Am I blind? Can I spot a thief?

In John 10, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees about the good shepherd following the healing of a blind man in John 9. The healed man affirms faith in Jesus, resulting in his expulsion from the synagogue. Jesus criticizes the Pharisees' spiritual blindness, contrasting true shepherds with thieves. My sheep can see this. Can you? The first in a series.

When Jesus spoke of the good shepherd and his sheep at the beginning of John 10, he was speaking to the Pharisees and the people in the context of the restoration of the blind man in chapter 9. After his healing, that man had affirmed his faith in Jesus as a prophet in a hearing by the authorities. John 9:13-33. For this reason, he was expelled from the synagogue. John 9:34.

That man, who could now see, sought Jesus and found him. When Jesus told him that he was the Son of man, the Messiah, he worshiped him. John 9:35-38.

At this point, the Pharisees and their crowd re-entered the scene. Jesus told them that the justice he had come to do would make the blind see and blind those who said they could see. But this saying insulted the Pharisees. They understood pretty well that they were the people Jesus said were lying about being able to see.  So they asked Jesus, “Are we also blind?”

The first part of Jesus’ answer goes directly to the sin of the Pharisees. Because they said they could see, they should have appreciated their sin. Therefore, they were still fully responsible for that sin. John 9:39-41.

The second part of Jesus’ response is the entirety of his first discourse on the great shepherd in John 10:1-18. This discourse presents a number of contrasts, the first of which is:

If you Pharisees can really see, can you distinguish between the shepherd of the sheep and the thieves? Do you know if you are entering through the door or coming in from somewhere else? Or are you the thieves?  John 1:1-2.

My sheep can see this. Can you?

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