June 10, 2023
The Shepherd
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1 (NASB)
Each of us have at one time been the victim of theft. Whether it was something as simple as a missing pen, all the way to a home burglary. Thieves are everywhere. Over my years working burglary, rarely were there times where the suspect broke into an occupied home. They waited until the owner was not home or watching. Although humans naturally are like this, animals do not share this trait, especially when they are hungry. They will do what it takes to feed themselves. This is why there were shepherds. They are there to protect the sheep, and have what they need to defeat them. The hungry ones here are called Pharisees, acting like animals.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep.” To understand the layout of the average sheepfold, we have to consider a few things first. Shepherds took sheep out of the city during the day to water and feed them in nearby pastures. This duty was normally delegated to the youngest age boy of the family. As the family grew, the next in line would assume the duty. The previous shepherd, began service with the father, by sowing, plowing, and harvesting crops. For the remaining son, the duties of shepherding normally took the flock outside of the city. “Therefore the shepherd’s life was normally one of solitude. He was exposed to the elements, and incoming enemies to the sheep at all times. He wore a tunic of cotton which was girded around his body by a leather throng. This outer garment is called an aba.”[1] It is often made of camel hair, much like John the Baptist wore. It kept the shepherd warm, with the ability to shed rain, and at night it was used as a blanket to keep warm. During night, the shepherd placed the sheep into the sheepfold, or pen. As they entered the entrance, each sheep came under the shepherd’s rod. This rod was much like a policeman’s club, made of oak wood with a knob on the end. Into this knob, nails were driven to make a better weapon. This rod was used to count and inspect each sheep coming into the fold. This “fold of the sheep,” as a permanent structure was a wall which could have been up to 10 foot high, topped with a layer of thorns, with one opening, called the door. Temporary folds were also constructed in the fields when needed with tangled thorns and vines. In either case, the shepherd boy stood watch at the door to the sheepfold. He was the gate and protector of the sheep using his body as the shield. When Jesus spoke of “… a thief and a robber,” He referred to those who made their way in unaware to deprive. They appeared as no outward threat, as thieves do. In fact they waited until no saw them and snuck in unnoticed. These “robbers,” were those who looked to deprive the owner of his property. These were those who were bandits in the first century. They took what was not theirs and kept it, even by force if necessary.
In the passages ahead, Jesus is going to show Himself as the good shepherd. Thieves and robbers are those who oppose His kingdom. Jesus was about to use teachings which would be a good for those who misunderstood His teachings or tried to pervert them. He would be the One who would go before the sheep, to feed, shelter, and protect them from harm. The Pharisees on the other hand were out to try to steal and destroy the message of God. Each day we find those who creep in unaware like thieves. Jude 1:4 mentions these people. Be aware they are out there!
[1] https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/manners/shepherd-life-the-care-of-sheep-and-goats.htm.