John 10 - KJV Foundation Study Bible

10:1 sheepfold. 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.

10:3 the porter. The porter was the undershepherd. calleth his own sheep by name. The naming of sheep was an ancient practice (Ps. 147:4; Is. 40:26).

10:7 I am the door. In verses 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.

10:10 might have it 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 The Ministry of Jesus—Jesus’ most important teachings are: the kingdom of God (Matt. 5–7; 24–25); His divine authority over men (Matt. 7:28–29; Mark 2:10); His own role as God and Messiah demonstrated by miracles and signs; the significance of His death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21; Luke 24:26); the relationship which His disciples and subsequent believers are to share with Him (John 13–16); and the urgency of His commission to believers to make disciples (Matt. 28:19–20). The most significant events of His earthly life, His death and resurrection, are central to the entire Christian faith (1 Cor. 15:14). The death of Christ was a humiliating physical death (John 19:18, 33) that constituted a spiritual separation from God (Matt. 27:46). Within this moment there occurred the inexplicable mystery of the Father punishing the Son for the sins of the world (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18). The greatest crime of human history was in the plan of God (Acts 2:23) and became the basis of salvation for sinners (Is. 53:5). The resurrection of Christ demonstrated that His death, by which believing sinners are justified, was valid (1 Cor. 15:12–20). The historical evidence for the resurrection is plentiful: the many separate accounts of post-resurrection appearances, the empty tomb, and the transformed disciples. It is the power of the resurrection that empowers Christians today to live the Christian life (Eph. 1:19–20; Phil. 3:10).

10:16 other sheep I have. These 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 fold. This anticipates the salvation of the Gentiles and the formation of the church, in which converted Jews and Gentiles would form one spiritual body (Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:16).

10:19–21 many of them said . . . Others said. 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 indicates that some believe and others do not. This is the same division that occurred in 9:16.

10:22 the feast of the dedication. This festival was celebrated for eight days. In 167 b.c. Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple in Jerusalem, as prophesied in Daniel 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.

10:27–29 hear . . . follow. 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).

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

10:34 Ye are gods. In the Old Testament, 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.