"7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
John 10:7-10
In these verses we are given our Lord's own explication of the parabolic statement in the previous passage. He is the Door by which men enter into the kingdom of God. This much is clear from our Lord's words. But a difficulty arises if we press an exact association of words, as between 9 and 2, for in the latter verse it is the shepherd that is spoken of as entering by the door, not the sheep (although this would also be implied). Bishop Ryle says that the primary meaning of our Lord's words must be 'I am He through whom and by whom alone true pastors must enter the Church. All such pastors, entering by Me, shall find themselves at home in the fold, and enjoy the confidence of my flock, and find food for the souls of my sheep, their hearers', and that only secondarily the fuller meaning is that Jesus is the way of access to God, and that all who come to the Father by Him, whether pastors or hearers, shall find through Him safety and liberty and possess continual food for their souls. Making the primary meaning of the words refer to shepherds rather than sheep is an unusual, if striking exegesis, and one that has a good deal to say that is of real import and relevance that practically forces itself upon us unless we assume that our Lord changes the figure of speech in some measure between 2 and 9. This is not impossible, indeed, on reflection, it would seem more likely than not, especially in view of the fact that it is better, as Calvin says, not to attempt too strict or exact an identification of the various characters in the 'parable' Jesus uses. If it is a general figure of speech, rather than a point-by-point analogy, then the change of emphasis as between 2 and 9 is understandable but on either interpretation the words are tremendous in their import and application, and we must not miss their message.