The Good Shepherd

10 “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the door, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus used this illustration in speaking to the people, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ So Jesus said again, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: I am the door for the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me^[a] were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

¹⁰ “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

¹¹ “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the Good Shepherd. 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 I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This is the commission I received from my Father.”

¹⁹ There was a division among the Jews again because of these words. ²⁰ Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind! Why listen to him?” ²¹ Others said, “These are not the sayings of someone demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

“I and the Father Are One”

²² Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Colonnade.

²⁴ So the Jews gathered around Jesus, asking, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep, as I said to you.^{[b] 27} My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³¹ Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?”

³³ “We are not going to stone you for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because although you are a man, you make yourself out to be God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said you are gods’?^{[c] 35} If he called those people ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, ³⁶ what about the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world? Do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? ³⁷ If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. ³⁸ But if I am doing them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works so that you will know and understand^[d] that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

³⁹ So they tried to arrest him again, but he eluded their grasp. ⁴⁰ He went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he stayed there.

⁴¹ Many came to him and were saying, “John never did a miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And many believed in him there.