John 10 - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible

10:1–21 The discourse of Jesus as the Good Shepherd must be read in the context of 9:35–41, as 10:21 clearly indicates. Not only were the Pharisees blind, they were also false shepherds, described in vv. 5 and 8 as strangers and thieves.

10:7–18 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John.

10:7–9 Jesus’ third I am pronouncement depicts Him as the door of the sheep. The imagery contrasts Jesus’ protection of the sheep in the fold with the usurpers, the false prophets of OT times and the false messiahs of more recent times. Entering the sheepfold through Jesus is a saving action and provides the sheep with abundant life and provision. The phrase go in and out (v. 9) does not mean that one can vacillate about being in Christ one moment and outside of Him the next. The picture is one of security and safety in Christ as the door to the sheep’s daily comings and goings.

10:11–14 Jesus’ fourth I am pronouncement declares Him to be the good shepherd, whose genuine concern for His sheep is in stark contrast to the conduct of a hireling, whose only interest is self-preservation.

10:15 The intimate relationship of the Father and the Son provides the model for the relationship of the Shepherd and His sheep.

10:16 The reference to other sheep anticipates the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost and their full incorporation into the one church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

10:22 The Feast of Dedication, known today as Hanukkah, had its origin in the liberation and rededication of the temple under the Maccabeans in 165 B.C., after it had been desecrated by the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes.

10:28, 29 The security of the sheep lies in the power of the Shepherd and His relationship to the Father.

10:34, 35 You are gods: The reference, taken from Ps. 82:6, does not attribute deity to the judges to whom it refers, but was a title of commendation, noting the God-given capacities of human life and will—the fruit of being made “in His image.” This is clearly seen in the appositional clause, “You are children of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6). Jesus’ use here is as an argument from the lesser to the greater, not as a designation of His people. In other words, if God Himself called the Jews “gods” at that time, as verified by their own Scriptures, how much more was Jesus now justified in calling Himself the Son of God, as verified by His works, which were the Father’s?

10:37, 38 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John.