Introduction to the Gospel of John, by Desmond Thompson

John 10:11

“I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

The Gospel of John was written around 90-95A.D. Out of all of the apostles, John is the only one who did not die as a martyr. John’s Gospel is written in universal terms. This means his Gospel was not written to any specific ethnicity or nationality. This makes John’s Gospel different because all of the Synoptic writers were writing to a particular audience. However, John wrote to everyone for the purpose of coming to faith in Jesus Christ. This is what makes John’s Gospel so unique. Unlike the other writers, John placed Christ in eternity and showed Christ as being God and human, as reflected in the hypostatic union. John’s Gospel lays out the basic theological concepts of the Christian faith.

Context of the Passage

John’s entire Gospel was set up to bring believers into faith. Every chapter pointed to the divinity of Christ from Christ’s miracles and teachings. Chapter 10 was the start of an entire new context in which Jesus was teaching His disciples about His purpose and the Kingdom of God. Jesus revealed to His disciples the key to salvation and God’s role in salvation. Jesus started off Chapter 10 with the statement, “Truly, truly.” This set the scene for Christ’s conversation with His disciples. In the Greek language, this was a very strong statement that urged whomever was listening to take heed. In this section, He also presented imagery that the Israelites were familiar with because of their geographical location and the historical context. He presented His followers as sheep and Himself as the Shepherd and the Door of the sheep. In verses 3-5, we see Christ reflect the intimate relationship He had with His sheep. Verse 6 shows that they did not understand what Christ was saying so, in verse 7- 10, He stepped deeper into His message by stating who He was and explaining why the sheep did not heed false teaching.

Interpretation

Verse 11 opens up with the statement from Christ, “I AM.” This is a big statement because, in scripture, we see this as a term only used by God to explain Himself. Christ was claiming divinity while revealing a role, connected to Him, of the Messiah of His people. The next piece of the statement is “the good shepherd.” This opens up Psalm 23, which gives an understanding of God as the Shepherd of His people. The disciples understood this because they were well versed in the Hebrew Bible. So, after the statement I AM, the good shepherd stated His identity and His work. Christ revealed His mission by saying, “He (The Good Shepherd) lays down His life for His sheep.” Christ stated exactly who He died for on the cross. The cross was for His sheep (those who would believe in Him). Many will argue that Christ died for the entire world (believer as well as unbeliever), but Christ Himself, in Matthew 25:33-34, made a distinction between the sheep, the believers, and the goats, the unbelievers.

Application

This is necessary for Christian living because a false understanding of the death of Christ leads to a faulty understanding of salvation. If Christ died for everyone then, philosophically, everyone would end up saved. If this is true, then there is no reason for morality because Christ already paid for our sins. However, this is different for the believers Christ actually died for. If one truly believes, one will show works that reflect one’s belief. Faith is not blind to one’s lifestyle, but faith is reflected in the way one lives. If Christ gave His life for the believers, then the believers must honor His death with their lives!

Soli Deo Gloria

References

Matthew Poole Commentary of the Gospels

Matthew Henry Commentary of the Gospels

John Calvin’s Historical Writings