John 10
10
The Shepherd and His Sheep
1Jesus said, “It is certainly true that when a man enters the sheep pen, he should use the gate. If he climbs in some other way, he is a robber. He is trying to steal the sheep. 2But the man who takes care of the sheep enters through the gate. He is the shepherd. 3The man who guards the gate opens the gate for the shepherd. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and he leads them out. 4He brings all of his sheep out. Then he goes ahead of them and leads them. The sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5But sheep will never follow someone they don’t know. They will run away from him, because they don’t know his voice.”
6Jesus told the people this story, but they did not understand what it meant.
Jesus Is the Good Shepherd
7So Jesus said again, “I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All those who came before me were thieves and robbers. The sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will be able to come in and go out. They will find everything they need. 10A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.
11“I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd. The paid worker does not own the sheep. So when he sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13The man runs away because he is only a paid worker. He does not really care for the sheep.
14-15“I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep. 16I have other sheep too. They are not in this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd.#10:16 I have other sheep … shepherd Jesus means he has followers who are not Jews. See Jn. 11:52. 17The Father loves me because I give my life. I give my life so that I can get it back again. 18No one takes my life away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to get it back again. This is what the Father told me.”
19Again the Jews were divided over what Jesus was saying. 20Many of them said, “A demon has come into him and made him crazy. Why listen to him?”
21But others said, “These aren’t the words of someone controlled by a demon. A demon cannot heal the eyes of a blind man.”
The Jewish Leaders Against Jesus
22It was winter, and the time came for the Festival of Dedication#10:22 Festival of Dedication Hanukkah, or “Festival of Lights,” a special week in December celebrating the time in 165 B.C. when the Jerusalem Temple was made pure and ready again for Jewish worship. Before then it had been under the control of a foreign (Greek) army and used for pagan worship. at Jerusalem. 23Jesus was in the Temple area at Solomon’s Porch. 24The Jewish leaders gathered around him. They said, “How long will you make us wonder about you? If you are the Messiah, then tell us clearly.”
25Jesus answered, “I told you already, but you did not believe. I do miracles in my Father’s name. These miracles show who I am. 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 my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. 29My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all.#10:29 he … than all Some Greek copies have “they are greater than all.” No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. 30The Father and I are one.”
31Again the Jews there picked up stones to kill Jesus. 32But he said to them, “The many wonderful things you have seen me do are from the Father. Which of these good things are you killing me for?”
33They answered, “We are not killing you for any good thing you did. But you say things that insult God. You are only a man, but you say you are the same as God! That is why we are trying to kill you!”
34Jesus answered, “It is written in your law that God said, ‘I said you are gods.’#Quote from Ps. 82:6. 35This Scripture called those people gods—the people who received God’s message. And Scripture is always true. 36So why do you accuse me of insulting God for saying, ‘I am God’s Son’? I am the one God chose and sent into the world. 37If I don’t do what my Father does, then don’t believe what I say. 38But if I do what my Father does, you should believe in what I do. You might not believe in me, but you should believe in the things I do. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
39They tried to get Jesus again, but he escaped from them.
40Then he went back across the Jordan River to the place where John began his work of baptizing people. Jesus stayed there, 41and many people came to him. They said, “John never did any miraculous signs, but everything John said about this man is true.” 42And many people there believed in Jesus.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
John 10
10
I Am the Good Shepherd
1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5#[ver. 12, 13]A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6This figure of speech Jesus #ch. 9:40 used with them, but they #See Mark 9:32did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, #ver. 9; [ch. 14:6; Eph. 2:18]I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone enters by me, #[ch. 5:34] he will be saved and will go in and out and #Ps. 23:2; Ezek. 34:14find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and #[Jer. 23:1; Ezek. 34:3]kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11#Isa. 40:11; Ezek. 34:12, 23; 37:24; Zech. 13:7; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4; [ch. 21:15-17; Ps. 23; Rev. 7:17] I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd #ver. 15, 17; ch. 15:13; 1 John 3:16; [Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45]lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is #[Ezek. 34:2-6] a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and #Zech. 11:17; 13:7 leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and #[Jer. 23:1-3]scatters them. 13He flees because #[1 Pet. 5:2] he is a hired hand and #Zech. 11:16cares nothing for the sheep. 14#See ver. 11 I am the good shepherd. #ver. 27; Nah. 1:7; 2 Tim. 2:19 I know my own and #ver. 4my own know me, 15#See Matt. 11:27 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and #See ver. 11I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And #Isa. 56:8 I have other sheep that are not of this fold. #[Ezek. 34:11-13; Matt. 8:11, 12; Eph. 2:13-18; 1 Pet. 2:25] I must bring them also, and #ch. 5:25; 18:37; [Acts 28:28] they will listen to my voice. So there will be #[ch. 11:52; 12:32; 17:11, 21, 22] one flock, #Ezek. 34:23; 37:24one shepherd. 17#Phil. 2:9; See ch. 5:20 For this reason the Father loves me, #Isa. 53:7, 8, 12; Heb. 2:9 because #ver. 11I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18#[Matt. 26:53] No one takes it from me, but #[See ver. 17 above] I lay it down #[ch. 5:30] of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and #ch. 2:19; [Phil. 2:7] I have authority to take it up again. #ch. 12:49; 14:31; 15:10This charge I have received from my Father.”
19 # ch. 7:43; 9:16 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20Many of them said, #See ch. 7:20 “He has a demon, and #[Mark 3:21]is insane; why listen to him?” 21Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. #[Ex. 4:11; Ps. 146:8]; See ch. 9:33Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
I and the Father Are One
22At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, #Acts 3:11; 5:12in the colonnade of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are #ch. 1:41 the Christ, #Matt. 26:63; Luke 22:67tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. #ver. 38; See ch. 5:36 The works that I do #See ch. 5:43in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26but #[ch. 8:47]you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27#ver. 14, 16My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28#[1 John 2:25; 5:11] I give them eternal life, and #ch. 17:12; 18:9 they will never perish, and #ch. 6:37no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, #ch. 6:37; 17:2 who has given them to me,#10:29 Some manuscripts What my Father has given to me#[ch. 14:28] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of #[Deut. 32:39; Isa. 49:2; 51:16]the Father’s hand. 30#ch. 17:11, 22; [ch. 5:19; 14:9]I and the Father are one.”
31 # ch. 8:59 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but #See Lev. 24:16; Matt. 9:3 for blasphemy, because you, being a man, #ch. 5:18make yourself God.” 34Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in #[ch. 12:34; 15:25; 1 Cor. 14:21] your Law, #Cited from Ps. 82:6‘I said, you are gods’? 35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be #[Matt. 5:17, 19]broken— 36do you say of him whom #[ch. 6:27] the Father consecrated and #See ch. 3:17 sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because #ch. 5:17, 18; [ver. 30]I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37#ch. 15:24If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38but if I do them, #ver. 25; [ch. 14:11] even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that #ch. 14:10, 11, 20; 17:21, 23; [ch. 8:29]the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39#ch. 7:30, 44Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40He went away again across the Jordan to the place #ch. 1:28where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but #ch. 1:7, 29-34; 3:27-30; 5:33everything that John said about this man was true.” 42And #See ch. 7:31many believed in him there.
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