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To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:3
Beginning in verse 1 of John 10, the Lord Jesus contrasts the difference between himself and the Pharisees. The ministry of Jesus is likened to a Shepherd. The sheep have been led in and they are being cared for during the night by the Porter. A.W. Pink’s excellent commentary on John provides us with the background of this parable. In verse 1 Jesus speaks of the “sheepfold”. Pink says that the sheepfold is properly speaking “Judaism”.
Judaism is the door whereby God’s elect were gathered. The Messiah comes through the “door” which is right, proper, and holy. He does not enter the sheepfold through some other way. The Good Shepherd goes into the sheepfold because the porter or doorkeeper has allowed him entrance.
In this parable the porter is the Holy Spirit. Much of the symbolism is lost on us ‘moderns’. The porter offered protection for the sheep during the night. The Shepherd would leave his sheep under the care of the porter so that he could secure lodging for the night. The porter would keep thieves and predators from attacking the sheep while the shepherd was away.
When the shepherd returned he would enter the sheepfold and gather his own sheep by calling them by name. The shepherd in this parable is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls his own sheep by name and they will follow him. Notice the call is not for all sheep. If from our passage we understand that the sheepfold is this case was Judaism, the Lord is calling his elect out of Judaism and unto himself. The elect “lost sheep” of Israel hear the voice of the Messiah and they follow him.
The effectual call of Jesus for his elect is both specific and by name. The Lamb’s book contains the names of those whom Christ has known since before the foundation of the Lord. Many are called but few are chosen, and the chosen ones of God are known to the Good Shepherd by name!
I enjoyed the devotional very much