John recognized the credentials of Jesus Christ as the Undershepherd of Jehovah God and was at once ready to admit him, to identify him as the foretold Messianic Shepherd who would call his sheep by name and lead them out to pasture.

9, 10. How did Jesus fit his own description of a shepherd, and how did Israelite shepherds deal with their sheep?

⁹ Jesus matched his own description of the True and Fine Shepherd, as stated in these words at John 10:1-5

The doorkeeper opens to this one, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

¹⁰ The shepherd in ancient Israel became very familiar with his sheep. He would have a general call peculiar to himself by means of which he would call all his sheep together to receive his personal attention. Furthermore, he gave an individual name to each one of his sheep. Obediently each sheep would respond when its individual name was called out. The sheep knew the caliber and timbre of the voice of their own shepherd and so would not respond to the voice of strangers.

11. How should we personally feel about Jesus’ role as a Shepherd?

¹¹ Parallel to this, what a comfort it is to us to be assured that our spiritual Shepherd knows each one of us by name and can give us his personal care and attention!