, which is Christ. It is also the flock of which
God himself for told that he would be the shepherd and whose
sheep even though governed by human shepherds are unfailingly
nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and
Prince of shepherds who gave his life for the Sheep.
So that paragraph brings together, lots of things from
John chapter 11, it talks about how Jesus is both the shepherd
and the gate and the church. Considered legitimately as the
people of God does sort of fit here as a symbol, if we look at
it as the Sheepfold paragraph to 158 is a very brief paragraph,
and it's talking about how every Christian is, given a special
name by God. So that paragraph says God calls
each one by name. Everyone's name is sacred.
The name is the icon of the person.
It demands respect as a sign of the Dignity of the one who Bears
it. So that's a nice little
paragraph to finish on for today.
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Thank you for tuning in. Please do so again tomorrow,