John 10:7-18

In the first five verses of Chapter 10, Jesus spoke a parable which His listeners did not understand. The text before us is an explanation of the parable — an explanation which reveals hidden things concerning the door, the shepherd, the sheep, and the purpose for which the thieves and robbers came.

Jesus identifies Himself as “the door of the sheep” (v. 7). The physical image before us is a sheepfold (a pen)…