The Gospel of John 10:1-42

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10:1 "I'll tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!
2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gate-keeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.
5 They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice."
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what He meant,
7 so He explained it to them: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.
9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
10 The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
12 A hired had will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.
13 The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd;I know My own sheep, and they know Me,
15 just as My Father know Me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice My life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to My voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17 The Father loves Me because I sacrifice My life so I may take it back again.
18 No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded."
19 When He said these things the people were again divided in their opinions about Him.
20 Some said, "He's demon possessed and out of His mind. Why listen to a man like that?"
21 Others said, "This doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Jesus Claims to be the Son of God

22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.
23 He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade.
24 The people surrounded Him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."
25 Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe Me. The proof is the work I do in My Father's name.
26 But you don't believe Me 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 perish. No one can snatch them away from me,
29 for My Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand.
30 The Father and I are one."
31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill Him.
32 Jesus said, "At My father's direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone Me?"
33 They replied, "We are stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God."
34 Jesus replied, "It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, 'I say, you are gods!'
35 And you know the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called 'gods',
36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, 'I am the Son of God?'? After all, the Father set Me apart and sent Me into the world.
37 Don't believe Me unless I do My Father's work.
38 But if I do His work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even of you don't believe Me. Then you will know and understand the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father."
39 Once again they tried to arrest Him, but He got away and left them.
40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.
41 And many followed Him. "John didn't perform miraculous signs", they remarked to one another, "but everything he said about this man has come true."
42 And many who were there believed in Jesus.
~John 10:1-42

Part 1 of John 10 deals with Jesus trying to use a metaphor to show His relationship with His followers.

He says He is the gate AND the shepherd. All sheep must pass through Him to enter "happy fields" a.k.a. good life and heaven. And He looks after all who enter through Him. He knows each person individually, and they all recognize His Voice. In other words, His Words. He makes the distinction between Himself (a good shepherd) and the thief and the hired hand.

He says that a thief will not go through Him to lead people, but will sneak in. In other words people will try to lead the sheep through false morals or lies to gain their own self interests -be it money or power. Others will even be hired to lead people, but being attached to the job title and the money (self-interest) will then desert the people when they are needed in aid and protection.

The notion of people being compared to sheep has 2 implications. One, since sheep are stupid and follow blindly, people don't know how to take care of themselves spiritually or even lead particularly good lives on their own. Two, sheep are seen as repetitive and of little value to humans, so any man saying he would die for such animals seems crazy because they hold so little worth to people. Sheep are so abundant and so non-contributory to humans that for a human to give his life up for a sheep would be like someone choosing copper over gold. In this sense, God is gold and man is copper. And yet, God was willing to sacrifice Himself for lesser beings so He could look after them and draw His flock close to Him.

The second part of John 10 shows Jesus conversing with people who don't believe in Him. He says the real reason they doubt Him is because they are not a part of His flock. Those who are meant to believe and receive His message will - and all others will be confused, doubtful, and angry. He told them if they wanted proof, they should see His works (miracles). Those alone could speak on His behalf.

The passage Jesus cites mentioning "gods" would be an interesting one to look into. Any passage where God talks about or mentions "gods" would shine light on the thoughts I wrote out the other day.