João 10

1 Em verdade, em verdade vos digo: quem não entra pela porta no aprisco das ovelhas, mas sobe por outra parte, esse é ladrão e salteador.

2 Mas o que entra pela porta é o pastor das ovelhas.

3 A este o porteiro abre; e as ovelhas ouvem a sua voz; e ele chama pelo nome as suas ovelhas, e as conduz para fora.

4 Depois de conduzir para fora todas as que lhe pertencem, vai adiante delas, e as ovelhas o seguem, porque conhecem a sua voz;

5 mas de modo algum seguirão o estranho, antes fugirão dele, porque não conhecem a voz dos estranhos.

6 Jesus propôs-lhes esta parábola, mas eles não entenderam o que era que lhes dizia.

7 Tornou, pois, Jesus a dizer-lhes: Em verdade, em verdade vos digo: eu sou a porta das ovelhas.

8 Todos quantos vieram antes de mim são ladrões e salteadores; mas as ovelhas não os ouviram.

9 Eu sou a porta; se alguém entrar a casa; o filho fica entrará e sairá, e achará pastagens.

10 O ladrão não vem senão para roubar, matar e destruir; eu vim para que tenham vida e a tenham em abundância.

11 Eu sou o bom pastor; o bom pastor dá a sua vida pelas ovelhas.

12 Mas o que é mercenário, e não pastor, de quem não são as ovelhas, vendo vir o lobo, deixa as ovelhas e foge; e o lobo as arrebata e dispersa.

13 Ora, o mercenário foge porque é mercenário, e não se importa com as ovelhas.

14 Eu sou o bom pastor; conheço as minhas ovelhas, e elas me conhecem,

15 assim como o Pai me conhece e eu conheço o Pai; e dou a minha vida pelas ovelhas.

16 Tenho ainda outras ovelhas que não são deste aprisco; a essas também me importa conduzir, e elas ouvirão a minha voz; e haverá um rebanho e um pastor.

17 Por isto o Pai me ama, porque dou a minha vida para a retomar.

18 Ninguém ma tira de mim, mas eu de mim mesmo a dou; tenho autoridade para a dar, e tenho autoridade para retomá-la. Este mandamento recebi de meu Pai.

19 Por causa dessas palavras, houve outra dissensão entre os judeus.

20 E muitos deles diziam: Tem demônio, e perdeu o juízo; por que o escutais?

21 Diziam outros: Essas palavras não são de quem está endemoninhado; pode porventura um demônio abrir os olhos aos cegos?

22 Celebrava-se então em Jerusalém a festa da dedicação. E era inverno.

23 Andava Jesus passeando no templo, no pórtico de Salomão.

24 Rodearam-no, pois, os judeus e lhe perguntavam: Até quando nos deixarás perplexos? Se tu és o Cristo, dize-no-lo abertamente.

25 Respondeu-lhes Jesus: Já vo-lo disse, e não credes. As obras que eu faço em nome de meu Pai, essas dão testemunho de mim.

26 Mas vós não credes, porque não sois das minhas ovelhas.

27 As minhas ovelhas ouvem a minha voz, e eu as conheço, e elas me seguem;

28 eu lhes dou a vida eterna, e jamais perecerão; e ninguém as arrebatará da minha mão.

29 Meu Pai, que mas deu, é maior do que todos; e ninguém pode arrebatá-las da mão de meu Pai.

30 Eu e o Pai somos um.

31 Os judeus pegaram então outra vez em pedras para o apedrejar.

32 Disse-lhes Jesus: Muitas obras boas da parte de meu Pai vos tenho mostrado; por qual destas obras ides apedrejar-me?

33 Responderam-lhe os judeus: Não é por nenhuma obra boa que vamos apedrejar-te, mas por blasfêmia; e porque, sendo tu homem, te fazes Deus.

34 Tornou-lhes Jesus: Não está escrito na vossa lei: Eu disse: Vós sois deuses?

35 Se a lei chamou deuses �queles a quem a palavra de Deus foi dirigida (e a Escritura não pode ser anulada),

36 �quele a quem o Pai santificou, e enviou ao mundo, dizeis vós: Blasfemas; porque eu disse: Sou Filho de Deus?

37 Se não faço as obras de meu Pai, não me acrediteis.

38 Mas se as faço, embora não me creiais a mim, crede nas obras; para que entendais e saibais que o Pai está em mim e eu no Pai.

39 Outra vez, pois, procuravam prendê-lo; mas ele lhes escapou das mãos.

40 E retirou-se de novo para além do Jordão, para o lugar onde João batizava no princípio; e ali ficou.

41 Muitos foram ter com ele, e diziam: João, na verdade, não fez sinal algum, mas tudo quanto disse deste homem era verdadeiro.

42 E muitos ali creram nele.

João 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.