Jesus the Shepherd

A true shepherd

1“Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2But he who enters by the door is a shepherd ³⁰¹of the sheep.

3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4And whenever he takes out his own sheep he goes ahead of them, ³⁰²and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

5But they will not follow a stranger; rather they will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

6Jesus gave them this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them.

The Door

7Then Jesus addressed them again: “Most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, ³⁰³but the sheep did not listen to them. ³⁰⁴

9I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, ³⁰⁵and will go in and out and find pasture. ³⁰⁶

10The thief comes only in order to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. ³⁰⁷I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

The Good Shepherd

11“I am the good shepherd. ³⁰⁸The good shepherd lays down his life on behalf of the sheep.

12But the hired man, not being the shepherd and not owning the sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep, and runs away; and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them.

13Now the hired man runs away because he is a hired man and it does not matter to him about the sheep.

14“I am the good shepherd, and I know my own sheep, and I am known by them.

15Just as the Father knows me, I also know the Father, and I lay down my life on behalf of the sheep.

16I also have other sheep, that are not of this fold; ³⁰⁹I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

17“Because of this the Father loves me, in that I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.

18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. ³¹⁰I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.” ³¹¹

19Therefore there was another division among the Jews because of these words.

20Many of them were saying: “He has a demon and is raving mad. Why do you listen to him?”

21Others were saying: “These are not the sayings of someone who is demonized. A demon cannot open blind people's eyes, can it?” ³¹²

“My sheep hear my voice”

22Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem; ³¹³and it was winter.

23And Jesus was walking about in the temple, ³¹⁴in Solomon's porch.

24Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him: “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25Jesus answered them: “I did tell you, and you do not believe. ³¹⁵The works that I do in my Father's name—these testify concerning me.

26But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep, just like I told you. ³¹⁶

27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

28And I give them eternal life, and they will never ever be wasted; and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ³¹⁷

29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; ³¹⁸and no one is able to snatch out of my Father's hand.

30I and the Father are one.”

31Therefore the Jews picked up stones ³¹⁹again to stone Him.

32Jesus answered them: “Many good works I have shown you from my Father. For which one of them are you stoning me?”

33The Jews answered Him saying, “It is not for a good work that we are stoning you, but for blasphemy; precisely because you, being a man, make yourself God!”

34Jesus answered them: “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ³²⁰

35If He called them ‘gods’ to whom the Word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken ³²¹—

36do you say ‘You are blaspheming’ to the One the Father sanctified and sent into the world because I said, ‘I am God's Son’?

37If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me.

38But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in Him.” ³²²

39So they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped from their hand. ³²³

40He went away again across the Jordan, to the place where John was baptizing at first; and He remained there.

41And many came to Him and said, “Though John did not perform any sign, everything John said about this man was true.”

42And many of the people there believed into Him. ³²⁴