The Gospel According to St. John

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 10 -

(Psalm 23:1–6; Ezekiel 34:11–24)

“Amen, amen, I say to you, he who does not enter through the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up by another way, he is a thief and a robber.(a)

But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

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

And when he has sent out his sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.

But they do not follow a stranger; instead they flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Jesus spoke this proverb to them. But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Therefore, Jesus spoke to them again: “Amen, amen, I say to you, that I am the door of the sheep.

All others, as many as have come, are thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to them.

I am the door. If anyone has entered through me, he will be saved. And he shall go in and go out, and he shall find pastures.

The thief does not come, except so that he may steal and slaughter and destroy. I have come so that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.

I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep.

But the hired hand, and whoever is not a shepherd, to whom the sheep do not belong, he sees the wolf approaching, and he departs from the sheep and flees. And the wolf ravages and scatters the sheep.

And the hired hand flees, because he is a hired hand and there is no concern for the sheep within him.

I am the good Shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me,

just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for my sheep.(b)

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold, and I must lead them. They shall hear my voice, and there shall be one sheepfold and one shepherd.

For this reason, the Father loves me: because I lay down my life, so that I may take it up again.

No one takes it away from me. Instead, I lay it down of my own accord. And I have the power to lay it down. And I have the power to take it up again. This is the commandment that I have received from my Father.”

A dissension occurred again among the Jews because of these words.

Then many of them were saying: “He has a demon or he is insane. Why do you listen him?”

Others were saying: “These are not the words of someone who has a demon. How would a demon be able to open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

Now it was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem, and it was winter.

And Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.

And so the Jews surrounded him and said to him: “How long will you hold our souls in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered them: “I speak to you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in the name of my Father, these offer testimony about me.

But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep.

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

And I give them eternal life, and they shall not perish, for eternity. And no one shall seize them from my hand.

What my Father gave to me is greater than all, and no one is able to seize from the hand of my Father.

I and the Father are one.”(c)

Therefore, the Jews took up stones, in order to stone him.

Jesus answered them: “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”

The Jews answered him: “We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy and because, though you are a man, you make yourself God.”

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

If he called those to whom the word of God was given gods, and Scripture cannot be broken,

why do you say, about him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You have blasphemed,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’

If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe in me.

But if I do them, even if you are not willing to believe in me, believe the works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

Therefore, they sought to apprehend him, but he escaped from their hands.

John’s Testimony Confirmed

And he went again across the Jordan, to that place where John first was baptizing. And he lodged there.

And many went out to him. And they were saying: “Indeed, John accomplished no signs.

But all things whatsoever that John said about this man were true.” And many believed in him.

Footnotes

(a)10:1 On one level of meaning, this verse refers to the Antichrist.(Conte)

(b)10:15 The verb in Latin is different here: the Father ‘novit’ the Christ, but the Christ ‘agnosco’ the Father, because the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit is asymmetrical. Also the verb used to say that Christ knows his sheep and his sheep know him is different from that used to refer to the Father-Son relationship, because the God-man relationship is fundamentally different from relationships within the Trinity.(Conte)

(Psalm 23:1–6; Ezekiel 34:11–24)

“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber.

But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.

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

The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

“I am the good shepherd. (a) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them.

The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;

even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

I have other sheep which are not of this fold. (b) I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.

Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, (c) that I may take it again.

No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words.

Many of them said, “He has a demon and is insane! Why do you listen to him?”

Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”(d)

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

It was the Feast of the Dedication

(e)

at Jerusalem.

It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.

The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me.

But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you.

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

I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

I and the Father are one.”

Therefore the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”

The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? (f)

If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken),

do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me.

But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand.

John’s Testimony Confirmed

He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and he stayed there.

Many came to him. They said, “John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true.”

Many believed in him there.

Footnotes

(a)10:11 ℘ Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-12,15,22

(b)10:16 ℘ Isaiah 56:8

(d)10:21 ℘ Exodus 4:11

(e)10:22 The “Feast of the Dedication” is the Greek name for “Hanukkah”, a celebration of the rededication of the Temple.

(f)10:34 ℘ Psalms 82:6