Fourth Sunday of Easter (April 25, 2021) Joh 10:11-18

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

39 What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

Rashi

What was torn by a lion or a wolf.

I bore the loss of it—In the Targum it is translated by that which was missing and deficient from the number of the animals, like (Num 31:49): “and there is no man missing from us.”

I bore the loss of it—It has the same meaning as the verb in (Jdg 20:16) “and not miss”; (1Ki 1:21): “My son Solomon and I will be lacking.” I bore the loss; if it was missing, it was missing to me because you required it from my hand.

Stolen—Similar to (Lam 1:1) “great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces”; (Isa 1:21) “full of justice”; (Hos 10:11) “that loved to thresh.”

Stolen by day or stolen by night—Everything I paid back.

40 There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. GEN 31:39-40

Bava Metzia 93b:3

Abaye raised an objection to Rabba from another baraita: To what extent is a paid bailee obligated to safeguard? He is obligated to the extent that Jacob said to Laban: “There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night” (Gen 31:40). Rava said to him: There too, the baraita is speaking of city watchmen, whose responsibility extends further. Abaye said to him: Is that to say that Jacob, our forefather, whose statement is the source of this halakha, was a city watchman? Rava replied: It means that Jacob said to Laban: I safeguarded for you an extra levelof safeguarding, like that of city watchmen.

Rashi

The heat consumed me—An expression of (Deu 4:24): “a consuming fire.”

And the cold—As (Psa 147:17) “He hurls down his crystals of ice.” The Targum renders: ice, or cold.

שְׁנָתִי means my sleep.

12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

John Gill

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd—That is, who is not the owner of the sheep, though he keeps them, yet only for reward: by whom are meant, not the faithful ministers of the word, who live upon the gospel, as Christ has ordained, and who are worthy of their reward, and are not to be called hirelings by way of reproach; since they teach not for hire and reward, but for the good of souls, and the interest of the Redeemer; but such who seek only their gain, from their quarter, and mind their own things, and not the things of Jesus Christ:

Who does not own the sheep—Who have neither a propriety in them, nor an hearty affection for them, and so care not what becomes of them: such an one

Sees the wolf coming—By whom may be meant, either Satan; so the Jews compare Israel to a flock of sheep, and Satan, they say, “he is the wolf”; or any false prophet, or teacher, who are ravenous wolves; though sometimes in sheep’s clothing; or any tyrant, oppressor, or persecutor of the saints:

And leaves the sheep—As the idol shepherd, against whom a woe is pronounced (Zec 11:17).

And flees—Not being willing to bear any reproach or persecution, for the sake of Christ; not such a keeper of the flock as David, who went after the lion and the bear, and when they rose up against him, did not flee, but caught them by the beard and slew them; nor like the Apostle Paul, who fought with beasts at Ephesus, and would turn his back on none, nor give place, no, not for an hour, that truth might continue;

And the wolf snatches them—Some of them:

And scatters them—The rest; so are the sheep of Christ and his churches sometimes scattered, by persecution raised against them; see Act 8:1, 4. The Jews have a rule concerning such a hired hand shepherd, which is this;

“A shepherd that feeds his flock, and leaves it, and goes to the city, and a wolf comes and ravines, and the lion comes and tears in pieces, he is free; but if he leaves by it his staff and his scrip, he is guilty.”

Which Maimonides thus expresses and explains;

“A shepherd who can deliver that which is torn, and that which is carried captive, with other shepherds, and with staves, and does not call the other shepherds, nor bring the staves to deliver them, he is guilty: one that keeps freely, and one that keeps for hire; he that keeps freely, calls the shepherds, and brings the staves freely; and if he does not find them, he is not guilty; but he that keeps for hire, is obliged to hire shepherds and staves, in order to deliver them.”

13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

John Gill

I am the good shepherd—(See Gill on Joh 10:11).

I know my own—So as to call them all by their names: Christ has an universal, special, distinct, and exact knowledge of all his sheep, as they are the choice of his Father, as his Father’s gift to him; and as his own purchase; he bears an affectionate love to them, and takes special care of them; indulges them with intimate communion with himself; and owns and acknowledges them as his, both here and hereafter:

And I am known of mine—Not in a general way, as the demons and external professors may know him, but with a special, spiritual, and saving knowledge: Christ’s own approve of him, as their shepherd and their Savior, and desire no other; they love him above all, in the sincerity of their souls, and with a love as strong as death; they trust in him as their shepherd, believing they shall not want; and appropriate him to themselves, as their own; and care for him, his cause and interest, his gospel, ordinances, and ministers; and are not ashamed to own him as theirs, in the most public manner.

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish. PSA 1:6

Rashi

For the Lord knows the way, etc.—Because he knows the way of the righteous, and it is before him to recognize it constantly; the way of the wicked is hateful to him, and he removes it from before him. Therefore, the foot of the wicked will not stand up on the day of judgment, neither shall the sinners be written in the congregation of the righteous.

15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John Gill

As the Father knows me—These words, with what follow, are in connection with Joh 10:14; and the sense is, that the mutual knowledge of Christ, and his sheep, is like that which his Father and he have of each other. The Father knows Christ as his own Son, and loves him as such, in the most strong and affectionate manner; and has entrusted him with the persons, grace, and glory, of all his people:

And I know the Father—As he needs must, since he lay in his bosom, and still does, and knows his nature, perfections, purposes, and his whole mind and will; and loves him most ardently, which he has shown by his coming down from heaven, to do his will; and trusts in him for the accomplishment of everything he promised to him:

And I lay down my life for the sheep—Which proves him to be the good shepherd (Joh 10:11). The Vulgate Latin version reads, “for my sheep”; which were his, by the Father’s gift, and for no other has he laid down his life. The Ethiopic version, as before, renders it, or rather explains it, “I lay down my life for the redemption of my sheep.”

16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John Gill

And I have other sheep—Not distinct from those for whom he laid down his life, but from those who were under the Old Testament dispensation, and who heard not the thieves and robbers that were before Christ (Joh 10:8); others besides the lost sheep of the house of Israel, or the elect among the Jews, to whom Christ was sent; and by whom are meant the chosen of God among the Gentiles, who were sheep, though not called and folded, for the reasons given (see Gill on Joh 10:3). These, though uncalled, belonged to Christ; he had an interest in them, they were given him by his Father; he had them in his hands, and upon his heart; his eye was upon them, and they were under his notice, inspection, and care:

That are not of this fold—Of the Jewish nation and church, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise; were as sheep going astray, and were scattered about in the several parts of the world; and were to be redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation:

I must bring them also—Out of the wilderness of the world, from among the men of it, their former sinful compassions, from the folds of sin and Satan, and the pastures of their own righteousness; to himself, and into his Father’s presence, to his house and ordinances, to a good fold and green pastures, and at last to his heavenly kingdom and glory: and there was a necessity of doing all this, partly on account of his Father’s will and pleasure, his purposes and decrees, who had resolved upon it; and partly on account of his own engagements, who had obliged himself to do it; as well as because of the case and condition of these sheep, who otherwise must have eternally perished:

And they will listen to my voice—In the gospel, not only externally, but internally; which is owing to his powerful and efficacious grace, who quickens them, and causes them to hear and live; unstops their deaf ears, and gives them ears to hear; and opens their hearts, to attend to his word, and gives them an understanding of it. The Arabic version reads this in connection with the preceding clause, thus, “and I must bring them also to listen to my voice”; as well as the rest of the sheep among the Jews, and therefore the gospel was sent among them:

So there will be one flock, one shepherd—One church state, consisting both of Jews and Gentiles; the middle wall of partition being broke down, these two coalesce in one, become one new man, and members of one and the same body; for though there may be several visible gospel churches, yet there is but one kind of church state, and one general assembly and church of the firstborn, one family to which they all belong; for what reasons a church is comparable to a fold (see Gill on Joh 10:1). And over this fold, or flock, there is but one shepherd, Jesus Christ; who is the rightful proprietor, and whose own the sheep are; and who knows how to feed them, and does take care of them; though there are many under shepherds, whom he employs in feeding them.

17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.