The Wolf, the Thief, the Hireling, the Shepherd and the Sheep

John 10 provides the best analogy from Jesus of the spiritual battles involving the people of God.

Understanding this analogy in depth will clarify the true meaning of John 10:28-29 when Jesus declared that no one can snatch the sheep away from his hand.

• The thief represents Satan and the works of Satan like the mindset of the world, adapting or compromising with world values.
• The wolf represents the demons and the people of Satan
• The hireling represents substitutes for the shepherd. They could be pastors, doctrines, commentaries, books, opinions, etc that divert the sheep's dependence on the shepherd.
• The sheep represents the people of God
• The shepherd represents the Lord Jesus Christ

The thief's objective is to steal, kill or destroy the sheep.
The wolf's objective is to find stray sheep to possess and devour.
The hireling's objective is simply to get paid trying to be the shepherd.
The shepherd objective is to feed, raise, nurture and protect the sheep.

What do we learn from this scenario?

1. Sheep have no power nor ability of their own against the thief and the wolf.   
2. The thief and the wolf always survey or probe the sheepfold for sheep straying farther and farther away from the shepherd
3. The thief and the wolf NEVER attack any sheep close to the shepherd.
4. The thief and the wolf ALWAYS attack the farthest sheep from the shepherd and devours or kills or destroys them.

LESSON: ALWAYS be intimately close to the Good Shepherd so you won't stray away and do not depend on substitutes for the Good Shepherd.

• How? Know the Shepherd by reading the Word, meditating night and day on it (Psalm 1:2-3) and storing the Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11). 
• Why? Because Jesus is the Word (John 1:1). Knowing the Word is Knowing the Lord.
• OBVIOUSLY, no one can snatch sheep close to the shepherd but sheep going astray are up for grabs by the thief and the wolf. That clarifies the meaning of John 10:28-29!!!

The danger of being snatched away is greater, the farther we are from the Word. The thief and the wolf will steal, kill, destroy, or devour. Hence, losing our salvation is a VERY VALID interpretation, even using this passage that purportedly says that we can never lose it.