There’s an identity crisis going on in this text from John. Who’s who? And what are they supposed to represent?
There’s a sheepfold. It must be a pretty special place, because thieves and bandits are trying to get inside. Is the sheepfold heaven, communion with God, a relationship with Jesus? Are the thieves and bandits those who haven’t earned that reward, that communion, that relationship? Whatever it is, it seems like a place we’d like to go to. So we must be the ones who need to be let in.
But then we learn that the one who enters the gate is the shepherd. The shepherd is in charge of the sheep, so that can’t possibly be us. Also, if we read ahead to verse 11, we learn that Jesus is the shepherd, so that must be who John is talking about.
