2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen.
4 After he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
5 They won’t follow a stranger. Instead, they will run away from a stranger because they don’t recognize his voice.”
6 Jesus used this illustration as he talked to the people, but they didn’t understand what he meant.
7 Jesus emphasized, “I can guarantee this truth: I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before I did were thieves or robbers. However, the sheep didn’t respond to them.