This is a brilliant passage to read – it’s one of my favourites. It follows on from two sections where the Pharisees are questioning Jesus’ authority in spite of his teaching and miracles.

In Ch 8:12 he says, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Through this gospel John regularly reminds us that there is a problem because the people listening, including the disciples, have an earthly perspective while Jesus is talking about heavenly things. In ch 8:28 he predicts his death but they don’t catch on.

In ch 9 Jesus heals a blind man and the Pharisees are divided because he did it on the Sabbath.

Ch 9 ends with Jesus being questioned by the Pharisees because he said that people who thought they could see were actually blind to the truth – and that the Pharisees were guilty because they thought they knew the truth about God, but couldn’t see that Jesus was doing God’s work.

So, ch 10 starts with a new image – sheep and a shepherd: but it is directed at the Pharisees. Again, Jesus has that heavenly perspective and he is talking about heaven and saying that those who get there do so because they have listened to him and follow him.

Vs 2-3 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The one who guards the door opens it for him.

Describe sheep pen.

Jesus goes further v9 I am the door, and the person who enters through me will be saved

How can people be saved? Vs 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

V15 …… I give my life for the sheep.

V17-18 The Father loves me because I give my life so that I can take it back again. 18 No one takes it away from me; I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father commanded me to do.

So, we can be saved from the penalty of sin because Jesus is the gate that leads to God. It is through believing that he really is the Son of God who gave himself for us on the cross, that he rose from the dead and is reigning in heaven today that we receive forgiveness and new life.

Vs 10 A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness.

I believe that when we get to heaven we will experience life in all its fullness – but I also believe that it is something we should be looking for now. This life that we are living is always going to be better if we live it with God. I don’t mean that we will never have trouble, sickness or pain – what I mean is that God has promised to be with us in every area of life positive and negative – and the positives are much better with him and the negatives are not so bad with him.

Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    for ever.

How can we experience this life? By being good sheep!

Look at this:

V 3 we are called by name!

V 14 we are known by Jesus

V 3, 4, 16 sheep listen to his voice

V 4 sheep follow because they know his voice

V 5, 8 sheep don’t listen to the robber or stranger because they don’t know their voice

The questions is, how do we discern whether what we hear is the voice of God? Before the days of caller display on phones you had to pick up the phone and answer it to find out who was calling – often you would recognise the voice even before the person said their name.

You recognise the voices of people you spend time with. There is no shortcut to that – if you want to be better able to recognise the voice of God you need to spend time with God. God speaks through his word, through circumstances, through people and through dreams etc. We need to learn when it is God speaking and not just us choosing what we want. The better we become at it the more we experience that fullness of life Jesus promised

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