John 10:1-18

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.   The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd   of the sheep.   The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand  what he was telling them. Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am   the gate for the sheep.   All who came before me   are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal   and kill and destroy.   I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. “I am the good shepherd.   The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.   The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them   and runs away when he sees a wolf   coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father.   I lay down my life   for the sheep. But I have other sheep   that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.   This is why the Father loves me,   because I lay down my life   so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”