The gospel of John emphasizes the eternal origin of Jesus as well as the divine side of Jesus. Describing Him as Shepherd shows Him as gentle and very strong with the ability to care for a lamb or defend the flock from attacks. John recognized Jesus not only as a man and teacher, but also as Messiah. When Jesus was asked to defend His right to toss the money changers out of the temple, he said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews did not understand that he was speaking of himself as the temple.