John 10:2

The shepherd of the sheep. The true shepherd makes use of the door regularly provided for such an enclosure. He approaches it and leads out his sheep in broad daylight. The shepherd and the door are here distinguished. Later Jesus identified Himself as both the “door” (v. 9) and the “shepherd” (v. 14).

The figure of the shepherd is common in the Scriptures. Jehovah is presented as the divine Shepherd (Ps. 23; Isa. 40:11), and the unfaithful leaders of Israel as false shepherds (Eze. 34:1-10; cf. Jer. 23:14). In Eph. 4:11 the shepherds are spoken of as “pastors.”