Texts in Conversation
John’s depiction of the good shepherd draws closely from Ezekiel’s critique of negligent leaders who let their sheep scatter. Both writings center on the image of a failed shepherd replaced by one who truly protects and gathers the flock.
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Ezekiel 34:5
Hebrew Bible
3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep! 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them. 5 They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for every wild beast. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over the entire face of the earth with no one looking or searching for them. 7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, listen to the Lord’s message:
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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John 10:12
New Testament
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, he runs away. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me—
Date: 90-110 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... John’s use of Ezekiel is established not only by the many parallel words and phrases, but by their similar role in each narrative. The similar role extends beyond the shared vocabulary to the entire passage. Both passages are built around the same central idea: the leaders of Israel have failed to care for the sheep, but Ezekiel’s God and John’s Jesus will take up the role of proper shepherding. In both metaphors, God and Jesus share the roles of leading and gathering their sheep (John 10:3, 16, 11:52; Ezekiel 34:13, 37:21) and saving them (John 10:9; Ezekiel 34:22). Beyond the parallel use of sozo, the idea of deliverance by God and Jesus is important. In Ezekiel, God will deliver his sheep from their old shepherds (Ezekiel 34:7-10); in John, Jesus will exclude the thieves from the sheepfold (John 10:8-10) and will rescue the sheep when the hirelings have run away (John 10:12-13). Ezekiel’s God and John’s Jesus also both deliver their sheep from predators; the good shepherd does so at the cost of his own life (John 10:11, 13-14; Ezekiel 34:28) ..."
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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