John 10

1 Truly, truly, I say to you, he that cometh not in by the door into the fold of sheep, but ascendeth [up] by another way, is a night thief and a day thief.

2 But he that entereth by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To this the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he hath done out his own sheep [And when he hath sent out his own sheep], he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice.

5 But they follow not an alien, but flee from him; for they have not known the voice of aliens.

6 Jesus said to them this proverb; but they knew not what he spake to them.

7 Therefore Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 As many as have come, were night thieves and day thieves, but the sheep heard not them. [All how many ever came before me, be night thieves and day thieves, but the sheep heard not them.]

9 I am the door. If any man shall enter by me, he shall be saved; and he shall go in, and shall go out, and he shall find pastures.

10 A night thief cometh not, but that he steal, slay, and destroy; and I came, that they have life, and have more plenteously. [A night thief cometh not, but that he steal, and slay, and lose; I came, that they have life, and have more plenteously.]

11 I am a good shepherd; a good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.

12 But an hired hind, and that is not the shepherd, whose be not the sheep his own [whose the sheep be not his own], seeth a wolf coming, and he leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf snatcheth, and scattereth the sheep.

13 And the hired hind fleeth, for he is an hired hind, and it pertaineth not to him of the sheep.

14 I am a good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me.

15 As the Father hath known me, I know the Father; and I put my life for my sheep.

16 [And] I have other sheep, that be not of this fold, and it behooveth me to bring them together, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be made one fold and one shepherd.

17 Therefore the Father loveth me, for I put my life, that again I take it.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I put it of myself. I have power to put it, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have taken of my Father.

19 Again dissension was made among the Jews for these words.

20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and maddeth [He hath a devil, and maddeth, or waxeth mad]; what hear ye him?

21 Other men said, These words be not of a man that hath a devil. Whether the devil may open the eyes of blind men [Whether a devil may open the eyes of blind men]?

22 But the feasts of hallowing of the temple were made in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in the porch of Solomon.

24 Therefore the Jews came about him, and said to him, How long takest thou away our soul? if thou art Christ, say thou to us openly [and said to him, How long dost thou away our soul? if thou art Christ, say to us plainly, or openly].

25 Jesus answered to them, I speak to you, and ye believe not; the works that I do in the name of my Father, bear witnessing of me [the works that I do in the name of my Father, these bear witness of me].

26 But ye believe not, for ye be not of my sheep.

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

28 And I give to them everlasting life, and they shall not perish without end, and none shall snatch them out of mine hand. [And I shall give to them everlasting life, and they shall not perish into without end, and any man shall not snatch them out of mine hand.]

29 That thing that my Father gave to me, is more than all things [That thing that my Father gave to me, is more than all]; and no man may snatch from my Father's hand.

30 I and the Father be one.

31 The Jews took up stones, to stone him.

32 Jesus answered to them, I have showed to you many good works of my Father, for which work of them stone ye me?

33 The Jews answered to him, We stone thee not of good work, but of blasphemy, and for thou, since thou art a man, makest thyself God.

34 Jesus answered to them, Whether it is not written in your law, That I said, Ye be gods?

35 If he said that they were gods, to whom the word of God was made, and the scripture may not be undone,

36 that that the Father hath hallowed, and hath sent into the world [which the Father hallowed, and sent into the world], ye say, That thou blasphemest, for I said, I am God's Son?

37 If I do not the works of my Father, do not ye believe to me;

38 but if I do, though ye will not believe to me, believe ye to the works; that ye know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

39 Therefore they sought to take him, and he went out of their hands.

40 And he went again over Jordan, into that place where John was first baptizing, and he dwelt there.

41 And many came to him, and said, For John did no miracle [Forsooth John did no sign, or miracle]; and all things whatever John said of this, were sooth.

42 And many believed in him.

John 10 Commentary

Chapter 10

The parable of the good shepherd. (1-5) Christ the Door. (6-9) Christ the good Shepherd. (10-18) The Jews' opinion concerning Jesus. (19-21) His discourse at the feast of dedication. (22-30) The Jews attempt to stone Jesus. (31-38) He departs from Jerusalem. (39-42)

Verses 1-5 Here is a parable or similitude, taken from the customs of the East, in the management of sheep. Men, as creatures depending on their Creator, are called the sheep of his pasture. The church of God in the world is as a sheep-fold, exposed to deceivers and persecutors. The great Shepherd of the sheep knows all that are his, guards them by his providence, guides them by his Spirit and word, and goes before them, as the Eastern shepherds went before their sheep, to set them in the way of his steps. Ministers must serve the sheep in their spiritual concerns. The Spirit of Christ will set before them an open door. The sheep of Christ will observe their Shepherd, and be cautious and shy of strangers, who would draw them from faith in him to fancies about him.

Verses 6-9 Many who hear the word of Christ, do not understand it, because they will not. But we shall find one scripture expounding another, and the blessed Spirit making known the blessed Jesus. Christ is the Door. And what greater security has the church of God than that the Lord Jesus is between it and all its enemies? He is a door open for passage and communication. Here are plain directions how to come into the fold; we must come in by Jesus Christ as the Door. By faith in him as the great Mediator between God and man. Also, we have precious promises to those that observe this direction. Christ has all that care of his church, and every believer, which a good shepherd has of his flock; and he expects the church, and every believer, to wait on him, and to keep in his pasture.

Verses 10-18 Christ is a good Shepherd; many who were not thieves, yet were careless in their duty, and by their neglect the flock was much hurt. Bad principles are the root of bad practices. The Lord Jesus knows whom he has chosen, and is sure of them; they also know whom they have trusted, and are sure of Him. See here the grace of Christ; since none could demand his life of him, he laid it down of himself for our redemption. He offered himself to be the Saviour; Lo, I come. And the necessity of our case calling for it, he offered himself for the Sacrifice. He was both the offerer and the offering, so that his laying down his life was his offering up himself. From hence it is plain, that he died in the place and stead of men; to obtain their being set free from the punishment of sin, to obtain the pardon of their sin; and that his death should obtain that pardon. Our Lord laid not his life down for his doctrine, but for his sheep.

Verses 19-21 Satan ruins many, by putting them out of conceit with the word and ordinances. Men would not be laughed out of their necessary food, yet suffer themselves thus to be laughed out of what is far more necessary. If our zeal and earnestness in the cause of Christ, especially in the blessed work of bringing his sheep into his fold, bring upon us evil names, let us not heed it, but remember our Master was thus reproached before us.

Verses 22-30 All who have any thing to say to Christ, may find him in the temple. Christ would make us to believe; we make ourselves doubt. The Jews understood his meaning, but could not form his words into a full charge against him. He described the gracious disposition and happy state of his sheep; they heard and believed his word, followed him as his faithful disciples, and none of them should perish; for the Son and the Father were one. Thus he was able to defend his sheep against all their enemies, which proves that he claimed Divine power and perfection equally with the Father.

Verses 31-38 Christ's works of power and mercy proclaim him to be over all, God blessed for evermore, that all may know and believe He is in the Father, and the Father in Him. Whom the Father sends, he sanctifies. The holy God will reward, and therefore will employ, none but such as he makes holy. The Father was in the Son, so that by Divine power he wrought his miracles; the Son was so in the Father, that he knew the whole of His mind. This we cannot by searching find out to perfection, but we may know and believe these declarations of Christ.

Verses 39-42 No weapon formed against our Lord Jesus shall prosper. He escaped, not because he was afraid to suffer, but because his hour was not come. And He who knew how to deliver himself, knows how to deliver the godly our of their temptations, and to make a way for them to escape. Persecutors may drive Christ and his gospel our of their own city or country, but they cannot drive him or it out of the world. When we know Christ by faith in our hearts, we find all that the Scripture saith of him is true.