“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10
This beautiful analogy of Jesus as the shepherd and we as His sheep is a wonderful description of our relationship with God. Jesus, here, is giving us a great explanation of true and false teachers and their claim to having the way to knowing God. There are many false shepherds in the world today. Not just people but things like wealth, power, fame or health. Unbiblical ideas about alternative lifestyles and lapsed morality being OK. But He alone is the good shepherd. The only way to the kingdom of God. We know His voice if we are His own and we will identify with Him and follow Him only. We are told to test ourselves to make sure we are in the faith. To make sure we are following the Shepherd and His ways. John 14 reminds us that He said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”