John 10 - NKJV Study Bible

10:1 In John 7, Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (see 7:2,10). All of the events between 7:10 and 10:39 take place on that visit to Jerusalem. Thus Chs. 9 and 10 are closely connected, suggesting that Jesus had the Pharisees of Ch. 9 in mind when He spoke the opening words of Ch. 10. A sheepfold was a walled enclosure or high fence made with stakes, and having one door or gate; often the enclosure was a cave. some other way: The Pharisees had secured their power by illegitimate means. A thief steals in secret; a robber plunders openly with violence.

10:2 In contrast to the thief, the true shepherd would come through the door.

10:3 The doorkeeper was the undershepherd. Calls expresses personal address rather than a general or authoritative invitation. by name: The naming of sheep was an ancient practice (see Ps. 147:4; Is. 40:26). This was good practice for the undershepherd who has been given the charge of a portion of God’s flock (see 1 Pet. 5:2).

10:4 Brings out is a translation of the same Greek word used in 9:34,35 of the Pharisees casting out the man born blind. The false shepherds put out the sheep to rid themselves of trouble. The true shepherd puts out the sheep in order to feed them. The sheep know the voice of the true shepherd.

10:5 A stranger is anyone whom the sheep do not know, not necessarily a thief and a robber. Sheep would not follow a stranger’s voice even if he used the shepherd’s call and imitated his tone.

10:7 In vv. 1–5, Jesus is the shepherd; here He is the door. Some shepherds lay down across the entry of the sheepfold at night to sleep. Wild beasts would be discouraged from entering, and sheep would not exit. Thus the shepherd was also the door.

10:8 The thieves and robbers were the Pharisees (v. 1).

10:9 Jesus, the shepherd, gives spiritual life and access to spiritual food.

10:10 more abundantly: The thieves take life; the shepherd gives it. Abundant life includes salvation, nourishment, healing (v. 9), and much more. Life here refers to eternal life, God’s life. It speaks not only of endlessness, but of quality of life. With Christ, life on earth can reach much higher quality, and then in heaven it will be complete and perfect.

10:11 Jesus is the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep (see 3:16; 1 John 3:16), as opposed to the wicked thief who takes their lives. While life in v. 10 refers to eternal life, life here refers to physical life. Jesus laid down His physical life in order to give us eternal life.

10:12 The hireling is a hired shepherd, a mercenary, who tends the flock for his own interest. When a hired shepherd sees a wolf coming he flees, not caring about the sheep.

10:16 The other sheep were not Jews in heathen lands, but Gentiles. The Jewish people had asked if Jesus would go and teach the Gentiles (7:35). Jesus now declared that He had sheep among the despised heathen. One flock anticipates the salvation of the Gentiles and the formation of the church, in which converted Jews and Gentiles would form one spiritual body (see 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:16).

10:18 As the good shepherd, Jesus had the power—that is, the authority—not only to voluntarily lay down His life for the sheep (vv. 11,15,17), but also to take it up again. No one but God can do that.

10:19–21 After Jesus’ analogy of the good shepherd, the editorial comment by John is fitting. In the analogy, Jesus was the good shepherd whose sheep hear His voice, implying that there are sheep who do not hear His voice. John’s comment, true to the purpose of his Gospel, indicates that some believe and others do not. This is the same division that occurred in 9:16.

10:22 The events of 7:1—10:21 occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles, which fell in the middle of October. The Feast of Dedication was celebrated for eight days in December; thus there was a period of about two months between vv. 21 and 22. In 167 B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple in Jerusalem, as prophesied in Dan. 11:31. The Maccabeans restored and purified the temple. In commemoration of the restoration, the Feast of Dedication was instituted. Today it is also known as the Feast of Lights or Hanukkah. John notes that the events of 10:22 occurred in winter to explain why the Lord chose a sheltered spot in which to teach (v. 23).

10:23 A pavilion surrounded the temple. Solomon’s porch was a long, covered cloister or colonnade in the temple court, probably on the east side.

10:25 Jesus answered: Jesus reminded the Jewish leaders of His words and works. Jesus was the Messiah and said so. He told the woman at the well that He was the Messiah (4:25,26), as well as the man born blind (9:35–37). His works include all the miracles He performed as signs pointing to His messiahship (see 20:31).

10:26 as I said to you: At the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus had told the leaders that they were not among His sheep (see vv. 14,15; 8:42–44,47).

10:27–29 Jesus described three characteristics of His sheep: (1) They hear His voice (v. 4). He knows them (see Rom. 8:29). (2) They follow Him. The following of the sheep is a metaphor for faith. Other metaphors for faith in this Gospel include drinking water (4:14), eating bread (6:50,51), eating flesh and drinking blood (6:54). (3) They shall never perish; their eternal life can never be taken away. The Father’s hand is more powerful than that of any enemy.

10:30 I and My Father are one: The Jewish opponents understood that Jesus was claiming to be God (vv. 31,33).

10:31 again: This was not the first time that the Jewish leaders took up stones against Jesus (see 8:59).

10:32,33 The Jewish antagonizers revealed the reason for their opposition to Jesus—He was claiming a unique unity with the Father, a unity that clearly indicated His own deity. The Jewish leaders considered this to be blasphemy.

10:34 In the OT, judges were called gods. They exercised godlike judicial sovereignty. Psalm 82:6, the verse quoted here, refers to judges who violate the Law. Jesus’ argument was that if the divine name had been applied by God to mere men, there could be neither blasphemy nor folly in its application to the incarnate Son of God Himself.

10:35 Broken actually means “to loose, untie.” This is a strong statement of the inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures. Notice how Jesus made the veracity of His argument rest on the absolute trustworthiness of Scripture.

10:38 believe the works: Jesus asked the Jewish leaders to at least consider His miracles because these indicated and demonstrated His deity. Note that the heart of the issue is belief. John never deviates from this single condition for being born again. The word translated believe is used 99 times in this book.

10:40 beyond the Jordan: This sojourn into Perea is also noted in Matt. 19:1; Mark 10:1.