Jesus uses the illustration of a shepherd and his flock to show how He is like a shepherd and believers are like the sheep. Jesus calls Himself the “gate” and the “good shepherd” and He makes reference to how a good shepherd should act. He also exposes the bad shepherd or the “hireling” who does not really care about the sheep.

In verses 3-5, Jesus explains some important truths about His relationship with Christians by comparing it to the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep. The shepherd enters through the gate because he has access and does not need to force his way in. The sheep listen to him and heed his voice because they know and trust him. The shepherd even knows the names of the sheep, so he values his relationship with them and cares for them. He leads his sheep and they follow him. They can discern a stranger’s voice and would not follow him.

Christians are similar to sheep as we follow Jesus Christ. God enters into our life through the gate because He is a gentleman and does not force His way in against our will. We hear Him and do what He says because He is trustworthy. God knows our name because He loves us and because He is a personal God. He leads us into truth and we follow Him because we know what’s best for us. We have the Holy Spirit’s discernment, so we can uncover false teachers and avoid following them.

In verses 7-10, Jesus reveals Himself as the gate and compares Himself to a shepherd who is the gate for his sheep. When it was time to sleep, ancient shepherds would find a place that was safe and secure. Sometimes, they would use rocks or trees to encompass the sheep, so a wolf would not come and eat them. There would be one entrance and exit from this pen and the shepherd would sleep across it. He would literally be the gate for the sheep to enter and exit and there would be no other way to do so.

Jesus is the gate for believers to enter Heaven. There are no other ways to enter. We must trust in Him and repent from our sins if we are to be saved. Once we enter into eternal life through faith, we enter into His protection and the enemy cannot snatch us away.
Jesus continues and contrasts the good shepherd and the hireling. He calls Himself the good shepherd because He lays down His life for His sheep. Of course, this is a prophetic reference to Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross.

When danger comes, the hireling runs away. He does not own the sheep and he doesn’t really care about their welfare. However, the good shepherd does not run away. He gives His life for His sheep because they are His and He loves them.

Jesus is the good shepherd because He laid down His life for those that might believe in Him. Other teachers have come into this world, claiming to be divine and claiming to have extraordinary powers. However, no major religious leader has ever died for others. Certainly, none have given up their life to atone for the sins of the world. Only Jesus Christ can make this claim and back it up. He is indeed the good shepherd who takes away the sins of the world.

It’s also important to note how Jesus prophesies about His resurrection. The Jews should have been prepared for the resurrection because Jesus makes it very obvious that He would lay down His life and raise it up, again. Certainly, only the “gate” could do this.