John 10

John 10:1

John tells the Good News about Jesus An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Gospel of John www.easyenglish.info Marion Adams This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 10 Jesus tells a story about a *shepherd and his sheep 10:1-10 v1 Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth. Only thieves climb over the fence of a *sheepfold. Someone who does not enter through the gate is certainly a thief. v2 But the person who enters through the gate is the *shepherd. He takes care of the sheep. v3 The person who guards the gate opens it for the *shepherd. The sheep know their *shepherd’s voice. When he calls them, he uses each sheep’s own name. And he leads them out. v4 When he has led all his sheep out, he walks in front of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. v5 The sheep will not follow a person that they do not know. They will run away from a stranger, because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.’

v6 Jesus told this story to the people. But they did not understand what the story really meant.

v7 So Jesus explained it to them. He said, ‘I tell you the truth. I am like the gate for the sheep. v8 All those who came before me were like thieves. But the sheep (God’s people) did not listen to them. v9 I am like the gate. Everybody who comes in by means of me will receive *salvation. Such people will go in and out. And they will be like sheep that find green fields with grass. v10 The thief (the devil) comes only to steal and to kill. He comes only to destroy. I have come so that people can have *life. They can have it completely.’

Jesus told many stories that would help people to understand about *spiritual truths. The other three *Gospels contain most of these stories. The stories were about familiar situations in people’s daily lives.

In chapter 9, people were arguing whether Jesus had come from God or not. Then Jesus told this story so that people could understand more about him. It helped to explain the reasons why he had come to the earth.

Verses 1-5 At night, *shepherds put their sheep into a *sheepfold. This kept the sheep safe from dangers, for example wild animals and thieves. Often, the *shepherd slept in the *sheepfold in order to guard his sheep.

*Shepherds often spent all day and all night with their sheep. They were able to identify each one. Each sheep had a name. The *shepherd used their names to call them in and out of the *sheepfold. This was necessary because sometimes several *shepherds used the same *sheepfold. Always the *shepherd walked in front of his sheep and they followed him. He could watch out for any dangers ahead. The sheep followed the *shepherd because they knew his voice. They would never follow a stranger, because they did not recognise a stranger’s voice. A stranger’s voice made them afraid.

The *Old Testament writers often referred to a *shepherd and his sheep when they wrote about the ideal king. An ideal king knows all his people really well. He protects them from dangers and from their enemies. He guides them and he leads them. They follow him because they trust him. In Psalms 23, David wrote the words: ‘The *Lord is my *shepherd.’ He compared God’s care for people to a *shepherd’s care for his sheep.

Jesus did not actually refer to himself as the *shepherd in verses 1-5. But he was comparing himself with the *shepherd. The thieves and strangers meant evil leaders who did not care about the people. In the *Old Testament, the *prophet Ezekiel used this same idea of *shepherds and sheep. He wrote that false leaders (‘*shepherds’) would scatter God’s people (his ‘sheep’) to different countries. But God himself would search for his sheep (Ezekiel 34:11). He would bring them back to himself. In this *prophecy, he was referring to Jesus, the *Messiah (Ezekiel 34:23).

Verse 6 However, the people did not understand what this story meant. So Jesus explained it further.

Verses 7-8 He said, ‘I am like the gate for the sheep.’ This was because the *shepherd was the means by which the sheep could enter the *sheepfold. The *shepherd provided the way to safety, away from danger. In the same way, Jesus is the only means by which people can come to God. He is the only way to receive *salvation and to be safe from the results of *sin.

False leaders may pretend to know other ways to come to God. But these false leaders are like thieves. Only Jesus can offer *salvation to us. When we follow him, he will protect us always. He will give to us only good things. We will be content, like sheep in green fields.

Verse 10 Jesus gives *life to us. He gives it to us immediately. This *life makes us content inside our minds, even when bad things happen to us. This *life continues even after we die.

The devil is like a thief. His purpose is to spoil and to ruin people’s lives. His plan is to *deceive people. So he tries to convince them that Jesus is not the only way to receive *salvation. He tries to make them believe that there is no punishment for *sin. He tries to *deceive people in many other ways, too. But when we *believe in Jesus, we are safe. The devil can never take away the *eternal life that Jesus gives to us. We have this wonderful gift of *life always. Jesus describes himself as the good *shepherd 10:11-21 v11 Jesus said, ‘I am like the good *shepherd. The good *shepherd is ready to die on behalf of his sheep. v12 A worker who receives wages to look after the sheep is not like the *shepherd. That worker does not own the sheep. So if he sees a wolf (wild dog), he will leave the sheep. He will run away. Then the wolf will attack the sheep. And the sheep will scatter. v13 This is because such a worker only cares about his wages. He does not really care about the sheep.

v14 I describe myself as the good *shepherd. I know my sheep (my people) and my sheep know me. v15 This is like my relationship with the *Father. The *Father knows me, and I know the *Father. And I am ready to die on behalf of the sheep. v16 I have other sheep, too. They belong to me, but they are not in this *sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock (group of sheep) with one *shepherd.

v17 The *Father loves me because I give my life. But I will receive my life back again. v18 Nobody takes my life from me. I give my life because I want to give it. I have the authority both to give my life and to receive it back again. My *Father has ordered me to do this.’

v19 When he said this, the people had different opinions about him again.

v20 Many people said, ‘He has an evil *spirit in him! He is mad! We should not listen to him.’

v21 But other people said, ‘A person with an evil *spirit in them could not say these things! An evil *spirit cannot make a blind person see!’

Verses 11-13 A person who receives wages to look after sheep does not really care about them. The sheep do not belong to him. He is doing the job just to get money. He cares more about his own safety. So if there is danger, he will leave the sheep. But the *shepherd, who owns the sheep, really cares about them. When a wild animal attacks, the *shepherd will protect the sheep. The *shepherd will risk his own life so that his sheep will be safe.

Jesus used these familiar ideas to show how much he loved people. He loved them so much that he was ready to die instead of them. And this was *exactly what he did. He died to rescue us from the results of our *sins.

Verses 14-16 The *Greek word ‘good’ meant also ‘beautiful’ or ‘attractive’. This did not refer to physical beauty. It meant that Jesus had qualities that attracted people to him. This has been true always. Jesus attracts people to him still. Sometimes he does this even before they really know anything about him.

When we *believe in Jesus, we belong to him. He is like our *shepherd. When Jesus referred to ‘sheep’ in the previous verses, he was talking about the *Jews. His audience would already be familiar with this idea from the *scriptures (see note on 10:1-5).

But Jesus came also to *save the *Gentiles. The *Gentiles were the meaning of the ‘other sheep’ (verse 16). Jesus will *save everybody who *believes in him. Our nationality does not matter. All *Christians belong to God’s family. The *church all over the world has one leader (‘*shepherd’) and that is the *Lord Jesus *Christ.

Verses 17-18 The *Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus. And Jesus knew that he had to die as a *sacrifice to *save people. But this was all part of God’s plan. Nobody could kill Jesus unless he allowed it to happen. But he chose to die on our behalf. He gave his life because he wanted to *save us. Nobody forced him to do this. He obeyed God because he loved God. But Jesus’ *resurrection was also part of God’s plan. So Jesus knew that he would receive his life again.

Verses 19-21 C.S. Lewis, a 20th century writer, said that we can believe only one of three things about Jesus. Jesus said that he was God’s Son. If this was not true, then Jesus was either mad or wicked. A mad person believes things that are not true. A wicked person lies about something very important in order to deceive people on purpose. (To deceive means to persuade people that a lie is the truth.) So if Jesus was not mad or wicked, he was telling the truth. He was God’s Son.

Jesus’ audience had to make a decision about him, too. Some people in the audience said that he was mad or wicked. But other people recognised the truth about him. They believed him because of the *miracle that they had seen. Only God’s power could cure a man who was born blind. The *Jewish leaders try to kill Jesus 10:22-42 v22 It was winter. Jesus was in *Jerusalem for *Hanukkah. v23 He was walking in the part of the *Temple called Solomon’s *Porch. v24 The *Jewish leaders surrounded him. They said to him, ‘Are you the *Messiah? Tell us clearly! Do not make us guess whether you are or not!’

v25 Jesus answered, ‘I have told you. But you refused to believe me. The evidence is the *miracles that I do with my *Father’s authority. v26 But you do not believe me because you are not my sheep (my people). v27 My sheep recognise my voice. I know them and they follow me. v28 I give *eternal life to them. They will never die. Nobody can take them away from me. v29 My *Father has given them to me. And he is more powerful than anyone else. Nobody can take them away from the *Father. v30 I and the *Father are One (one God).’

v31 Again, the *Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill Jesus. v32 But Jesus said, ‘The *Father sent me to do many good acts. I have shown you these good acts. Because of which one will you kill me?’

v33 They answered, ‘We will not kill you because of any good act. But we will kill you because you insult God. You are only a man. But you are pretending that you are God!’

v34 Jesus said, ‘Look at your *Law! In it, God said, “You are gods. I have said this (Psalms 82:6).” v35 People cannot change the *scriptures. And in the *scriptures, God spoke to those people who received his message. He called them ‘gods’. v36 I said that I am God’s Son. But you accuse me because of this! And you say that I am insulting God. The *Father prepared me to do this work. Also, he sent me into the world. v37 Do not believe me unless I do my *Father’s work. v38 I am doing my *Father’s work. Even if you do not believe me, you should believe because of the *miracles. Then you will know certainly that my *Father is in me. And you will understand also that I am in the *Father.’

v39 Again, they tried to arrest Jesus. But he escaped from them. v40 He crossed the river called Jordan. He went to the place where John the *Baptist used to *baptise people. He stayed there. v41 And many people came to him there.

They said, ‘John the *Baptist did not do any *miracles. But everything that he said about this man (Jesus) is true!’

v42 And many people at that place *believed in him.

Verses 22-23 *Hanukkah is a *festival that happens every year in December. At this *festival, *Jews remember the events that had happened in *Jerusalem 200 years before. A foreign king called Antiochus Epiphanes had defeated the *Jews. This king wanted to destroy the *Jewish religion. So he made the *Jews leave the *Temple. He and his people used the *Temple to *worship false gods. They even *sacrificed a pig to their gods there. (A pig was an *unclean animal to the *Jews.) This event upset the *Jews very much and it made them angry. One of their leaders, Judas Maccabeus, fought against Antiochus Epiphanes and his people. Judas Maccabeus defeated them and he made them leave the *Temple. Then the *Jews made the *Temple *clean again and they offered proper *sacrifices to God.

So at *Hanukkah, *Jews remember when Judas Maccabeus got the *Temple back from their enemies.

Verse 24 There were probably two main reasons why the *Jewish leaders asked Jesus this question. Perhaps, some of them really wanted to know if Jesus was the *Messiah. They believed that the *Messiah would defeat the *Romans. Then, the *Jews could rule their own land again. However, their idea of what the *Messiah would do was wrong. Jesus had not come to defeat human enemies. He had come to save people from the results of *sin.

But probably the other leaders wanted Jesus to say something against the law; either their own *Law or *Roman law. Then they would have a reason to arrest him.

Verse 25 But Jesus refused to answer them with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Instead, he spoke about the *miracles as evidence of who he was.

Verses 26-29 Then Jesus spoke again about the idea of the *shepherd and the sheep (verses 1-21). Jesus’ sheep meant all those people who *believed in him. But the *Jewish leaders did not believe him. They would not even believe when they saw the *miracles. So they were not his sheep.

Then, Jesus made a wonderful promise to everybody who *believes in him. He promised that he would always look after them. They would be with him always. Even death could not separate them from him (also see Romans 8:35-39).

This promise is for all *Christians. It is for us today. When we belong to Jesus, nobody can take us away from him. The devil can never take away our gift of *eternal life. Although our bodies may suffer, our spirits are safe. Like a *shepherd with his sheep, Jesus protects us. He keeps us close to him. But we must listen to him when we pray. We must trust him and we must follow him. We must obey him always.

Jesus was able to promise all this because God, his *Father, has given us to him. There is nobody more powerful than God.

Verses 30-31 Jesus is in complete unity with his *Father, God. They share the same thoughts and desires. They agree about everything. They share *exactly the same qualities.

The meaning of Jesus’ words in verse 30 was clear to his audience. His words would remind this *Jewish audience about Deuteronomy 6:4. ‘Listen, all you who are *Israelites! The *Lord our God, the *Lord is One (one God).’ So Jesus was saying that he is God. Certainly, that is what the *Jewish leaders understood. The punishment for anyone who said such a thing was death. People would throw stones at the guilty person until that person was dead (Leviticus 24:16). The *Jewish leaders were so angry that they wanted to do this immediately. What Jesus said was true. He was and he is God. But the *Jewish leaders did not believe him.

Verses 32-33 Jesus had never done anything wrong. He had done only good acts to help people. And he was doing the *Father’s work. But still the *Jewish leaders considered him only a man. So they wanted to punish him because he was making himself *equal with God.

Verses 34-36 These verses are not easy for people who are not *Jews to understand. But the *Jewish leaders would have understood completely what Jesus meant. In Psalms 82:6, *Israel’s rulers and judges were called ‘gods’. This was because they had the authority to make decisions about people on God’s behalf. They had special responsibility because they were doing God’s work. They had to be fair in the same way that God is always fair. So, in this *scripture, they were called ‘gods’ because God had chosen them to do his work on earth. In the same way, Jesus was doing God’s work, with God’s authority. In fact, Jesus was much greater than *Israel’s rulers and judges. He was God’s own Son. God himself had sent him to the earth.

Verses 37-38 Jesus had given a very clever answer. *Jewish teachers often used the *scriptures in this way when they were reasoning together. But Jesus did not expect his answer to convince them. Again, he spoke about the evidence of what he had done. The *Jewish leaders could argue with his words. They could say that he was lying. But they could not argue about what he did. They, and many other people, had seen the *miracles. The *miracles were God’s work. And the *miracles were fact. Only a person who had God’s power and authority could do such wonderful things. The *Father was ‘in’ Jesus because he was working by means of Jesus. And Jesus was ‘in’ the *Father because he was able to do these things on his *Father’s behalf (verse 38).

Verse 39 Jesus knew that very soon he would die in *Jerusalem. But it was not the right time yet. So he left *Jerusalem. It was not fear that caused him to leave. In fact, Jesus went away to prepare himself to return to *Jerusalem. He went to the place where John the *Baptist used to *baptise people.

Many people followed Jesus. They remembered what John the *Baptist had said about him. They realised that John the *Baptist’s *prophecies were correct. And, unlike the *Jewish leaders in *Jerusalem, these people were not proud. They were able to see and to accept the truth. Then they decided to *believe in Jesus, because of all the evidence.

© 2006, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

November 2006

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