In the good shepherd “parable,” it’s crystal clear that the thieves and the robbers are the Pharisees while the shepherd is Jesus. Just as the sheep listen to the voice of the Shepherd alone and run from the voice of the thieves and robbers, so also this blind man (and those like him) recognize implicitly the voice of their Savior Jesus while resisting the error of the Pharisees.
The verses before us are not so much an explanation of that “parable” but an elaboration and expansion of some of its themes. The elaboration explains three things:
I. Jesus Is the Door (7-10)
II. Jesus Is the Shepherd (11-16)
III. Jesus Is the Begotten (17-21)
