Today’s Gospel reading comes hot on the heels of a fresh clash between Jesus and the Pharisees. In John chapter 9, Jesus restores the sight of a man who was blind. Despite this being clearly a good thing, the religious authorities reject Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath. What Jesus is doing is good, but the Pharisees are so caught up in their own self-importance they are blind to it. As a group, they are gatekeepers and managers of religious life. When Jesus speaks in John chapter 10, he is speaking to the Pharisees. Jesus makes a slightly oblique reference to himself as the shepherd, whose sheep know his voice and therefore are duly recognised by the gatekeeper. However, the Pharisees do not understand what he is saying.

THE GATE

Next, Jesus invites his hearers to imagine a sheepfold where he is the gate. In this figure of speech, Jesus portrays himself as the only honest broker. All who came before me are thieves and bandits, he says. Not so with him. In Jesus, there is no double-dealing, no mixed motives. Jesus is the one who has nothing to hide. He doesn’t need an angle. He doesn’t need the spin. He doesn’t need an agenda.

He is legitimate, authentic, authorised, and true. He is lawful, rightful, recognised, and real. He is no stranger. The sheep hear his voice, know his voice, and respond to his call.

Looking for the things of God whilst trying to avoid Jesus is to ignore the main way in. It is to jump the fence or scale the wall. That might very well mean your motives are dubious. Jesus says: ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ In other words, Jesus reveals his motives and purpose, even though the Pharisees do not seem to be accepting his challenge to examine their own. Next, Jesus returns to the first image but makes his point explicit. Jesus is the Shepherd. 

THE SHEPHERD

Although our reading did not include Jesus’ great statement ‘I am the Good Shepherd’, he has already been talking about shepherds as the ones who enter via the gate. Talking about shepherds with people who knew the Scriptures was to open up something powerful. It was to blow the lid off the deepest collective memory of how God leads his people. Packed within this image of shepherd were so many stories, so many memories, so many meanings. It was like a suitcase that had been stuffed down, sat on, and zipped up, which was now being opened, freed, and unpacked by Jesus. In this way, Jesus leads the Pharisees to remember other good shepherds like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and Amos. All of them were literally shepherds, who were also trusted to lead God’s people. But God’s people had also had too many bad shepherds - dishonest rulers, exploitative leaders, faithless empty shirts.

Jesus will reveal himself to be more than a good shepherd; he is the good shepherd.

That means Jesus is nothing like the bad shepherds in Jeremiah, who do not inquire of God. They destroy and scatter the flock, leading them astray. And Jesus is nothing like the bad shepherds in Ezekiel, who only care for themselves. They take without giving, rule harshly, behave brutally, and fail to strengthen the weak or heal the sick.

God’s people were sick of bad shepherds. Their longing was that the Lord himself would be their shepherd. That God would come and heal the sick, strengthen the weak, behave graciously, rule mercifully, give without taking, save, restore, and lead the flock. A true Shepherd would lead them beside still waters, offering goodness that refreshes the soul. Here, David’s song is being made real by David’s son, Jesus. 

THE WORD OF LIFE

Whenever I find myself revisiting this well-known reading, I consider it an opportunity to examine my own motives. As I reflect on my areas of responsibility and leadership of others, I seek to compare my actions and attitudes to the standard of the Good Shepherd. I think about the ways in which I am a gatekeeper of the good news of Jesus. Far too often, I discover that in some way I have succumbed to the temptation to prioritise the management of religious life over actually having life in Jesus. In short, I am reminded that I need to know Jesus’ voice, recognise Jesus’ voice, and listen to Jesus’ voice.