John 10
- Who wrote it
- Traditionally John, the son of Zebedee
- Who it was for
- Followers of Jesus, Jewish and Gentile
- What was happening
- The good shepherd, and the Feast of Dedication in winter
What’s happening
Jesus says, "Most certainly, I tell you, he who doesn't enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. ... They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they don't know the voice of strangers." They don't understand, so he says, "I am the door. If anyone enters in through me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly." "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees. ... I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and I'm known by my own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd." "Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father." There is again a division among the Jews because of these words; some say, "He has a demon, and is insane," others, "These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn't possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?" At the Feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem, in winter, Jesus walks in the temple in Solomon's porch. The Jews surround him: "How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answers, "I told you, and you don't believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me. But you don't believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." The Jews pick up stones again to stone him. He says, "I showed you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?" "We don't stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God." Jesus answers, "Isn't it written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can't be broken), 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'? If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe me. But if I do them, though you don't believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Again they seek to seize him, but he escapes out of their hand and goes away again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John was baptizing at first, and stays there. Many come to him and say, "John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." Many believe in him there.
Why the setting matters
Shepherd imagery was familiar from the Old Testament, where God is Israel's shepherd (Psalm 23), and where false rulers are false shepherds (Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 23). Ezekiel 34 promises that God himself will come and shepherd his scattered flock, and that is the background of Jesus' claim. Sheep pens in villages were shared by several flocks, with a gatekeeper, and each shepherd called his own, who knew his voice. Jesus is both the door and the shepherd; John likes to play with images. The "other sheep" are most often read as Gentiles, and the one flock is the goal of the Gospel. "Lay down his life" has the sense of giving it voluntarily, which fits the whole passion. The Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) in December celebrates the rededication of the temple under Judas Maccabeus in 164 BC, after its desecration by Antiochus; the story of a Jewish ruler purifying the temple makes the question "Are you the Christ?" sharper. Solomon's porch was a covered colonnade on the east side of the temple. "I and the Father are one" is a claim of unity, and his critics understand it as a claim to equality with God. Jesus' answer cites Psalm 82:6, in which God addresses human judges as "gods," and argues from lesser to greater; how to read that argument is debated.
Who’s in this chapter
Jesus
The door and the good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep.
The Jews
Surround him at the Feast of Dedication and pick up stones.
The people beyond the Jordan
Believe in him where John first baptized.
John the Baptist
Remembered by the crowd at the Jordan.
Talk it through
- Jesus is both the door and the shepherd. What does each image say?
- "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." What is the contrast with the thief?
- The Jews say, "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Why does Jesus not simply answer yes?
- "They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." What does it mean to be held like that?
Read John 10
World English Bible
1“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.
7Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. 10The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. 13The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; 15even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. 17Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. 18No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”
19Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. 20Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” 21Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”
22It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem. 23It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. 26But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
31Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”
33The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
34Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ 35If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), 36do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’ 37If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. 38But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
39They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand. 40He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and he stayed there. 41Many came to him. They said, “John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true.” 42Many believed in him there.
Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources