John 10
BSASBJesus describes himself as the gate and the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, in contrast to thieves and hired hands. The chapter then moves to the Feast of Dedication, where he claims oneness with the Father and the crowd tries to stone him. Many across the Jordan believe.
John 10:1
Jesus begins with a picture from daily life. A sheepfold was an enclosure where flocks spent the night. Anyone who climbs over the wall instead of using the gate shows by that very act that he has no right to the sheep and means them harm.
BSA: robber (“one who takes by force”): The thief sneaks in, but the robber uses violence. Both want to take what is not theirs.
John 10:2-3
The true shepherd comes openly through the gate, and the gatekeeper welcomes him. The sheep know his voice. He does not treat the flock as a crowd but calls each by name, and he leads them out. It is a picture of personal care.
BSA: name (“character, identity”): To be called by name means being known as the individual you are.
John 10:4-5
In the East a shepherd walked in front, and the sheep followed. They trust him because they know his voice. A stranger’s voice makes them scatter. Believers likewise learn to recognize the voice of Christ and shy away from voices that are not his.
BSA: recognize (“know or acknowledge”): The sheep’s response comes from familiarity built up over time, not from suspicion.
John 10:6
The listeners did not grasp the picture. John calls it an illustration, a word that can mean a figure of speech with a hidden meaning. Jesus will now explain it by saying who the gate and the shepherd are.
Greek: παροιμίαν (paroimian, G3942) — “a figure of speech, a proverb-like saying.” John does not use the usual word for a parable. This word suggests a saying whose meaning lies below the surface.
John 10:7-8
Jesus says he is the gate, the only way the sheep enter safety. Those who came before him claiming to lead God’s people for their own gain were thieves and robbers. The true sheep did not follow them.
BSA: gate (“door, entrance”): Jesus is not only the way in but the one through whom the flock is kept safe.
See also: John 14:6.
John 10:9
Whoever enters through Jesus is saved. The picture is of free movement: coming in to safety and going out to feed, without fear. Life with Christ means both security and nourishment.
BSA: saved (“rescued, delivered from harm”): Salvation here means being brought out of danger into the safe keeping of the shepherd. pasture (“food, nourishment, spiritual sustenance”): Jesus gives not only rescue but daily feeding for the soul.
See also: Psalm 23:2.
John 10:10
The thief’s purpose is to take, to kill and to ruin. Jesus’ purpose is the opposite: to give. He came so that his people might have real life, and have it overflowing, beyond mere survival.
BSA: fullness (“overflowing”): The life Jesus gives is not scraped together but abundant, more than is needed.
Greek: περισσὸν (perisson, G4053) — “more than enough, surplus.” The word means something over and above what is required, so Christ’s gift is generous, not minimal.
John 10:11
Now Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. Good here means noble and excellent, not just kind. His goodness is shown by what he does: he gives his own life for the sheep. This is the heart of the chapter.
BSA: good (“fair, beautiful”): The word speaks of a goodness that is attractive and admirable, as well as right. for (“on behalf of, in place of”): His death is for the sheep’s benefit and stands in their place.
See also: Psalm 23:1; Ezekiel 34:11-12.
John 10:12-13
A hired hand works for pay, and the flock is not his. When the wolf comes, he saves himself. He is not wicked in the way a thief is, but his care is shallow. The wolf then scatters the flock. Real shepherding costs something.
BSA: hired hand (“a worker for wages, not the owner”): Because he does not own the sheep, he will not risk his life for them.
John 10:14-15
The good shepherd and his sheep know each other. Jesus compares that closeness to the knowing between the Father and himself. It is a relationship of love, not mere information. He then repeats that he lays down his life for the sheep.
BSA: know (“have a deep understanding of, am intimately acquainted with”): This knowing is personal and close, like the bond between Father and Son.
Greek: γινώσκω (ginōskō, G1097) — “I know, I come to know by relationship.” In John this word usually means knowing a person, not just knowing facts about them.
John 10:16
Jesus has other sheep outside the Jewish fold, which most readers take to mean Gentiles. He must bring them in too. They will hear his voice, and the result will be one flock under one shepherd, not two separate groups.
BSA: must (“it is necessary for me to”): Bringing in the other sheep is part of the mission the Father gave him.
See also: Ephesians 2:14-16.
John 10:17-18
Jesus’ death is not an accident or a defeat. He gives his life freely, with the Father’s commission, and he has authority to take it up again. The Father loves the Son’s willing obedience in this self-giving, and his resurrection is promised here.
BSA: authority (“power, freedom to act”): Jesus holds the right to give his life and to receive it back; no one forces him. own accord (“myself, voluntarily”): His sacrifice is a free choice, made in love.
Greek: ἐξουσίαν (exousian, G1849) — “authority, right to act.” It is the right to act, not just the strength. Jesus says he has the right to lay down his life and take it up again.
See also: Philippians 2:8.
John 10:19-21
Jesus’ words split the crowd again. Some dismissed him as demon-possessed and mad. Others noted that his words did not sound like that, and that a demon cannot give sight to the blind. His works were a witness that people had to weigh.
BSA: division (“split, separation”): Jesus’ words force a choice, and people divide over him.
See also: John 9:1-7.
John 10:22-23
The Feast of Dedication remembered the cleansing and rededication of the temple in the days of the Maccabees. It was winter. Jesus was walking in the temple courts, in the covered walkway called Solomon’s Colonnade.
BSA: Dedication (“rededication, renewal”): The festival celebrated the temple being set apart for God again.
John 10:24-25
The leaders pressed Jesus for a plain answer about whether he is the Christ. He says he has already told them, and his works in the Father’s name prove it. The problem was not lack of evidence but unwillingness to trust.
BSA: testify (“bear witness, give evidence”): His miracles act like witnesses speaking in court on his behalf.
Greek: μαρτυρεῖ (martyrei, G3140) — “bears witness.” This is the language of the law court. Jesus’ works are called as witnesses in his case.
John 10:26-27
Jesus says they do not believe because they are not his sheep. He does not mean they are shut out arbitrarily; he is describing the sheep by what they do. Those who belong to him listen, are known by him, and follow.
BSA: listen (“hear and obey, give ear to”): True listening to Christ includes trust and obedience, not just hearing.
John 10:28-29
Jesus gives his sheep eternal life, and they will never perish. They are held in his hand and also in the Father’s hand, a double safety. No one is strong enough to pull them out. The promise gives deep comfort to the believer.
BSA: snatch (“seize by force, pluck away”): It pictures a violent grab, which no enemy can succeed in. hand (“power, care, protection”): The hand stands for strength and loving keeping.
See also: Romans 8:38-39.
John 10:30
Jesus says he and the Father are one. His listeners understood this as a claim to equality with God, which is why they reacted so strongly. Christians have always seen here the unity of Father and Son, who are distinct yet one in power and being.
Greek: ἕν (hen, G1722) — “one thing.” The word is neuter, meaning one in nature and work, not one and the same person. The Father and Son are distinct yet one.
See also: John 1:1; John 17:21-22.
John 10:31-33
They pick up stones. Jesus asks which of his good works deserves stoning. They answer that the charge is blasphemy, because he, a man, makes himself God. They clearly understood what he was claiming.
BSA: blasphemy (“evil speaking, slander”): In their eyes, claiming to be God was an insult to God’s honor.
See also: Leviticus 24:16.
John 10:34-36
Jesus quotes the Law, where judges are called gods because God’s word came to them. If that language was allowed for them, why accuse the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world? His argument goes from lesser to greater. He is not denying his claim but showing it is not absurd.
BSA: sanctified (“made holy, set apart”): The Father consecrated the Son for a special mission. broken (“loosed, untied, or annulled”): Scripture’s authority cannot be set aside.
See also: Psalm 82:6.
John 10:37-38
Jesus offers a fair test. If his works are not the Father’s works, do not believe him. If they are, then believe the works, even if you resist his words. They show that the Father is in him and he is in the Father.
BSA: works (“miracles, signs”): His deeds are evidence pointing to who he is.
See also: John 14:10-11.
John 10:39
They tried again to seize him, but he slipped away. His hour had not yet come. No one could take his life until he chose to lay it down, as he had just said.
See also: John 7:30.
John 10:40-42
Jesus withdraws to the place across the Jordan where John first baptized. People there recall that John did no sign, yet everything he said about Jesus proved true. The plain, quiet witness of John bore fruit, and many believed.
BSA: true (“genuine, authentic”): John’s words about Jesus were proved right by what the people saw.
See also: John 1:29-34.