“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.” (John 10:11-12)
The focus is on who Jesus is and who the sheep are to him. It basically says that I am the Shepherd who is all for you. I lay down my life for you and so you must know that what I do is for your sake. “Other people”, for example, the “hired hand” may do a good job but ultimately when it comes to the crunch will choose their own interests over yours. These are not the thieves and robbers mentioned earlier. You may like them, you may enjoy them, you may even be helped by them but I am the Shepherd you can fully trust and who will always be there for you. You must know the difference.
So who is the one you are going to trust to shepherd you (for your life)? Who are you going to listen to? Whose advice are you going to take seriously? Who are you going to spend time with? Who are you going to build your strongest ties? Someone you heard on YouTube? The cleverest guy in class? Your teacher? Your pastor? Your friend whose company you enjoy? Your mechanic?
It is not that you should not have close ties with these people or even listen to their advice because they can be people the Shepherd uses to reach out to you. Jesus is not saying that you should reject them or that they have nothing good to offer you. but in the end, you fully trust the person who cares about you to the extent of giving his life for you. Everybody else is a “hired hand”.
When you know your Shepherd, then your relationships with all others will fall into their proper places.