But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
He who goes in by the door is the keeper of the sheep.
But he that entereth by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep.
But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
He that entereth in by the door - Observe here the marks, qualities, and duties of a good pastor; The first mark is, that he has a lawful entrance into the ministry by the internal call of Christ, namely, by an impulse proceeding from his Spirit, upon considerations which respect only his glory, and upon motives which aim at nothing but the good of his Church, the salvation of souls, the doing the will of God, and the sacrificing himself entirely to his service, and to that of the meanest of his flock.
He that entereth by the door - This was the way in which a shepherd had access to his flock. In John 10:7 Jesus says he is the door. In this place he refers to those who by him - that is, in accordance with his spirit and law become ministers of religion.
Is the shepherd of the sheep - Christ does not here refer to himself, for he is the way or door by which others enter; but he refers to all the ministers of the gospel who have access to the church by him. In the original, the article "the" is missing before the word shepherd - "is a shepherd." By his entering in this manner he shows that he is a shepherd one who cares for his flock, and does not come to kill and destroy.