Christmas Plan

¹“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.

²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

³The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

⁴When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.

⁵They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

⁶Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.

⁹I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.

¹⁰A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

¹²The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them.

¹³This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,

¹⁵just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

¹⁶But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.

¹⁷This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.

¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

¹⁹Again the Jews were divided because of these words.

²⁰Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and he’s crazy. Why do you listen to him?”

²¹Others were saying, “These aren’t the words of someone who is demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

¹¹He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.

¹A psalm of David. [1] The LORD is my shepherd; I have what I need.

²He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.

³He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

⁴Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

⁶Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD as long as I live.