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1–21. The Lord’s speech about Himself as a good shepherd and the effect of this speech on the listeners. – 22–42. The Lord's speech about Himself as the Messiah and His removal to the Trans-Jordanian country. Christ's discourse about Himself as the good shepherd begins with a parable that depicts the contrast between the shepherd, to whom the sheep belong as his property, and the hired shepherd, who neglects the flock entrusted to him (verses 1–6). The Lord further explains this speech, structured in the form of a parable, speaking about His position in the Kingdom of God: He is the door leading to the sheep (verses 7-10) and, on the other hand, the good shepherd (verses 11-18). Concerning this speech, dissension began among the Jews: they were perplexed about who Christ was (verses 19–21). John 10:1. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in elsewhere, is a thief and a robber; John 10:2. and he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The Lord's listeners this time were the same Jews and Pharisees mentioned at the end of the previous chapter (cf. John 9:35, 40). "He who does not enter by the door" In the East, flocks of sheep were herded at night into special, often covered, rooms, at the entrance to which there were guards who protected the flocks from robbers and predatory animals. Several owners often shared one such premises. Wanting to indicate the signs of a true shepherd-owner, on the one hand, and a thief-robber, on the other, the Lord means that the first sign of a thief is that the thief and robber does not enter the sheepfold directly, but through the fence, while the shepherd-owner goes straight through the door. John 10:3. The doorkeeper opens for him, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:4. And when he has brought out his sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. John 10:5. They don’t follow a stranger, but run from him, because they don’t know someone else’s voice. The second distinguishing feature of the shepherd owner is that the watchman “opens” the door for him. There is no mention of the thief-robber here, but it is clear that the watchman will not open the door for him. "And the sheep obey his voice." This is the third distinctive sign of the shepherd owner: the sheep do not follow the voice of a stranger. Moreover, all the sheep in the fold treat the shepherd-owner this way: not a single sheep is afraid of him, because everyone is accustomed to his voice. "Calls His Sheep". But the sheep that belong to him feel even more attached to the shepherd-owner. He calls his sheep by name, therefore giving each one a special name, and thereby encourages them to follow him. "And brings them out". He leads them to the pasture and himself walks ahead of them, showing the way. John 10:6. Jesus spoke this parable to them; but they did not understand what He was saying to them. “He told them this parable.” John calls this short speech of Christ a parable (παροιμία) in the sense of a mysterious speech containing some secret (this word is close to the word παραβολή, which is used by weather forecasters to denote figurative speech) 33. "But they didn't understand." The Lord wanted with this speech to give them the opportunity to better understand His task, but they did not understand Him. And for this they themselves were to blame, because the idea of ​​the parable was quite clear. It was, in fact, difficult not to understand that Christ called Himself a true shepherd. He made it clear to the Pharisees how wrong they were to equate Him with the people's troublemakers, the false messiahs (cf. John 7:12, 26, 31; John 8:12, 24, etc.). He, firstly, came by the direct road to His people, having accepted the baptism of John established by God (John 1:31 et seq.), and appeared to preach in places legalized for the edification of believers - in the temple and in synagogues (John 18:20). Secondly, He was allowed into these sacred places where spiritual sheep were gathered, no leaders of the synagogue and temple blocked His access here (John 7:46) and the Sanhedrin itself has not yet taken decisive measures against Him (John 7:45-52). Everyone, even his enemies, listens to Him (John 7:15) and even sometimes supports Him (John 7:26). Thirdly, His teaching did not seem completely alien to the people - many even believed in Him (John 8:30) or expressed their sympathies to Him (John 7:12, 31). He already has a large flock among the crowd (Luke 12:32) of His own sheep, which trustingly follow Him. So it’s all clear that it was impossible for a smart person not to understand Christ, and if the Pharisees still didn’t understand, then they pretended not to understand... John 10:7. So again Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” John 10:8. All, no matter how many of them came before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. Seeing such reluctance on the part of the Pharisees to understand Him, the Lord nevertheless, condescending to them, expressed His task even more clearly. “I am the door to the sheep,” or more correctly, “to the sheep.” Through the Lord Jesus Christ they can enter the spiritual sheep, i.e. to believers, all those who wish to act as a shepherd of these spiritual sheep. “All of them, no matter how many of them came before Me, are thieves and robbers.” From this it is clear that Christ has always, throughout the history of God’s chosen people, been this door. Whoever wanted to achieve a high pastoral position (the same as a king or a ruler, cf. Isa. 63:11, 44:28; Jer. 51:23) before Christ (πρὸ ἐμοῦ, in Russian translation - “before Me”) is not the true ruler of the people, but a usurper. These people knew that the Messiah-King was about to come to the Israeli people, who would sit on the throne of David, and, nevertheless, they themselves wanted to occupy this throne. These were, of course, not the Pharisees, who made no attempts to seize the throne in Judea, but, most likely, representatives of the Herodian dynasty. King Herod really came “inuda” (verse 1), i.e. illegally achieved royal power. He was not a Jew by birth, but an Edomite (Edomite), while the Law of Moses strictly forbade making a foreigner king (Deut. 17:15). Thus, Herod bore on his forehead the first sign indicated by Christ (verse 1) of a “thief and robber.” Then - the second sign - Herod was not allowed into the Israeli theocratic society, but he himself broke into it, because he himself installed and removed high priests, and in the places where believing Jews gathered, representatives of the Herodian dynasty were not noticeable. Herod also lacked the third sign of a true shepherd: the Jews did not love him, they hated and feared him, like his sons. But it was not only Herods that Christ had in mind here. And the Asmonean dynasty that preceded the Herods also did not rightfully own the Jewish throne. They, as priests, should not have accepted the royal title, but meanwhile, John Hyrcanus did this. Finally, the Lord here condemned all the attempts of the false messiahs to restore the independence of the Jewish state by force of arms - attempts that ended in failure due to the lack of sympathy for this cause found among the Jewish people (“but the sheep did not listen to them”). John 10:9. I am the door: whoever enters through Me will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. "I am the door". Here the Lord speaks of Himself as a door in general (he does not add: “to the sheep”). Therefore, by “those who are saved,” “entered,” and freely “emerged” into good pasture, here we can understand not shepherds, but sheep. These are spiritual sheep - believers in Christ, whom He brings into a safe home - the Church and to whom He allows to walk freely along the paths of life in order to find for themselves what is more useful to them. Some of the newest interpreters see in this verse a foreshadowing that all subsequent shepherds of spiritual sheep must receive their authority from Christ. But such an explanation seems extremely artificial. John 10:10. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. While the thief or usurper ruler, whom Christ here means by thief, pursues only his own personal benefits in the matter of government and often takes away property and life from his subjects, Christ, on the contrary, Himself gives life to His subjects, and, moreover, in abundance. Moreover, as a “good shepherd” or, more precisely, a wonderful, outstanding - καλός, Christ gives his life for His sheep. John 10:12. But a hireling, not a shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and runs; and the wolf plunders the sheep and scatters them. John 10:13. But the hireling flees because he is a hireling, and does not care about the sheep. A simple mercenary never sacrifices his life to save the sheep entrusted to his care. In a moment of danger, he cares only about saving his life, the sheep do not belong to him! But who is meant here by the name “wolf”? Most likely, Christ wanted to designate in this way all the forces hostile to the development of the Kingdom of God. And after this it is easy to understand who Christ means by the name “mercenary.” These are those to whose care Christ entrusted His Church, but who often do not want to give all their love for the good of the people entrusted to their care (cf. 1 Pet. 5:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Tim. 3:8). This especially applied to the hierarchy of that time, which did not want to sacrifice anything for the people, to whom the Herods - the secular authorities - and the Pharisees caused a lot of harm. John 10:14. I am the good shepherd; and I know Mine, and Mine know Me. John 10:15. As the Father knows Me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. In contrast to the abnormal relationship that exists between the Jewish mercenary shepherds and the people, Christ here depicts the relationship of mutual trust and love that exists between Him and His spiritual flock. He likens this relationship to the relationship that exists between Him and the Father. “I know Mine,” i.e. I love them and attend to all their needs. “And I lay down my life.” If His sheep are in danger, then Christ lays down or is ready to lay down His life for them. And the time was already approaching when these words of Christ were to come true. John 10:16. I have other sheep which are not of this fold, and these I must bring: and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd. But this self-sacrifice for the good and salvation of the sheep does not limit the activity of Christ as a shepherd. It extends into the future, when He will no longer be on earth, and extends beyond the borders in which the Israeli flock resides. Christ must bring His “other” sheep, who wander far from the kingdom of Israel and wait for the moment when the voice of Christ is heard calling them. Thus, in a single courtyard, i.e. in the Church, both the Israelis who believe in Christ and the pagan believers will unite under the control of the One Head - Christ (cf. Eze. 37:22, 24). The Lord Himself will accomplish this bringing of the pagans after His death (cf. John 12:32, 2:19). From this it is clear that the death of Christ will not be the end of His activity in relation to His flock, but will only serve to further expand it. John 10:17. This is why the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life in order to take it again. John 10:18. No one takes it away from Me, but I myself give it. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to receive it again. I received this commandment from My Father. The Lord ends this thought about the great significance of His death here. The Father loves Him especially because He sacrifices His life completely voluntarily, without coercion. This life is, as it were, clothing or adornment, which He puts aside from Himself in order to transfer into the hands of another (cf. John 13:4). He does this with the firm confidence that he can take it ("life") back. This “commandment”, i.e. The Lord received the right and power to take back His life from the Father. On what this authority and power is based, Christ spoke about this earlier: He has life in Himself (John 5:26) and His resurrection is, strictly speaking, the resurrection of Himself (John 2:19). Thus, Christ portrays His death, firstly, not only as suffering, which He takes upon Himself out of obedience to the will of the Father, but also as a completely free deed, which He Himself decided on; secondly, as a matter of obedience to the will of the Father and, therefore, as an essential point in the fulfillment of His calling; thirdly, as a matter of self-sacrifice for the benefit of those who believe in Him, whom through this He will save from destruction; fourthly, not as the destruction of His vitality, but as a transition to the manifestation of His death-conquering life after resurrection; and, fifthly, as a necessary prerequisite for the expansion of His activities beyond the borders of the Israelite nation. John 10:19. From these words a quarrel again arose between the Jews. John 10:20. Many of them said: He is possessed by a demon and is going mad; Why are you listening to Him? John 10:21. Others said: these are not the words of a demoniac; Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? Christ's listeners, who did not leave Him for a whole day after the Feast of Tabernacles (John 8:12–10:18), began to argue among themselves. Some stood for Christ as a great miracle worker, others - of course, mainly the Pharisees - called Christ mad, crazy and convinced the people not to believe Christ. John 10:22. Then the feast of renewal came in Jerusalem, and it was winter. From verses 22 to 42, the Lord’s conversation with the Jews on the Feast of Renewal is contained. To the question of the Jews addressed to Christ whether He is the Messiah, Christ says that He has already spoken out on this issue more than once, but the Jews still do not believe Him. When after this He declared that He and the Father were one, the Jews wanted to stone Him as a blasphemer. Christ immediately pointed out to them the groundlessness of their protest against His statement and after that he retired beyond the Jordan, to Perea. About two months passed from the Feast of Tabernacles, during which Christ remained either in Perea (cf. John 10:40), or somewhere within Judea (St. John Chrysostom). The festival of renewal or cleansing of the church began, lasting about eight days (in the month of Kislev, or December). The reason for the establishment of this holiday was the cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple from idols, which took place in 165 BC. Maccabees (I. Rozanova. Memorable book for the study of sacred history, M., 1909, p. 16). John 10:23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. The Lord appears in Jerusalem on this holiday. Whether He taught this time, John does not speak about this definitely, noting only that the Lord “walked” in the so-called porch of Solomon, i.e. in the gallery that stretched along the eastern side of the church square. In this gallery, of course, one could hide from the winter weather - from rain and wind. It may very well be that this time He was accompanied by the apostles, but the evangelist does not mention them, since they did not take part in Christ’s conversation with the Jews. John 10:24. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him: How long will You keep us in bewilderment? if you are the Christ, tell us directly. The Jews express their dissatisfaction with Christ that He “keeps them in bewilderment,” i.e. in constant tense anticipation that He is about to finally declare Himself as the Messiah. "Tell us directly" (παρρησία), i.e. boldly, openly, and not by parable (John 8:12, 9:39, 10:1–18) and not by hint (John 8:24–28). The Jews seem to want to tell Christ that they will “support” Him. John 10:25. Jesus answered them: I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in the name of My Father, they testify of Me. The Lord answers the Jews that he had already told them who He was, but they did not believe Him. Even the miracles of Christ did not awaken in them faith in Him. John 10:26. But you do not believe, for you are not of My sheep, as I told you. The reason for this unbelief is the fact that these Jews do not belong to the sheep of the shepherd - Jesus, i.e. to those true Israelis who, even before they saw Christ, were already striving with their hearts for Him, who therefore joyfully accepted His testimony. John 10:27. My sheep obey My voice, and I know them; and they follow Me. John 10:28. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. John 10:29. My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of the hand of My Father. John 10:30. I and the Father are one. To show what great benefits the Jews are depriving themselves of, who do not want to follow Christ, Christ depicts the situation in which His sheep are (cf. verses 3–4, 14 and John 6:37–40). At the same time, Christ identifies His care (hand) for the sheep (verse 28) with the care (hand) of His Father for them (verse 29). By this Christ says that the Father is actually the supreme Shepherd in Israel, but He acts through Christ (cf. John 4:34, 5:17 et seq.). And from here Christ draws the following conclusion: “I and the Father are one.” These words can only denote the unity of Christ with the Father by nature, in essence: nothing like this has ever been said about any prophet. And Christ’s listeners understood His words in precisely this sense (cf. verses 31 and 33). But the unity that is spoken of here, of course, is not identity, in which the difference between the persons of the Divine is completely destroyed (as in Sabellianism), these are only consubstantial (cf. John 17:11-21). John 10:31. Here again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Naturally, the Jews hostile to Christ should have seen simple blasphemy in such a statement. They began to take away the stones (ἐβάστασαν, in the Russian translation inaccurately - “seized”) in order to carry out the execution prescribed by law (Lev. 24:15 et seq.) on Christ as a blasphemer. John 10:32. Jesus answered them: I have shown you many good works from My Father; For which of them do you want to stone Me? Not embarrassed by this, the Lord continued to speak, and His enemies, amazed by this composure, stopped in bewilderment. The Lord asks them why they want to stone Him? After all, He did only “good” deeds (Matthew 12:12), i.e. healings and other miracles, and, moreover, acted in such a way that everyone should have understood that He acted by virtue of the authority He received from the Father. John 10:33. The Jews answered Him: We do not want to stone You for a good deed, but for blasphemy and because You, being a man, make Yourself God. The Jews do not dispute the good deeds performed by Christ (healing the paralytic and the man born blind, John 5; John 9). They oppose Christ only for assigning to Him the honor due to the One God, for His claims to Divine dignity. John 10:34. Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, I said, you are gods?” John 10:35. If He called those to whom the word of God came gods, and the Scripture cannot be broken, John 10:36. Do you say to him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world: You are blaspheming, because I said: I am the Son of God? The Lord first of all absolves Himself of the accusation of blasphemy. Yes, He called Himself, although not directly, the Son of God. But doesn’t the Word of God itself do this even with ordinary people (Christ calls it in the general sense “law”)? It sometimes calls people who are especially outstanding in their position gods (Ps. 81:6), and, however, because of this, no one will doubt the truth of Scripture and its authority for the chosen people (“Scripture cannot be broken”). Why were the Jews so angry against Him? After all, the Lord Jesus Christ is sanctified, i.e. chosen for His high service and sent into the world by the Father Himself. How could this election, which has taken place from eternity, be accomplished (cf. Eph. 1:4), if the one who was chosen did not exist before His election as a Person Who could freely accept and not accept this election? Isn’t it clear that Christ, as having existed from eternity and having already taken upon Himself a certain mission, is an eternal Being? And eternity was for the Jews the first property of the being of God, and they sometimes briefly called God the Eternal. Consequently, Christ here points to His eternal existence, by virtue of which He has the right to call Himself God in the proper sense of the word, and not in the way in which the Holy Scripture calls some people. He is, therefore, not a blasphemer, but proclaims the pure truth. From here you can see how wrong scientists are (for example, Beischlag), who in this place see an example of the fact that Christ Himself allegedly recognized Himself as the Son of God only in the moral or figurative meaning of the word. If Christ wanted to say something similar with these words, then, firstly, He would have said directly that His nature is not the same with the nature of the Father (St. John Chrysostom), and secondly, the Jews would not have armed themselves against Him regarding the explanation He gave here. John 10:37. If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me; John 10:38. and if I do, then when you do not believe Me, believe My works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him. To further convince his listeners of His divine dignity, the Lord points to His works, which give Him every right to demand from the Jews complete trust in Him (cf. John 5:36). John 10:39. Then they again sought to seize Him; but He escaped from their hands, John 10:40. and he went again across the Jordan to the place where John had previously baptized, and remained there. John 10:41. Many came to Him and said that John had not performed any miracle, but everything that John said about Him was true. John 10:42. And many there believed in Him. Seeing that Christ does not repent of the words He uttered, the Jews want to capture Him in order to present Him to the Sanhedrin as a blasphemer. But this time Christ unnoticed leaves them and retires to Perea, from where he came for the holiday. Here the Lord spent more than three months until the last Easter, on which He was put to death. Many people came to Christ at this time, and those who came, explaining their conversion to Christ, referred to the fact that all the words that John the Baptist spoke about Him came to fulfillment (cf. John 1:26 et seq.). At the same time, those who came said that although the Baptist did not perform a single miracle, his words about Christ turned out to be completely fair: Christ is for those who believe in Him the true Savior, as the Baptist prefigured Him. It is clear that those who turned to Christ at this time were at one time listeners to the sermon of John the Baptist. But it differs from it in that it denotes a comparison that Christ used to clarify the dignity of His Person, while a parable in the real sense of the word (παραβολή) was used by Christ to depict the Kingdom of God that he founded. Moreover, in παροιμία there is no historical movement or development, as there is in παραβολή. You might be interested in: