John 10:1 Commentary - Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

THE GOOD SHEPHERD, v. 1-21 (See Ps 231-6; Heb 13:20; 1Pe 5:4)

1) "Verily, verily, I say unto you," (amen, amen, lego humin) "Truly, truly, I tell you all," all who were listening, inclusive of John, the writer, but chiefly directed at the unbelieving Jews who continually carped, criticized, and found fault with Jesus and His church disciples who followed Him, Joh 9:19; Joh 21:24. Jesus proceeded to contrast the Pharisees' harsh treatment of the man born blind with His compassion for the fallen and afflicted.

2) "He that entereth not by the door," (ho me eiserchomenos dia tes thuras) "The one who does not enter through the door," or find salvation by coming to me by faith. For Jesus is the door, the entrance to salvation, and a position of Divine worship and service, and as in the ark of Noah, there is but one door, Gen 6:16; Gen 7:16; Joh 14:6.

3) "Into the sheepfold," leis ten aulen ton probaton) ''Into the fold of the sheep," the place of care, provision, and place of following the Shepherd. The sheepfold of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the church, also called His house, 1Ti 3:15; Heb 3:1-6.

4) ''But climbeth up some other way," (alla anabainon allachomen) "But is continually ascending or going up by another way," trying to acquire salvation and find a place of following the Shepherd, by neither going through Him for salvation nor entering into His New Covenant fellowship of church worship and service. These Jewish rulers sought the pay and the power of their positions more than the care of the sheep.

5) "The same is a thief and a robber." (ekeinos kleptes estin kai lestes) "That one is (exists as) a thief and a robber," Joh 9:8, or as a thug and a bandit. The idea is that a sinner who tries to gain acceptance into favor with God by any means other than through Jesus Christ, "the door" Joh 9:9, is acting like a thug and a bandit. And the very Pharisees and Jews who listened were attempting to get into God's good graces, to acquire Salvation and acceptable service through Moses' law, while rejecting Him. They were more interested in the fleece than the flock, as thieves. And today any sinner, religious or irreligious sinner, who tries to get into salvation, a state of Divine security from hell and service to God through good works, reformation, baptism, communion, or church membership, while rejecting the shed blood of Jesus Christ, by faith, is still like a thief and a robber, a thug or a bandit, Joh 14:6; Act 4:12, Rom 1:16.