John 10:4

And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. AND WHEN HE PUTTETH FORTH - or 'turneth out.' [The aorist - ekbalee (G1544) - is here rightly rendered 'putteth forth,' as in 'Luke 1:51-42; the idea being that of 'a succession of definite acts constituting a habit of so acting.' So probably eegapeesan (G25) is to be explained in John 3:19, 'men love the darkness,' etc.] HIS OWN SHEEP, HE GOETH BEFORE THEM, AND THE SHEEP FOLLOW HIM: FOR THEY KNOW HIS VOICE....

4._Because they know his voice. _Though he speaks here of ministers, yet, instead of wishing that they should be _heard_, he wishes that God should be _heard _speaking by them; for we must attend to the distinction which he has laid down, that he alone is a faithful _pastor _or _shepherd _(283) of the Church, who conducts and governs his sheep by the direction of Christ. We must attend to the reason why it is said that _the sheep follow_; it is, because _they know _how to distinguish _shepherds _from wolves by _the voice _This is the spirit of discernment, by which the elect discriminate between the truth of God and the false inventions of men. So then, in _the sheep _of Christ a knowledge of the truth goes before, and next follows an earnest desire to obey, so that they not only understand what is true, but receive it with warm affection. And not only does he comm

1-5 Here is a parable or similitude, taken from the customs of the East, in the management of sheep. Men, as creatures depending on their Creator, are called the sheep of his pasture. The church of God in the world is as a sheep-fold, exposed to deceivers and persecutors. The great Shepherd of the sheep knows all that are his, guards them by his providence, guides them by his Spirit and word, and goes before them, as the Eastern shepherds went before their sheep, to set them in the way of his steps. Ministers must serve the sheep in their spiritual concerns. The Spirit of Christ will set before them an open door. The sheep of Christ will observe their Shepherd, and be cautious and shy of strangers, who would draw them from faith in him to fancies about him....

Verse John 10:4. _HE GOETH BEFORE THEM_] A _sixth_ mark of a true pastor is, he gives them a good example: he not only _preaches_, but he _lives_, the truth of the Gospel; he enters into the depths of the salvation of God; and, having thus explored the path, he knows how to lead those who are entrusted to his care into the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace. He who does not endeavour to realize in his own soul the truths which he preaches to others will soon be as salt without its savour; his preaching cannot be accompanied with that unction which alone can make it acceptable and profitable to those whose hearts are right with God. The minister who is in this state of salvation _the sheep_, genuine Christians, _will follow, for they know his voice_. It was the custom in the eastern countries for the shepherd to go at the head of his sheep, and they fol...

HE PUTTETH FORTH - Or leads them out of the fold. HE GOETH BEFORE THEM - He leads them, and guides them, and does not leave them. A shepherd spent his time with his flocks. He went before them to seek the best pastures and watering-places, and to defend them from danger. In this is beautifully represented the tender care of him who watches for souls as one that must give account....

EXPOSITION JOHN 10:1 5. _Christ the Shepherd of the flock of God_._ _The discourse which now follows was the Lord's parabolic or allegoric reply to the conduct of the Pharisaic malignants. These men, claiming to be infallible guides of the ignorant, to be veritable shepherds of the flock of God, had ignored the advent of the true and good Shepherd, had opposed the Divine call and supreme claim of the Messiah, had set themselves to disturb and dislocate the relations between him and those who saw his glory and found in him the Consolation of Israel. They had excommunicated the adoring disciple who had passed out of lifelong darkness into marvelous light. They had exaggerated the faint glimmer of light which had broken upon their own blindness into true vision. They had said, "We see," and thus shown themselves to be willfully

AND WHEN HE PUTTETH FORTH HIS OWN SHEEP,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "when he leads them all out"; in order to bring them into proper pastures: HE GOETH BEFORE THEM; in allusion to the eastern shepherds, who when they put out their flocks, did not, as ours do, drive them before them, and follow after them, at least not always, but went before them: so Christ, the great shepherd, goes before his flock, not only to provide for them, but by way of example to them; in many instances he is an ensample to the flock, as under shepherds, according to the measure of grace received, should be: he has left them an example in many respects, that they should tread in his steps: AND THE SHEEP FOLLOW HIM; in the exercise of the graces of humility, love, patience, self-denial, and resignation of will to the will of God; and in the discharge of duty, walking, in some measure, as he walked. FOR THE...

John 10:1. _Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep._ The true Shepherd cares for the flock, the false ones are thieves and robbers who only care for the flesh or the fleece. John 10:3. _To him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out._ John the Baptist was the porter who opened the door of Christ's earthly ministry by bearing witness that he was the Son of God. John 10:4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the

CHAPTER 10 _ 1. The Shepherd of the Sheep. (John 10:1 .)_ 2. The Good Shepherd, His Sheep and His Work. (John 10:6 .) 3. At the Feast of Dedication; the Repeated Testimony. (John 10:22 .) 4. Accused of Blasphemy and His Answer. (John 10:31 .) 5. Beyond Jordan; and Many Believed on Him. (John 10:40 .) The teaching of this chapter is closely linked with the preceding event. It has become evident that the true sheep of Christ, belonging to His flock, would be cast out of the Jewish fold. The healed man cast out had become one of

JOHN 10. THE CLOSE OF THE MINISTRY IN JERUSALEM. [85] John 10:1. The Good Shepherd. The first part of this chapter records Jesus-' teaching on true and false leadership. In John 10:1 we have a close resemblance to the Synoptic parable, with one dominant idea. The true leader, wielding the authority of one sent by God, calls out the willing obedience of the led. It arises directly out of the circumstances of the case. As usual the words, Verily, verily introduce a new thought on what has gone before. The blind man, resisting the pressure of the usurped authority of the false leaders, who sought only their own interests, welcomes the true leader who comes by God's appointed way. The Pharisees cannot or will not see the import of His words. In...