I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on John 10-11.

    The account here of what Jesus said about the Good Shepherd, the sheepfold, and the sheep is a very mixed metaphor. In this metaphor Jesus is the shepherd, the gate, and the gatekeeper (OK, perhaps the gatekeeper is the Holy Spirit). First, Jesus is the gate, those religious leaders who do not come through Him and lead the sheep through Him are thieves and robbers. They do not have the best interest of the sheep at heart. Further those sheep who go in and out of the fold through the gate will find safety and comfort. Those who seek another way in or out of the fold will fail to get into the safety of the sheepfold and suffer hurt and injury when they attempt to go out for food and water. But Jesus is also the Good Shepherd. Those who are His sheep recognize His voice and follow His lead to good pasture and safety. The key understanding here is that those who do not follow Jesus’ voice are not part of His flock and thus will not gain entry into the Kingdom of God. He was willing to sacrifice His life for His sheep, those shepherds (Church leaders) who truly follow His lead will do likewise. Those leaders who are in it for the money and/or prestige will abandon their followers when trouble/persecution arises.

    We typically remember the Apostle Thomas as “Doubting Thomas” for his response to being told that Jesus had risen from the dead. However, in this passage he encourages the rest of the disciples to accompany Jesus back to Judea even though they all might face death for doing so. This is not the braggadocio of Peter during Passion Week, but a genuine call for the other disciples to stand with him at Jesus’ side in the face of perceived danger. I don’t want to make too much of either what Thomas did here or what Peter did later. Thomas is calling for the disciples to stand together with Jesus while Peter was claiming that he would stand alone with Jesus.
    Mary and Martha represent the faith challenge that most of us experience. We believe in Jesus, we believe in God’s power, but when it comes down to it we doubt that He will act. Here Mary and Martha believed that those who believed in Jesus would have eternal life, but doubted that their brother would rise from the dead.