The Church of Divine Guidance Sunday morning Adult Bible Study is embarking on an exhaustive study of the book of John. Of the four gospels, John’s gospel presents Jesus as God most forcefully. John explicitly declared Jesus to be God who brought all things into existence. John’s gospel confirmed that Jesus was YHVH of the Jews . He is light and life . These are the notes of that study along with the recorded audio of the session.
The Shepherd His Sheep
John 10:1-18 is a continuation of Jesus' answer to the Pharisees who challenged him in John 9.
Remember, after he healed the man that had been born blind on the Sabbath the Pharisees, some of them said that He couldn’t have been from God because he disobeyed the Sabbath laws by working (healing) on the Sabbath. Others said that He was in fact a sinner for the same reason.
John 9:16 (NLT)16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
It was obvious that the man could see but they couldn’t explain it. They first tried to get the man’s parents to say that he wasn’t born blind, they said that he was, but they wouldn’t answer any more questions because they didn’t want to get kicked out of the synagogue.
John 9:18-23 (NLT)18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents.19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue.23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
They even tried to get the man that was healed to denounce Him.
John 9:24-34 (NLT)24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from?31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind.33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
After they kicked the man out of the synagogue Jesus finds him, tells him the He is the Son of Man, and that He came into the world to give not only physical but spiritual light. He then told the Pharisees that although they thought they were the experts in how to please God they were actually the ones who were blind. He was talking about spiritual blindness.
John 9:39-41 (NLT)39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
In chapter 10 Jesus goes on to explain the character of the relationship between himself and those who genuinely believe in him.
Jesus was a master at using simple, everyday objects or events to illustrate profound spiritual truths;
- The farmer scattering seed,
There is the parable in Matthew 13 it’s also in Luke chapter 8, that the Pastor uses when he talks about some seed falling by the wayside, some seed falling on stony ground, some fell among the thorns, and some in good ground.
- The vine sustaining the branches,
John 15:1-5 (NLT)1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Chapter 10
In John 10, Jesus uses the scene of a shepherd enclosing his sheep in a sheepfold to give us one of the most moving pictures of our salvation and security in Christ found anywhere in the Bible. If you've ever doubted the love of Christ, Jesus’ words will give you a healthy dose of assurance in this chapter.
What usually prompts you to have doubts about your salvation or your walk with Christ—your own sin? feelings of unworthiness? personal failures? Explain.
John 10:1-5 (NLT)1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
A little cultural background of this chapter is important for an understanding of what Jesus is saying. A first-century Palestinian shepherd raised sheep primarily for their wool. A shepherd lived with his sheep. He knew his sheep; he named his sheep. Every village had a communal sheepfold with only one door for the protection of the sheep at night. The shepherds took turns guarding the door. In the morning each shepherd would come to the sheepfold and "call" his sheep. He made his own unique sound, a clucking noise or a whistle. Only the shepherd's own sheep would recognize that sound and follow him.
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. In Psalm 23, David said that the Lord was his 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 robbers He talked about were the leaders who did not care about the people, false teachers or prophets. The result of their leadership would result in the people being scattered.
Ezekiel 34:1-6 (NLT)1 Then this message came to me from the LORD:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?3 You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve.4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty.5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal.6 They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.
But God himself would search for his sheep He would bring them back to himself.
Ezekiel 34:20-24 (NLT)20 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep.21 For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands.22 So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another.23 And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them.24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the LORD, have spoken!
In this prophecy, he was referring to Jesus, the Messiah.
The people did not understand what this story meant. So Jesus explained it further.
John 10:6-10 (NLT)6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant,7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
What does Jesus mean when he describes himself as "the gate for the sheep"?
The gate is the way to salvation. 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.
John 14:6 (NLT)6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:11-12 (NLT)11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Inside the gate there is safety and when they go out into the world their needs will be supplied that’s what it means to find good pastures.
The thieves and robbers that came before were the Pharisees and chief priests, not, as many think the devil. Now 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 he wasn’t talking about the true Prophets like Isaiah, Elisha , Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and those folks but the false prophets and the corrupt high priests. Like those who profit from the sale of animals for sacrifices and misuse of the temple tax. That’s why Jesus cleared out the temple.
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. When we believe in Jesus, we are safe. We have this wonderful gift of life always. We will be content, like sheep in green fields.
John 10:11-16 (NLT)11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
Jesus also says that in addition to being the gate He is also the good shepherd the shepherd who cares for His sheep even to the point of dying for them. The Greek word translated good here is kalos it means ‘beautiful’ or ‘attractive’, but not physical beauty. It meant that Jesus had qualities that attracted people to him.
A person who receives wages to look after sheep does not really care about them. This is not talking about people in full time ministry who get a salary or others who get royalties for books or singers who get royalties for their music. He is talking about those people that Paul talks about in
1 Timothy 6:5, 9-10 (NLT)5 These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy. 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Micah mentioned
Micah 3:11 (NLT)11 You rulers make decisions based on bribes; you priests teach God’s laws only for a price; you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim to depend on the LORD. “No harm can come to us,” you say, “for the LORD is here among us.”
Paul tells us that those who spend their time and lives in the study of the word and in leading the church should be supported. A church should definitely provide for the financial needs of its pastor(s) and any other full-time ministers.
Paul again
1 Corinthians 9:13-14 (NLT)13 Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.14 In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.
1 Timothy 5:17-18 (NLT)17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”
We pay people to prepare and serve our physical food; shouldn’t we also be willing to pay those who see to our spiritual food?
The people Jesus is talking about are doing the job just to get money. So if there’s a problem 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.
In the verses before when He was talking about the sheep He was talking about the Jews. Now in verse 16 He’s talking about those outside of Judaism, Gentiles. Jesus will save everybody who believes in him. All Christians belong to God’s family. The church all over the world has one leader (‘shepherd’) and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
In what ways do you feel a part of "one flock" under "one shepherd"?
What can you learn from those verses about Jesus' care and relationship with you?
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.
John 10:17-18 (NLT)17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again.18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
Why do you think Jesus stresses that he lays down his life of his own accord?
The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus (we will see that again later in this chapter). 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.
John 10:19-21 (NLT)19 When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him.20 Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?”21 Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Jesus’ audience had to make a decision about him. 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.
John 10:22-30 (NLT)22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.23 He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade.24 The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.26 But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep.27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.30 The Father and I are one.”
Between John 10:21 and John 10:22, there is a time change. The events recorded in John 7:1-10:21 all occur within a few days during and after the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. That feast was held in mid-October.
In John 10:22 the scene shifts to the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah). That feast was observed at the end of December. Hanukkah is the celebration of the dedication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus after it had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes.
So between John 10:21 and John 10:22 ten weeks have passed but Jesus' message is on the same theme.
Even after all the things that he did the miracles, the discussions with the leaders, the kicking the folk out of the temple, many people were still not convinced or sure of who Jesus was. They wanted a yes or no answer. Was He the Messiah or not?
There was really no lack of information or evidence but an unwillingness to believe. Although the only time that He had actually said that He was the Messiah and used that word was to the Samaritan woman.
He had also said some things in the past that they apparently didn’t get, and He even pointed to other testimony other than His own to prove who He was. We discussed some of that evidence in when we studied chapter 5.
John 5:31-40 (HCSB)31 “If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.32 There is Another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony He gives about Me is valid.33 You have sent ⌊messengers⌋ to John, and he has testified to the truth.34 I don’t receive man’s testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved.35 John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to enjoy his light.36 “But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.37 The Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have not heard His voice at any time, and you haven’t seen His form.38 You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent.39 You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me.40 And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.
He gave them four witnesses, God the Father, John the Baptist, the works or miracles, and the Scriptures (the Old Testament or Hebrews scriptures)
In verse 28 He said that if they followed Him that He gave His sheep eternal life. Nothing, not even death could not separate them from him
Romans 8:35-39 (NLT)35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eternal means eternal. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again salvation is forever. You can never lose it. Jesus was able to promise all this because God, his Father, has given us to him. There is nobody more powerful than God.
Then Jesus says something amazing. He says in verse 30 that He and the Father are One.meaning that no separation can be made between the Father and the Son. They are more than collaborators; they are one in essence (the word one is not masculine—one person—but neuter, oneness of being).-The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
This infuriates the Jews.
John 10:31-33 (NLT)31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.32 Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
The meaning of Jesus’ words in verse 30 was clear to his audience. His words would remind this Jewish audience about Deuteronomy 6:4
Deuteronomy 6:4 (NKJV)4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
So Jesus was saying that he is God, and the punishment for anyone who said such a thing was death. Jesus had done only good things but the Jewish leaders still only considered Him a man who was making Himself equal with God. So Jesus was asking why do you want to kill me they said they weren’t going to kill Him for any work but for blasphemy.
John 10:34-36 (NLT)34 Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world.
Do you think his defense is a denial of his deity?
These verses are very confusing unless you were a Jewish leader.
Psalm 82:1-8 (NLT)1 God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings:2 “How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? Interlude3 “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.4 Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.5 But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core.6 I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High.7 But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler.’”8 Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you.
In Psalm 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.
If Jesus wanted to avoid the charge of blasphemy by denying he was God (defense (1) above), he could very easily have done so. But he did not. Rather, he showed (by quoting Psalm 82) that the claim to be God was not IN ITSELF blasphemous. His reply could be paraphrased, "It is not blasphemy to call someone 'god' if they deserve the title."
He compares the people who are called gods to himself, the Son of God. They merely received the word of God, whereas he is the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world (v. 36). 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.
He then showed how he DID deserve the title, by describing himself as "the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world", "God's Son", and by saying "the Father is in me, and I in the Father".
John 10:37-38 (NLT)37 Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.38 But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
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 .
John 10:39-42 (NLT)39 Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them.
40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.41 And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.”42 And many who were there believed in Jesus.
Jesus' opponents understood this claim clearly, so they tried to arrest him anyway. They followed his reasoning alright, they just didn't believe the claims he made about himself. Therefore they reasoned that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy. So He left and went back to the place where John the Baptist started.
He found refuge at Bethany, beyond Jordan, where John had formerly baptized. People remembered what John had said about him, and they were able to note the difference between John's ministry, as devoid of miracle, and that of Jesus, which was marked by signs. Clearly the greater one had come, as John had stated.
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.
Bible Study Audio
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