John 10 - Every Man's Bible

10:1-5  The shepherd knows each of his sheep by name, and they know and respond only to his voice. In like manner, Jesus knows our personalities, needs, feelings, and desires. He even knows our faults and our sins, yet he still loves us! He calls out to us and leads us in the way that is best for us. To be set free from the pain of our past, we need to respond to the guiding voice of our Shepherd, who knows us fully and loves us completely.

10:7-18  At night, shepherds in Bible times led their flocks to lie down in a natural sheep pen (an area boxed in by brush or rock). The shepherd slept in the opening and literally became the gate to the sheepfold. With his own body he would protect the sheep from wild animals and robbers. This is what Jesus, the Gate and the Good Shepherd, does for us. By sacrificing his life he has provided the means for our protection from the evil one. In Christ we can find security, knowing that he is watching over us.

10:27-29  When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we can feel safe and secure. No one can take us away from him and his care, not even the devil! Such security is sometimes hard for us to grasp emotionally. Life can seem very unsafe, especially if we have been hurt in the past. Some of us may try to protect ourselves by keeping everyone at a distance—even God. God can protect us far better than we can protect ourselves. When we surrender our lives to him, he will cover us with his divine protection and even redeem our past hurts.

10:30-38  For Jesus to say that he and the Father were one was a clear claim to divinity (see 1:1-2; 8:58). Jesus was God in human flesh (1:14). He was one with his Father in essence, in purpose, in word, and in thought. All of Jesus’ miracles attest to his divine authority (10:37-38); so do the Scriptures (5:39). Only such a God-man could perfectly understand our all-too-human weaknesses yet still command our complete trust.