He
who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep.
John 10:12-13
John 10 [1.] “Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.
John 10 [7.] Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep.
John 10 [14.] I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”
Meaning:
Jesus has just said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). To make the meaning clear, he draws a contrast with another kind of keeper: the hired hand. Both may look after sheep on a quiet day. The difference appears only when danger comes.
- “A hired hand, and not a shepherd”:
In Israel a family’s flock was often cared for by a son or daughter, as David kept his father’s sheep (1 Samuel 17:34-35). Larger owners hired workers to do the job for wages. A hired hand might be honest and hard-working, but the sheep were not his. He was paid for his time, not bound to the animals by ownership or love. Jesus puts it simply: he “doesn’t own the sheep.” The good shepherd, by contrast, speaks of “my own” (John 10:14).
- “Sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees”:
Wolves were a real threat in the hills of Judea, and a shepherd had to defend the flock with his staff and his own body. David told Saul how he had faced a lion and a bear to rescue a lamb (1 Samuel 17:34-35). The hired hand weighs the cost and decides the sheep are not worth his life. When he runs, the result is disaster: “The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.”
The prophets had described Israel’s leaders in these terms. God said through Ezekiel, “My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill: yes, my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth; and there was no one who searched or sought” (Ezekiel 34:6). Zechariah spoke a woe on “the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock” (Zechariah 11:17). Jesus’ hearers, the Pharisees who had just thrown out the healed man (John 9:34), would have heard the warning.
- Who are the wolves?
In Scripture wolves stand for those who harm God’s people, especially false teachers. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Paul warned the elders of Ephesus, “I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). The danger to the sheep comes not only from outside but from false voices that scatter and destroy.
- “Doesn’t care for the sheep”:
Jesus names the root of the problem. The hired hand does not run because he is weak but because he does not care. His concern is for himself. The Good Shepherd’s care is the opposite. When Jesus saw the crowds, “he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).
There is a striking turn later in the Gospels. On the night of his arrest Jesus quoted Zechariah: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14:27). The Good Shepherd did not flee from the wolf. He let himself be struck so that his scattered sheep could be gathered and saved.
The Significance of John 10:12-13
- Love is tested by danger:
It is easy to look after others when it costs nothing. True love is shown when it costs something. Jesus did not run from the cross but faced it for us. Our trust rests on a Shepherd who stayed.
- A word to leaders:
Pastors, elders, parents and all who care for others are called to be shepherds, not hirelings. Peter wrote, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly” (1 Peter 5:2). Jesus asked Peter to show his love by caring for the flock: “Tend my sheep” (John 21:16).
- Watchfulness:
Believers are not to be naive about wolves. Discernment, staying close to the Shepherd and listening to his voice are the best protection against teaching that scatters and harms.
Cross-References:
Ezekiel 34:6: "my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth; and there was no one who searched or sought." God’s lament over neglected sheep.
Matthew 7:15: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves." The wolves Jesus warns about.
Mark 14:27: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." The Shepherd who did not flee.
1 Peter 5:2: "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you" The calling of those who lead God’s people.
Conclusion: The hired hand runs when the wolf comes because the sheep are not his and he does not care for them. Jesus is the opposite: he owns his sheep, loves them, and faced the wolf at the cost of his own life. His words comfort every believer and challenge all who lead others to care for the flock as he does.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible