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10 Truly, truly, I say to you, the one not entering into the fold of the sheep through the door, but going-up from-another-place— that one is a thief and a robber. But the One entering through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The doorkeeper opens to this One. And the sheep hear[a] His voice. And He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. When He brings out all His own, He proceeds in front of them. And the sheep are following Him, because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers”. Jesus spoke this figure-of-speech to them, but those ones did not understand what the things were which He was speaking to them.

I Am The Door of The Sheep. All Who Enter Through Me Will Be Saved

Then Jesus said again, “Truly, truly, I say to you that I am the door of [b] the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen-to them. I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. And he will go in and go out, and he will find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except that he may steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have abundance[c].

I Am The Good Shepherd. All My Sheep Know Me. I Give My Life For Them

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays-down His life for the sheep. 12 The one being a hired one and not a shepherd, of whom the sheep are not his own— he sees the wolf coming and leaves[d] the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them, 13 because he is a hired one, and he is not concerned about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. And I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me— 15 just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. And I lay-down My life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold[e]. I must bring those also. And they[f] will hear My voice. And they will 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 up again. 18 No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. I received this commandment from My Father”.

The Pharisees Remain Divided

19 A division again[g] took place among the Jews because of these words. 20 And many of them were saying, “He has a demon, and He is mad. Why are you listening-to Him?” 21 Others[h] were saying, “These words are not from one being demon-possessed. A demon is not able to open the eyes of blind ones, is he?”

During The Festival of Hanukkah, Jesus Says He And The Father Are One

22 Then the Festival-of-Dedication[i] took place in Jerusalem. It was winter. 23 And Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him. And they were saying to Him, “How long are You keeping us in suspense[j]? If You are the Christ, tell us with plainness”. 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works which I am doing in the name of My Father— these are testifying about Me. 26 However, 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 them eternal life, and they will never perish, ever. And someone will not snatch them out of My hand. 29 What[k] My Father has given to Me is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of the hand of the Father. 30 I and the Father are one[l]”.

The Jewish Leaders Want To Kill Jesus For Blasphemy Because He Is Making Himself God

31 The Jews again carried stones in order that they might stone Him. 32 Jesus responded to them, “I showed you many good works from the Father. For which work of them do you stone Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “We do not stone You for a good work, but for blasphemy— even because You, being a human, are making Yourself God”.

Jesus Responds: Saying “I Am God’s Son” Is Not Blasphemy If I Am Doing God’s Works

34 Jesus responded to them, “Has it not been written in your Law that ‘I said, you are gods[m]’? 35 If He[n] called those ones to whom the word of God came gods— and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you[o] say as to the One Whom the Father set-apart and sent-forth into the world that ‘You are blaspheming’ because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of My Father, do not be believing Me. 38 But if I am doing them— even if you do not believe Me, be believing the works, in order that you may come-to-know and be understanding[p] that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father”. 39 Then they were seeking again to seize Him, and He went out of their hand.

Jesus Leaves Judea

40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John was first baptizing. And He was staying there. 41 And many came to Him, and were saying that “John did no sign— but all that John said about this One was true”. 42 And many believed in Him there.

Footnotes

  1. John 10:3 That is, listen to and obey. The blind man is the specific example in view, v 38.
  2. John 10:7 That is, to; or, for.
  3. John 10:10 Or, excess, overflow, surplus. That is, have an overflowing spiritual life abounding to others (as in 7:38), not mere existence. Jesus is referring to an abundance of ‘real’ life, 1 Tim 6:19.
  4. John 10:12 Or more strongly, abandons.
  5. John 10:16 Jesus may mean the Jewish fold, making the ones in view the Gentiles; or, the nation-of-Israel fold, making the ones in view the ‘children of God scattered’ outside Israel, Jews and Gentiles, 11:52.
  6. John 10:16 That is, all My sheep from both folds.
  7. John 10:19 See 9:16.
  8. John 10:21 So the case of the man born blind (9:1-10:21) comes down to this: Is Jesus empowered by God or Satan?
  9. John 10:22 That is, Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights, commemorating the rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabaeus in 165 b.c. after it had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes.
  10. John 10:24 keeping us in suspense. Lit, lifting-up our soul [in suspense or anticipation].
  11. John 10:29 Or, That-which. Jesus may be referring to the flock itself viewed as an abstract whole; or, to His ‘authority over all flesh to give eternal life’ (17:2), making what follows ‘snatch it’. In either case, both the Father and the Son ensure the safety of the flock.
  12. John 10:30 That is, one in will and action. Jesus is claiming a oneness He shares with God because He is His Son (v 36) and therefore shares the essence or substance of His Father. Jesus is claiming to be acting as God and thus to be God, to which His listeners respond next.
  13. John 10:34 Jesus is quoting Ps 82:6, where the psalmist calls the judges of Israel gods (in authority over the people) because they carried out divine justice.
  14. John 10:35 Or, he (the psalmist); or, it (the Scripture).
  15. John 10:36 If God in Scripture called those judges gods, does this term not even more apply to Me, based on My works alone? Jesus is arguing from the lesser to the greater.
  16. John 10:38 Or, acknowledging.

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.(A) The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.(B) The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.(C) He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.(D) When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.(E) But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech,(F) but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.(G)

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am(H) the gate(I) for the sheep. All who have come before me(J) are thieves and robbers,(K) but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,(L) and have it to the full.(M)

11 “I am(N) the good shepherd.(O) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.(P) 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.(Q) Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd;(R) I know my sheep(S) and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father(T)—and I lay down my life for the sheep.(U) 16 I have other sheep(V) that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock(W) and one shepherd.(X) 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life(Y)—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.(Z) I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”(AA)

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.(AB) 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed(AC) and raving mad.(AD) Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.(AE) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”(AF)

Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.(AG) 24 The Jews(AH) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”(AI)

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you,(AJ) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,(AK) 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.(AL) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,(AM) and they follow me.(AN) 28 I give them eternal life,(AO) and they shall never perish;(AP) no one will snatch them out of my hand.(AQ) 29 My Father, who has given them to me,(AR) is greater than all[c];(AS) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”(AT)

31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,(AU) 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”(AV)

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,(AW) ‘I have said you are “gods”’[d]?(AX) 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God(AY) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside(AZ) 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart(BA) as his very own(BB) and sent into the world?(BC) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?(BD) 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.(BE) 38 But if I do them, even 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.”(BF) 39 Again they tried to seize him,(BG) but he escaped their grasp.(BH)

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan(BI) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign,(BJ) all that John said about this man was true.”(BK) 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.(BL)

Footnotes

  1. John 10:9 Or kept safe
  2. John 10:22 That is, Hanukkah
  3. John 10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all
  4. John 10:34 Psalm 82:6