As the leaders claimed they were not blind and Jesus accused them of remaining in their sin, Jesus talked about shepherds. There seems to be two parts in this discussion. In the first part, Jesus spoke of himself as the gate to the sheepfold. He was talking about shepherds who go through the door and thieves who climb the fence.

Those who go through Jesus are true shepherds. They wait for Jesus to open the gate before they enter. They wait for the right opportunity before they go in and call the sheep.

The thief does not wait. He goes in forcibly to steal, kill, and destroy. The true shepherd waits for the gate to open before calling his sheep by name and leading them out.

Jesus: The Gate

Jesus is the gate that protects the sheep against wild animals and those with bad intentions. Thieves will come to mislead the sheep. The sheep will not willingly listen to the thief. They have the desire to follow the shepherd, but the thief will attempt to steal, kill and destroy.

Jesus said he will not lose those whom the Father has given him. The sheep will not be lost. They will not follow the thief. In fact, they will run away. But that does not prevent the thief from attacking them. The sheep should take shelter in the gate because Jesus came to give life to the sheep. Those who enter by him will be safe. They will go in and go out and find pasture.

The thief is the devil. He comes to steal, to kill and destroy. He will deceive and take the sheep by force by attacking them. But Jesus is the gate. He protects his sheep and gives them life - a superabundant life.

Jesus: The Good Shepherd

In the second part, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep. The hired hand looks after his own interest only. The Pharisees were not looking after their sheep. They were corrupt and wanted to get only what they could. They were not willing to stay and fight, but they left at the first sign of trouble.

Whereas the devil is aggressive and active, the hired hand just does not care. He does things because it is expected. He does these, not because it is the right thing to do, but because he gets something out of it.

Jesus contrasts himself to the hired-hand. Jesus is concerned about his sheep. He knows them and he willingly lays down his life for his sheep. When the wolf comes, he fights the wolf and defends his flock. More importantly, he knows his own and they know him; just as the Father knows Jesus and Jesus knows the Father.

For Jesus to know his sheep is understandable since God knows our hearts. But for the sheep to know Jesus as well as the Father knows Jesus - this is impossible on our own. Yet this is God's plan. God has to give us the grace to know Jesus. The good news is God has given the grace, we just need to respond.

Jesus gave his life, not only to those he has in the sheepfold, but in other sheepfolds. Those in the sheepfold are the Jews, while those outside are the Gentiles. It is God's will to unite everyone under one Shepherd - Jesus. Jesus died for everyone.

By saying he was the Good Shepherd, Jesus implied he was God. Psalm 95:7 says, “for he is our God. We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep in his care. Today, oh that you would hear his voice!”

Many people argued about Jesus again. Some said he was possessed and insane. Others said he was not and proposed he could be the one they were waiting for.

The Sheep Hear His Voice

The Feast of Dedication is mentioned in this chapter. The Feast of Dedication is also called the Feast of Lights. This feast commemorates the time when the second temple was rededicated after it was defiled during the Greek occupation of Jerusalem. During the rededication, there was enough oil to light the lamps for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned until the eighth day.

The author also said this happened in winter and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's porch. Solomon's porch was said to be the remnant of the first temple. Here, John was showing the three temples in one place - the first temple built by Solomon, the second temple built after the return from the exile, and the last Temple, Jesus himself. The leaders came to Jesus and asked him to tell them plainly if he was the Christ.

Jesus always answers these questions.

He had been revealing himself plainly but they would not believe. So he asked them to look at his works. He said the reason they did not believe was because they were not his sheep. His sheep hear his voice and follow him. The reason why no one can snatch them from Jesus is because he is the Son of God - co-equal to the Father.

The leaders were scandalized by what Jesus said. They asked Jesus to reveal himself and when he did, they could not take what he said. They wanted to kill him.

Similarly, when we ask Jesus to reveal himself, we will be amazed at what he will show. It is far beyond our comprehension.

The leaders wanted to seize Jesus but he went out of their hands. Being the Son of God, he was able to go through their hands even if they wanted to kill him. Jesus was in control.