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JOHN 10:4 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
John 10:3John 10:5
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice — the true shepherd leads from the front, going ahead rather than driving from behind, demonstrating sacrificial leadership and personal investment in the flock's welfare. The sheep follow not from obligation but from recognition and trust (they know his voice), establishing the voluntary nature of authentic discipleship. This image echoes Moses leading Israel through the wilderness and the Davidic messianic expectation of a king who would shepherd his people with care and wisdom.

Church Fathers on John 10:4

Our Lord having reproached the Jews with blindness, they might have said, We are not blind, but we avoid you as a deceiver. Our Lord therefore gives the marks which distinguish a robber and deceiver from a true shepherd. First come those of the deceiver and robber: Verily, verily, I say to you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. There is an allusion here to Antichrist, and to certain false Christs…

Chrysostom · 4th century

Many go under the name of good men according to the standard of the world, and observe in some sort the commandments of the Law, who yet are not Christians. And these generally boast of themselves, as the Pharisees did; Are we blind also? But inasmuch as all that they do they do foolishly, without knowing to what end it tends, our Lord said of them, Verily, verily, I say to you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a…

Augustine · 4th century · Or thus

Or, the Holy Spirit is the porter, by whom the Scriptures are unlocked, and reveal the truth to us.

Theophylact · 11th century
Read all 17 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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John 10:4 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy