11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.Luther's Explanatory Notes
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. He mentions three kinds of persons, who have to do with the sheep: The good shepherd, the hireling and the wolf. "I am the good shepherd," says Christ. Christ alone is the good shepherd, since He alone gives His life for the sheep. Therefore He justly calls himself "the good"; that is, a comforting, helpful shepherd; for although Moses, the prophets and other preachers, who deal with the law, preach well, yet they are not such who can give their lives for the sheep and can help them.
A sheep is the very simplest of animals; yet it has this quality above all other animals, that it soon hears the voice of its master, and follows nobody but its shepherd, and is always so disposed, that it adheres to its shepherd, and seeks help from him alone; it can not help itself. Thus Christ will say: "My kingdom is nothing else, than that I rule the poor, thirsty and miserable men, who see and feel very well, that nothing else can help or advise them."
But that we may perceive this the better, we will quote a passage from the prophet Ezekiel, 34:2-6. (see verse 16. ) Here he says in the first place: We should strengthen the sheep that are weak; that is, the consciences that are weak in faith, and are depressed in spirit and are of a tender disposition, must not be driven.
Secondly, the sick should be helped. Who are the sick? Those who have external defects in strange works, so that one rattles along, acts strangely and fails here and there, or transgresses through anger or other foolish acts; as the apostles also sometimes failed most egregiously. He is here to heal us from our faults.
In the third place, "You have not bound up that which was broken." Broken; that is, when a Christian is not only weak and has a fault, so that sometimes he fails, but also comes into great temptation, and breaks a limb. As when it happens, that he falls and denies the gospel, like St. Peter did, when he denied Christ. Now, when one stumbles in this manner, you shall not cast him off, as if he had never belonged to this kingdom.
In the fourth place the prophet continues, "Neither have ye brought again that which was driven away." What is that which was driven away? It is a despised soul, that has come to grief, so that one thinks that everything concerning it is lost; yet Christ does not wish us to treat it severely.
In the fifth place he concludes: "Neither have ye sought that which was lost." Lost is that which is condemned, so that one thinks it can not come back, as in the gospel the publicans and harlots, and at the present day also the ruthless wild people; yet even these must not be abandoned, but we must do all we can to bring them back. See 1 Cor. 5:5. and 2 Cor. 2:6ff.
A good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. These words can be treated in two ways, like other works of Christ; First in regard to faith; second in regard to love.
According to faith the meaning is, that Christ is the only man or the shepherd who dies for his sheep, and no one else. Therefore no one can speak the words which Christ speaks here. He will therefore draw us to Himself and teach us that we shall believe that the sufferings of all the saints are to be accounted as nothing in comparison with his sufferings. The reason is, that He is the right and only true shepherd, who has "given his life for the sheep," that by His death and resurrection alone they can be redeemed and saved from the power of the devil. And although many are put to death on account of the doctrine, faith and confession, yet He will raise them up together with all the elect.
The other teaching is, that all the work of our dear shepherd is held up before us as an example, as St. Peter shows (1 Pet. 2:21, 24, 25). Just as Christ died for us, that He might save us from sin and eternal death by His own work, without any help from us, so we also shall serve one another, without regard to any suffering it may cost us. Although He alone is the shepherd, yet He bestows this name also upon those who have the office of the ministry in Christendom.
Those are the real hirelings who preach only for their own profit and avarice, and are not satisfied that God gives them their daily food as an alms. For we preachers should not have more from our office than sufficiency of all things; but those who want more are hirelings that care not for the sheep.
In like manner are those hirelings, who besides Him preach also the law and teach good things, how we should live and what we should do, and yet do not point to Christ, as did the scribes and Pharisees in their time among the Jewish people.
In the third place, he calls him a wolf who wants to be among the sheep, and rule over them, but produces only mischief and ruin. This is the devil himself, who also has his messengers and preachers, who have not the word of God, neither the Ten Commandments nor the Gospel, but only false doctrine and heresy. Paul also calls that the doctrine of devils which those preach who speak lies in hypocrisy, deceiving the souls (1 Tim. 4:1, 2).
He also points out the state of the sheep, where Christ Himself does not keep, guide and lead in His office of shepherd; no other preaching helps and benefits, though it may otherwise be good and correct; for it can not stand against the devil in times of distress.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As if he would say: "Every thing depends upon this, if you will be my sheep, that you rightly know Me as your shepherd, and there will be no danger." Therefore a good preacher should preach nothing but Christ to the people that one may learn to know Him, what He is and what He gives, so that no one should depart from His word, and Christ alone be regarded as the shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd," he repeats once more, deeply to impress its truth.
I know my sheep. He says to the Jews, Your sheep have their marks; but My sheep have another mark, and are so marked, that no one knows them. but Myself. For though Christians have outward signs given them by Christ; namely, Baptism, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and preaching of the gospel, yet many a one who hears the gospel and with others goes to the sacrament of the altar is a rogue and unchristian; but who can see into the hearts of others except Christ?
And am known by My own, says He, "and they know me so well that they will not permit themselves to be enticed or drawn away from Me." A sheep has such a nature and capacity which no other animal possesses; for experience teaches that it has such a certain and sharp ear, that if ten thousand sheep were together in one flock, and all the ewes bleated, yet every lamb would know its own mother's voice.
Thus we also must have good ears which can distinguish the voice of Christ from the voice of all others, let it be ever so clear, lovely and friendly.
This it is to know Christ aright that He is given to us by the pure grace of God, with all that He has, and that He has made satisfaction and secured salvation for us.
With this Scripture he teaches us that the church neither is nor shall be such a crowd that must be circumscribed by outward government and order; but it is a spiritual assembly that hears this shepherd and believes on Him, and is governed by Him through the Holy Ghost.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father. This is a glorious, consoling knowledge, whereby the Father knows His dear Son with an unspeakable and eternal love, as he also publicly testified by a voice from heaven, "This is my beloved Son," etc., (Matt. 3:17). In like manner Christ comes also to us with the same unspeakable, everlasting love.
Now as the Father knows Christ thus, and Christ also knows us as his sheep, there results from it one knowledge, which comes from the Father through Christ also to us, through which again we are to know the Father's heart toward us through Christ; namely, that as He loves Christ, His Son, so He cherishes also toward us true paternal love, provided we only know Christ, as the sheep know their shepherd. This is, indeed, an exceeding great comfort; but it is also a very spiritual, that is, a hidden and secret knowledge before our eyes and senses, that God the Father knew His only begotten, dear Son, while He had to lie in the manger, like the child of the meanest beggar.
So Christ also acts as though He had forgotten his church. But not withstanding this, He still knows His sheep. Again, "I know my Father," says Christ, Hand know that he will lead Me to glory through the cross. (See vs. 17, 18) Thus shall it be also with you, My sheep."
16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring. With this He takes leave of the Jews who cling to Moses, with their synagogue, people and priesthood, and says: Though they receive Him not, nor regard Him as their shepherd, for which He was appointed by God, as also by the testimony of Moses, yet He will nevertheless find sheep, both among them and among others; that is, among the heathen (Hos. 2:23 ; Deut. 32:21). For in Him the beginning of the gospel was preached to the Jews, and this people was the fold. This is the meaning of "one shepherd and one fold," that God will accept all, for Christ's sake, as His children, who believe the gospel, whether they be Jews or Gentiles.
