The Shepherd and His Sheep

10 Jesus said, “·I tell you the truth [^LTruly, truly I say to you], the person who does not enter the ·sheepfold [sheep pen] by the ·door [gate], but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. [^CThe sheep represent the people of God; the thief/robber stands for those who would lead them astray; Ps. 23; Ezek. 34.] ² The one who enters by the ·door [gate] is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The ·one who guards the door [gatekeeper; watchman] opens it for him. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out [compare Num. 27:15–17]. ⁴ When he brings all his sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger. They will run away from him because they don’t know his voice.” ⁶ Jesus told the people this ·story [figure of speech; illustration; parable], but they did not understand what ·it meant [he was telling them].

Jesus Is the Good Shepherd

⁷ So Jesus said again, “·I tell you the truth [^LTruly, truly I say to you], I am the ·door [gate] for the sheep. [^CJesus now refers to himself as the door rather than the shepherd.] ⁸ All the people who came before me were thieves and robbers [^Cothers who claimed to be the Messiah]. The sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the ·door [gate], and the person who enters through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and find pasture [compare Ps. 118:20]. ¹⁰ A thief comes [^Lonly] to steal and kill and destroy, but I came ·to give life [^Lthat they might have life]—life in all its ·fullness [abundance].

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd [contrast Zech. 11:17]. The good shepherd ·gives [lays down] his life for the sheep. ¹² The ·worker who is paid to keep the sheep [^Lhired hand] is different from the shepherd who owns them. When the worker sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf ·attacks [or snatches; seizes] the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The man runs away because he is only a ·paid worker [hired hand] and does not really care about the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd. I know my ·sheep [^Lown], and my ·sheep [^Lown] know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I ·give [lay down] my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not in this ·flock [fold; pen; ^Ca reference to future Gentile followers of Christ], and I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The Father loves me because I ·give [lay down] my life so that I can ·take [receive] it back again. ¹⁸ No one takes it away from me; I ·give [lay down] my own life ·freely [voluntarily; of my own free will]. I have the ·right [power; authority] to ·give [lay down] my life, and I have the ·right [power; authority] to ·take [receive] it back. This is what my Father commanded me to do.”

¹⁹ Again ·the leaders did not agree with each other [^Lthere was a division among the Jews] because of these words of Jesus. ²⁰ Many of them said, “·A demon has come into him and made him crazy [^LHe has a demon and is crazy]. Why listen to him?”

²¹ But others said, “A man who is ·crazy with a demon [^Ldemon-possessed] does not say things like this. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus Is Rejected

²² The time came for the ·Feast of Dedication [^Calso called Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights, recalling the rededication of the Temple in 164 bc] at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the Temple in Solomon’s ·Porch [Portico; Colonnade; ^Con the eastern side of the Temple area; at a later time Christians gathered there to worship; Acts 3:11; 5:12]. ²⁴ ·Some people [The Jewish leaders; ^LThe Jews] gathered around him and said, “How long will you ·make us wonder [keep us in suspense] about you? If you are the ·Christ [Messiah], tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you already, but you did not believe. The ·miracles [^Lworks] I do in my Father’s name ·show who I am [testify/bear witness about me]. ²⁶ But you don’t believe, because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never ·die [perish], and no one can ·steal [snatch] them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father gave my sheep to me. He is greater than all, and no person can ·steal [snatch] my sheep out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

³¹ Again some of the ·people [Jewish leaders; ^LJews] picked up stones to ·kill [^Lstone] Jesus. ³² But he ·said to [answered] them, “I have ·done [^Lshown you] many good works from the Father. Which of these good works are you ·killing [^Lstoning] me for?”

³³ ·They [The Jewish leaders; ^LThe Jews] answered him, “We are not ·killing [^Lstoning] you because of any good work you did, but ·because you speak against God [^Lfor blasphemy]. You are only a human, but you ·say you are the same as God [claim to be God; ^Lmake yourself God]!”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “·It is written [^LIs it not written…?] in your law that God said, ‘I said, you are gods’ [Ps. 82:6; ^Cthe “gods” here may be Israel’s judges, or the Israelites generally, or angelic powers]. ³⁵ This Scripture called those people gods who received God’s ·message [word], and Scripture ·is always true [^Lcannot be broken/annulled/set aside]. ³⁶ So why do you say that I ·speak against God [^Lblaspheme] because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? [^CJesus is not denying he is God, but is making a lesser-to-greater argument; if Scripture calls lesser beings “gods,” why should they object that he—the One God sent—calls himself the Son of God?] I am the one ·God [^Lthe Father] ·chose [consecrated; set apart] and sent into the world. ³⁷ If I don’t do ·what my Father does [^Lthe works of my Father], then don’t believe me. ³⁸ But if I do ·what my Father does [the works of my Father; ^Lthem], even though you don’t believe in me, believe ·what I do [^Lthe works]. Then you will ·know [recognize; learn] and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

³⁹ [^LSo] They tried to ·take [seize; arrest] Jesus again [see 7:30], but he escaped from ·them [^Ltheir hands].

⁴⁰ Then he went back across the Jordan River to the place where John had ·first [or earlier] baptized. Jesus stayed there, ⁴¹ and many people came to him and said, “John never did a ·miracle [^Lsign], but everything John said about this man is true.” ⁴² And in that place many believed in Jesus.