John 10

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10"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!G281G281G3004G5213G1525G3361G1223G2374G1519G4263G833G235G305G237G1565G2076G2812G2532G30272But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.G1161G1525G1223G2374G2076G4166G42633The 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.G5129G2377G455G2532G4263G191G846G5456G2532G2564G2398G4263G2596G3686G2532G1806G846G18064After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.G2532G3752G1544G2398G4263G4198G1715G846G2532G4263G190G846G3754G1492G846G54565They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice."G1161G245G190G3364G190G235G5343G575G846G3754G1492G3756G5456G2456Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant,G5026G3942G2036G2424G846G1161G1565G1097G3756G5101G2258G3739G2980G8467so he explained it to them: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.G3767G2036G2424G846G3825G281G281G3004G5213G3754G1473G1510G2374G42638All who came before me

were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.G3956G3745G2064G4253G1700G1526G2812G2532G3027G235G4263G191G3756G191G8469Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved

. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.G1473G1510G2374G1223G1700G1437G5100G1525G4982G2532G1525G2532G1831G2532G2147G354210The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.G2812G2064G3756G1508G2443G2813G2532G2380G2532G622G1473G2064G2443G2192G2222G2532G2192G405311"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.G1473G1510G2570G4166G2570G4166G5087G846G5590G5228G426312A 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.G1161G5607G3411G2532G3756G4166G3739G2398G4263G1526G3756G2334G3074G2064G2532G863G4263G2532G5343G2532G3074G726G846G2532G4650G426313The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep.G1161G3411G5343G3754G2076G3411G2532G846G3199G3756G4012G426314"I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,G1473G1510G2570G4166G2532G1097G1699G2532G1097G5259G169915just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.G2531G3962G1097G3165G2504G1097G2504G3962G2532G5087G3450G5590G5228G426316I 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.G2532G243G4263G2192G3739G2076G3756G1537G5026G833G2548G3165G1163G71G2532G191G3450G5456G2532G1096G3391G4167G1520G416617"The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again.G5124G1223G25G3962G25G3165G3754G1473G5087G3450G5590G2443G2983G846G382518No 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."G3762G142G846G575G1700G235G1473G5087G846G5087G575G1683G2192G1849G5087G846G5087G2532G2192G1849G2983G846G3825G5026G1785G2983G3844G3450G396219When he said these things, the people

were again divided in their opinions about him.G1096G4978G3767G3825G1722G2453G1223G5128G305620Some said, "He's demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?"G1161G4183G1537G846G3004G2192G1140G2532G3105G5101G191G84621Others said, "This doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"G243G3004G5023G2076G3756G4487G1139G3361G1410G1140G455G3788G5185

Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God

22It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.G1161G1096G1722G2414G1456G2532G2258G549423He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade.G2532G2424G4043G1722G2411G1722G4672G474524The people surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."G3767G2944G2453G2944G846G2532G3004G846G2193G4219G142G2257G5590G1487G4771G1488G5547G2036G2254G395425Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father's name.G2424G611G846G2036G5213G2532G4100G3756G2041G3739G1473G4160G1722G3450G3962G3686G5023G3140G4012G170026But you don't believe me because you are not my sheep.G235G5210G4100G3756G1063G2075G3756G1537G1699G4263G2531G2036G521327My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.G1699G4263G191G3450G5456G2504G1097G846G2532G190G342728I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,G2504G1325G846G166G2222G2532G622G3364G1519G165G622G2532G3756G726G5100G726G846G1537G3450G549529for 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.G3450G3962G3739G1325G3427G2076G3187G3956G2532G3762G1410G726G1537G3450G3962G549530The Father and I are one."G1473G2532G3962G2070G152031Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.G3767G2453G941G3037G3825G2443G3034G84632Jesus said, "At my Father's direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?"G2424G611G846G4183G2570G2041G1166G5213G1537G3450G3962G1223G4169G846G2041G3034G316533They replied, "We're stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God."G2453G611G846G3004G4012G2570G2041G3034G4571G3756G235G4012G988G2532G3754G4771G5607G444G4160G4572G231634Jesus replied, "It is written in your own Scriptures

that God said to certain leaders of the people, 'I say, you are gods!'G2424G611G846G2076G3756G1125G1722G5216G3551G1473G2036G2075G231635And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called 'gods,'G1487G2036G1565G2316G4314G3739G3056G2316G1096G2532G1124G3756G1410G308936why 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.G3004G5210G3739G3962G37G2532G649G1519G2889G3754G987G3754G2036G1510G5207G231637Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work.G1487G4160G3756G2041G3450G3962G4100G3427G336138But 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."G1161G1487G4160G2579G4100G3361G1698G4100G2041G2443G1097G2532G4100G3754G3962G1722G1698G2504G1722G84639Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them.G3767G2212G3825G4084G846G2532G1831G1537G846G549540He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.G2532G565G3825G4008G2446G1519G5117G3699G2491G4412G907G2258G2532G1563G330641And many followed him. "John didn't perform miraculous signs," they remarked to one another, "but everything he said about this man has come true."G2532G4183G2064G4314G846G2532G3004G3754G2491G4160G3303G3762G4592G1161G3956G3745G2491G2036G4012G5127G2258G22742And many who were there believed in Jesus.G2532G4183G4100G1519G846G1563