1. “I can guarantee this truth: The person who doesn’t enter the sheep pen through the gate but climbs in somewhere else is a thief or a robber.
2. But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd.
3. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen.
4. After he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
5. They won’t follow a stranger. Instead, they will run away from a stranger because they don’t recognize his voice.”
6. Jesus used this illustration as he talked to the people, but they didn’t understand what he meant.
7. Jesus emphasized, “I can guarantee this truth: I am the gate for the sheep.
8. All who came before I did were thieves or robbers. However, the sheep didn’t respond to them.