John 10
CHAPTER 10
Jesus as the good shepherd
Truly, truly, I say to you: He that enters not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens the gate, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he brings out all his sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him. For they do not know the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spoke Jesus to them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 Jesus then said to them: Again, truly, truly, I say to you: I am the door of the sheepfold. 8 All that came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. By me if anyone enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.
10 The thief only comes so that he may steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me. 15 Even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and they shall become one flock with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down myself. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it again. This command I received from my Father.
19 Because of these words, again a division arose among the Jews. 20 And many of them said: He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to him? 21 Others said: These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon possessed person open the eyes of the blind?
The unity of the Father and Son
22 It was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem. 23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple along Solomon's porch. 24 The Jews surrounded him and said to him: How long do you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them: I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify of me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. 28 And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.
31 Once again the Jews took up stones to stone him. 32 Jesus said to them: Many good works have I shown you from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me? 33 The Jews answered him: For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself as God! 34 Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said, you are gods? 35 If he called those men gods, to whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world: You blaspheme, because I said: I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works; that you may know and understand, that the Father is in me and I in the Father.
39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 Many came to him. And they said: John did no miracle, but everything that John said about this man was true. 42 And many believed in him there.
CHAPTER 10
Jesus as the good shepherd
Truly, truly, I say to you: He that enters not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens the gate, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he brings out all his sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him. For they do not know the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spoke Jesus to them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 Jesus then said to them: Again, truly, truly, I say to you: I am the door of the sheepfold. 8 All that came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. By me if anyone enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.
10 The thief only comes so that he may steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me. 15 Even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and they shall become one flock with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down myself. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it again. This command I received from my Father.
19 Because of these words, again a division arose among the Jews. 20 And many of them said: He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to him? 21 Others said: These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon possessed person open the eyes of the blind?
The unity of the Father and Son
22 It was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem. 23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple along Solomon's porch. 24 The Jews surrounded him and said to him: How long do you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them: I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify of me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. 28 And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.
31 Once again the Jews took up stones to stone him. 32 Jesus said to them: Many good works have I shown you from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me? 33 The Jews answered him: For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself as God! 34 Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said, you are gods? 35 If he called those men gods, to whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world: You blaspheme, because I said: I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works; that you may know and understand, that the Father is in me and I in the Father.
39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 Many came to him. And they said: John did no miracle, but everything that John said about this man was true. 42 And many believed in him there.
Commentary
10:5 There is something instinctively attractive to us about the words of Jesus. When we read the uninspired ‘gospels’, it’s clear almost instinctively to Christians that they aren’t the true words of Jesus.
10:9 The ‘entering in’ to the sheepfold [the church] is through baptism into Christ. There is no other way “in”.
10:12 This is an unusual shepherd- fighting with a wolf to the death for the sheep. Wolves don’t fight that desperately. But this one does. Sin appears a menace but something which can easily be overcome by a man- when in fact it can’t be overcome so easily, it is a bitter fight to the death.
10:15 Knows me, and I know the Father- The Greek verbs here are in the continuous tense. God grows in knowledge of Jesus, and Jesus grows in knowledge of God. It’s a dynamic relationship between them; eternity won’t be ‘the same old scene’ for us, we too will grow in knowing God- and even vice versa.
10:16 Other sheep- The Gentiles?
10:30 The unity between Father and Son spoken of here is the same kind of unity possible between the Father and all His children (Jn. 17:21). The use of the neuter form for "one" (hen esmen) in Jn. 10:30 shows that the Father and Son aren't interchangeable- they are at one with each other, not one and the same.
10:33-36 Jesus denied being God. He quotes an example of how men can be called “gods”, elohim; and He shows people are illogical to claim He thought He was God, when He had only said He was the Son of God.
10:41 John did no miracles and preached a hard hitting message of repentance and preparation for the coming of Jesus. People flocked to hear him, accepting what he said, repented and were baptized. His own sincerity must therefore have been so obvious; it was this which gave him authority in the eyes and ears of his audiences. The same can be true in our preaching.
