The explanation (vv. 25-42). Jesus reminded them of what He had already taught them. He emphasized the witness of His words (“I told you”) and His works (see John 5:17ff. and 7:14ff. for similar replies).
But our Lord went much deeper in His explanation this time, for He revealed to the Jewish leaders why they did not understand His words or grasp the significance of His works: They were not His sheep. From the human standpoint, we become His sheep by believing, but from the divine standpoint, we believe because we are His sheep. There is a mystery here that we cannot fathom or explain, but we can accept it and rejoice (Rom. 11:33-36). God has His sheep, and He knows who they are. They will hear His voice and respond.
The lost sinner who hears God’s Word knows nothing about divine election. He hears only that Christ died for the sins of the world and that he may receive the gift of eternal life by trusting the Savior. When he trusts the Savior, he becomes a member of God’s family and a sheep in the flock. Then he learns that he was “chosen … in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). He also learns that each saved sinner is the Father’s “love gift” to His Son (see John 10:29; 17:2, 6, 9, 11-12, 24).
In the Bible, divine election and human responsibility are perfectly balanced, and what God has joined together, we must not put asunder.
Jesus went on to explain that His sheep are secure in His hand and in the Father’s hand. “They shall never perish” is His promise (John 3:16; 6:39; 17:12; 18:9). The false shepherds bring destruction (John 10:10, same Greek word), but the Good Shepherd sees to it that His sheep shall never perish.
The security of God’s sheep is assured here in several ways. First, by definition–we have “eternal life,” and that cannot be conditional and still be eternal. Second, this life is a gift, not something that we earn or merit. If we were not saved by our own good works, but by His grace, then we cannot be lost by our bad works (Rom. 11:6). But most important, Jesus gave us His promise that His sheep do not perish and that His promise cannot be broken.
It is important to keep in mind that Jesus was talking about sheep–true believers–and not counterfeits. The dog and the pig will go back into sin (2 Peter 2:20-22), but the sheep, being a clean animal, will follow the Shepherd into the green pastures. The false professor will talk about his faith and even his works, but he will never make it into heaven (Matt. 7:13-29). Most of us know people who professed to be saved and then went back into sin, but their doing so only proved that they never really trusted Christ to begin with. Jesus did not promise security to anyone but His true sheep.
As you review our Lord’s teaching about His ministry as the Good Shepherd, you note that He has a threefold relationship to His sheep. He has a loving relationship because He died for the sheep, as well as a living relationship because He cares for the sheep. It is also a lasting relationship, for He keeps His sheep and not a one is lost.
Our Lord made a statement that He knew would startle His enemies and give them more reason to oppose Him (John 10:30). It was the “plain answer” that the religious leaders had asked for. “I and my Father are one” is as clear a statement of His deity as you will find anywhere in Scripture. This was even stronger than His statement that He had come down from heaven (John 6) or that He existed before Abraham ever lived (John 8:58).
The word one does not suggest that the Father and the Son are identical persons. Rather, it means that they are one in essence: The Father is God and the Son is God, but the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. He is speaking about unity, not identity. (See John 17:21-24 for similar language.)
The Jewish leaders understood clearly what He was saying! Some modern liberal theologians would water down our Lord’s statement, but the people who heard it knew exactly what He was saying: “I am God!” (Note John 10:33.) To speak this way, of course, was blasphemy, and according to Jewish belief, blasphemy had to be punished by being put to death (see Lev. 24:16; Num. 15:30ff.; Deut. 21:22).
Our Lord used Psalm 82:6 to refute their accusation and halt their actions. The picture in Psalm 82 is that of a court, where God has assembled the judges of the earth, to warn them that they too will one day be judged. The Hebrew word elohim can be translated as “god” or as “judges,” as in Exodus 21:6 and 22:8-9. It is also one of the Old Testament names for God. The Jewish rulers certainly knew their own language, and they knew that Jesus was speaking the truth. If God called human judges “gods,” then why should they stone Him for applying the same title to Himself?
John 10:36 is crucial because it gives a double affirmation of the deity of Christ. First, the Father sanctified (set apart) the Son and sent Him into the world; and second, Jesus stated boldly, “I am the Son of God” (see John 5:25). He gave them the “plain answer” they asked for, but they would not believe it!
Could they have believed? Jesus invited them, urged them, to believe, if only on the basis of His miracles (John 10:37-38). If they would believe the miracles, then they would know the Father, and that would open the way for them to know the Son and believe in Him. It was simply a matter of examining the evidence honestly and being willing to accept the truth.
Once again, they tried to arrest Him (see John 7:44; 8:59), but He escaped and left the area completely. He did not return to Jerusalem until “Palm Sunday,” when He presented Himself as Israel’s King.
John the Baptist had ministered at Bethabara (John 1:28), but we are not sure where this was. It was on the other side of the Jordan River, perhaps eighteen to twenty miles from Jerusalem. Some maps put it almost directly across from Jerusalem, just east of Jericho.
Why did Jesus go there? For one thing, it was a safe retreat; the Jewish religious leaders were not likely to follow Him there. Also, it was a good place to prepare for His final week of public ministry when He would lay down His life for the sheep. As He remembered His own baptism by John and all that He had experienced at that time (Matt. 3:13-17; John 1:20-34), it must have fortified Him for the suffering that He knew He must endure.
The common people continued to seek Jesus, and He continued to minister to them. It is worth noting that John the Baptist’s witness was still bearing fruit long after he was dead! His witness to Jesus Christ led many to trust the Savior. John was not a miracle worker, but he was a faithful witness who pointed to Jesus Christ. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Have you responded personally to our Lord’s three great declarations recorded in this chapter?
He is the Door. Have you “entered in” by faith so that you are saved?
He is the Good Shepherd. Have you heard His voice and trusted Him? After all, He laid down His life for you!
He is the Son of God. Do you believe that? Have you given yourself to Him and received eternal life?
Remember His stern warning: “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
- Who are some people you have “followed” in the past?
- Read verses 1-10. How is Jesus like a door into the sheepfold?
- How have you experienced Him as a door like this?
- Who would Jesus call thieves today? Why?
- Read verses 11-21. What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the good shepherd”? How is He like a shepherd?
- How was Jesus different from the religious leaders of His day?
- Has Jesus been a Good Shepherd to you? If so, how? If you have complaints, what are they?
- Although Jesus’ audience knew much about shepherds, people in our culture generally don’t. To whom do you think Jesus would compare Himself today? Why?
- Read verses 22-42. Why do you think the people so violently rejected Jesus’ teaching that “I and the Father are one”? Why didn’t they believe Him?
- How can you follow your Shepherd more closely this week?