The context of today's reading is the blindness of the Pharisees (John 9:39). In this chapter, Jesus speaks of himself as both the gate to the sheepfold (v. 9) and the good shepherd (v. 11). Unlike the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John does not describe Jesus speaking in parables. Instead, he presents Jesus teaching in ″figure[s] of speech″ or allegories (see John 10:6; 16:25, 29).

Verses 1-5 contain an analogy. In the first century, sheep were kept overnight in a communal pen with a watchman on guard. In this analogy, the shepherd enters the fold by the gate; the watchman, recognizing him, opens the gate; the shepherd's sheep hear and follow him. The contrast here is with the thief-and-robber who does not enter via the gate, as well as with the stranger whom the sheep do not recognize and follow. Instead, they run from him.

Jesus' listeners don't understand this story, so He puts it in another way in the three paragraphs that follow:

• First, Jesus identifies himself as the gate-the only way into God's flock is through Him (vv. 7-10; see John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Indeed, this is the way to be saved and find pasture (v. 9). Jesus came to bring us to the life that God intended. Before Jesus, there were thieves and robbers who came to kill, steal, and destroy, but the true sheep didn't listen to them.
• Second, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and as such He willingly lays down His life for the sheep (vv. 11-13). He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20). The contrast here is with the hired hand: he sees tending the flock as just a job, and abandons it in a crisis.
• Third, the Good Shepherd is in solidarity with the Father (vv. 14-18). The Son is known and loved by the Father, and the sheep are privileged to know and be known by the Son. The flock consists of all who come via Jesus-Jews or Gentiles.

Jesus, then, is both the gate to God's flock and the Good Shepherd who, by giving His life, provides the way to shelter. That is why Jesus has come. All who turn their back on pretenders and come via Him have real life- they know the Son (v. 14), and they know the Father (John 17:3).

The thieves, robbers, strangers, and hired men in this context are the religious leaders of Israel in Jesus' day-those who come in religious garb, whose goal is comfort, ease, and a secure pay packet, but not the security of the sheep.

The Christian faith is all about Jesus. The gate is not a set of dogmas or rules, but a person to be trusted and known. Jesus shepherds the sheep by laying down His life, and pouring out His blood, for them.