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1richardbsmith
John 10:1-10
Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
2richardbsmith
Always the question, who are those thieves and bandits that came before?
3msladylib
That question puzzles me, as well; they cannot have been the prophets, since many of Jesus' teachings mirror these. I wonder if he is talking about the secular (and warlike) leaders (Romans) and their collaborators (corrupt temple officials).
4richardbsmith
There seems to me two approaches, and I am not sure that the two approaches give the same answer.
One approach would be to accept the saying as a quote of Jesus' actual words.
Another approach would be to think that the evangelist wrote the saying into his narrative - either for his own purposes or based to some degree on a received tradition.
One approach would be to accept the saying as a quote of Jesus' actual words.
Another approach would be to think that the evangelist wrote the saying into his narrative - either for his own purposes or based to some degree on a received tradition.
