John 10:7-18
7So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
In this section, we have a couple more “I am” statements from Jesus. Previously, He declared that He is the bread of life in John 6, and the light of the world in John 8 and 9. There will be three more of these statements in John 11-15.
There have been and will be others who are thieves and bandits who come to kill and destroy, but Jesus came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. He is the gate and whoever enters by Him will be saved.
Jesus is also the good shepherd. Unlike the hired hands who will abandon the sheep when they feel threatened for their safety, Jesus came to lay down His life for the sheep. By stating that He will also bring in sheep who do not belong to this fold, He implies that He is the good shepherd not only of Israel, but of the whole world. There will be one flock and one shepherd. He also states that He is about to lay down His life – No one is taking it from Him – And that He will live again.
In Matthew chapter seven, Jesus said, “13Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
This is probably an accurate way that the public perceives the Christian faith. Many may think that if one is a faithful Christian, one would have to go to church on Sunday mornings as well as some midweek Bible study or prayer meeting, give money to the church and missionaries, stop smoking, swearing and heavy drinking. One needs to be at least a bit self-sacrificing, at least on the surface, and pretend to love others. It is much easier not to have to deal with all that and do what you please and sleep in on Sunday morning and only associate with those you like and not be embarrassed by having to push your religious beliefs onto others.
This point of view is understandable if we believe that we have only one life to live and once we die, there is nothing more. But if we believe that there is eternal life, as the Bible teaches, and that there are two destinations in eternity – One with the Lord and one away from the Lord, then the picture shifts. If we want to spend eternity with the Lord and other believers, then there is only one way – Through Jesus Christ. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins, we enter the narrow gate that leads to eternal life with our Lord. It only looks hard – It is easy to enter, but it is a narrow gate, and only one person can enter at a time. Each person must enter on his or her own. One does not automatically enter just because one’s parents or siblings or spouse entered the gate.
In Luke chapter thirteen, Jesus encourages people to enter through the narrow door, since it is open now. When the owner stands up and closes the door, no one will be able to enter it. In other words, the time of salvation is now, but it will not last forever. One day, that door will close.
When we think of Jesus the good shepherd, we are reminded of Psalm 23, one of the most beloved and famous passages of the Bible.
1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
When we accept Jesus as our shepherd, He will provide us with what we need. He will restore our souls and lead us in paths of righteousness. There will be no need to fear evil for He will protect and guide us. And when this life is over, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
For us who are believers the thought of Jesus being our good shepherd is a comforting thought that we can turn to. But for those who are following other shepherds, including themselves, they do not have the privilege or advantage of having Jesus Christ as their shepherd.
Jesus is calling out to those who are outside of His flock. We have a responsibility to give those people a chance to hear and listen to Jesus’ voice. Before the gate closes, we have the task of witnessing to those outside of the flock that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. He is the Good Shepherd.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano at our worship on September 14, 2025.)
Japanese Congregational Church 