John 10

David Lipscomb Commentary On John Chapter Ten THE PARABLE OF THE AND HIS SHEEPJoh_10:1-6 It is doubtful whether the teaching that follows was spoken in connection with the preceding chapter. Some think the former chapter was spoken at the feast of tabernacles (chapter 7) and this at the feast of dedication (verse 22) in the winter. They are distinct enough to have been spoken on differ¬ent occasions, and yet show enough similarity to be a continuation of the same discourse. There are two parables presented here that are often combined as one. This creates some confusion. Again, persons frequently conclude that because a person or fact represents one thing in a parable it must do it in all parables. This produces confusion. The first parable here spoken concludes with verse 6. A second and distinct parable begins with verse 7 and concludes with verse 10. In the first parable, Jesus is the Shepherd entering into the fold and calling his sheep. In the second, Jesus is the door by or through which the sheep enter into the fold of God. After the conclusion of the two parables, he presents truths drawn from them. 1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.—He explains in this who is the true Shepherd or Christ and who are false christs. The true Christ enters by the door. This parable is based on what is said to be the practice of the shepherds in the east. The different flocks of sheep are gathered at night into one common fold, the door is closed, a porter keeps the door, and in the morning the shepherd comes, the porter opens the door to him as he comes, he calls his sheep by name, and the sheep know their shepherd’ s voice, and fol¬low him. This is to show that Christ the true Shepherd comes to the door; the porter opens to him, he enters, calls his sheep, and they follow him. All who come claiming to be christs that do not enter the open door are false christs, are thieves and robbers. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.—The door, it seems to me, is the entering into the way pointed out by the prophets. To come as they foretold is to enter by the door into the work of saving the world. [The prophecies pointing to the coming of Christ were the door through which he passed. He fulfilled all of them. He who claims to be the shepherd of the sheep, failing to fulfill these prophecies, has climbed up some other way than going through the door, and is therefore a thief and a robber.] 3 To him the porter openeth;—[The gatekeeper. One man was left in charge of the fold who spent the night there on watch against thieves and wild beasts. When the hour ar¬rived for leading out the flocks in the morning, the shepherd came to the door and being recognized was admitted by the porter.] The porter that is to admit and bear testimony to Christ the Shepherd, it seems to me, is John the Baptist. He was the forerunner of Jesus to bear witness to him and intro¬duce him as the Shepherd of the fold of God. and the sheep hear his voice:—[“ Hear” is used in the sense of intelligent hearing. They recognize and give heed to his voice. They could “ hear” simply a rabbi’ s voice as well as the shepherd’ s.] and he called his own sheep by name,—[This corresponds exactly with the facts of eastern shepherd life. They give names to sheep as we do to our tame animals. It denotes Christ’ s individual interest in each soul.] and leadeth them out.—[To pasture where there is plenty to feed upon.] Those ready to receive the spiritual shepherd and hear his voice are led by him out into green pastures of the children of God. 4 When he hath put forth all his own,—[Has separated his sheep from those of his neighbors.] he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him:—[This is in accordance with oriental custom to this day. Sheep are not driven but led, the shepherd walking in front occasionally uttering a peculiar voice.] for they know his voice.—[Distinct from that of all other voices.] Jesus leads by his teaching and example, and those willing to hear follow out of the fold of Judaism into the privileges of Christ. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.—[An eastern sheep will not follow a strange voice.] One whose voice is not attended by the divine teaching a true disciple will not hear. All who came claiming to be christs were thieves and robbers who came to steal and rob. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.—This was a completed parable that the people did not understand what he meant to teach. They had not understood and be¬lieved those who had gone before him. BETWEEN TRUE AND THE John 10:7-18 7 Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.—He then introduces another parable to show how the sheep may enter into the fold of God and find the care and protection they need to protect them from the thieves and robbers that would destroy them for their selfish ends. Jesus himself is the door into the fold. We enter into the fold of God by entering in or through Christ. [The prophecies were the door through which Christ came and Christ is the door through which we go into the church of Christ. There is but one door or entrance. All who enter the church must go through this door. Baptism is the completing act that puts us through the door into Christ or the church. (Matthew 28:19; Galatians 3:27; John 3:5.) The “ door” here represents Jesus beyond doubt, but how?

In the fold is shelter by night, in the pasture is sustenance by day. Through the door they pass to one at night, to the other in the morning. The door then represents the gateway to all our spiritual blessings.] 8 All that came before me are thieves and robbers:—All that came before him claiming to be christs in and through whom they could enter the fold of God were thieves and robbers [for the reason they did not fulfill the prophecies relating to Christ. Instead of entering in through the door, they climbed up some other way]. but the sheep did not hear them.—[Those who were pre¬pared for Christ came to him in spite of them as did the blind man of the previous chapter. They are goats, not true sheep, that wander off after false teachers.] 9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,—[From all the skulkers of the night, the hosts of evil, that would fain destroy the sheep.] If any one enters the fold of God through Christ as the door, he shall be saved. and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.—As the shepherd leads his sheep in for protection and out for pasture and water so Christ will give these protection and food. This is a reference to the shepherd leading his flock out to the pasture and into the cote or fold for protection. It means that God affords his children food and protection. No parable is intended to apply in all its parts, but one leading point or feature represents the lesson intended to be taught. [Jesus is at once the door, the shepherd, and the pasture. His pasture is the bread of life and the water of life. All who enter by him in the way ordained by God are saved and shall never be lost unless they cease to continue to hear and obey his voice.

This is a picture of the happy, contented life of the sheep folded by night and fed by day. So may those who have entered into Christ rest in peace sure that he will lead them by day and protect them by night.] 10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy:—The false christ comes only for selfish purposes and will kill and destroy others for his selfish ends. [All those who enter otherwise than by the door wish to prey upon the flock. Their object is not to save the flock, but to destroy it. False religion robs men; true religion blesses and enriches them. After having served for the satisfaction of their pride, ambition, and cupidity they will perish morally, and at least even externally by the effect of this pernicious guidance. The false and selfish teacher is not only a thief who steals the substance and the opportunities of the flock, but a destroyer. This is a universal truth that any person of wide observation has seen illustrated too often.

He destroys the spiritual life of the flock, leads it away from God, fills it with false doctrines, destroys the faith that is in men’ s hearts, and scatters the flock abroad until the sheep can no longer be found at the Lord’ s house. My observation is that this is, sooner or later, the picture of the pastor system. Too many preach to satisfy the money and popular sides.] I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.—[Overflowingly; richfulness of nourishment (Comp. Psalms 23) ; abundance of spiritual possessions (grace and truth) (1: 14) in which the life consists.] Jesus the true Shepherd will lay down his life to save the sheep and for their growth to a higher good. 11 l am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.—He distinctly announces that he him¬self is the good Shepherd who came from heaven to earth to give his life to save those who would trust and follow him. 12 He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them:—Others who are hirelings or work for selfish ends forsake the sheep and flee when they see danger approaching and leave the sheep to be destroyed. [“ The laborer is worthy of his hire,’’ and hence it is not the bare fact of a man receiving pay that makes him a hireling. He is a hireling who would not work were it not for the money he receives. He only cares for his own selfish ends. He will lead the flock away from hope with false doctrines when popularity lends its influence in that direction. Those he described above as thieves and robbers, he now describes as hirelings. Thus true and false shepherds are described.] 13 he fleeth because he is a hireling,—He whose labor is for selfish ends flees when danger threatens, and when the chances are he will lose instead of gain by the danger. [All his care and love is centered on his pay and self-interest, and none on the church. It is said that “ when yellow fever struck Memphis the hireling shepherds fled to the north.” ] and careth not for the sheep.—He works for his own selfish good and not for the good of others. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me,—There is a recognition that certain per¬sons, when they hear the truth, will accept and follow it. Jesus recognizes that these are his before they hear the gospel and accept it. In this sense he is known of his own and knows them. In verse 16 he speaks of those who are his own, but not of this fold. The Lord told Paul at Corinth, “ I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:10) before they had heard or believed the gospel. They loved the truth, and were of that frame of mind that when they heard it would accept and follow it. 15 even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.—The Father knew Jesus would lay down his life for the sheep and because he loved the truth himself, and so loved that he was willing to die to lead all willing to follow truth. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.—Among the Gentiles were many who, when they heard the truth, would accept and follow Jesus. These he calls his sheep of another fold. He would call them and of the two he would make one fold under one Shepherd. 17 Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.—The reason God loved Jesus and sent him to save sinners was because he had no will save to do the will of God and was willing to die to save all who would serve God. He gave his life with the full assurance that he would take it up again. 18 No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself.—While the Father desired that Jesus should give his life for the world, no necessity was laid on him to do it against his own will. Indeed he was chosen of the Father to make this sacrifice because he designed to give his life for the world. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from my Father.—While wicked men took his life by violence, he could have called twelve legions of angels to his deliverance had he desired. While he drew back from the bitter cup of death offered him, it was only momentarily so, for he came for this end, and pursued it to the bitter end. While it was his will, yet in doing it, he acted according to the commandment of God. [He laid down his life at the cross and took it again at the resurrection.] AMONG HIS HEARERSJoh_10:19-21 19 There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words.—The teachings of Jesus always produced divi¬sion among those who heard. Some were willing to hear and believe, others would reject it. It is so now. As much de¬pends upon the condition of the heart of the hearers as upon the amount of the testimony given. Those not willing to be¬lieve are influenced and embittered by additional testimony. 20 And many of them said, He hath a demon, and is mad; why hear ye him?—Some attributed his speech and works to a demon. [The Jews believed that demons could produce su¬pernatural effects. (Matthew 12:24.) They used this as a foun¬dation in explaining the miraculous power of Christ.] 21 Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?—Others insisted that demons did not talk in this way, and especially that a demon could not open the eyes of the blind. Demons could sometimes do supernatural works, but they were never good works or helpful to man. [Their question suggests that demons could not do miraculous good works like healing the blind. It had never been known that demons could open the eyes of the blind.] [Here the historian shows what different effects the teaching of Jesus had upon the Jews. Many of them calumniate and slander him as one possessed of a demon and mad, and therefore not to be heard and obeyed; others of calmer thoughts and more levelheaded said that the doctrine he taught, and the late miracle which he had wrought in curing the blind man, were abundantly sufficient to confute such a groundless slander. Note, that the teaching of Christ meeting with diversity of dispositions— it is no wonder it occasions different effects to the softening of some and hardening of others; even as the same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay; yet this is not to be attributed to the teaching of Jesus, but to men’s corruptions which oppose the truth and the maintainers of it.] AT THE FEAST OF BEYOND THE JORDAN AND TO BETHANY John 10:22 to John 11:59 RENEWAL OF REMARKS ABOUT HIS SHEEPJoh_10:22-30 22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem:— Herod the Great had rebuilt the temple—was forty-six years in restoring it— and a feast celebrating that dedication was observed to perpetuate it. 23 it was winter;—Near the time when the people in this country celebrate Christmas. [This feast came in December, but the day is not certain.] and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’ s porch.— This was a large portion of the temple, four hundred feet long, in which numbers could congregate. 24 The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense?—The Jews clearly saw that there was something above the ordinary human being in speech and works of Jesus and persuaded themselves that they desired to know and do the truth. If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.—They desired that he should make a plain declaration as to whether he was the Christ. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in my Father’ s name, these bear witness of me.—While Jesus occasionally told those to whom he spoke that he was the Christ, generally he left the works that he did to make the impression, and when he saw a willingness to promptly accept the truth, he told them that he was the Christ. But when they caviled about his work and showed a desire to reject him, he refused to tell them. He chided them here with having refused to believe either his word or the works the Father had done through him. These people had seen many works performed at Jerusalem on his frequent visits to the city and had seen the blind mentioned in the ninth chapter healed. Matthew (Matthew 11:5) gives an enumeration of the miracles he performed in their midst. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.—They in that state of heart were determined not to believe, so he refused to recognize them as his sheep. You are not of that class who are willing to receive the truth. He had tried them. (John 12:39-40; Matthew 13:14-15.) 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they fol¬low me;—He and those willing to hear him both loved truth and were naturally drawn to each other. 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,—As a result of their hearing and following him, they should never perish. and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.—None could separate them from Christ while they were anxious to do his will. No one can separate one anxious to follow Christ from him. Only the person himself can separate from Christ, and he can do this only by refusing to hear him. 29 My Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater than all;—God the Father is the provider and protector of all. He had given to Christ all who were willing to follow him. “ No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.” (6 : 44, 45.) Which shows that God gave to Jesus those who had heard and learned of the prophets and were willing to receive him as the Christ. and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’ s hand.— [No man is able to do it, but the Father can and will if we cease to follow Jesus. (15: 2.) None shall ever fall away from want of divine grace, or the power of adversaries, but because they cease to hear and follow Jesus. By our own sins we are separated from God. (Isaiah 59:2.) ] 30 I and the Father are one.—They are one in nature, character, and purpose, and worked in perfect harmony in saving men. His doing the will of God his Father was the evidence he was from God, that he was the Son of God, and that he was in the Father and the Father in him. ABOUT STONING JESUSJoh_10:31-39 31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him.—To make himself one with God was regarded by the Jews as blasphemy. And blasphemy was to be punished by death by stoning. (Leviticus 24:14-16.) 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from the Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?—Jesus hindered the stoning by appealing to the good works he had done— works of mercy and love— in healing the afflicted in their midst. Jesus knew they could not deny them so he confidently referred to them as known by the Jews about to stone him. It was unto these people that Peter boldly affirmed that Jesus of Nazareth was “ a man approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22.) Judas testified (Matthew 27:4) that he was innocent and sealed his testimony with his own blood; Pilate testified that he found no fault in him (Luke 23:4 Luke 23:14); the centurion who crucified him testified, ‘‘ This was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54) ; and here those who sought his life testify that they knew he did many miracles of good works in their midst. These testimonies show that Jesus never did evil to a living soul. He was persecuted and crucified; but while receiving evil from many, he never returned evil. When the fleshly body passed away, the church of God as his spiritual body took its place in which his Spirit dwells. The spiritual body is nearer to the Son of God than his fleshly body ever was. Jesus is persecuted and stoned in the spiritual body as unjustly and as cruelly as he ever was in the fleshly body. He still returns only good for evil. Jesus the Christ in the spiritual body has never brought evil to a single soul, and this challenge still comes to those who turn from him and neglect and abuse and divide and sever his spiritual body. “ Many good works have I showed you from the Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?" All the good things of a material, intellectual, and spiritual nature we enjoy in this age of the world come from God and are the fruits borne by the tree planted by God two thousand years ago. They came to us through the spiritual body of Christ. It often exposes the evil, but it never produces it. It exposes it that its evil influences may be counteracted and destroyed. Jesus Christ came as a Savior to man, and neither in the fleshly nor the spiritual body did he ever injure or harm a living soul. Churches claiming to be churches of God have injured and done harm to mortals, but it was the human grafts upon that tree planted by God that did the evil and bore the bitter fruit of humanity. Human grafts and trees of human planting always bear bitter fruit. They can bear no other because man, their author and founder, is evil. An evil tree cannot bear good fruit any more than the good tree can bear evil fruit. A stream cannot rise higher than its fountain. All human king-doms and all human grafts upon the divine tree can bear only evil and bitter fruit to humanity, and every friend of man and of God must set his face firmly against all human grafts upon the divine tree. 33 The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.—Here those anxious to kill Jesus are made to bear testimony to the many good works he did in their midst. They admitted that he had done these works, but insisted that they did not stone him for these works, but for making himself the Son of God when he was only a man. 34-36 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?—Jesus quotes this to show that their own law recognizes those as gods who executed the law of God that came to them. As God’ s servants, they enforced his law and the Psalmist calls them gods. If this be so, why should it be regarded as blasphemy when one specially sent from God into the world calls himself the Son of God? [The word “ sanctify” means to make holy or set apart. It is here used in the latter sense.] 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.—He presents the works he did in their midst as the witness that he was from God and that God was with him. 38 But if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.—Independent of the words and claims of Jesus, the works that he did ought to prove to them that the Father was with and in Jesus doing the works and so approving him as sent of God. To this there was no reply. [If they had personal prejudices against Jesus, they ought to consider his works without prejudice.] 39 They sought again to take him: and he went forth out of their hand.—They sought to arrest him, and still even by physical force. How he escaped we are not told. [Here ends the three months of stormy ministry in the life of Jesus in Je¬rusalem. Twice they attempted to mob him (John 8:59 John 10:31); twice efforts were made to arrest him (John 7:32 John 7:45 John 10:39); and also secret plans to assassinate him had been laid (John 7:19 John 8:37).] JESUS DEPARTS BEYOND THE JORDANJoh_10:40-42 40 And he went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was at the first baptizing; and there he abode.—He left Judea because they would not believe him, and went to the east side of the Jordan to Bethabara where John had baptized and remained there for a time. 41 And many came unto him; and they said, John indeed did no sign: but all things whatsoever John spake of this man were true.—The teaching and miracles of Jesus brought many to see him wherever he abode. 42 And many believed on him there.—It is likely that the testimony of John at his baptism had a favorable influence in his behalf and his testimony and works caused many to believe on him at this place. [John’ s preparatory work there was so thorough that they readily received and believed on Jesus. His work here was fruitful, due to the fact that “ all things whatsoever John spake of this man were true.” ]

Verse 1 Chapter nine ended on a theme of judgment (John 9:39); and here the deserved judgment of the evil shepherds is uttered. “Jesus swiftly turned the tables on his judges and sentenced them.[1] The controversy that erupted over the miracle dominates the first 21 verses, as evidenced by “Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” (John 10:21). The expression, “Verily, verily,” is one which is not used at the commencement of a discourse”;[2] and Robertson said, “The words do not ever introduce a fresh topic."[3] Further evidence for the unity of the two chapters (John 9-10) is in Jesus’ presentation of himself as the divine Messiah under the metaphor of the “Good Shepherd,” contrasting with the evil shepherds who had cast out the blind man. The importance of the “Good Shepherd” metaphor lies in its use by Jesus: (1) to establish his claim of being God in the flesh, and (2) to identify himself as the “Son of David,” Israel’s great shepherd king. This refutes Richardson’s notion that “Nowhere does John make anything of the notion of a Davidic Messiah."[4]The concept that the Messiah would be the “Son of David” was not a mere notion but a solid conviction founded upon the Old Testament and honored by the very first verse in the New Testament. It was accepted by Christ himself (Matthew 22:41-46) and was without doubt the reason for Christ’s effective employment of the metaphor of the Good Shepherd in this chapter. The second half of the chapter (John 10:22-42) records events of some weeks later at the feast of the dedication, the additional references to the “Good Shepherd” being made necessary by his foes’ insistence that Jesus tell them “plainly” if he was the Christ. [1] A. M. Hunter, The Gospel according to John (Cambridge University Press, 1965), p. 100. [2] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1954), p. 285. [3] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1932), p. 173. [4] Alan Richardson, The Gospel according to St. John (London: SCM Press, 1959), p. 129. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1) Verily, verily … See introduction of this chapter. Entereth not by the door … Christ is the true door (John 10:7) of access to the sheep who are the true Israel of God. It was Christ the door who opened up the whole burden of Old Testament prophecy concerning him and whose coming into the world was the only reason for the existence of Israel as a chosen people. On the other hand, the vicious, secular priests then in charge of Israel had usurped authority over God’s Israel, having not entered through Christ the true door at all, but having climbed up by political and coercive means. The same is a thief and a robber … This may not be doubted. Jesus referred to the same men as having made the temple a den of thieves and robbers; and here they are compared to violent outlaws who climb the wall to plunder the sheep belonging to another. See also under John 10:8.

Verse 2 He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. All religious authority of any actual validity derives from Christ who came into the world to redeem it. He was the true door of access to the spiritual Israel, the children of the promise, who at the time were commingled with the fleshly, hardened Israel. The Father sent him; he came in his own character through the true door which was himself. By the door … Everything Jesus did was in perfect harmony with the Father’s will, contrasting sharply with the evil devices employed by the usurpers for maintaining control over the people. It had all started back there when they rejected God and chose a king of their own (1 Samuel 8:7); and throughout the ages afterward, the combined forces of a reprobate priesthood and an evil monarchy overshadowed the true Israel, the spiritual seed. The collapse of the political government left a hardened and bitter priesthood in control of practically all the affairs of their state, except matters wherein they were vassals of Rome. That evil hierarchy desired nothing in heaven or upon earth so much as the restoration of their earthly sovereignty through a king of their own choice; and their hatred of a spiritual kingdom like that of Jesus knew no boundaries or limitation.

Verse 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. There are two extended metaphors in view here, the first ending with John 10:6, and the other extending through John 10:18. David Lipscomb’s concise analysis is helpful: In the first parable, Jesus is the Shepherd entering into the fold and calling his sheep. In the second, Jesus is the door by or through which the sheep enter the fold of God.[5]Similarly, Christ is the door in two senses: (1) the door of access to the spiritual flock, and (2) the door of access for the sheep themselves into fellowship with God. This usage of the same symbols for diverse meanings, occurring sometimes in the same sentence, creates confusion unless this is taken into account. See John 10:9. To him the porter openeth … is an inert factor in the analogy. Efforts of expositors to assign some significance to the porter are proof enough that no spiritual meaning is clearly discernible. Thus, some hold that the Holy Spirit is meant;[6] some think the porter means Moses;[7] Lipscomb thought he was John the Baptist;[8] McGarvey said, “If he represents anybody, it is God”;[9] Webster thought he stood for ministers and teachers in the church;[10] Wordsworth and others saw him as Christ, who is not only the door and the good shepherd but the porter also.[11] The view here is that the porter was just one of the facilities of the sheepfold, like the wall or the thorn hedge, or like the bag out of which the sower planted his field, in that parable, the bag not being mentioned but necessarily inferred. THE The shepherd led his sheep but did not drive them, and a very intimate and loving relationship existed between the shepherd and the sheep, even extending to the shepherd’s habit of giving each sheep a name and teaching them to respond to his voice and commands. At night, he usually led them into a safe enclosure, often lying across the entrance and thus forming literally the door. Flocks from several shepherds often occupied the same enclosure, the separation taking place next morning when each shepherd went his way, calling his sheep to follow, the sheep invariably following their true shepherd. Such shepherds were devoted to their sheep, risking or even giving their lives in defense of them against marauding beasts or thieves and robbers. As Freeman said: For the sheep live in their shepherd, the center of their unity, the guarantee of their security, and the pledge of their prosperity …. In the morning he goes before them to lead them out, and in the evening lies down in their midst …. This shepherd life is one of such loving devotion that it readily lends itself to religious impression …. Certain it is that David’s spiritual nature owed much to his having been a keeper of Jesus’ sheep[12]Calleth his sheep by name, and leadeth them out … and the sheep hear his voice … etc. All such expressions become clear in the light of the above summary of the Eastern shepherd’s relationship to the flock. [5] David Lipscomb, A Commentary on the Gospel of John (Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Co., 1960), p. 150. [6] J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan), I, p. 629. [7] Ibid. [8] David Lipscomb, op. cit., p. 152. [9] J. W. McGarvey, The Fourfold Gospel (Cincinnati, Ohio: The Standard Publishing Company, 1914), p. 469. [10] J. C. Ryle, op. cit., p. 629. [11] Ibid. [12] John Freeman, Life on the Uplands (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1924), p. 20.

Verse 4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.This has no reference to Jesus’ putting his followers in and out of the church! The whole service of caring for the sheep stands for the salvation and security of them that follow the Good Shepherd. See under John 10:3.

Verse 5 And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers,The voice … is mentioned three times here in six verses and refers to the distinctive quality of Jesus’ teachings. The voice of strangers brings philosophies, theories, and speculations; but only the voice of Jesus brings salvation. People who really desire salvation are rebuffed by human pride and sophistication, and they will flee from every voice except the authentic one. The poor blind man was a perfect example of a sheep who heard and followed the true Shepherd’s voice. The strangers indeed had called him, demanding that he deny glory to the Lord; but instead he worshipped Jesus.

Verse 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake to them.This parable … The word thus rendered here is [@paroimia], sometimes translated “proverb”; but it may be logically viewed as an extended metaphor, or comparison. The Pharisees whom Jesus had already called “blind” (John 9:39 f) did not have the slightest idea about what Jesus meant by these teachings. Two months later (John 10:24) they seem to have caught on to at least a part of what Jesus meant; but in this scene they remained oblivious to his meaning, even after he repeated the metaphor and embellished it.

Verse 7 Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily,, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.Jesus is the means of access to the true spiritual children of God, as explained under the above six verses. Jesus to this point had not categorically called himself the door; but here he stated it plainly.

Verse 8 All that came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them.As Richardson noted: To the rulers who fattened themselves at the expense of the flock, the Sadducean high priests, and Pharisaic doctors, the Herods and the Roman procurators - all these wicked shepherds (in the sense of Ezekiel 34) had climbed into their place of domination over the flock by illegitimate means; and it was they who conspired against the Divine Shepherd, who would lay down his life for the sheep and who would gather together into one flock the scattered children of God.[13]ENDNOTE: [13] Alan Richardson, op. cit., p. 131.

Verse 9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.I am the door … has here a different meaning. In John 10:8, it referred to the access of the Lord to his flock; here it refers to the access of men to salvation, or, in terms of the metaphor, access to the sheepfold. Here is the mixing of the metaphor and the reality for which it stands in the same sentence. Sheep do not find salvation, and Christians do not find pasture; but both concepts are in this verse. Remarkably, the same mixed metaphor is in the Old Testament, “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever” (Psalms 79:13). Of course, sheep do not give thanks; but it was part of the genius of inspiration that metaphors were mingled in both testaments. Attention to such details as this is prerequisite to understanding this remarkable passage.

Verse 10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.The religious hierarchy of hardened Israel was the murderous thief intent on killing and destroying, and Christ is the true shepherd who came to bring abundant life to the people of God. Abundantly … How grotesque and unreal are the ideas of those who think the Christian leads a life of boring inhibition, sitting out his years in the chilly twilight of monastic gloom, forbidden to do anything that everyone else wants to do, and always cowering in fear before an angry God! On the contrary, the Christian life is the happy life, free, abundant, and overflowing, adventurous and exciting beyond any other kind of existence. Why cannot men believe their Creator, to the effect that the way of Christ is the way of joy and fulfillment? Interpreters’ Bible has the following in the same vein of thought: (Concerning) those who fling their lives away in an avid questing for sensation, seeking to make a collection of experiences as others do of stamps, and esteeming every new experience of any kind an addition to their store, who will get drunk, simply for experience, and touch unholy things that they may taste the whole of life: - they do not realize, poor duped fools, misled by hobbledehoy thinkers, so called, who have cooked these immature ideas into a kind of messy philosophy - they do not realize that in life, as in arithmetic, there is a minus sign as surely as a plus; and that certain experiences do not add to, but subtract from, what we had and were before, each new indulgence in forbidden things leaving us poorer, leaner, emptier, and at length beggared.[14]One in full possession of his intelligence cannot seriously suppose that God would have created man with a constitution that would enable him to be happier in the service of the devil than in the service of God. The abundant life is not with the evil one, but with Jesus Christ our Lord. ENDNOTE: [14] W. F. Howard, The Interpreters’ Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1952), Luke-John, p. 625.

Verse 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.This portion of this metaphorical passage dominates the whole passage and bears the principal weight of meaning. A background knowledge of the Old Testament concerning the true shepherd of Israel is vital to a proper understanding of what is meant by Jesus here. Almighty God appears throughout the Old Testament as the true shepherd of Israel. Note: The Lord is my shepherd (Psalms 23:1). We are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture (Psalms 79:13). Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock (Psalms 80:1). For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (Psalms 95:7). Moreover, the whole 34th chapter of Ezekiel is given over to this metaphor of God as the good shepherd and the false leaders as the evil shepherds. This great chapter is the key to all that is spoken here. Now, in the light of this very extensive metaphor in the Old Testament making God to be the only true shepherd of Israel, how is one to understand Jesus when twice he thundered the message that “I am the good shepherd”? It is no less a declaration that Jesus is God than if any other words had been employed to say it. That he did intend it thus is proved by the fact that when the Pharisees finally realized what he meant, they attempted to stone him for blasphemy (John 10:33). But there is a further corollary of this claim of being the Good Shepherd, and that refers to his being the Son of David. Ezekiel prophesied thus: And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I Jehovah will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I Jehovah have spoken it (Ezekiel 34:23-24). Ezekiel’s prophecy did not refer to the literal king David, long dead, but to the Son of David, the Messiah, who would truly reign over the kingdom upon the throne of David (spiritually). Thus it came to pass that throughout all Israel in the times of Christ, the Messiah was usually spoken of as “the Son of David” (Matthew 22:42 f). See the first verse of the New Testament. Thus, they are in error who imagine that John did not stress the Davidic kingdom, this entire passage being full of it. Layeth down his life for his sheep … What is this if not a prophecy of the cross? Here the reality far surpasses the metaphor; for, while it was true that shepherds were known to lose their lives in defense of the sheep, there is no record of any having consented to do so voluntarily. Jesus willingly gave himself up to die for men.

Verse 12 He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them out and scattereth them.The contrast here between the hireling keepers of the flock and the Lord who truly loved the sheep, enough even to die for them, has an application far beyond this. In the church of all ages there have been both evil and good shepherds in the full character of these on view in this verse. Hireling … is not a reference to all who work for wages, the laborer being fully worthy of his hire; but it denotes a class of persons who merchandise holy things, not out of regard for sacred values, but purely from selfish and carnal motives. The wolf … was Jesus’ usual designation of false teachers (Matthew 7:15 ff); and the modus operandi of such is always that of scattering the flock. The surest evidence of such a wolf is that which derives from this very characteristic. A “church buster” is invariably a wolf, regardless of his pretensions.

Verse 13 He fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.Hireling … See under preceding verse. Careth not for the sheep … The true shepherd is one who cares for his charges. This contrasts with the heartless and pitiless disregard of such religious leaders as those who cast out the blind man in the hope of advancing their own nefarious schemes.

Verse 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me.See under John 10:11. This verse should be read in close connection with the next, because the union between the Father and Christ: is like that between the Lord and his church. Although his own do not know the Lord with the same completeness of knowledge that he has of them, nevertheless they know him. His mind is in them; his name is upon them; his service engages them; his joy sustains them; his love forgives them; and his Spirit guides them. The union of Christ and his servants is beautiful and sufficient.

Verse 15 Even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.One may not presume to offer a full explanation of all that is meant here. As Ryle said: The full nature of that knowledge which the First Person of the Trinity has of the Second and the Second of the First, is something far beyond man’s finite understanding. It is in short a deep mystery … (It is) a knowledge so high, so deep, so intimate, so ineffable, that no words can fully convey it.[15]The doctrine of the Trinity is rejected by some; but this student finds in such a doctrine the only explanation of many things in the word of God which otherwise have no explanation at all. (For more on this, see my Commentary on Matthew, p. 33.) ENDNOTE: [15] J. C. Ryle, op. cit., II, p. 10.

Verse 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.Not of this fold … These are the Gentiles whom Christ would save and who together with the spiritual Israel (a remnant of the whole) would thenceforth compose the one flock of God. One flock … The KJV is incorrect in rendering this “one fold.” Jesus here changed from the word “fold” to that of “flock,” because, due to the metaphor, it might otherwise have appeared that the Gentiles were to be called into the institution of the Jews. There was to be a new institution, God’s “one flock.” Not the least of the sure evidences of Jesus’ supernatural wisdom appears in this prophecy of the “one flock,” including Jews and Gentiles alike of every tribe and nation. This dream of a world-wide, universal fellowship of God’s people was envisioned in the great prophecies of Isaiah, and glimpsed in the experience of Jonah; but Jesus here dogmatically stated it as if it had already been accomplished.

Verse 17 Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.I lay down … that I may take … Jesus here expressed his absolute freedom and authority both to die and to rise from the dead. There are three differences between Jesus’ laying down his life for the sheep and that of the shepherds’ doing so in the metaphor. These are: (1) Jesus’ death is altogether voluntary, but not like the shepherd’s involuntary death while fighting against a robber. The shepherd might indeed die, but not willingly. (2) Christ’s death actually saves the sheep eternally, whereas the death of a shepherd would only hasten the death and destruction of the sheep. (3) Christ will lay down his life, but with a purpose of taking it up again, something no earthly shepherd could do.

Verse 18 No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself, and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from the Father.This necessity of Christ to express the voluntary nature of his forthcoming death probably derived from his dual purpose: (1) of preventing the exultation of his foes in thinking that his death would be their victory, and (2) of preventing the despair of his disciples in thinking that death might defeat him. Hendriksen and others believe that the better reading here is, “No one has taken it away from me, etc.” Such a use of the past tense is given in the English Revised Version (1885) margin; but, if valid, it could only mean that Christ spoke prophetically, in which the past tense is used for the future, as frequently in the Scriptures. This commandment received I from my Father … All that Christ did on earth was done in complete harmony and obedience to the will of God. The thing in view here was the Lord’s vicarious death and resurrection, but the same is true of all that he did. Of mortals, only they are good who obey the word of God. This was the glory of the Saviour that he did the will of the Father, conforming his every action to the Father’s will. This verse amounts to a shout into the very face of his enemies that they could not kill Jesus until he was ready to die for the sins of the world. That it was true would be proved before the present interview ended; for they took up stones to kill him, but could not (John 10:31).

Verse 19 There arose again a division among the Jews because of these words.Again a division … has reference to John 7:48 and John 9:16. As Ryle said: It may seem strange, at first sight, that he who came to preach peace between God and man should be the cause of contention. But herein were Jesus’ own words fulfilled: “I came not to send peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). The fault was not in Christ or his doctrine, but in the carnal mind of his hearers.[16]ENDNOTE: [16] Ibid., II, p. 17.

Verse 20 And many of them said, He hath a demon, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?One can feel a certain sympathy with the oppressed Jewish people who ardently hoped for some powerful leader, who they naturally supposed would be their long-awaited Messiah, who would throw off the galling yoke of the Roman conquerors and restore their state. Their rage and rejection against Jesus sprang from his being nothing like what they had imagined a Messiah would be. Instead of leading an all-powerful army against the enemy, here he was talking about dying and taking up his life again! They were simply not tuned in on any such wavelength. Some bluntly accused him of being mad or being possessed by a demon; and the voice of the minority who knew otherwise was not strong enough to break the personal barrier of hatred and antagonism which sinful and arrogant men had built up in themselves against Jesus. These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon …Can a demon open the eyes of the blind … ? Such thoughts as these should have penetrated the hearts of the adamant majority but did not. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God (Romans 7:7; 1 Corinthians 2:14). “The Scriptures had affirmed that only God could open the eyes of the blind (Exodus 4:11; Psalms 146:8)”;[17] and despite the fact that Richardson does not exactly quote Scripture here, the word of God nevertheless supports his contention. It was a remarkable blindness indeed that could ascribe the healing of the blind man to any other power than that of God. In the contrasting results of Jesus’ words and works in Jerusalem, one sees the fulfillment of Paul’s words that the gospel is life to some and death to others (2 Corinthians 2:15). As Ryle said, “We must not find fault with the gospel if it stirs up men’s corruption and causes the thoughts of many hearts to be revealed (Luke 2:35)."[18] One amazing quality of the gospel is that men find it impossible to ignore it, however some may pretend to do so. It has the power to polarize men, making all of them either the friends of God or his enemies. Jerusalem could not ignore Christ. They had indeed a Visitor; and neither they nor their city could ever be the same again. We should not leave this verse (John 10:21) and the question, “Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” without again emphasizing the connection between this entire passage and John 9. The miracle there described and the conversations following it dominate the coherent narrative from John 9:1 to this point. It was the false shepherd’s behavior which led the Saviour to announce himself as the Good Shepherd. It was their judging the blind man and casting him out that led to Jesus’ judgment of them. It was their evil character that led to the denunciation of them as thieves and robbers. It was their shutting the blind man out of the privileges of Judaism that prompted Jesus to open up for him the privilege of the new kingdom about to begin.

It was their selfish disregard of the sheep that led Jesus to speak of his love for the sheep and of his laying down his life for them. It was their determination to kill the Lord that led to his announcement that no one could kill him. It was their domineering arrogance in the exercise of sacred privilege to which they had no moral right which led to the charge that they had climbed up some other way. All of this was an elaboration of the blindness with which Jesus charged them (John 9:41). One can only marvel at the wisdom (!) of some of the scholars who would scissor this section out of the context it fits so perfectly, and which context so dramatically interprets and explains it, leading one to surmise that perhaps the type of blindness that handicapped the Pharisees might still be found on earth. Following this instructive section, some two months passed. Winter fell upon the Holy City, and the feast of the dedication came; but the time-lapse did not resolve the division that arose over Jesus. His old antagonists, the Pharisees, appeared once more, intent on winning an argument they had already lost. [17] Alan Richardson, op. cit., p. 133. [18] J. C. Ryle, op. cit., II, p. 18.

Verse 22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s porch, and it was winter.As Robertson noted: There is a considerable time-lapse between the events in John 10:1-21 and John 10:22-39, possibly nearly three months (from just after tabernacles John 7:37 to dedication John 10:22) … Jesus had apparently spent the time in between in Judaea (Luke 10:1 to Luke 13:21).[19]The feast of dedication was begun by Judas Maccabeus B.C. 164 to commemorate the cleansing and rededication of the temple after the defilement through pagan worship under Antiochus Epiphanes, and was celebrated every year for eight days beginning on the 25th of the Jewish month Casleu.1Ma 4:59 (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1942). Douay Version of the Holy Bible.">[20] It was not one of the great feasts handed down from Moses; but it was popular among the people who called it: the feast of lights. Hunter said, “It was held at the winter solstice (Christmas) … and was called `The Feast of the New Age.’"[21]It was winter … explains Jesus’ seeking the shelter of Solomon’s porch; our Lord preferred to preach outdoors as in the Sermon on the Mount. Johnson described Solomon’s porch thus: It is generally supposed to have been in the southeast part of the temple enclosure, overlooking the valley of Kedron. Josephus describes it as a stadium in length, and as having three parts, two of them thirty feet wide each, and the middle one forty-five feet. He contends that it was built by Solomon, which is doubtful.[22]A stadium was twice the length of a football field (582 feet by 600 feet) according to Peloubet’s dictionary. Johnson’s doubt of Solomon’s building it seems strange, because it is hard to imagine anyone else having done so and then naming it after Solomon. Josephus not only attributed it to Solomon but stated that he built it before the temple itself.[23] The roof was terraced, some portions of it being 120 feet in height. [19] A. T. Robertson, Harmony of the Gospels (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1922), p. 184. 1Ma 4:59 (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1942). Douay Version of the Holy Bible.">[20]; 1Ma 4:59 (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1942). Douay Version of the Holy Bible. [21] A. M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 106. [22] B. W. Johnson, The New Testament Commentary (Cincinnati, Ohio: Christian Standard Publishing Company, 1886), p. 164. [23] Flavius Josephus, Life and Works (New York: Rinehart and Winston), p. 244.

Verse 24 The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.The Jews … as used by John is void of any anti-Semitism, the people in view always being the religious hierarchy. The noble Jews in great numbers accepted Christianity, but in doing so, lost their identity as Jews; and thus the very name gradually came to mean the enemies of the gospel; but it is clear that John always used “the Jews” to mean the priestly class in Jerusalem. John himself was a Jew, as was our Lord, and most of the apostles. How long dost thou hold us in suspense … On the surface, this almost sounds like a fair question; and there is a temptation to wonder why Jesus did not speak right up and say, “Yes, of course, I am the Christ.” Jesus’ repeated declarations earlier that he was “the good shepherd” certainly meant that he was the Christ, God come in the flesh; but he had not used that word, “Christ,” because the Jewish conception of what that word meant was totally incorrect. And, if Jesus had used this word here, they would have made their incorrect notion of what it meant the basis of a charge of sedition before the Romans. The Pharisees by this time had figured out what Jesus meant by calling himself the Good Shepherd; and here they were only trying to trick him into using a word they could pervert into a charge of sedition. At a time of his own choice, Jesus would testify that he was “the Christ” (Mark 14:62); but his refusal to use that word here was righteous and holy.

Verse 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.Jesus was not deceived by the sweet reasonableness of their friendly (?) question, for he well knew their murderous designs. I told you, and ye believed not … Christ’s bold declaration of himself as the Shepherd of Israel was clear enough in all of its glorious Messianic implications; but the spiritual overtones of that title made it useless for the diabolical purposes of the Pharisees; and what is equally important, they did not believe it. From their viewpoint, therefore, what they were trying to do was to get Jesus to commit blasphemy (in their eyes) and to do so in terminology that could also be used by them as a legal charge before the governor. The proof of this is what they actually did when Jesus did swear under oath that he was the Christ (Mark 14:62 ff). Their own gross immorality is inherent in what they THOUGHT they were doing. They THOUGHT they were trying, to get a fellow-mortal (as they thought) to commit a capital crime (as they viewed it) for the sake of getting him killed! No wonder Jesus addressed them as “Ye serpents; ye offspring of vipers” (Matthew 23:33). The works that I do in my Father’s name … brought forward the mighty signs Jesus did, but that subject was extremely distasteful to those hypocrites. They only wanted some basis for having him legally murdered. Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep … These words recalled his declaration of himself as the Good Shepherd, which by that time they fully understood in all its implications (John 10:33). Here, as always, Jesus made unbelief to be the result of immoral character. The reason those men did not believe in Jesus was lodged in their character which revealed them to be no part of the spiritual Israel. “Ye are not of my sheep.”

Verse 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.Men who close their eyes, stop their ears, and harden their hearts cannot hear the Shepherd’s voice, through no fault of the Shepherd, but because of their own willful sin. Those of honest and good heart, on the other hand, will hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow him. Predestination enters into this only in the fact that the rules were laid down before all eternity to the effect that self-willed sinners are destined to be hardened and rejected, whereas penitent worshipers of the Lord will be received and saved; but every man ever born on earth has the option of being either one or the other as he himself shall choose.

Verse 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.Eternal life … Who but God could make a promise like this? Thus, the Pharisees had another chance to see the light; but this additional statement of Christ’s divinity was worthless to them, because it could not serve as a legal charge before the Romans. And no one shall snatch, etc. … The utmost security of the saved in Christ lies in the fact that no external power shall ever be able to dislodge them from the Master’s love and protection. In this same vein of thought are Paul’s great words of Rom 8:31-39; but in both passages, only external things are in view as possible destroyers of the soul; and external things shall not be able to do it. Yet, it must be remembered that a believer himself may turn away from the truth, become entangled with sin and overcome. The sovereign right of choice is never taken away from any man.

Verse 29 My Father who hath given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.Here is the reasoning that underlies the promise of Joh 10:28 that the sheep of Christ shall have eternal life. There is no way to understand Jesus’ words here except as an affirmation of his supernatural nature, claiming equality with God himself, or, as the Pharisees expressed it in John 10:33, making himself God! As Robertson said: This crisp statement, “I and the Father are one,” is the climax of Christ’s claims concerning the relationship between the Father and himself (the Son). This stirred the Pharisees to uncontrollable anger.[24]Augustine saw in this single text the complete refutation of two major heresies, saying: It silences the Sabellians, who say there is only one Person in the Godhead, by speaking of two distinct Persons. It silences the Arians who say the Son is inferior to the Father, by saying that the Father and the Son are one.[25]Ryle paraphrased the thought thus: I and my eternal Father, though two distinct Persons, are yet one in essence, nature, dignity, power, will, and operation. Hence, in the matter of securing the safety of my sheep, what I do, my Father does likewise. I do not act independently of him.[26]There is no pretense here of any truly adequate explanation of such things as these, for the truth of this verse lies wholly beyond the perimeter of man’s finite understanding. [24] A. T. Robertson, op. cit., p. 187. [25] J. C. Ryle, op. cit., II, p. 30. [26] Ibid.

Verse 31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him.Some “moderns,” so-called, have alleged from this verse that the author of John was a stranger to the laws and customs of Judaea before 70 A.D. But as Richardson said, " Acts 7:58 f records a case of mob stoning such as is said to have been impossible."[27]Again … indicates that the Jews had repeatedly sought an opportunity to stone Jesus (John 8:49; John 11:8); and Hendriksen concluded from this that the Jews carried stones.[28] According to the law, blasphemy was punishable by stoning (Leviticus 24:16), but only after legal trial and sentencing. Such niceties as the legal requirements of the case, however, were no kind of deterrent to Jesus’ foes. The commentators who fancy that legal prohibitions, either Jewish or Romans, cast any doubt on the truth of John’s record have missed altogether the illegal and unscrupulous nature of the whole cabal against Jesus. Did such prohibitions prevent the same group of men from stoning Stephen to death? (Acts 7:58). [27] Alan Richardson, op. cit., p. 135. [28] William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel according to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1961), II, p. 126.

Verse 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from the Father: for which of those works do ye stone me?Christ kept focusing attention on his mighty works, those being the last thing on earth the Pharisees wanted to consider. Do ye stone me … has the meaning of “You are trying to stone me.” From the Father … stresses the oneness of Jesus with the Father, indicating that the great signs were accomplished in answer to prayer, and in full harmony with God’s will. This proved that Jesus was not guilty of blasphemy; but the priestly enemies would receive no evidence of any kind. Intent on murder, they blurted out any capital charge that, came into their minds.

Verse 33 The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.Makest thyself God … Yes, the Pharisees fully and correctly understood, at last, exactly what Jesus meant; and their fury rose and overflowed. Jesus meant to claim unequivocally his equality and oneness with God. Significantly, if Jesus’ claim was false, he was a blasphemer and deserved death; and, in this, appears the sharp dilemma concerning Christ. He either was, or was not, what he claimed to be; and there has never been a middle position. If Jesus was not the holy Christ, he deserved death as the law decreed (Leviticus 24:61).

If he was in truth the divine Messiah, his enemies deserved death for charging him with blasphemy and shutting their eyes against the light. Thus it is futile and fallacious to hail Christ as a great teacher, a wise leader, a noble prophet, or as any other type of excellent person, unless his Godhead is recognized. If Jesus was not indeed God come in flesh, then he was not a noble prophet but a liar, not a great leader but a fool, not a wise teacher but an idiot. Every man confronts this dilemma, invariably receiving Christ as ALL or nothing. An equivocal or halfway reception of Jesus Christ is, in fact, a rejection of him.

Verse 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the Scriptures cannot be broken), say ye of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest: because I said, I am the Son of God?This is the passage to which Jesus referred: God standeth in the congregation of God; He judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, And respect the persons of the wicked? … I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High (Psalms 82:1-2; Psalms 82:6). The unjust judges of Israel were the subject of these verses, God calling them “gods” in order to stimulate and encourage them to render just judgments. Of course, those men were “sons of the Most High” in the sense ordinary; but the use of such words in the Holy Scriptures were proof absolute that it was not blasphemy for a man to call himself “son of God” in that same sense. Jesus did not imply by this appeal that he claimed to be “Son of God” in the ordinary sense; for both he and his enemies knew that it was in the unique sense of being “the only begotten Son of God” that Jesus used the title. Nevertheless, it was sinful and illegal for those Pharisees to make what Jesus meant the basis for a charge of blasphemy. He had not pinpointed the unique phase of his claim (at that point); and he cited the Psalm which he quoted as a complete and adequate defense of what he had actually said. In the divine plan, Jesus would eventually testify under oath to the uniqueness of his Sonship, but that would come before the historic court of the chosen people, and not in the presence of a vicious mob like that which confronted him. It is wrong to understand Jesus’ appeal to Psalms 82 as a reduction of his claim of absolute equality with God; it was only an extremely effective refutation of their charge of blasphemy by an argument from their own premises which they were compelled to accept, and did accept. It stunned them, aborted their efforts to stone him, and again proved the Pharisees incapable of standing against Jesus in public debate. Your law … to the word of God … the Scripture … These triple designations refer to the entire Old Testament. The use of “your law” in reference to a Psalm makes it certain that “the law” did not mean merely the Pentateuch, but applied to the entire Old Testament. There is no stronger testimony in the Bible to the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures than this remarkable passage. The Scripture cannot be broken … This was only a a parenthesis in the words of Jesus but, in the long view, a parenthesis embracing creation, all time, and eternity. THE CANNOT BE BROKENI. What does this mean? A. It means that the Bible is inspired. B. It identifies the Old Testament as Scripture in the fullest sense. C. It means that Jesus believed the Bible. D. It means that the Bible is an infallible book, the one judge and jury before which all men and their deeds shall at last be tried. E. It means that the sacred Scriptures are as immutable as God’s other laws, such as those of gravity, etc. II. Many have not believed this text. A. Those who sought here to stone Jesus did not believe it. B. The rulers of this world’s darkness, such as Herod Agrippa, Felix, Festus, Nero, Caligula, and countless others, did not believe it. C. The apostate church did not believe it. D. Faithless Christians of all ages have not believed it. E. So-called “modernists” who explain away the Scriptures do not believe it. F. The world does not believe it (John 3:19). III. And yet the text is true. For generations, men believed the earth was flat, but their belief did not alter the truth; and so it is with the unbreakable word of God. If every man on earth disbelieved and repudiated the Bible, it would make no difference, except in regard to the destiny of them that disbelieved. Absolutely nothing can break the word of God. A. Time cannot break it. B. Disobedience cannot break it, as witnessed by such examples as Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Judas, and Demas. C. Neglectful disciples cannot break it. D. The advance of knowledge cannot break it. E. Satan cannot break it. F. Death and the grave cannot break it. IV. Even when it seems that the Scripture is broken, it remains yet unbroken. A. Pilate condemned Jesus; but no, it was Pilate who was condemned to perpetual infamy. B. Judas sold Jesus, at least that is what he and the Pharisees thought; but it was Judas who was sold to a suicide’s death. C. Herod placed the apostles in jail; but they were released, and Herod was eaten with worms. D. Millions of men fancy they have broken the Scripture, and even churches have denied and broken the Scripture, so they thought; but, of all who do so, it is they who are broken. The earth’s kings and captains, the mighty and the proud, have broken the Scripture in the sense of ignoring and disobeying the word of God; but wait. Stand at the judgment and behold who is really broken: And they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? (Revelation 6:16-17). Let no man dare to believe that the Scripture can be broken. If one shall so believe, Christ has made him a liar by this text. O Word of God, secure, unshaken, Foiling evil’s every art, Bringing peace to man’s misshapen Life and broken heart. O Word, eternally abiding, While millennia roll, Thou art the only place of hiding For the ransomed soul.

• James Burton Coffman Because I said, I am the Son of God … This refers to Jesus’ revelation of himself to the man healed of blindness (John 9:35), a revelation witnessed by some of the Pharisees; thus Christ plainly allowed the interpretation that he had “said” this when he told the blind man that “Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that speaketh with thee.” He had also accepted the blind man’s worship (John 9:38). Thus, Jesus was generous in allowing the allegation of his critics that he had said he was the Son of God; but as Hovey observed: How could they charge him with blasphemy in claiming to be the Son of God, when their own (evil and unscrupulous) judges had been styled “gods”?[29]Furthermore, it was God himself who had styled those judges “gods,” evil as they were, and solely out of respect to their position. Jesus, in contrast, was holy, sinless, and undefiled, having every right, even from a human standpoint to say, “I am the Son of God.” Nor was it fair or legal to make what he obviously MEANT an excuse for stoning him on a charge of blasphemy. The righteous effectiveness of this argument was proved by the result of it. The rocks went back into their pockets, and his enemies withdrew like jackals to await a more favorable opportunity. Whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world … This contrasted the holy office of Jesus and his perfect fitness of character in his sacred office with the evil lives and crooked justice of the judges mentioned in the Psalm Jesus quoted. ENDNOTE: [29] Alvah Hovey, Commentary on John (Philadelphia: The American Baptist Publication Society, 1885), p. 223.

Verse 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.Having vanquished his foes with the argument from Psalms 82:6, Jesus at once returned to his constant theme of oneness and equality with God, although in such terms as to avoid the legal charge they wanted to make. Jesus’ return again and again (as in John 10:32) to the subject of his mighty works was a reiteration of the irrefutable argument proving his oneness with God. See under John 10:30.

Verse 39 They sought again to take him: and he went forth out of their hand.Just how Jesus avoided capture here is not related. His will alone was more than enough to prevent it. John later recorded the incident of a whole detachment of soldiers falling to the ground in his presence, even though they had come to arrest him (John 18:6).

Verse 40 And he went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John was at first baptizing: and there he abode.These verses describe a ministry of Jesus east of Jordan, in Perea, a ministry also recorded in Mark 10:1. Jesus, perhaps because of mounting hostility, goes back to the place where the Baptist had baptized and borne witness to Jesus (John 1:28). If the Jerusalem Jews have rejected their Messiah, here in Transjordan, humble folk acknowledge the truth of what John had said and confess their faith in Jesus.[30]He went away again … This does not mean that Jesus had made another journey to the district in Transjordan. As Hendriksen noted: It must be interpreted in the light of what immediately follows, namely, “to the place where John was at first baptizing … and having previously reported two places where John baptized … (he) is now thinking of the first place, namely, Bethany across Jordan … fifty miles from the Bethany near Jerusalem.[31][30] William Hendriksen, op. cit., II, p. 130. [31] Ibid.

Verse 41 And many came unto him; and they said, John indeed did no sign: but all things whatsoever John spake of this man were true.John’s identification of Christ was in itself a mighty sign and consisted of his daring and unequivocal identification of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The people seemed to be saying here that such an identification was a far greater sign than miracles would have been.

Verse 42 And many believed on him there.Believed on him … has one meaning throughout the Scripture; and thus it is amazing how the commentators rush to explain how “It does not necessarily mean that all these believers embraced him with a LIVING faith."[32] Such distinctions are not in the word of God, and it does no service to the truth to make them. That some who believed on him did not follow Jesus may be considered certain; in which case, it was not their faith which was at fault but their lack of obedience. The great error of the last half of a millennium is the heresy of supposing that if one has the RIGHT KIND OF FAITH he is thereby saved by that alone. The Scriptures teach no such thing. There … points up the difference between the rejection in Jerusalem and the widespread acceptance of Christ in Perea. ENDNOTE: [32] A. M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 100.

Questions by E.M. Zerr For John 101. What is used as a parable? 2. Is it possible to enter it unlawfully ? 3. Who is here classed with thieves? 4. How does the shepherd enter ? 5. Who recognizes him? 6. By whom is his voice heard? 7. In what way are they called and led? 8. Why do the sheep follow the shepherd? 9. Why flee from strangers ? 10. How did the parable affect the hearers? 11. On what subject was the next parable? 12. What was the door into this? 13. All pretenders preceding him were what? 14. How did the sheep regard them ? 15. By what must men enter? 16. With what results? 17. State the motive of the thief. 18. Tell that of the true shepherd. 19. How does he prove his faithfulness? 20. This contrasts with what character? 21. When does he flee? 22. Does he first provide for the sheep ? 23. What happens to them ? 24. Tell why the hireling flees. 25. Who mutually know each other? 26. State what is laid down for the sheep. 27. Was the first fold to be permanent? 28. Did it contain all of the sheep? 29. What was going to be done about it? 30. Tell the name of this second fold. 31. And its shepherd. 32. Why did his father love him ? 33. State Jesus’ control over his life. 34. How did he obtain this power? 35. What discussion now took place by the Jews ? 36. What deed was used in their argument ? 37. Tell what was going on in Jerusalem. 38. Who surrounded Jesus? 39. State their inquiry. 40. Was it a candid one? 41. To what did Jesus refer for his proof? 42. How had they treated this evidence ? 43. Why had they done so ? 44. What is to be given the sheep ? 45. Tell the assurances offered them. 46. Whose greatness guaranteed this? 47. State what two are one. 48. Why did they threaten to stone Jesus? 49. Tell what he asked them. 50. And their answer. 51. What writing did he then quote ? 52. Tell what he called it. 53. How did he reason upon this scripture? 54. On what did Jesus stake his credit ? 55. What did they again seek to do? 56. How was it prevented? 57. To what place did Jesus now go? 58. What about his following? 59. Tell what was said of John’ s work. 60. And of his teaching. 61. With what result?

John 10:1

1 The first five verses constitute a certain sheepfold, the flock of which consisted of the Jews whom John baptized for Christ the “Good Shepherd,” and I shall comment on the verses from that standpoint. Some people apply this verse to the church, which is incorrect for more than one reason. No one can steal into the church, for even if he does act the hypocrite in his confession, and get the local congregation to accept him into the fellowship, that will not make him actually a member of the church. Acts 2:47 says the Lord adds to the church those that are being saved, and that can be accomplished only by sincere obedience, hence no person can get into the church as a robber. But in our case, certain ones actually get in though unlawfully. So the necessary conclusion is that it refers to men who succeeded in deceiving the people and actually gained entrance into the confidence and fellowship of the Lord’s people. The cases in Acts 5:36-37 will serve as illustrations of this kind of deception.

John 10:2

2 The person entering the door into the sheepfold would thus be denoted as the true shepherd for two reasons. First, none but the true shepherd would attempt to gain entrance at that place. Second, even if anyone should try to get through it who was not entitled to enter, he would not be permitted to do so. (See next verse.)

John 10:3

3 When a flock was taken from the pasture in the evening, it was led through the gate into the fold. A gatekeeper was employed to guard the entrance until the shepherd was again ready to lead his sheep out for pasture. When he appeared at the gate, the keeper or porter as he is called here, would recognize him and open the entrance to the fold. But if a stranger should appear, claiming to be the shepherd, the porter would know he was a fraud and would not admit him, which was referred to in the preceding verse. A sheep is naturally adapted to affectionate relationship with his master, and it is stated in history, that shepherds in the east had the practice of naming each individual animal, very much as a child will name his pets.

John 10:4

4 The sheep recognized the voice of their master because he was the one who called them by name. It is characteristic of pets to notice when their name is mentioned. One may see an advertisement in the press for a lost animal, and probably the ad will state, “he recognizes the name,” and then follows the name of the animal.

John 10:5

5 On the basis of the foregoing, if a stranger should come near a flock of sheep, they will flee from him instead of following. His voice will be strange to them which would make them fearful, hence they would flee in their fright.

John 10:6

6 Parable is not from the same Greek word that is generally used for the English term, but its practical purpose is the same. It means an illustration that is expressed in figurative language, where the comparison is to be discovered in the facts and truths that pertain to the subject. Since the Jews were not informed in all those facts, it is stated that they understood not what Jesus spake. With the record of the case as we have it in the work of John and Jesus, we should be able to see the comparison implied in this group of verses. The fold is the ones John prepared for Jesus as explained at verse 1. John is the porter, and he opened the door into the confidence of his disciples when he introduced Jesus as the “Lamb of God” in chapter 1:29.

The door does not apply to that through which the sheep were to pass, but it was the shepherd who was to enter it. That door is the prophecies that had described him, and as soon as John learned the truths about Jesus he knew He was the one predicted, and then he opened the door to his disciples by the statement in chapter 1:29.

John 10:7

7 Up to this point the speech of Jesus pertained exclusively to his relation with the disciples of John who constituted the “sheepfold,” and to John who acted as the “porter” for that group of his disciples. From here through verse 18 Jesus enlarges the subject, and will make remarks that pertain to the church as another fold. For this reason we shall see many changes in the implied comparisons, which can be understood only by considering what the New Testament teaches about the church, and what Jesus means to those who desire salvation through the great institution. However, he will continue to use many of the same terms since they are as true in many respects in the second case as in the first. There will be one distinct reference to the first fold which will be pointed out and commented upon when we reach that. verse. The word again is what introduces the second line of thought just mentioned a few lines above.

In the second fold Jesus is the door as well as the shepherd. That is because no one can enter a saved condition now except through Christ (chapter 14:6), and after entering thereat he must still be subject to him as his great Shepherd.

John 10:8

8 This verse was true from a general standpoint. It would include the cases mentioned in Acts 5:36-37, and also the false prophets and false Christs who rose up from time to time and claimed to be the fulfillers of the law and the prophets. To the extent of their success in misleading people, they were robbers. But others were well enough acquainted with the Old Testament that they were not deceived, and they “turned a deaf ear” to the impostors.

John 10:9

9 The terms or expressions used in an illustration, are generally drawn from the characteristics of the subject, concerning which the comparison is made, and the application cannot always be made literally. One such expression is go in and out. Jesus had already selected a shepherd and his work for his illustration, and that made such a phrase appropriate. A shepherd will lead his flock into the fold in the evening for the night, then lead them out the next morning for pasture. In its application it simply means that if a man accepts Jesus as his Shepherd, he will be saved from the wolves of sin, and also will be abundantly supplied with spiritual pasture or food.

John 10:10

0 A thief attempting to get possession of a flock not belonging to him, could have no good motive for his action. He would count on slaughtering the animals, either for food or material for clothing or for both. The true shepherd would love the flock and would be interested in its growth in numbers and increase in weight.

John 10:11

1 Good shepherd giveth ‘his life. Smith’s Bible Dictionary says the following which will explain why a shepherd would run the risk of losing his life in defending the sheep: “The office of the eastern shepherd, as described in the Bible, was attended with much hardship, and even danger. He was exposed to the extremes of heat and cold, Genesis 31:40. . . . He had to encounter the attacks of wild beasts, occasionally of the larger species, such as lions, wolves, panthers, and bears, 1 Samuel 17:34; Isaiah 31:4; Jeremiah 5:6; Amos 3:12; nor was he free from the risk of robbers or predatory [destructive] hordes.”

John 10:12

2 A man who is hired to care for a flock of sheep would have no personal or affectionate interest in them. Such a person would not be expected to risk his life in defence of the flock, for he is acting only because of his financial interests. This would illustrate a man in the religious world who pretends to be laboring in behalf of the people of God, but who is in the business only because of personal interest in the form of money or popularity. Neither should he be expected to endure persecution or other disadvantages on account of the profession he is making. Catcheth them and scattereth the sheep. That is, the wolf gets hold of some of the sheep which he mangles, while the others will flee in terror, the shepherd having already deserted them.

John 10:13

3 See the comments on the preceding verse about hirelings.

John 10:14

4 This mutual recognition is due to the affectionate relation between a shepherd and his flock, in which each sheep has its own name. See the comments on this point at verses 3 and 4.

John 10:15

5 The Father and Son are interested in the same flock, hence their mutual knowledge of each other is manifested in their common care for the flock. If the shepherd is called upon to give his life in defence of the sheep, the Father will give that life back to Him.

John 10:16

6 This is the verse that was referred to in the comments on verse 7. This fold means the one described in verses 1-5, consisting of the Jews whom John baptized in preparation for Christ. There was a special need for that group to be ready for Jesus, because the Jews as a nation had become so corrupt that none of them would have been good enough for the personal use of Him. But that was not because they alone were to be given a chance to save their souls. In the course of time the people of every race and nation were to be invited to come into the one fold which is the church. These are the other sheep of this verse.

The term I have is in the present tense as to grammatical form, but it was spoken prospectively because Jesus knew that the Gentiles would hear his voice and come into the church. It was on the same principle that the Lord told Paul, “I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:10). He knew that many of the Corinthians still in sin would accept the truth when they heard it, and by divine inspiration he could say, “I have.” Jesus used the term other sheep I have in this verse in the same inspired prediction. One fold and one shepherd means there was to be one church, and that all of the Lord’s sheep whether Jews or Gentiles would be in it.

John 10:17

7 Had the death of Christ been involuntary, his Father would not have raised him to life again. This willingness on his part caused God to love his Son.

John 10:18

8 Yes, man was the instrument through which Jesus died. But had it not been the will of the Son to die, no man would have been able to slay him. (See Matthew 26:53.) Because of his willingness to carry out this part of his Father’s will, he was given the power (EXOUSIA, authority) to lay his life down and then take it up again. This commandment refers to the will of God that his Son should come into the world and die as a sacrifice for sin. When Jesus came it was for the purpose of doing that very thing. Paul wrote about this in Hebrews 10:5-7 in connection with the new covenant.

John 10:19-21

1 These verses are explained at chapter 7:20 and 9:16.

John 10:22

2 This dedication was not any part of the law of Moses. A wicked king of Syria named Antiochus Ephiphanes, drove the priests from the altar of sacrifices at Jerusalem and burned the flesh of swine on it. After some years of struggle, a zealous Jew by the name of Judas Maccabaeus got possession of the altar. He cleansed it and dedicated it anew to the lawful service. In honor of that event the Jews established a feast that was celebrated annually. John refers to it only as a matter of date, indicating the occasion on which the things took place of which he was writing. This sacrilege by the wicked king is predicted and commented upon at Daniel 8:9-12, in volume 4 of the Old Testament Commentary.

John 10:23

3 Solomon’s porch. Thayer explains this as follows: “A porch or portico built by Solomon in the eastern part of the temple (which in the temple’s destruction by the Babylonians was left uninjured, and remained down to the times of King Agrippa, to whom the care of the temple was intrusted by the emperor Claudius, and who on account of its antiquity did not dare to demolish and build it anew).” It is elsewhere described as a covered walk where people would be protected from the weather and sun. All of this explains why we read of various gatherings of the people at this place.

John 10:24

4 These Jews were not really wanting information, for Jesus had already furnished an abundance of evidence that he was the Christ. They hoped that by repeated demands they would catch Jesus unawares, and that he would say something on which they could base some accusation of disloyalty to Moses or to Caesar.

John 10:25

5 Jesus made a very brief reply to their demand. He referred to what had previously been said and done concerning his works in the Father’s name.

John 10:26

6 All who accepted the teaching of John became sheep for the fold that was being prepared for Christ. If they refused to accept that work of the forerunner, they naturally would not believe the teaching of the shepherd when he came. That is why Jesus told these Jews the reason they did not believe his word was because they were not of my sheep.

John 10:27

7 Jesus made more believers through his personal teaching and that of his apostles. These became sheep also and came under the same rules that regulate a flock with its shepherd, whose voice the sheep had learned.

John 10:28

8 They shall never perish is on the condition that the sheep hear the voice of the shepherd. He will give them eternal life, whereas a temporal shepherd leads his flock into temporal pasture. This verse does not teach the false doctrine known as “once in grace always in grace.” But if a man is faithful to the law of Christ, then it is true that no other person can pluck him out of the hand of the Shepherd.

John 10:29

9 The Father will not hold a sheep regardless of whether it is faithful and satisfied with the spiritual pasturage which He provides for him. But if the sheep is thus true to the Father, then no man can get that sheep out of His grasp.

John 10:30

0 The Father is greater than all other beings in existence. Since He and his Son are one (in spirit and purpose), the security of a sheep that is true to them is established and is based on the unfailing power and goodness of the Lord.

John 10:31

1 At every climax of the arguments of Jesus, the conclusion was so unanswerable that the Jews were enraged. Instead of acting in a fair manner and accepting the teaching, they would threaten him with violence.

John 10:32

2 In reality it was the good works of Jesus that angered the Jews. They did not like to see the favor that he was receiving from the multitude, but were not honest enough to admit it. As a screen for their envious hypocrisy, they pretended to object to some of his personal claims.

John 10:33

3 The specific grievance they put forward was that Jesus made himself God. He did not make such a claim directly (although he could have done so justly if taken rightly) but only had claimed to be the Son of God.

John 10:34

4 In reply to the charge of the Jews, Jesus made a quotation from Psalms 82:6. Incidentally, let us note that Jesus called the book of Psalms your law, which tells us that the writings of Moses do not contain all of “the law” of the Jews. In this citation are the words ye are gods; they were addressed to the Jews of old to whom the law was sent, and in such a form of speech they were called gods. There is nothing strained in attributing such a title to God’s people. The name God is a family one and includes every member of that family. Every member of the Jones family is a Jones, and likewise every member of the family of God is a God in the sense of relationship. It was in that sense the passage in Psalms was used.

John 10:35

5 The mere fact of being the ones to whom the word of God was sent, entitled them to the family relationship and the right to its name, which was God. The scripture cannot be broken denotes that these Jews had no right to speak of Jesus in a way that would criticize the scripture just quoted.

John 10:36

6 Sanctified is from HAGIAZO. It has such varied applications in the New Testament, sometimes pertaining to man and at others applying to the Lord, that I think it will be well to copy the definitions (the parts in italics) of Thayer. The reader should acquaint himself with these different clauses, and when using them in any given place in the scripture, always use the one that is appropriate. “1. To render or acknowledge to be venerable [worthy of high regard], to hallow. 2. To separate from things profane and dedicate to God, to consecrate. 3. To purify, to cleanse externally.

To purify internally by reformation of soul.” Jesus never had any impurities in his character, hence the definitions 1 and 2 should apply to him. The Father acknowledged the Son as being worthy of high regard, when he said he was his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased (Matthew 3:17), and he dedicated him to the great work of God when he gave the command, “Hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). If the people who were honored only by having the law sent to them were entitled to be called gods, then certainly the One on whom God bestowed all these latter honors has the right to be called Son of God.

John 10:37

7 Jesus was willing to rest his reputation upon the works that he did. The Jews would not have been able to name a single thing that Jesus performed that God condemned in the Scriptures. That would indicate the works were of the Father and it should have caused them to become believers.

John 10:38

8 The gist of this verse is the willingness of Jesus to pass over his personality for the time. Yet he insisted that the Jews should at least accept him as a worker of good things.

John 10:39

9 Again the Jews were baffled by the reasoning of Jesus. Instead of acknowledging their inability to meet the issue, they were inclined to take bodily possession of him. He escaped because his time had not yet come. (See chapter 7:6.)

John 10:40

0 Since it was not yet time for Jesus to be taken in hand by the Jews, he moved out of the territory of Jerusalem. It was his desire to continue his good work, and he selected a community where John had done work before he was slain. His preaching had doubtless sown the seeds of truth that prepared the soil for Jesus.

John 10:41-42

2 This paragraph confirms the comments on the preceding verse. The people saw in Jesus the fulfillment of many of John’s sayings, and it made believers of them. John did no miracle. These people used the word in its physical sense, and there is no account of any such a work done by him. However, the predictions that John made of Christ and which were fulfilled, required supernatural knowledge, and such a manifestation could rightly be called’ miraculous.

The word miracle fills such a prominent place in the New Testament that I shall explain it in detail, with the hope the reader will make a note of it for reference, as it will not again be given in full. It comes from two different Greek words, and they have also been rendered by several other English words in the King James Version. Before giving the lexicon definitions of the original words, I shall state how each has been translated and how many times. One of the Greek words is DUNAMIS, and it has been rendered ability 1 time, abundance 1, meaning 1, miracle 8, power 77, strength 7, violence 1, virtue 3, wonderful work 1. The other Greek word is SEMEION, and it has been rendered miracle 22 times, sign 51, token 1, wonder 3. Since the last word is the one from which the significant words “miracle” and “sign” come usually, I shall give the lexicon definitions of it only. Thayer defines it, “A sign, mark, token A sign, prodigy, portent.” He also explains his definitions, “That by which a person or thing is distinguished from another and by which it is known. . . . An unusual occurence, transcending [going beyond] the common course of nature.” From the foregoing information, it can be seen that the word “miracle” has a very wide range of meaning, and the specific definition to apply in any given place must be determined by the connection in which it is used. Any unusual or great or wonderful thing that is done, whether by the Lord or man, may rightly be called a miracle. But the rule is that a miracle means something that only God can do, whether he does it directly or through the agency of man.