BIBLE LESSON

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

— John 10:3

In His parable, Jesus Christ compared His followers to sheep. He compared His Heavenly Father to the Gatekeeper of the sheep's shelter. He compared himself to the Gate for the shelter and to the Good Shepherd who would lead His sheep into and out of the shelter. Working together, Jesus said the way into the shelter of God is through himself, the Gate; God the Father, the Gatekeeper, will open and shut the gate. For His sheep to enter, they must follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and come through the Gate, Jesus Christ. Jesus emphasized that He knows His sheep and calls them by name. Furthermore, His sheep know His voice and follow Him. Because they know His voice, when He calls them, He leads them out of the protective sheepfold and to pasture in a hostile world where they will face thieves, robbers and wolves. In this world and forever, Jesus' sheep totally depend on Him to meet all their needs (lead them to pasture). They also totally depend on Him to protect them in every way He wisely can out in the world and lead them back into the eternal shelter of God.

For their part, Jesus expects His sheep to learn His voice, listen to Him, and follow Him so they will know to run away from strangers who would rob, kill or destroy them. To learn His voice, Jesus' sheep prayerfully read and study the Bible, which enables them to know Jesus' teachings so well that they know what He would and would never teach or ask them to do.