Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE GOOD SHEPHERD”
John 10.1-18
You may recall that time during the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7.37 in which our Lord stood and cried loudly on the last day of the feast,
“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”
Don’t think that didn’t rile up the religious establishment. The very next day, as our Lord was sitting in the courtyard of the Temple and teaching, a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Him, John chapter 8. Again, our Lord infuriated the religious establishment that had tried to entrap Him. So much so that they attempted to stone Him.[1]
The day following that, John chapter nine contains the record of our Lord not only giving sight to the man who had been born blind, but also bringing to him a new life of faith. In doing this, the fury of the Pharisees was stoked yet again, provoking them to arrange for the once blind man to be excommunicated from his synagogue. No wonder our Lord accused them of spiritual blindness.
In John chapter ten tensions between the Lord Jesus Christ and the Pharisees reached a fever pitch before He finally left Jerusalem. And how did the Lord escalate the tension and draw a stark contrast between His ministry and the Pharisees? By telling a story and by then explaining it. Please make your way to John chapter ten, where we will consider verses 1-18.
This passage is easily recognizable as falling into four parts: In the first five verses our Lord rehearses important facts known to every one of that era about sheep and shepherding. In verse 6 the apostle provides a brief explanation to his readers. In verses 7-10 the Lord Jesus Christ identifies Himself with the declaration “I am the door of the sheep.” Verses 11-18 are built upon the Lord Jesus Christ’s statement, “I am the good shepherd.”
Four main points:
First, OUR LORD REVIEWS THE EXPERIENCES OF THE FLOCK
In verses 1-5 the Lord uses a literary device that is unique to the New Testament:
Verse 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.”
“Verily, verily, I say unto you,” meaning “Amen, amen, I say unto you,” should be recognized as signifying a very important declaration made by the Lord. However, there is something else to take note of concerning double amen statements in John’s Gospel. This apostle’s particular writing style is such that none of the Lord’s discourses ever begins in this Gospel with a double amen statement.[2] That strongly suggests we have here a continuation from John chapter 9. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ is in the middle of a serious comparison of Himself to the Pharisees, showing that, by contrast, He is the legitimate shepherd and they are frauds.
“He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”
There is only one way into the sheepfold and one way out of the sheepfold, and only thieves and robbers seek to gain entrance any other means than by the door of the sheepfold.
Verse 2:
“But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”
There are only two types of men who would seek to gain entrance to a sheepfold, the shepherd of the sheep who is legitimately authorized to enter in, with the thief and the robber being illegitimate and seeking entrance by other means. Simple. Indisputable.
Verse 3 begins:
“To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice.”
The porter is the fellow charged with the responsibility of guarding the sheep at night once they are penned in the sheepfold. It is his job to open the door to the sheepfold and to close the door to the sheepfold, as well as to allow only a shepherd to come in to call his sheep to follow him out to pasturage for the day.
Verse 3 ends,
“and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.”
Shepherds in the Middle East tend to their flocks differently than shepherds in Europe. The Basques of Northern Spain and shepherds throughout Europe and the British Isles use sheepdogs to drive their flocks. In the Middle East, however, shepherds are far more intimate with their flocks, giving each sheep a name and each sheep of the flock recognizing and responding to the voice of the shepherd. Thus, in this word picture, our Lord shows the shepherd to be the leader of the flock rather than one who merely herds the flock. Implicit in this concept of a sheepfold is the idea that more than one flock would be penned inside at night and that sheep would respond only to their shepherd’s voice. Important to point out here is that each sheep is called individually by the shepherd; the flock is not called in or out as a group. That, I am convinced, is an important feature of this entire passage.
Verse 4:
“And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”
Thus, the common pattern of shepherding was known to one and all. Even those who did not make their living as shepherds recognized from the culture they grew up in that shepherds lead their sheep and do not drive them and that sheep follow their shepherd and no one else because they recognize the voice of their shepherd.
Verse 5:
“And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”
What is stated here needed to be said, though it was already understood by everyone who originally heard the Savior’s words. Sheep will not follow a stranger. Sheep will run away from a stranger. And this is because sheep do not recognize the voice of a stranger.
Next, THE APOSTLE OBSERVES THE PHARISEE’S FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND
Verse 6:
“This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.”
Please take note of the word that is in this verse translated “parable.”
What we normally understand to be parables are found only in Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the Gospels, and not in the Gospel of John. The word used here is not the usual Greek word for parable, but the word which is more familiarly known to us as an allegory.[3] Thus, it should have been easier for the Pharisees to understand what the Lord Jesus Christ said in verses 1-5 than if He had uttered a parable, yet they still did not understand what He said to them.
Read John chapter 9 once more, and you will see that the Pharisees are the thieves and robbers, the blind man is a sheep, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the legitimate shepherd of the kind referred to in John 10.1-5. The sheep hear the Savior’s voice and follow Him, while the Pharisees responded to the undeniable miracle of the man born blind’s newly given eyesight by casting him out of the synagogue.[4]
The Pharisees failed to grasp what our Lord had said. Of course, they could not understand His words, since they were not His sheep and did not recognize the sound of His voice.
Third, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE DOOR
At this point, the Lord Jesus Christ explains to His obstinate audience the first of His two great metaphors within this flock allegory by pointing out specifically where He is to be found in verses 1-5, and He does this in verses 7-10. We consider the verses individually:
Verse 7:
“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.”
Grabbing His audience’s attention once more by saying “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” the Lord Jesus Christ utters for the third time one of His important “I am” statements:[5]
“I am the door of the sheep.”
To remind you, these “I am” declarations hearken back to the burning bush and God’s declaration to Moses in Exodus 3.14,
“I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
It is important for us to understand what the Lord Jesus Christ means by the declaration “I am the door of the sheep.” In addition to the obvious assertion of His deity by use of the “I am” phrase, the door here referred to should not be understood to be the door to the sheepfold. After all, no one referred to becoming a part of the flock of the nation of Israel by entering in through the door which is Jesus Christ. Remember as well that the sheep to whom the Lord is presently referring are all Jewish and that they are already penned in the sheepfold of the covenant nation of Israel under the authority of the Law of Moses. That said, most of the Jews who are in the sheepfold of Israel are not sheep, as evidenced by the fact that they do not hear His voice and follow Him. When the Lord Jesus Christ declares Himself to be the Door of the sheep, it must be that a different sheepfold is in mind than the one He calls His sheep out from.
Verse 8:
“All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.”
This verse is not a reference to Old Testament prophets sent by the LORD, men such as Samuel and Elijah, Isaiah and Jeremiah. The Lord Jesus is here referring to unauthorized men who did not represent God while claiming to speak for Him. His allusion here is to the Pharisees.
Verse 9:
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Again, our Lord declares, “I am the door.” As I pointed out last week, in this verse, He explicitly claims to be the exclusive door by which any man entering in shall be saved. These two claims, He declares in verses 7 and 9, may echo Psalm 118.20, where we read,
“This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.”
There are two very important, though not at all obvious, truths we need to grasp to benefit most from this verse, paying careful attention to the two middle phrases:
“by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.”
First, notice that the Savior indicated salvation is the result of entering in by Him. This fact is important to note since no sinner can save himself. Not only must a sinner pass through the Door from death to life, from sin to salvation, but that passing through must be accomplished, according to the Savior, “by me.” That is, no one saves himself. Sinners are saved by the Savior. Second, do not mistakenly think that the words “if any man enter in” refer to entering the sheepfold of Mosaic Law Judaism. They do not. The fact is, for those Jewish people to “enter in” to Christ they had to leave the sheepfold of Mosaic Law Judaism, something most of them would not do because so many in that sheepfold were not, in fact, sheep. Then, the final phrase about going in and out to find pasture is a frequent theme in the Old Testament describing God’s relationship with His people.[6]
Verse 10:
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
It is clear from John chapter 9 that the Lord Jesus Christ is addressing the Pharisees who were so opposed to His ministry. In John 10.5 He refers to them as strangers (plural). In John 10.6 we are told that He was speaking to them (again, plural). In verse 8 He refers to them as thieves and robbers (plural for the third time). In this verse, however, our Lord speaks in the singular by referring to “the thief,” not thieves, with the definite article used in the Greek text. Who do you suppose He is referring to in this verse? The Pharisees are described in verse 8 as “thieves and robbers,” but this individual is one who comes “for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Stealing is usually done by stealth. Destruction is typically accomplished by violence. And this word kill, ï±á½»ï·, used only here in John’s Gospel, “is not the common term and may connote the abuse of the sacrificial system by the priestly authorities.”[7] Perhaps. Who do I think our Lord is alluding to here? Could it be that our Lord is powerfully contrasting Himself not only with the Pharisees but also with the “idol shepherd” of Zechariah 11.15-17?
15 And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
I suggest this might be the antichrist, with the Devil being the real genius who lies back of the Pharisee’s opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Devil backs the insane denials of the implications of our Lord’s great miracles and His rightful claim to be the Messiah of Israel. Those who are false shepherds are, like the idol shepherd, unconcerned about the health and welfare of the flock. What a contrast there is, then, between the counterfeits and the True. The verse concludes with one of the most wonderfully comforting statements of our Lord’s mission found in the Bible:
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
How soothing to the sheep is the voice of our Shepherd. His motives are pure. His strength is unsurpassed. His wisdom is unmatched. His sovereignty should be unquestioned. How utterly unlike the false shepherds He is. Are you one of His sheep?
Finally, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD
This is the fourth time in John’s Gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ identifies Himself using the “I am” declaration, this time twice identifying Himself by saying, “I am the good shepherd.”
In verse 11 He tells His audience that the Good Shepherd dies for His sheep:
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
It is always beneficial to keep in mind when examining our Lord’s statements that, since He is the fulfillment of numerous Old Testament predictions, it is needful to consider not only the backdrop of Scripture but also the mindsets of the Jewish people our Lord was speaking to who were steeped in Old Testament learning. This is especially true when considering the Lord Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd. The Pharisees our Lord was speaking to on this occasion, as well as His apostles whose benefit He was speaking for, were well aware that in the Old Testament God repeatedly contrasted Himself with unfaithful shepherds who, because of their dereliction of duty, were subject to His judgment.[8]
As well, David (or the Davidic Messiah) is spoken of as a good shepherd.[9] Moses is also portrayed as the “shepherd of his flock.”[10] By once more using the “I am” phrase to identify Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ is again declaring in no uncertain terms His absolute deity. He is God. He is the One who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. He is the God of Israel. By stating, “I am the good shepherd,” He is more obviously contrasting Himself with the Pharisees than He had previously done.
Remember that the Pharisees, for the most part, were not priests and certainly were not God-called prophets. They were self-anointed religious zealots fulfilling a self-appointed role as enforcers of the Law of Moses as they understood it. Though there were exceptions among them, such as Nicodemus, for the most part, they were religious nit pickers and intrusive hypocrites who imagined themselves to be spiritual shepherds of the Jewish people. They were not.
Not authorized in any way in the Hebrew Scriptures to fulfill the role they presumed to occupy, Pharisees are most known for their opposition to the Savior. Following the dispersion of the Jewish people in 70 AD, it was the Pharisaic version of Judaism that has survived in their writings over the centuries to have by far the most influence on modern religious Judaism.
However, that is not all the Lord accomplished when He declared, “I am the good shepherd.” He declared Himself to be God. He identified with the Old Testament references to shepherds: God, Moses, and David. Then there are the types of Christ in the Old Testament who were shepherds: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and David. So, our Lord accomplished a great deal by identifying Himself with the statement, “I am the good shepherd.” However, when He goes so far as to say “the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep,” He breaks new ground.
God showed Himself as shepherd to His people in the Old Testament, yet the Father did not die for the sheep. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David were each shepherds, but they did not give their lives for the sheep. Certainly, David risked his life, but he did not give his life for the sheep. The Lord Jesus Christ at this moment distinguishes Himself from all others described as shepherds in the Hebrew Scriptures by first declaring that as the Good Shepherd He will die for His sheep, and then by actually dying for His sheep.
He alone is the shepherd who dies for His sheep, with this Greek preposition translated “for” suggesting that He dies for the benefit of His sheep and not merely as an example they are to follow.[11] This is an allusion to Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. One final observation is pertinent to verse 11. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, declares that “the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” His declaration gives rise to a question: What about the goats? Our Lord here refers only to the sheep, those who hear His voice and follow Him, which is to say, believers. Nothing is here stated about goats and the Good Shepherd giving His life for goats, which is to say those who did not hear His voice and did not, therefore, follow Him.
The character and conduct of hirelings are outlined in verses 12-13:
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
If you will remember from John 10.1-2, the Lord Jesus Christ refers to sheep, to shepherds, and also to thieves and robbers. In this passage, He introduces yet another type of character, who is neither as bad as a thief and a robber nor as good as a shepherd. A hireling is a fellow who is charged with the welfare of the sheep, though he is only on the job for what he can get out of it by way of pay. Hence the label, hireling. We must be mindful that this type of fellow is not around to steal what is not his. He does not sneak into the sheepfold unawares. He has no intention of harming the sheep. This is a fellow whose presence is very much known to the shepherd and who is in the shepherd’s employ. Notice what we learn of such a fellow from the Savior’s description of him:
First, he is a hireling and not a shepherd. Our Lord said in verse 12,
“But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd.”
Thus, though you might observe two different kinds of men tending to a flock, it is a mistake to confuse the two or to take the one for the other. No hireling is a shepherd by any definition.
Next, the sheep cared for by the hireling are not his; he does not own them, and therefore his concern for them is very superficial:
“whose own the sheep are not.”
When things are going well, the hireling does not pose a problem of any kind. The problem with the hireling is that he is a guy you can depend upon until you need him. He is a sunshine patriot, a fair-weather friend, a guy who says nice words to you because they don’t cost anything, and who does needful things so long as they are easy tasks.
Third, the hireling is someone you most definitely cannot depend on when you need him because he
“seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.”
So you see, this guy called a hireling might very well pass for reliable and even be thought of as a fellow with some integrity and character. However, when push comes to shove, when the crisis hits, when there is a danger, he cuts and runs. Interesting is the Savior’s appraisal of the hireling, found in verse 13:
“The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.”
Notice the principle set forth by the Savior. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and because he has no care for the sheep. In other words, he does what he does because he is what he is.
Of course, the comments made by our Lord to the Pharisees, but for the benefit of the apostles, serve three important purposes: First and foremost, the Master is establishing a comparison between Himself and His enemies, the Pharisees. They are thieves and robbers, but also hirelings who perform their pastoral duties so long as they receive personal benefit. As soon as the personal risk of any kind is seen, they are so like any hireling when he sees a wolf. They cut and run, motivated only by self-interest. Second, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to bring along His apostles so they will not act like hirelings. Remembering that they were men who had jobs they left to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, none of the twelve but Judas Iscariot followed the Lord Jesus Christ for what they could gain materially.
Nevertheless, it is always good to remind disciples and redraw the lines that needed drawing in the first place. Those men are to serve as under-shepherds of the Lord’s flocks, so running away when they see wolves approaching is not an option. Therefore, this is in part for their edification. Finally, there is the person who is neither sheep nor shepherd who hears the Good Shepherd speaking. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks (and the preacher preaches, by the way) so that His sheep will hear His voice and will follow Him. If the bystander hears the Lord’s voice and follows Him, it may be that he is both sheep and someday under-shepherd. If you are an under-shepherd, can you shepherd the Lord’s flock, yet not be so craven and indifferent to their welfare that you will run and hide when you see danger approaching them?
I know a man who has been in the ministry approaching fifty years. Forty years ago he said in my hearing that whenever he perceived trouble arising in a Church where he was serving as the pastor, his habit was to resign immediately and move on, leaving the problem for the next guy to resolve. His conduct since then bears out what he said. He has probably averaged a new pastorate every three or four years. That is the pattern of a hireling. And the one thing you know about such a fellow is that he does not care for the sheep; the Lord Jesus Christ said as much in John 10.13.
Verse 14 shows us the intimacy that exists between the Good Shepherd and His sheep:
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
By restating that He is the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ is emphasizing the contrast that exists between the hirelings mentioned in verses 12-13 (which are, of course, the Pharisees of John chapter 9) and Himself. They are only men, and not very good men at that, truth be told, while He is the God of Israel (remember His “I am” declaration), who as the Good Shepherd will give His life for the sheep. And what is the result of the Good Shepherd giving His life for the sheep? He knows His sheep and is known by His sheep. That is, the Lord Jesus Christ knows His sheep, and His sheep come to know the Good Shepherd; this as a direct result of Him giving His life for His sheep.
Verse 15 points out to us the intimacy that exists between the Father and the Son:
“As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Interesting, is it not, that the Greek word for our English word know is found four times in these two verses, twice in verse 14 and twice in verse 15? The Savior knows and is known by His sheep and knows and is known by the Father. Not to suggest that the depth of the Christian’s knowledge will ever reach the depth of Christ’s knowledge or the Father’s knowledge, but each is a knowledge born of experience. It is interacting knowledge and not purely abstract knowledge. It is to know and to be known. This is the relationship the Christian has with the Savior, the Savior has with the Christian, and the Father and the Son have with each other, though our human limitations mean our knowledge is necessarily restricted. Such a stunning assertion is unique to the Christian faith in light of the Muslim claim that Allah is unknowable.[12] As well, notice once again that reference is made by the Savior to Him laying down His life for the sheep. And why not make mention of His sacrifice once more? His sacrifice as the Good Shepherd is profoundly important and is the central act of all God’s dealings with mankind, providing the basis for everything having to do with our salvation from sins and our salvation to glory in eternity. We must mention it not only again, but again and again.
Verse 16 brings to our attention the Gentile sheep saved by the Shepherd: A portion of the verse at a time. The verse begins,
“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold.”
It is difficult to imagine who our Lord might be referring to if He is not speaking of Gentiles “which are not of this fold,” with “this fold” being the nation of Israel, with “this fold” being Judaism. Also interesting is that the Savior refers to these as yet unsaved people who will become Christians as sheep: “other sheep I have.” The next phrase reads,
“them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice.”
Pay attention to the certainty with which the Savior speaks. “I must bring” and “they shall hear my voice.” There is no question in His mind what will happen about the salvation of His sheep, who will hear His voice and who will follow Him. The verse ends,
“and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
There is also no question about the Savior once and for all gathering all Jewish people who have believed in Him and all Gentiles who have believed in Him together into one fold. No one that I know of questions that certainty. The issue is how quickly will this take place and where will this take place. The confusion arises from the fact that the word “fold” at the beginning of verse 16 is the usual word meaning a sheepfold (the pen where sheep are placed at night for their protection), while the word “fold” at the end of this verse is the word that refers to a flock. Why it was translated in this fashion, I do not know. What is clear, however, is that the sheep that hear Christ’s voice and follow Him will comprise a single flock of sheep and will not be segregated into a Jewish Christian flock and a Gentile Christian flock. There is only one flock.
Verses 17-18 further illuminate our understanding of the relationship existing between the Father and the Good Shepherd:
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Please do not misunderstand verse 17 as a declaration by the Lord Jesus Christ of the Father’s love for Him being conditional, based upon His compliance with the Father’s will. He always does His Father’s will.[13] Rather, the Father’s love for Him is eternal, based as it is on their absolute unity of essence and purpose, and the fact that they are in reality One God.[14] These verses are a declaration by Christ of the Father’s love for Him and also His voluntary laying down of His life so that He might take it up again, of course, referring to the resurrection following His crucifixion. Anticipating those who would try to explain Christ’s crucifixion regarding Him being a helpless victim overwhelmed by events beyond His control, He makes three strong statements: First, no man takes His life from Him, but He lays it down, Himself. Second, He has power (read authority here) to both laydown and also to take up His life. Third, His actions are according to the will of God and not any group of chief priests or a traitorous disciple.
This passage could easily be developed into a dozen sermons, or perhaps a small book. That said, it is important to deal with coherent passages so one can see how it all fits together. Allow me to rehearse several truths before making an application:
First, the Lord Jesus Christ clearly distinguished between His ministry to the sheep and the Pharisee’s approach when dealing with the Jewish people. He also distinguished between His ministry and God, Abraham, Moses, David, and others, who did not die for the sheep. In that He is unique.
Second, He is both the Good Shepherd and also the Door, the unique approach, access, and avenue to eternal life. As the blind man revealed that he is a sheep by believing, so every sheep is revealed by responding to the voice of the Good Shepherd. That is, if you are a sheep you will respond to the Gospel call and come to Christ.
Significant in this passage is the end of verse 10, where the Lord says,
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
What a glorious contrast our Lord makes by this statement to what the thief’s offer promises to sheep but gives to goats, which is only religion, misery, guilt, and eventually damnation.
So, which are you? Are you a sheep? Or are you a goat? Do you hear the Savior’s voice in the Gospel call to trust Christ? Respond to your Shepherd’s voice by coming to Him now.
__________
[1] John 8.59
[2] Andreas J. Kostenberger, John - ECNT, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), page 299.
[3] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures In The New Testament, Vol V, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1932), page 175.
[4] John 9.22-34
[5] John 6.35; 8.12
[6] Deuteronomy 28.6; Psalm 23.2; 79.13; 100.3; 121.8; Ezekiel 34.12-15
[7] Kostenberger, page 304.
[8] Jeremiah 23.1-4; Ezekiel 34; Zechariah 11.4-17
[9] II Samuel 5.2; Psalm 78.70-72; Ezekiel 37.24; Micah 5.4
[10] Isaiah 63.11-12; Psalm 77.20
[11] D. A. Carson, The Gospel According To John (PNTC), (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), page 386.
[12] Georges Houssney, Engaging Islam, (Boulder, CO: Treeline Publishing LLC, 2010), page 85.
[13] John 8.29
[14] Deuteronomy 6.4; I Corinthians 8.4, 6; I Timothy 2.5
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