Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. John 10:1-3

A shepherd is one who takes care of a flock of sheep. During Jesus’ time on earth, shepherds and their flock of sheep were a common sight in the land of Israel. Even today, you can still see them. When Jesus presented Himself as the Shepherd of the Jews, He wanted them to know that He is the Messiah and to believe on Him.

Jesus told the Jews who were listening to Him that a shepherd enters the sheepfold by the door; anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the door is a thief and a robber. A sheepfold usually is a walledup enclosure with a door. It was a common practice for shepherds to place their flocks into a sheepfold at night. In the morning, the shepherd will come to bring the sheep out. The porter opens the door of the sheepfold for the shepherd to enter and the sheep recognise him (cf. John 10:3). The shepherd gathers his sheep; he calls them by name, and leads them out. The words of Jesus in the above-mentioned verses were familiar to the Jews as they knew the routine of a shepherd.

Jesus taught the Jews a pictorial lesson of Himself as the Shepherd, and John the Baptist as the porter who introduced Jesus to Israel as the Son of God (cf. John 1:34); the sheepfold was Judaism that kept God’s people till Christ came.

When Jesus came to the Jews, He told them many times that He is the Messiah who came from heaven, and they must trust in Him. But many of them would not listen to Him because they were not His sheep. They could not hear His voice and could not recognise Him as the Messiah though there was the witness of John the Baptist, Jesus’ own testimony, and His works. On the other hand, there were some who heard His voice and followed Him. For example, the blind man who received his sight from Jesus (cf. John 9:38). He was Jesus’ sheep.

Children, are you like the blind man who followed Jesus, or the unbelieving Jews who rejected Jesus? You ought to be like the blind man who heard the voice of the Shepherd and followed Him.

Just as Jesus presented Himself as the Shepherd of the Jews and told them about His identity as the Shepherd of God’s people, He is presenting Himself to you as your Shepherd, if you will follow Him. Will you follow Him?