Bible Passage: John 10:1-10
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: April 26, 2026

Bulletin – April 26, 2026

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

There is a very important backstory to our text.  In John 9, Jesus opened the eyes of a man born blind.  It was a wonderful, gracious miracle of healing!  Who wouldn’t be thrilled about that?  The religious leadership!  You see, the day on which Jesus performed this miracle was a Sabbath Day.  No work was to be done on the Sabbath.  And the leadership had a graceless and merciless interpretation of this.  They were incensed that Jesus would do such “work” on a Sabbath!  They interrogate the man Jesus healed.  When the man would not say a bad word about Jesus, but instead continued to give praise and glory to Jesus, the leaders threw the man out.  They “excommunicated” the man, if you will.  These leaders hated Jesus and they hated any “sheep” who followed Jesus.

With that as context, we can begin to understand why Jesus says what he says, and we can begin to understand what he says.  We can begin to understand why Jesus tells us there is Only One Gate…for Sheep and Shepherds.

Listen again to the opening portion of our text.  Amen, Amen, I tell you… (v. 1)  That was the Jewish way of saying, “What I am about to tell you is the truth to the Nth degree!”  Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the door, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.  The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (v. 1-2)  It might help us to know a little something about shepherding at the time of Jesus.  To keep sheep safe at night, some shepherds would bring their flocks to an enclosure.  The wall around it might be built up of stones.  Maybe two or three shepherds would all bring their flocks to the same enclosure at night.  There was one gate into the fold.  A doorkeeper would guard the gate at night.  In the morning, each shepherd would go through the gate and stand and call to his own sheep.  The sheep would hear their own shepherd’s voice and recognize it and trot over to their shepherd and then follow him, and him alone.  Jesus says a person who climbs over the wall is a thief and robber.

Jesus is making the point:  there are shepherds who have every right to be with the sheep and there are people who have no business being among the sheep!  In fact, their presence among the sheep hurts and harms the sheep.  Jesus’ words were trained, laser-like, at the leaders who had just thrown that man out of the “church.”  That man had met Jesus, the Good Shepherd!  That man has begun to follow the One who gives his sheep eternal life!  Now, the “shepherds” of God’s people have thrown the man out of the flock!  They are trying to rob this man of his salvation, his place in the eternally-green pastures of heaven.  By pitting themselves against Jesus, the Good Shepherd, they have given themselves away!  They are thieves!  They are robbers!  They have no business being near the sheep of God’s flock!  The real sheep of God’s flock are starting to run away from them.  Like the healed man, they have found a real shepherd, the Good Shepherd, Jesus!

Thieves and robbers will always try to get in among the Lord’s sheep.  That is why there are many, many warnings given to us in Scripture to watch out for people who climb over the wall.  The Good Shepherd, in Matthew 7, warned his sheep, Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (Matthew 7:15)  Isn’t that chilling?  The thief of souls who seeks to rob us of eternal life will even try to look like a sheep to deceive us, and all so he can kill us!  The apostle Paul once had a heart-to-heart with the elders of the church in Ephesus.  Here is what he said:  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock… so be on your guard! (Acts 20:28-30)

So how can you tell if one is a shepherd or a thief?  The test is simple.  Do they come through Christ?  Do they bring Christ?  Do they lead the sheep to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, or away from him to death?  Do they want you to have a closer relationship with Jesus, or with them?  Do they tell sheep their sin is okay, or do they call for repentance?  Do they point you to your works, or to Christ’s completed work?  Do they come through the Gate, Jesus?  Friends, that is what you must listen for when this “shepherd” preaches and teaches, or when a guest preacher is here, or if you must move on to another congregation, or if this preacher moves on and another preacher fills this pulpit.  If they bring not Christ, run away!  You can tell if they crawl over the wall or if they come through the gate.  Just listen for Christ crucified and risen!

The people were having a difficult time understanding Jesus’ point, so Jesus breaks it down.  Amen, Amen, I tell you:  I am the door for the sheep.  All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the door [or “gate”] Whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (v. 7-9)  “Through me you will be saved.”  It all goes THROUGH Jesus!  It is through Jesus we “come in.”  Through Jesus, we come into the Kingdom of God, the flock of the Lord.  We “come in” through Jesus and are given forgiveness.  We come in through Jesus and find protection against the enemies of our soul.  Through Jesus, we “go out” and find pasture for our souls.  We lie down in green pastures, beside quiet waters.  Through Jesus we say, “It is well with my soul!”  We do not fear even the valley of the shadow of death!  Our Shepherd is with us.  He has blazed a trail through that valley!  Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)  Everything we need comes THROUGH Jesus, who laid down his life for his sheep, and took it up again.  This is the life!  It is LIFE.   Jesus said, I came that they may have life, and have it to the full. (v. 10)  It gets no better than Christ! 

There is the Door!  There is the Gate!  There is the Way.  There is the entrance and access-point to the goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives!  For sheep and shepherds, there is only one gate.  Christ crucified and risen!

Amen.