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try to reconcile why the shepherd leads entrance for their safety. In this way, the
out of the fold in verse 3 but is the Door shepherd was also the door, with no sheep
into the fold in verse 9. Keeping these nor enemy crossing the threshold apart
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things in mind and remembering that from passing through him.
the audience for this talk has shown their By declaring I AM the Door, the Lord
character by casting the blind man out of emphasizes the contrast between one
their gathering place and persecuting the willing to guard the sheep with his life
Lord Jesus, we are now ready to move and those seeking to steal and destroy. The
toward the Door. spiritual teaching then becomes apparent.
In the first five verses, stinging the ears Each one who responds to the Lord’s voice
of those sin-blinded Pharisees, the Lord by faith enters the fold of safety by Him
sets the table to rebuke their harshness and is saved – not just delivered from the
and reveal His heart. The fold was familiar perdition that their sins deserve but enter-
to all as a place where shepherds left their ing into a state of salvation to be enjoyed
flock in an enclosure with other flocks to from that moment forward. After entering,
be manned by a porter responsible for we now remember that the Shepherd is
keeping those sheep. The porter protected Himself guarding the entrance as “The
the sheep, allowing each shepherd access Door,” forming our perfect security.
to their own flock upon their return. Some have difficulty with the phrase
So without actually applying the anal- “and shall go in and out.” Far from hint-
ogy, the Lord implies that those Jewish ing that a soul can enter in for safety and
leaders were the intruders, having no then for some reason be put out of that
right to access the fold and not being fold, this phrase was a common fixed
recognized by the sheep. But He, as a expression even in the Old Testament and
Shepherd, is given access by the porter, “is suggestive both of security and liberty.
and is recognized by His own sheep; He The double expression is used frequently
leads them out. Dispensationally, we can in the Old Testament for describing the
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apply that the fold is Israel. Those within free activity of daily life” (Deu 28:6; Jer
the nation who respond to His voice are 37:4). Eternal security is not in view here.
His sheep and are led out of the confines Our enjoyment of the things of Christ is
of Judaism. Indeed, more will be said on highlighted, as we have been liberated
this “leading out” in our considerations of from sin and the law, and He provides
the Good Shepherd, but the point here is green pastures for us to safely enjoy.
that the Pharisees are being reproved as The call goes out to all sinners for sal-
thieves and robbers. vation: “I am the door; by me if any man
Verses 7-10 again present a fold but in a enter in, he shall be saved” (Joh 10:9 KJV).
slightly different context. This fold could And the exhortation to believers? Enjoy
the security of the Door in the liberty with
be out on the hillside, used by those who which Christ has made you free, feeding
lead their sheep into pastures by day and regularly and often in the lush meadows
seek walled protection at night. The pen of the Word of God.
would contain only one flock, and the
shepherd does not commit their keep- ² G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to
John (Westwood, NJ: Revell, n.d.), 177.
ing to a porter but remains with them ³ W.E. Vine, Collected Writings of W.E. Vine
throughout the night, even sleeping in the (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

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