Tyndale Open Study NotesJohn 10

This illustration of a shepherd and his sheep comes from a Middle Eastern perspective of shepherding and Old Testament traditions in first-century AD Jewish culture. God was the shepherd of Israel (Genesis 49:24; Psalms 23; 78:52–53; Isaiah 40:10–11).

Spiritual and political leaders of Israel were also shepherds of God’s people, the flock of God (Isaiah 56:9–12; Jeremiah 23:1–4; Ezekiel 34).

Jesus spoke these words during the Feast of Dedication (see John 10:22). At that time, people remembered both faithful and unfaithful leaders in Israel’s history.

In this setting, Jesus addressed the theme of shepherds. He spoke in a way that echoes Ezekiel 34, where God condemns bad shepherds and promises to care for his people himself. Jesus then identified himself as the good shepherd (John 10:11–14).

Chapter 10 continues the series of feast sermons (see study note on 5:1–10:42). Here, the setting is the Feast of Dedication. The timing of this feast is important for understanding the story (see study note on 10:22).

• A shepherd in the wild would build a sheepfold. This was a pen with low stone walls topped by sharp branches, to keep his sheep safe at night.

• The pen had one gate (or opening in the wall) that was closed with branches. Any person or thing that came into the pen threatened the flock.

• A bad shepherd was like a thief and a robber. He used the sheep for his own gain and did not care for them. Bad shepherds took the sheep’s milk and wool for themselves. They killed the sheep without guaranteeing their safety (Ezekiel 34:3; see Isaiah 56:11; Jeremiah 23:1–4).

  These words were the strongest rebuke Jesus spoke against the Jewish leaders.

the sheep listen for his voice: The Middle Eastern shepherd is well known for having intimate knowledge of the sheep. Sheep are led with flute tunes, songs, or verbal commands.

A good shepherd goes ahead of the sheep and leads them. He does not force them from behind. When the sheep recognize his voice, they trust him and follow.

I am: See study note on 6:35. A good shepherd protects the sheep at the gate like a guard.

he will be saved (or will find safety): As the guard at the gate, Jesus protects his sheep from harm by keeping them safe inside the pen.

The followers of Jesus must be wary of bad shepherds who desire to steal and kill and destroy. When they told the story of the Feast of Dedication to the Jewish people, it reminded them of false religious leaders (see study note on 10:22). The failures of these leaders had led to the loss of God's temple in Jerusalem during the time of the Maccabean Revolt.

Small villages often created communal flocks and employed a hired hand to tend the sheep. However, an employee lacked the commitment of a true shepherd. The wilderness of Judea had many predators. When a wolf or other predators attacked, the hired hand would run rather than defend the sheep. Jesus will never do this; he will always stand between his sheep and danger.

I am: See study note on 6:35. The good shepherd guides his sheep, finds food and water, and locates paths in the wilderness (see Psalm 23). The good shepherd stands between his sheep and danger (John 10:11).

The Old Testament describes God as Israel’s shepherd (Psalms 23; 80:1; Isaiah 40:10–11). The religious leaders of God’s people should care for their flock as God does (Ezekiel 34:23). However, the leaders of Israel in the time of Jesus were not good shepherds.

I give my life for the sheep: Jesus was speaking about his coming death. He was referring to his crucifixion (his death on a cross; chapter 19).

The Father and the Son have an intimate relationship. Jesus shares a similar relationship with his sheep (his followers) through the Holy Spirit (14:23–31; 15:1–11).

other sheep: Jesus spoke about sheep who were not part of the present sheepfold. This refers to people outside Judaism who would later believe in him (see 11:52). The followers of Jesus would not be divided by ethnic background. Jewish and Gentile believers from many cultures would become one flock. There would be one shepherd and one united people (17:20–23).

• No one takes it from Me: The death of the Son was voluntary. Jesus was not a helpless victim of events beyond his control. He chose to give his life freely in obedience and close relationship with the Father (see Acts 2:23–24).

• The resurrection of Jesus was not an afterthought or a rescue from failure. God cannot be confined by death or a tomb. Because Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus possessed the authority to rise from death.

• Jesus divided his audience yet again (see also 6:66–69; 7:43; 9:16). His words and actions led people to one of two responses: opposition or faith.

• He is demon-possessed: Compare 7:20; 8:48–49, 52.

the Feast of Dedication: This winter feast is also known as Hanukkah. It celebrates the time when the Jews rededicated the temple after Antiochus IV (175–163 BC) defiled it in. Two hundred years before Jesus was born, Greek soldiers captured the Jerusalem Temple, stole its treasures, and made it unusable for worship.

In the winter of 165–164 BC, a Jewish army led by Judas Maccabeus reclaimed the temple and rededicated it to the Lord. The Feast of Hanukkah ("dedication") celebrates this event (see 1 Maccabees 3–4; 2 Maccabees 8:1–10:8).

During the feast, priests examined their commitment to service, using Ezekiel 34 as their main text for reflection (also Jeremiah 23:1–4; 25:32–38; Zechariah 11). At this Hanukkah celebration, Jesus used the shepherd theme from Ezekiel 34 to show he was the good shepherd (John 10:11). He also showed how Israel’s current religious leaders were bad shepherds (10:10, 12–13).

Large covered walkways with rows of columns stood around all four sides of the temple’s central courtyard. These structures are called colonnades.

Solomon’s Colonnade was on the east side. It provided shelter from wind and rain, especially during the winter months.

The people around Jesus might have been trying to understand, or they might have been hostile. In Luke 21:20 and Hebrews 11:30, the same word describes how armies surrounded Jerusalem and Jericho before their destruction. In Acts 14:20, it refers to Paul's disciples gathering around him after he was injured.

In his final public statement in this Gospel, Jesus gave a clear and complete declaration about who he is (10:30). He spoke openly about his unity with the Father.

This statement brought his public teaching to a high point and made his identity unmistakable.

Jesus had already provided the Jewish people and their religious leaders with sufficient proof that he is the Son of God. The problem was not lack of information, but their unwillingness to believe him.

• As the good shepherd, Jesus would die for his sheep and protect them from all predators and thieves (10:1, 8, 11; see Ezekiel 34:22–23).

• The Father's power, shown through Jesus, keeps his sheep safe. No one can steal from Jesus those who trust in him. This is because no one is stronger than Jesus. Their security depends on Christ, not their own efforts.

• The word translated as snatch suggests violence (as in John 6:15).

The Father and the Son are distinct persons, yet they share one purpose and one divine nature (1:1, 14; 14:9; 20:28). They are not the same person. Yet they are united in will, authority, and being.

Because of this unity, Jesus has the power to protect God’s flock (10:28–29). His words are a strong statement about his divinity.

The people understood what Jesus meant and wanted to kill him (see 10:33). The problem was not that Jesus performed good works, but that he claimed to be God (see 6:42, 60; 7:29–30). Blasphemy (speaking in a way that dishonors God) was punishable by death under the law of Moses. The required punishment was stoning (see Leviticus 24:23; John 8:59).

‘I have said you are gods’: If the word gods could describe people other than the Lord, then Jesus was not breaking the law by referring to himself in this way. But Jesus is not just any son of God. Jesus is the Son of God who the Father sent into the world.

The miraculous works Jesus performed should help true believers know and understand that the full reality of God dwells in Jesus.

His revelation to the Jewish leaders now complete, Jesus went to the region beyond the Jordan River where John the Baptist had once worked and where Jesus was baptized.

everything he said about this man was true: See 1:19–51; 3:22–36. The fulfillment of John the Baptist’s predictions confirms both that he was a prophet and that what he said about Jesus was true.

This is a note of irony (an unexpected contrast). In Jerusalem, the holy city, Jesus found little faith among the religious leaders. But in the desert, away from the center of religious power, many people believed in him.