As strange as it seems to us today, the comforting, consoling image of Jesus as the "good shepherd" as described in this week's gospel text was among the most problematic and polemical for first-century believers. John's gospel is sometimes known as the "I Am" gospel for a reason (for the "I am" [ego eimi] statements see 6:35, 51; 8:12, 24, 58; 10:7, 9; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5). The straightforwardness and forcefulness of these "I am" declarations reveal glimpses of Jesus that are clearly intended to suggest his divinity. These self-disclosures stress the uniqueness of Jesus' mission and identity, leading the listener toward Jesus' self-revelation.

While the images are familiar sheep, gatekeepers, shepherds their radical disclosure opened up Jesus and his followers to accusations of heresy, o…