John 11
The Spirit of God keeps the door of the sheep. Christ, as serving the Father, enters the door. From now on Christ Himself is seen as the door of the new fold. He gives the authority to leave the old Jewish economy and enter into the new order of salvation-believing on and following the Shepherd, who is Christ. The sheep are familiar with the voice of the Shepherd, and He calls each by his name.
Christ enters by the door. He is the door; He is the Shepherd. He is seen in contrast to all previous shepherds. The sheep, confined to the Old Testament order of the law and the traditions of men, are ready to accept an entirely new order of things-an order which brings, rather than requires (like the law) something of man. Christ, being the door, is the only way of entrance into the new fold. When He presented Himself as the door, the Jews whom the Lord was addressing did not understand His words. The elect of Israel readily accepted salvation full and free. Those who entered in by the door were saved, enjoyed liberty, and fed in good pasture.
The good Shepherd goes before, leading His sheep, who know His voice and follow Him. Someone has said that the Lord does not employ dogs to handle His sheep, but He calls and they follow. They are free in the personal care of the Shepherd. The sheep know the Shepherd, even as He knows them, and even as the Father knew Him when on earth. The sheep do not know the voice of a stranger.
Thieves and robbers preceded Christ as shepherds, but the sheep did not hear them nor follow them. The thief destroys, but the Good Shepherd comes so that the sheep might have life and that abundantly. Christ as the Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep while some make merchandise of the sheep.
When the wolf comes, the hireling flees, because the sheep are not his. This no doubt refers to a coming day when the wolf (the Assyrian) will attack the Jews in their land, while the idol shepherd (the antichrist) flees. The hireling has no interest in the sheep, except to feed himself on them (Ezek. 34:1-10).
But there are other sheep as well as the elect Jews: Gentiles who shall hear the Shepherd's voice. These He shall bring and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. (See Eph. 3; John 11:49-52; Acts 2.) He refers here to the one body of believers of which Christ, the Shepherd, is the center.
Christ has received a commandment from the Father to lay down His life and take it again. It was not taken from Him, but in love, obedience and dependence He had power to lay it down and take it again.
We see here the governing principles of divine life-love and obedience as well as dependence. There was a special love manifested by Jesus to the Father in laying down His life, although He has always been the delight of the Father's bosom in heaven. With Christ laying down His life as a man, He gives the Father a fresh reason for loving Him. "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.... This commandment have I received of My Father."
Again, there is a division among the Jews. The Shepherd gives His sheep eternal life. This is through His death and resurrection-all depends on this. A common teaching among some who profess to believe is that one can be saved and lost again. The holy Scriptures guard against such inferences by Satan. The believer has double security. First, the Lord said, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."
One may say, with an unbelieving heart, "I can pluck myself out of His hand." This is impossible, but be it so, He still says, "I give unto them eternal life." I know nothing that gives security and assurance to a believing sinner who was lost, like this. This is security now and forever; praise His name.
When He said, "I and My Father are one," they took up stones to stone Him, for they said His words were blasphemy.
Jesus went to a place where John first baptized beyond Jordan, where many believed on Him. Thus we have seen the hatred of the Jews towards Christ, because He claimed equality with the Father. They had as a nation rejected Jesus, and He left them. His public ministry was largely over.