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The Door of the Sheep
[Bible]"The door of the sheep" is the expression Jesus uses in John 10, where he compares himself to the door of a sheepfold, saying, "I am the door of the sheep." It is commonly read to mean that salvation and life are reached through him.
John 10:10
[Bible Verses]John 10:10 is the verse in which Jesus, presenting himself as the door of the sheep and the good shepherd, says, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Interpreters differ over the meaning of this "abundant life": some read it as spiritual life, while others extend it to blessing in every area of life.
David and Goliath
[Bible]David and Goliath is an event recorded in 1 Samuel 17, in which the shepherd David struck down the Philistine champion Goliath with a sling in the Valley of Elah.
Rod of Moses
[Bible]The rod of Moses was the shepherd's staff that Moses held in his hand when he performed God's miracles, as recorded in Exodus and Numbers. Scripture also calls it "the rod of God."
John 10
[Bible]John 10 is the chapter in which Jesus presents himself as "the door of the sheep" and "the good shepherd." It also recounts how, at the Feast of Dedication in the Jerusalem temple, he declared, "I and my Father are one," and was nearly stoned.
1 Peter 2:25
[Bible Verses]In this verse the apostle Peter tells suffering believers that they, once like sheep going astray, have now returned to Christ, "the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." The verse concludes a passage that draws on Isaiah 53 and is frequently cited in discussions of conversion, shepherd imagery, and the office of bishop.
1 Samuel 17
[Bible]1 Samuel 17 is the chapter in which Goliath, a Philistine champion, challenges Israel to single combat in the Valley of Elah, and the shepherd boy David strikes him down with a sling and a stone.
Zechariah 13
[Bible]Zechariah 13 is a prophecy that in that day a fountain will be opened to cleanse sin and uncleanness, idols and false prophets will be removed from the land, and, after the shepherd is struck and the sheep are scattered, the surviving third will be refined and become God's people.
Psalm 80
[Bible]Psalm 80 is a psalm of Asaph and a communal lament. Comparing Israel to a vine brought out of Egypt and planted, it implores God, the "Shepherd of Israel," to restore His devastated people.
John 10:3–4
[Bible Verses]A passage in which Jesus, using the figure of a shepherd and his sheep, says that the shepherd calls each of his sheep by name and goes before them, and that the sheep follow because they know his voice. It is frequently cited in discussions of the personal relationship between Christ and believers and of the divine call.
Zechariah 14
[Bible]Zechariah 14 is the final chapter of the Book of Zechariah. On the Day of the LORD the nations attack Jerusalem, but the LORD stands on the Mount of Olives, fights against them, and becomes king over all the earth. The surviving nations go up year after year to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, and the chapter portrays a time when everything becomes holy.
Psalm 79
[Bible]Psalm 79 is a communal lament bearing the superscription "A Psalm of Asaph." It lays before God the devastation wrought when the nations trampled Jerusalem and the temple, and it asks for forgiveness of sins, deliverance, and judgment on the enemies.
Zechariah 12
[Bible]Zechariah 12 is a prophecy that "in that day" the LORD will defeat the nations gathered against Jerusalem and will defend Judah and Jerusalem. It also declares that the LORD will pour out upon the house of David the spirit of grace and of supplications, and that the people will look upon the one who was pierced and mourn greatly.
Matthew 18:15–17
[Bible Verses]Matthew 18:15–17 sets out a step-by-step procedure for when a brother sins: one should first admonish him privately, then with one or two witnesses, and, if he still refuses to listen, tell it to the church. It is the foundational text for church discipline, and its scope of application is debated when it is applied to conflicts and crimes within the church.
John 10:11–15
[Bible Verses]In this passage Jesus presents himself as the "good shepherd" who lays down his life for the sheep, in contrast to the hireling who flees in the face of danger. It is frequently cited in discussions of the meaning of the crucifixion, the debate over the extent of the atonement, and the proper conduct of pastors.
John 10:16
[Bible Verses]In the Good Shepherd discourse, Jesus says that he has "other sheep... which are not of this fold" whom he must also bring, so that there will be "one flock" (KJV: "one fold") under one shepherd. The verse is often cited in support of the mission to the Gentiles and of church unity, and interpreters differ over the identity of the "other sheep."
1 Peter 5:7
[Bible Verses]1 Peter 5:7 urges suffering believers to cast all their cares on God because God cares for them. It is widely quoted as a word of comfort and an encouragement to prayer, and commentators note that it should be read together with the call to humility in the preceding verse.
Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
[Bible]The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25:31-46, in which the returning Son of Man judges all nations, separating them as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. Through this scene Jesus teaches that whatever is done for the least of his brethren is done for him.
Matthew 25:40
[Bible Verses]Matthew 25:40 is the verse in the parable of the sheep and the goats in which the King says, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." It is the passage most often cited as a basis for serving the poor, and interpreters differ over who "the least of these" are.
Parable of the Lost Sheep
[Bible]The Parable of the Lost Sheep is a parable of Jesus in which a shepherd with a hundred sheep goes in search of the one that has gone astray and rejoices when he finds it. It appears in Luke 15 and Matthew 18.