Charles Ellicott Commentary John 10:2

"But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep." — John 10:2 (ASV)

John 10:16 finds the beginning of its fulfillment in this mission of this chapter. The appointment of a new body of disciples, whose very number is symbolic of a wider work, was the first step in the bringing in of the “other sheep.” The Twelve corresponded to the number of the tribes of Israel, but the Seventy represent the nations of the world. The directions for this work to each body are nearly identical, but the restrictions laid upon the Twelve are not laid upon the Seventy.