John 10
10
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
1 “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. 2The one who enters by the gate 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. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.#10:9 Or kept safe They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The 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. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep 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 and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims
22Then came the Festival of Dedication#10:22 That is, Hanukkah at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all#10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
31Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32but 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.”
34Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’#10:34 Psalm 82:6? 35If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38But 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.” 39Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
40Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42And in that place many believed in Jesus.
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John 10: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
John 10
10
1“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't come in through the gate of the sheepfold#10:1. “Sheepfold,” or “courtyard.” This referred to the enclosure beside a house and often attached to it, surrounded by a wall. The setting is a village rather than the open countryside. but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2The one who comes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4After bringing them out, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5They won't follow strangers. In fact they run away from a stranger because they don't recognize the voice of strangers.”
6When Jesus gave this illustration those who were listening to him didn't understand what he meant. 7So Jesus explained again, “I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheep. 8All those who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them. 9I am the gate. Anyone who comes in through me will be healed.#10:9. Or “saved.” They will be able to come and go, and find the food they need. 10The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I've come to bring you life, life full to overflowing. 11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The man paid to look after the sheep is not the shepherd and he runs away when he sees the wolf coming. He abandons the sheep because they're not his, and the wolf attacks and scatters the flock 13for the man is only working for pay and doesn't care about the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know who are mine, and they know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know him. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so I may take it up again. 18No one takes it from me; I choose to lay it down. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it back. This is the command my Father gave me.”
19The Jews were again divided in their opinion about Jesus over these words. 20Many of them said, “He's demon-possessed! He's mad! Why are you listening to him?” 21Others said, “These aren't the words of someone who's demon-possessed. Besides, a demon can't open eyes that are blind.”
22It was winter, and the time of the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem. 23Jesus was walking in the Temple through Solomon's Porch. The Jews surrounded him, asking, 24“How long are you going to keep us hanging in suspense?#10:24. A colloquial expression that is literally “lift up our souls,” and means creating a position of uncertainty. If you are the Messiah then tell us plainly!”
25Jesus replied, “I already told you but you refuse to believe it. The miracles I do in my Father's name prove who I am. 26You don't believe me because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life; they shall never be lost, and no one can snatch them from me.#10:28. Literally, “out of my hand.” Similarly verse 29. 29My Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone else; no one can snatch them from him. 30I and the Father are one.”
31Once again the Jews picked up stones to stone him.
32Jesus said to them, “You've seen many good deeds that I've done from the Father. Which one are you stoning me for?”
33The Jews replied, “We're not stoning you for a good deed, but for blasphemy because you are just a man but you're claiming to be God.”
34Jesus answered them, “Isn't it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’?#10:34. Quoting Psalms 82:6. 35He called those people ‘gods,’ the people to whom the word of God came—and Scripture can't be altered. 36So why are you saying the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said ‘I am the Son of God’? 37If I'm not doing what my Father does, then don't believe me. 38But if that is what I'm doing, even though you don't believe me, you should believe because of the evidence of what I've done. That way you can know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
39Once again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from them. 40He went back across the Jordan River to the place where John had begun baptizing, and he stayed there. 41Many people came to him, and they said, “John didn't perform miracles, but everything he said about this man has come true.” 42Many who were there put their trust in Jesus.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com