John Chapter Ten
I Am...The Door
10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
For the next two “I Am” discourses, Jesus will use the familiar metaphor of ’sheep’ for believers.[1] Here He describes a typical sheepfold, an enclosed protected space where sheep are housed during the evening. Sheepfolds typically have a single gate (or door) that provides entry for both the sheep and the shepherd. Jesus tells the people around Him (if continued from the end of chapter nine, the crowd includes Pharisees and possibly other Jewish leaders) that if someone climbs into the sheepfold by some means other than the gate, that person is a thief and a robber. But the person who enters through the gate is the shepherd. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him only. The sheep listen to the shepherd’s voice, who calls them by name and leads them out of the sheepfold. When out in the field the sheep follow the shepherd for they know the shepherd’s voice. Jesus notes that if a stranger were to speak, they not only would not follow, but they would try to get away from him, as they do not know their voice. John adds that the “figure of speech” (Greek ‘paroimian’,[2] a parable, a short discourse) that Jesus was teaching with was not understood by those listening.
10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to 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 comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Jesus then clarifies by stating He is the door (or gate) for the sheep. Everyone that came before Him were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. Jesus again says that He is the door, if anyone enters by Him, they will be saved and go in and out and find pasture. Jesus summarizes by saying the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but He comes to offer abundant life. Jesus is proclaiming to be the only door into heaven. Only He can provide salvation, all other people or entities that claim to know another route into heaven are wrong and will lead to destruction (hell). Jesus came so that the sheep (Christians) may have life (forever) and have it abundantly.
I Am...The Good Shepherd
10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Jesus refers to Himself in this fourth (and possibly the most well-known) “I Am” statements, as the Good Shepherd. Continuing the metaphor of believers being sheep, Jesus defines a good shepherd as someone who is willing to give their own life for the sheep. He adds that when a “hired hand,” being someone who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, they leave the flock and flees for their own safety, allowing the wolf to grab and scatter the sheep. He notes that they fled because they were only a hired hand and care nothing for the sheep. Jesus is referring to the Jewish leaders that care only about themselves and nothing about others, as well as any false shepherds since.
10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Jesus again calls Himself the Good Shepherd, adding that He knows His own sheep (people) and His own sheep know Him. In the same way His Father knows Him and He knows the Father (an example of intimate knowledge, not just knowing one’s name) and that He is not only willing, but will (and did), lay down His life for the sheep. Jesus then identifies two flocks of sheep, one that have been called “His own,” and one that is not of the original flock, alluding to any and all non-Jewish believers, the Gentiles. Both flocks follow Him, both listen to His voice and they will merge into one flock following one shepherd. Jesus then explains that His Father loves Him because He will die and rise again, not as the result of someone having Him executed, but that He is willing to die. He further explains that He has the authority to die (to give His life) and to rise up (to return to life), a command given to Him from His Father.
10:19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
The Jews listening were still confused as to what Jesus was teaching (see verse nine and John 7:40-52). Apparently during this time period, if someone babbled or spoke incoherently, they were thought to be possessed by a demon and subsequently dismissed (see also John 7:20). Here in their lack of understanding Jesus, those listening attribute His inability to make sense to that He either had a demon or was insane. So, why listen to Him? Others hearing those comments quickly point out, could a person oppressed by a demon open the eyes of someone blind?
I and the Father Are One
10:22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? 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 bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will 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 the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
John “sets the stage” for this next event by first telling his readers that the time of the year was winter during the Feast of Dedication (see Considerations below) and the location was the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in the colonnade of Solomon (eastern side of the Women’s Court)[3] and was approached by Jews that gathered around to ask Him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus told them that He already has, but they did not believe (see John 5:17-47; 8:12-30, 48-59). The people’s disbelief and rejection of Jesus is well-documented by John (see John 1:10-11; 3:32; 4:1-3; 5:16-18; 6:41-43, 66; 7:1, 20, 26-27, 30-52; 8:13-59; 9:16, 24, 29, 40-41; 10:20; 11:46-57; 12:37-40). Jesus then “backs up” His claim by pointing to all of the supernatural miracles He has performed, stating that those works done in His Father’s name bear witness that He is indeed the Christ. He tells them that they do not believe Him because they are not among His sheep. He summarizes a comment made during the last ‘I Am’ discourse, that His sheep hear His voice and He knows them and they follow Him (see verses 14-16). Jesus then clearly proclaims that He is God, saying that He gives His people eternal life and that no one can change that, as His Father, who gave them to Him, is more powerful than anyone else, no power or person can snatch them out of His hand. Jesus finishes with a strong statement that He and His Father are one.
10:31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, 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 Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
Recognizing that Jesus was claiming to be God, the Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. John uses the Greek word ‘palin’,[4] referring to returning back or do something again, when he wrote about them picking up stones. This incident may have had a few of the same people from the last attempt to stone Jesus, but this was at a later time and not the same group that previously wanted to stone Him. This was the fourth time John recorded Jesus’ audience desiring to stone Him (see John 5:16-18; 7:1; 8:59). Even though the Jews had no authority to kill anyone, as they needed Roman approval to execute, when they heard what they believed to be blasphemy, they had an uncontrollable passionate response to kill.
Jesus, seeing the Jews picking up stones, asks them, which one of the miracles that He performed are they going to stone Him for? They replied that they were not going to stone Him for performing the miracles, but for His perceived blasphemy of Him making Himself God. Jesus then asked if it was not written in their law (used here as a metonymy for the entire Old Testament), “I said, you are gods,” a quote from Psalm 82:6, one of the Psalms of Asaph, where he is describing God judging some of Israel’s unjust human judges, calling them gods. Jesus points out that if he called them ‘gods’ in the inerrant Word of God and that Scripture cannot be broken, then how could they now say that He is blaspheming when He says, “I am the Son of God?” In other words, if Scripture uses the term ‘god’ to refer to humans, how can they claim blasphemy when someone uses the term to refer to themselves?
Jesus then offers a ‘logic tree’, if He is not doing the works of His Father (miracles), then they do not believe Him. But if He does do the works of His Father, even though they do not believe Him, they should believe the works so that they will know that and understand that God the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. This did not appease them as they once again sought to arrest Him. And again, Jesus escaped their attempt.
10:40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
Jesus left Jerusalem and went down to the Jordan River to the place across the river where John the Baptist began baptizing at Bethany (see John 1:28). While there, many people came to see Jesus. They acknowledged that even though John did no miracles, everything he said about Jesus came true. As a result of Jesus’ ministry in Bethany, many believed in Him there.
Considerations
The Feast of Dedication[5] is known by several names, including “Feast of the Maccabees,” “Festival of Lights,” or more commonly known today as “Hanukkah” (or ‘Chanukah’, from a Hebrew word meaning ‘Dedication’).[6] This festival was not decreed by God, as it celebrated a special event that occurred during the intertestamental period, the approximate 400 year period between the Old Testament and New Testament.
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[1] See Considerations under Matthew 10:24-25 regarding "Sheep."
[2] Strong’s Greek 3942.
[3] See Considerations under Luke 2:36-38 "Hanging Out at the Temple."
[4] Strong’s Greek 3825.
[5] See Considerations under Matthew 24:23-28 "A Breakdown of the Abominations and Desolations in the Book of Daniel” regarding the history of the feast.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 2596 and 2598.