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Cal · 08-05-2011, 06:20 AM

The sheep pen is plainly refers to "salvation" or "heaven" or something generally positive like that. Verse 1 establishes it. It's the legitimate place to be, but you can only get there legitimately by the gate, which is Jesus.

The hireling/stranger seems to refers to false Christs or false ways of salvation, not simply phony leaders. Jesus seems to be saying that they "don't have what it takes" to genuinely insure the sheep's safety, as he does.

Trying to find a definitive interpretation and meaning for passages like this is often futile. I think Jesus was giving general principles often, not carving out a single, specific meaning that we were supposed to somehow figure out. How would we know when we finally figured it out, anyway? For example, he says he is the gate, but also says he enters by the gate. What does that mean? He is simply saying he is legitimate, and the others who came before him (claiming to be Christ) are not, neither is anyone else.

08-05-2011, 06:20 AM	#3
Cal Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA Posts: 4,333	Re: David Canfield - regarding the ground 2 -JER. 24 The sheep pen is plainly refers to "salvation" or "heaven" or something generally positive like that. Verse 1 establishes it. It's the legitimate place to be, but you can only get there legitimately by the gate, which is Jesus. The hireling/stranger seems to refers to false Christs or false ways of salvation, not simply phony leaders. Jesus seems to be saying that they "don't have what it takes" to genuinely insure the sheep's safety, as he does. Trying to find a definitive interpretation and meaning for passages like this is often futile. I think Jesus was giving general principles often, not carving out a single, specific meaning that we were supposed to somehow figure out. How would we know when we finally figured it out, anyway? For example, he says he is the gate, but also says he enters by the gate. What does that mean? He is simply saying he is legitimate, and the others who came before him (claiming to be Christ) are not, neither is anyone else.