Context is everything and always has been.
Do you know that this is a radical text? This is the kind of stuff – that got Jesus killed!
In the case of our gospel text for this evening…the starting place…or the jumping off place…must be – with the previous chapter to it.
So, it is out of a sense of context that chapter 10 – really begins with chapter 9.
If you will remember in chapter 9 of John’s gospel – Jesus has just encountered a man born blind.
Because of his blindness – out of necessity he must listen to the voice of the one – who speaks to him.
He must listen carefully.
He must hang on to every spoken word.
He must listen for each and every nuance…for every inflection in the voice.
He has to pay attention to what is being said to him.
It helps “greatly” if you know, “who it is” that is speaking to you!
It also helps greatly if you trust their voice and there word.
Jesus heals the man born blind by the power of his “spoken word.”
When the religious leaders demand an explanation and the man testifies about Jesus, they throw him out of the Temple.
Rejected by the religious leaders he becomes a follower of Jesus.
So in chapter 10 John introduces the illustration of the “shepherd and the sheep.” They tie together – they go together.
Jesus is building his flock, finding and saving “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But he is also calling sheep from all nations into his flock. “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
The sheep pen, then as now, is an enclosure open to the elements and the scrutiny of the owner.
It is not covered in or roofed over like a barn or shed, it has no door either, just an opening.
Its walls are open to the sun, the sky, rain, wind and all the elements.
They are often made of rough stones with a layer of thorn brush along the top.
A sheep pen can be extremely dirty and smelly places but their main purpose is to “provide protection—not ambiance.”
At night, after the sheep are in, the shepherd just lays down in the doorway. He becomes “the gate.”
There is no legitimate access to the sheepfold except through him. So anyone who tried to climb over the wall to get in was obviously up to no good.
If a predator tries to enter, the shepherd would be disturbed.
The shepherd therefore puts his own life at risk to protect his sheep in becoming the gate.
A hired hand won’t – but the owner will.
The people would have been familiar with the many occasions in the Hebrew Scriptures where the Lord God describes himself as a shepherd.
Such as, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
Or in Isaiah, where it is written: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
Or, in the prophet Jeremiah, where it is written: “He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.”
Or the great prophet Ezekiel: “As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep… I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD.
“I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”
This is obviously told against the Pharisees and the scribes – who do not really care about the sheep.
They would be the ones who are thieves and bandits. They are the ones who come to steal, kill and destroy. They are not the true shepherds of Israel. The sheep should not listen to them. The sheep should not heed their voices.
It is a radical, anti-establishment statement…
It is anti-Temple authorities…
So, it is funny that they did not understand the figure of speech that was used by Jesus.
Maybe it was a good thing that they did not understand – that he was speaking against them…
So, what does Jesus do…he tries to make his intent more clear. He wants them to know – it is them, he is talking about it.
Deal with it!