John 10

John 10 describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and is willing to lay down His life for them. In this chapter, Jesus contrasts the caring shepherd with a thief or hired hand, emphasizing His deep, sacrificial love for His followers. Jesus also addresses the religious leaders who challenge His authority, explaining His unique relationship with God the Father and His divine mission. This chapter provides insight into the loving, protective, and sacrificial nature of Jesus as He calls His followers to listen and trust Him as their true Shepherd.

John 10:1-10 (NKJV)
1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

In these verses, Jesus describes Himself as both the Good Shepherd and the door to the sheepfold, illustrating His role as the sole, protective way to salvation. Those who approach the sheep without the authority of a shepherd are likened to thieves who aim to harm. Jesus emphasizes His intimate relationship with His followers, whom He knows by name. His followers recognize His voice and follow Him, symbolizing the unique trust and connection between Jesus and believers. Unlike others who lead people astray, Jesus came to provide abundant life, offering security and spiritual nourishment.

John 10:11-15 (NKJV)
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

Jesus declares Himself the Good Shepherd who selflessly lays down His life for His sheep, in stark contrast to the hired hand who abandons the flock at the first sign of danger. Unlike the hired hand, who has no genuine care for the sheep, Jesus’s love is sacrificial and deeply personal. He says, “I know My sheep, and am known by My own,” emphasizing the intimate and mutual relationship He shares with His followers, built on trust, love, and recognition. Jesus likens this bond to the perfect unity and knowledge He shares with the Father, showing that His mission to lay down His life for the sheep is rooted in God’s eternal plan of love and redemption. This passage highlights Jesus’s role as the true Shepherd, whose sacrificial love provides protection, guidance, and eternal salvation for His flock.

John 10:16-18 (NKJV)
16 “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Jesus speaks of "other sheep," hinting at His mission to reach beyond Israel to Gentiles. He desires unity, with all believers joined under one Shepherd. Jesus also emphasizes that His impending sacrifice is voluntary and divinely ordained; He has the authority to lay down His life and take it up again. This reveals His control over life and death, demonstrating His obedience to the Father’s will and His unwavering love for humanity.

John 10:19-21 (NKJV)
19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.
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 words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus’ words provoke mixed reactions among the Jews. Some believe His claims are irrational, accusing Him of being demon-possessed, while others recognize the authority and power in His teachings, pointing to the recent healing of a blind man as evidence of His divine nature. This division underscores the difficulty some people have in understanding Jesus' identity and mission, even when witnessing miracles.

John 10:22-30 (NKJV)
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.
24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? 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, they bear witness of Me.
26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father’s hand.
30 I and My Father are one.”

During the Feast of Dedication, the Jews confront Jesus, asking Him to plainly declare whether He is the Christ. Jesus responds by pointing to His works, which bear witness to His identity and are done in the authority of the Father. He explains that the reason they do not believe is that they are not His sheep; His sheep hear His voice, follow Him, and are given eternal life. Jesus emphasizes the security of those who belong to Him, declaring that no one can snatch them out of His hand, nor out of the Father’s hand. This highlights the unity and shared purpose between Jesus and the Father, as He states, “I and My Father are one.” This passage underscores the assurance of salvation for those who follow Jesus, their recognition of His voice, and the perfect harmony between Jesus’s mission and the Father’s will.

In verse 30, when Jesus states, "I and My Father are one," the context clearly supports an understanding of unity in mission and purpose between Jesus and the Father, particularly in the protection and keeping of His followers. This statement is directly linked to His assurance that no one can snatch His sheep out of His or His Father's hand, emphasizing their collaborative effort and shared objectives.

This passage does not advocate for the doctrine of the Trinity as it pertains to the ontological oneness of Father and Son as one entity or being. Instead, it highlights that their oneness is about alignment and cooperation in their divine purpose and actions. The intent of Jesus's words here is to communicate the strength and certainty of the believers' security under divine protection, rooted in the perfect agreement and unity of action between Him and the Father. Thus, it's clear that this verse does not serve as a support for the Trinity doctrine but rather affirms the close relationship and agreement in divine work between Jesus and God the Father.

John 10:31-39 (NKJV)
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?
35 If He called them 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 are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

The Jews attempt to stone Jesus after He declares, “I and My Father are one,” interpreting His statement as blasphemy because they believe He, a man, is making Himself equal with God. Jesus responds by pointing to Scripture, quoting Psalm 82:6, where human judges are called “gods” because of their divine mission to represent God’s authority. He uses this to argue that if Scripture can use such language for those receiving God’s word, how much more appropriate it is for Him, the one sanctified and sent by the Father, to claim a unique relationship with God. Jesus further points to His works as evidence that He is doing the Father’s will, challenging them to believe in the works if they cannot believe His words, so they might recognize the unity between Him and the Father. Despite their anger, Jesus eludes their grasp, showing that His time had not yet come. This passage underscores the importance of recognizing Jesus’s mission through His works and His alignment with the Father’s purpose, rather than misjudging Him based on preconceived notions.

John 10:40-42 (NKJV)
40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.
41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.”
42 And many believed in Him there.

After leaving the hostile environment in Jerusalem, Jesus returns to a place where John the Baptist once ministered. Here, people recall John’s testimony about Jesus, and many are convinced of His authenticity. This passage highlights the enduring impact of John’s witness and the faith that arises from sincere reflection on Jesus’ words and works.