Reading our Bibles regularly can be a challenge, but we're all on this journey together.

We're praying that this podcast inspires you, helps you better understand God's Word, and builds your faith.

This is Join the Journey with your host, Emma Daughter.

Thanks for joining. What is this sheepfold and what does Jesus mean when he says he's the good shepherd?

Today we're jumping right in, starting in verse one, we read, 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.

The sheepfold is the gate, the standard entryway

for the sheep pen. And one commentator helps us better grasp a picture of the scene Jesus' setting.

I want you to imagine it. Jesus described a flock of sheep and a fold or pen that had solid walls

in only one door. Gate. Imagine it. Evidently,

the pen in view was a large enclosure some distance from any human dwelling place. It was far away.

You'd have to take a hike. Customarily, several families who owned sheep that fed close together

hired a watchman to guard the gate to

such an exposed enclosure. Because remember, the place where the sheep lived, it was far from

their homes. And this guard, he would admit authorized individuals but would exclude the

unauthorized who might want to steal or kill some of the sheep. Continuing in verses 2 and 3, Jesus shows us that unlike the thief or robber,

he is authorized to care for the sheep.

He's the Messiah, the good shepherd, the one sent to earth from God for a specific purpose.

Here's the text.

Verse 2, the one who enters by the door is the shepherd

of the sheep. The doorkeeper opens the door for him and the sheep hears voice. He calls his own sheep

by name and leads them out. He calls his own sheep by name. Let that sink in. His sheep by name. If you're a believer, you're his.

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