The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1908-04-03
Jesus the
Good Shepherd
Sunday School Lesson for April S, 1908
Specially Prepared for This Paper

TIME.--September, A. ID. 49, at the feast
OF tabernacles (John 7:2). Some commen-
y took place at the feast OF dedication
CJohn 10:2O In November. The latter
part of the third year of Jesus public
ministry.
PLAcE.-Jerusalem On the second
| supposition as to time, the exact place
was Solomon's porch, on the east side OF
the temple. Jesus with His audience
might have seen the shepherds gathering
their scattered fiocks II they grazed out
from the courts of the temple over the
neighboring hills. Public Commentary.
PERSONS Probably the blind man
whom Christ had just healed some OF
Christ's disciples, and some of the Phari-
sees.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The TwofoId Parable: the Fold, the
Shepherd.-Vs. 1-6. First let us try
to put ourselves back among the
sheepfolds of Christs time. How were
they arranged? THE fold was a
walled enclosure open to the sky. with
a solid door, which was closely barred
at night by the doorkeeper, and opened
by him in the morning. when the shep-
herds came to claim their sheep,
which they had left in the fold the
previous evening. in order to- lead out
to pasture. Century Bible. The door
keeper, or porter" would know that
anyone found climbing in over the
wall was "a thief Ga sneak thief +,
or "a robber" Ga more violent rascal)
The Twofold Interpretation Of the
Parable.-Vs. 7-42. What double anal
ogy did Christ draw from the parable?
He was the Door ". y and the Shep-
herd ". ~. Why did he run the
risk of confusing his hearers? Because
truth is so many-sided, and Christ
means so much TO men, that many
comparisons are needed to picture 1t
all.
First Analogy: Christ, the Door
Tvs. 7-9). How is Christ like the door
of a fold? Through him alone can
men enter into the peace and safety
that a fold implies-safety from the
ravening beasts of sin, peace in the
consciousness of safety. Through the
door, too, they go out ". 81 into the
pasture" What am a doc TO, any
how? Jes' to shet yo' out jes' to shet
yo in or to let yo' thro'. Jesus am de
Doo de way Into de Kingdom; an
he am de Doc, de way out into life
He sho' did say, IF yo' enters in by
me, yo' shall be saved'-no evil can
git by de Doc Jesus. An yo' shall go
out an I'M Honey, dat am de free
dom what he am all de time promisin'
An yo' shall find pasture Dat am de
fullness of life what he am all de time
tellin' bout. When yo' passes out an
when 20 passes in, yo' sho' nuf has
to pass right by de Mastah, and look
him plum squar' in de eyes,. w.
Lawrance. Go in and OUT was a
phrase familiar to the Jews. See
Deut. 2S: 6; Psa. 121: s; Jer. 81: 4.
Why did Christ say he was the
door of the sheep, rather than ''of the
fold?" Because Christ was thinking of
his individual followers, the sheep,
rather than of the fold, his church.
He is the door of both.
Who were those that came before
Christ. the thieves and robbers, whom
the sheep did not hear? Not the
prophets, who humbly pointed forward
to Christ, but the Jewish leaders of
the time just before Christ. and es-
pecially the Pharisees. They had laid
many heavy burdens upon the people.
who had been compelled to obey the
severe requirements of formal religion.
but their hearts never yielded to these
false leaders, 1.-The sheep did not hear
them"
Second Analogy: Christ, the Shep-
herd Tvs. 1918, 22-30) AS opposed to
the Pharisees' wrong way OF enter
ing the Kingdom Christ was the
Door: but as opposed to the charac-
ter OF the Pharisees, he was the Shep-
herd "As mediator between God and
man, he is the Door; as prophet or
teacher he is the Good Shepherd. -
James M. Macdonald, ID. ID. This is
frequent metaphor of the Old Tesla
ment, applied TO God and to Gods
honored servants Mum. %: 1921;
Psa. %: so: 4; lisa. 40: IL; Jer. %:
Ia: Eek. "a: 11-16; Zech. IL: 4-17)
Homer often speaks of his kings and
leaders as shepherds; see also Plato's
Republic. Book l. The figure has
impressed itself deeply on the mind
OF Christendom, and is conspicuous
in the art and literature of the
churches. II is still the emblem of the
Christian ministry, from the office of
the bishop, with his pastoral stan, to
that of the village preacher, who is
known as pastor Bible.
'"This is the favorite and most touch
ing figure in the Catacombs. II seems
to inspire the early Christian painters
with delightful skill
How was Christ like shepherd?
In ID his care Of men Tvs. 1919, In
GU his knowledge OF men Tvs. IA, 15),
in CD the breadth of his love for men
". 49,, in (4) the eagerness OF mems
love for him ". 27), in CD his divine
commission to care for men Tvs. Is,
II. Is, rs, 29)
Two Kinds OF Hearers Tvs. 1921.
3f-42) Christ's words, like a two
edged sword, always divided his hear
ers into two classes: those that