“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.”
Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel might be called the Sheep Chapter. Jesus talks a lot about sheep in the next few verses. Back in the time of Jesus, the Jewish diet was relatively simple. Lamb was a main source of protein as many foods we take for granted today were considered unclean under the Mosaic laws.
Sheep were also a very important part of temple worship. The Levitical laws had many instructions related to the preparation of sheep for sacrificial offerings, what parts would be burned completely, what parts of the meat could be eaten by the priests, and whether or not an ordinary Israelite could eat of the meat.
Continue reading “Thief – John 10: 1”