In John 10:1-10 we saw how Jesus is the door. Jesus is the door of the sheep. The sheep is the nation of Israel. Jesus is the door through which the Jews are called out of their religion and called into a relationship with Jesus. Salvation is not only available to the Jews. It is available to everyone. All who enter in the door. All who come to Jesus and believe on Him are saved and given abundant eternal life. Not only is Jesus the door, but He is also the Good Shepherd. In John 10:11-18 we see three things that the Good Shepherd does for His sheep.

He dies for the sheep (v. 11-13). Jesus gives His life for the sheep. An hireling, a false shepherd, would not do this. But, Jesus loves the sheep and lays down His life for them. Jesus dying for the sheep must be understood in the context of this passage. There are those who will distort these verses to attempt to prove their belief in a limited atonement. There are those who will say that Jesus died only for the elect. This, I believe, is a false teaching. The Bible is very clear that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. In verse 7 of John 10, the sheep is referred to the children of Israel. In verse 9, we see that Jesus is the door not just for Israel, but also for all. Therefore, with that context in mind, Jesus says in verse 11 that He gives His life for the sheep. Who are the sheep? The sheep includes, but not limited to the children of Israel. The sheep includes every single person on the face of the planet. Because, according to verse 9, all those who enter the door of the sheep will be saved. My friend, Jesus did not die for a select group of people, He died for you. Think about it. Let that sink in. Jesus loves you with a unique and special kind of love. If you were the only person on the face of this planet, Jesus would still have died for you. I love my family. I love them all equally. However, I also love them all uniquely. The kind of love I have for my wife is not the same love as I have for my children. I love her uniquely. There is a love reserved only for her. I love each one of my children separate from the others. I love them uniquely. Jesus loves you uniquely. He does not love you because you are grouped in with whole bunch of other people that He loves. He does not love you as a part of a group of people. He loves you. He loves you specifically. He loves you. Think about that. So, when Jesus died on the cross and paid the price of sin, He did so for you. Yes, He died for the whole world, but He also died for you specifically. He died for you. How does that make you feel? How do you respond to someone who dies for you? All that Jesus went through on the cross, He did for you. All of the agony He went through was so that you can be set free from the bondage and penalty of sin. With all that Jesus has done for me, what can I do for Him? “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed me white as snow!”

He knows His sheep (v. 14-15). Jesus knows you. He does not just know who you are. He knows everything about you. He knows your every thought and He knows every secret sin. He knows more about you than you know about yourself. He knows you are a sinner. He knows you deserve to spend an eternity in the flames of hell. He knows the real you. He knows your dirty and corrupt heart. Yet, He loves you and He died for you. If you, by faith, receive Jesus as your Savior, He will never let you go. He knows who belongs to Him. He knows His sheep.

He rises again for His sheep (v. 17-18). Jesus did not stay on the cross. He did not stay in the tomb. He rose again from the grave. He is victorious over death, hell, and the grave! Because of His resurrection, all who place their faith and trust in Him will also be victorious over death. If you have given your life to Jesus, you will live forever in glory! Because Jesus rose again, so will you! Verse 16 can be misunderstood. Some will use this verse to somehow claim that Jesus is not the only way. They will say that other religions can get you to heaven. However, what Jesus is saying here is that there are others besides the Jews that can be saved. Jesus died and rose again for all the world, not just for the Jews.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is the only way. Has there been a time in your life when you believed on the Lord Jesus? Do you know that you are saved?