John 10:3

To him the porter openeth The -porter" is the door-keeper or gate-keeper, who fastens and opens the one door into the fold. In the allegory the fold is the Church, the Door is Christ, the sheep are the elect, the shepherds are God's ministers. What does the porter represent? Possibly nothing definite. Much harm is sometimes done by trying to make every detail of an allegory or parable significant. There must be back ground in every picture. But if it be insisted that the porter here is too prominent to be meaningless, it is perhaps best to understand the Holy Spirit as signified under this figure; He who grants opportunities of coming, or of bringing others, through Christ into the Kingdom of God. Comp. 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:3; Acts 14:27; Revelation 3:8: but in all these passages -door" does not mean Christ, but opportunity. See on 1 Corinthians 16:9.

the sheep hear his voice All the sheep, whether belonging to His flock or not, know from His coming that they are about to be led out. His own sheep(first for emphasis) he calleth by name(Exodus 33:12; Exodus 33:17; Isaiah 43:1), and leadeth them outto pasture. Even in this country shepherds and shepherds" dogs know each individual sheep; in the East the intimacy between shepherd and sheep is still closer. The naming of sheep is a very ancient practice: see Theocritus 5:102.