In considering John 10
● notice the extension of the “I ams” of John: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48); “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12 and 9:5); and now “I am the door” (John 10:7, 9) and “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14),
● meditate on the implications of each declaration and on the intention to create such a set,
● reckon with Jesus’ own explanation that he provides entry to salvation and to pasture (9), the food that provides life “abundantly” (10),
● consider also the reference to the good shepherd who provides a voice known to the sheep (4, 16, 27) and “who lays down his life” (15, 17) for the sheep,
● grab hold of another thread and rejoice: Jesus declares he has “other sheep” (16) ready to hear his voice who need to enter and to have life abundantly as “one flock” (17) with “one shepherd” (17),
● notice also Jesus’ double assertion of authority, authority about his own life, authority to “lay it down” (18) and to “take it up again” (18),
● remember that Jesus directly declares his identity with the Father, which for the Jews is a stone-reaching statement (30), and
● register the already-occurring fulfilment of John’s declared purpose (20:31): People encountering words about Jesus “believed in him” (42).
Thank you,
Randy Tumlinson