Texts in Conversation
In John, Jesus' image of one flock under one shepherd mirrors Ezekiel’s vision of divine restoration led by God and a Davidic king. Ezekiel portrays God as the shepherd who gathers the scattered sheep, with David serving as a faithful agent of that care.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Ezekiel 34:13
Septuagint
11 ‘“For that reason, this is what the Lord says: “Look, I shall seek out my sheep and watch over them. 12 Just as the shepherd seeks his flock on the day when there is darkness and a cloud in the middle of the separated sheep, so I will seek out my sheep and drive them away from every place they were scattered on the day of cloud and darkness. 13 And I will bring them out of the nations and gather them from the territories and lead them into their land, and will feed them on the mountains of Israel and in the valleys and in every dwelling place of the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, in Israel’s high mountain. And their sheepfolds will be there, and they will sleep, and there they will rest in good delight, and they will feed in a rich pasture upon Israel’s mountains. 15 I shall tend my sheep, and I shall give them rest, and they will know that I am the Lord.” This is what the lord, the Lord, says:
John 10:16
New Testament
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father.”
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Notes and References
"... Although Ezekiel insists that there will be “one shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:23), he actually describes both God and “my servant, David” as the shepherds of Israel. David’s rule, however, is clearly secondary to God’s in Ezekiel; David rules as vassal prince over Israel, while God is the suzerain king. John’s allusion to Ezekiel allows him to connect Jesus to both “good shepherds” of Ezekiel 34. David is God’s shepherd, and he will do the same things that God does: he will shepherd the people and be their shepherd and ruler (Ezekiel 34:23-24, compare 37:22-24). Ezekiel’s David will be the “one shepherd” (34:23, 37:23) and the one ruler (37:22) over the one people (37:22); Jesus will be the one shepherd over the one flock (John 10:16). John adapts the material from Ezekiel to explain his christology: Jesus is God’s faithful representative who fully carries out God’s work (John 10:25, 37-38); as God appoints David over God’s sheep, so God gives the sheep to Jesus (John 10:29); as God makes a covenant with David (Ezekiel 34:25 LXX), God knows, loves, appoints and commands Jesus (John 10:15, 17, 18) ..."
Manning, Gary T.
Shepherd, Vine, and Bones: The Use of Ezekiel in the Gospel of John
(pp. 1-31) T&T Clark, 2010
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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