Bible Commentary Forever คำอธิบายความเข้าใจในพระคัมภีร์ไทยสำหรับชีวิต

John 10

For Greek interlinear links click the [verse numbers] below
Summary. In this chapter, the Lord Jesus tells us two essential things about Himself: He is the Good Shepherd, and He is One with the Father. John 10:1-21. The parable of the Good Shepherd. In this parable, the Lord Jesus talks about the sheep, the shepherd, the courtyard of the sheep, the courtyard door, and the Good Shepherd. The shepherd is a true shepherd that teaches the true living word of God, the sheep are the believers, and the door of the courtyard is the true living word coming from the Lord Jesus. The Good Shepherd is the Lord Jesus Himself, who gave His life for all humans. He has given His life on the cross to take all His children to be with Him in paradise. Also, in the parable, the Lord Jesus tells us about thieves, robbers, strangers, and wolves who do not follow God’s true living word; watch for them by praying and meditating on the Holy Bible. John 10:22-39. “I and the Father are One.” The Jews questioned the Lord Jesus if He is the Christ. The Lord Jesus answers them that He is the Son of God, and He does the work of the Father, and He is One with the Father. So, if the Lord Jesus called God, His Father, by that also He has told them that He is the Christ; only the beloved Son of God can be the Christ. If you are children of God, you will hear the Lord Jesus’ voice in your heart, and God the Father also knows you. John 10:40-42. The Lord Jesus ministers on the other side of the Jordan. In this place, John the Baptist prepared the people’s hearts, and the Lord Jesus went there to meet them and teach them. The Lord Jesus did not go there to hide from the Jews; He went there because there was work for Him to do.
[1] Truly, Truly, I say to you, The one that does not enter by the door into the courtyard of the sheep, but climbs up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber.
Comments John 10:1 The beloved Son of God has warned everyone that a true leader who stands in front of believers, when that person takes the responsibility to be a leader, that person must live in the open; they cannot have anything hidden or have a secret life in any way; that person must show the people, the way everyone should keep life, in open not in secret. When you do things in secret, most of the time, the things you are doing are not right in the eyes of God. If you live in the light, your lifestyle must be open and must show the light out as well; those that keep their life secret do not have an honest heart in them and will be like a robber that will take attention from people to concentrate on themselves, not on the Lord Jesus' teachings.
“courtyard of the sheep”; The courtyard of the sheep are the believers, and they are still open to receiving teachings. So, if someone comes in and tells them something about God, but they did not yet practice the life as true believers, they will believe and follow because they are still learners, and when leaders have told them things, they will listen without consulting the Holy Word.
“The one that does not enter by the door into the courtyard of the sheep”; The door here is the true living Word of God. Anyone that does not hold the teaching as the Holy Word has told is like not using the right door to enter, but they have used the true living word in talking and convincing some sheep to believe them; these people are not true brothers in faith, and the sheep that consult the Holy Word will not listen to them.
[2] But the one entering in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Comments John 10:2 The one that comes in and teaches the true living word is the true shepherd, and the true shepherd will always use the living Word of God. The true shepherd will also teach the sheep the teaching he receives from the Lord because that person is the true shepherd for the sheep.
“entering in by the door.” The door is the true living Word of God. The one that enters with the true teaching of the living Word of God, that one will not lead any that listen to go astray.
[3] To him, the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls the individual sheep by name and leads them out.
Comments John 10:3 “To him the doorkeeper opens.” The doorkeeper is an angel (ministering spirit, see Hebrew 1:13-14) of each person because everyone has a ministering angel of the soul. The angel of the soul is a ministering spirit, which is different (level and duty) from the angels mentioned in other passages such as Luke 1:5-25.
“and the sheep listen to his voice”; The spiritual eye of each person will open towards the angel of their soul, and the soul will acknowledge the voice of that angel; the soul has the ability as well to listen to that angel. The Holy Spirit was not given yet at that time. But now, after the Lord Jesus' resurrection, we have the Holy Spirit, and now it becomes the duty of the Holy Spirit to guide us through the angel of the soul. In the old time, the angel was the one that guided the people; even the apostles themselves, the angel was the one that helped them. At that time, the beloved Son of God taught people, and the angel of their soul had the duty of helping the people to listen. At that time, the Lord Jesus connected directly to the angel of the soul, while now the Holy Spirit connects to the angel and guides us.
“and he calls the individual sheep by name and leads them out.” The angel of that soul will lead the soul out from whatever direction that person is, into the right path to follow the living God, which every soul should worship only. Every believer has a name; in the realm of heaven, every believer will receive a name and take that name as their name forever. Deep in that person's soul, they will know their name; the soul will have that connection, but not the mind; this connection will be the soul's knowledge only.
[4] When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice.
Comments John 10:4 “He” in this place is the servant of the Lord, with the head angel guiding him. Everyone has an angel of the soul, and a head angel will lead all the followers' angels. When the head angel has led the people out, he calls out all the people that have faith in God; the people that have faith will follow the angel because, in their souls, they can hear the angel's voice guiding them. The shepherd has the head angel guiding him; when the shepherd guides them, it is not the shepherd himself guiding them, but the head angel guiding the shepherd who guides them.
"He," the shepherd, has a duty to lead people because all the shepherds have received the angel to guide them.
The people in that time had an angel guiding them, and not all as well listened to their angel, but those that listened followed what they heard. Now we have both; everyone has an angel, and all believers have the Holy Spirit, and both work the same purpose in leading people to worship the Lord.
"For they know his voice." Because when the shepherd speaks, the vibration of his voice will touch the heart of the listener, and the heart that receives the Word will follow the true shepherd.
[5] And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.
Comments John 10:5 This verse talks about the fake shepherds; these fake shepherds fake themselves and come and mingle with the people and try to lead them away from the Lord, but the true believers will notice the voice of a fake shepherd and will stop to follow that shepherd.
[6] This parable spoke Jesus to them, but they did not understand what it was that He was speaking to them.
Comments John 10:6 The beloved Son of God has spoken to people, but not all have received the understanding; the hearts that do not open to receive the teaching of the beloved Son of God will not understand what He is speaking with them.
[7] Jesus then said to them further, Truly, truly, I say to you that I am the door of the sheep.
Comments John 10:7 The beloved Son of God is the only way to the Father, and only through His Spirit will all believers recognize Him. He has given His Spirit to all true believers; come unto Him all believers, the beloved Son of God is calling all true believers to Him.
“I am the door of the sheep”; the verse clearly tells that there is only one way to go to the Father, through the beloved Son of God; He is the true door for the soul. The Word that the Lord Jesus has spoken is He Himself; that is why we say Living Word.
[8] All who came before Me are thieves and robbers; however, the sheep did not hear them.
Comments John 10:8 As the verse had told to all readers, before the beloved Son of God came on earth, many, many, have traveled (have traveled with their spirit by meditation and entered into the spiritual realm, and that realm has many spirits teaching them, and when they are out of meditation they use that teaching) and asked knowledge from the dark spirits and believed that, that knowledge is from God. But, still, they all have fallen into the wrong teachings and went out to teach someone else the wrong things. So, these people act as thieves and robbers to take all the believers away from the right path to walk; but the ones that teach people wrong teachings will receive their punishment in the end.
“however, the sheep did not hear them.” The sheep in this place are true believers who study and meditate on the Holy Word regularly and always ask for the guidance of the Spirit of God; these people will not listen to the thieves and robbers of the soul. All the true believers are the chosen ones which the Lord has chosen to fertile their souls, for what their hearts seek, they will find; in their hearts, they seek the true teaching of God, making them true believers. If they have true faith, they are the chosen ones. The true belief is free will; everyone can find the Holy Bible, but the free will chooses to read and meditate, while the rest deny their own chance.
Even nowadays, people do not stop searching for knowledge from unknown places, which is why they can receive teachings from other spirits. When all humans already have the Holy Word, that is where they should go searching. We can notice by the addiction how other spirits are using the way of entertaining the earthly feelings to create an addiction to the soul; that addiction itself is a path for the dark spirits to enter a person's mind and control it.
[9] I am the door; through Me if anyone enters in, he will be saved, and will enter in and will come out, and will find pasture.
Comments John 10:9 “I am the door; through Me if anyone enters in, he will be saved”; The ones who have faith in the beloved Son of God, walk according to His teaching, and have personally accepted the beloved Son of God as their Savior have entered into the path of righteousness; those will enter in and be saved; enter in the teaching that the beloved Son of God has put in the Holy Bible, and that is why we have said enter in the path of righteousness. When Jesus was on earth, many have written down all things the beloved Son of God has spoken and used as a tool to teach others.
“will enter in and will come out.” A person can live life on earth freely as a believer, and they can go and join all the things the Lord has created. A true believer can enjoy life as normal, and when that person comes back to worship the God of living, that person has forgotten all the joy of outside and finds the lasting joy in meditating on the Holy Word; that person can use the life in and out of meditation freely.
“and will find pasture.” When the true believers go outside of meditation, they will find many lost souls outside that have wandered into empty space, and those true believers can lead those souls back to the Lord because the true believers know the right way to enter in back again to the Lord.
[10] The thief comes not, if not that he may steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life and may have it more abundantly.
Comments John 10:10 “The thief comes not, …”; The thief is not a burglar but a deceiver of the soul who comes to take the soul of the believers, the believers that do not stay in meditation of the Holy Word and prayer. This deceiver will come in many shapes and forms and could deceive the eyes of those looking at them. When the eyes of wavering believers look at the deceiver, those believers, in their hearts, will not feel that the spirit of the deceiver is there and that the purpose of the deceiver is to take the souls from the Lord and destroy them. But, no one can snatch the true believers' souls from the Lord, from those who stay in meditation of the Holy Word and prayer. However, the ones that do not stay in meditation and follow the teachings of the Lord have already opened the door for the deceiver, not that the Lord rejected those persons, but the Lord has already given the way out to all; the Holy Bible is there everywhere, but if the person ignores and let it alone without meditating on it, it is the person’s own fault. But the Lord is still waiting for all; when the person realizes they are facing the deceiver and turn to the Lord and follow all the commandments and confesses their sins, the Lord will deliver that person from the hands of the deceiver.
“I came that they may have life …”; The beloved Son of God has already come down in human form to save all humans. For those that have accepted the beloved Son of God and put all their trust in His mercy, the beloved Son of God will receive them to be with Him, and they will have life for eternity with Him because it is for eternity that is “more abundantly.”
[11] I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sake of the sheep.
Comments John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd.” The beloved Son of God is the good shepherd of mankind; He has given His life on the cross in order to take all His children to be with Him in paradise. He willingly went to taste the death for humans; for God, the death on the cross has cost Him pain more than humans can understand; God in human form has died for all humans in order to show them the way to eternity with Him.
Q: What is the difference between the “shepherd” of verse 2 in the parable and the “good shepherd” in this verse? A: The shepherd in verse 2 refers to the teacher of the Holy Word, to those that have the call to be a teacher and have gone out to give the knowledge they have to all that they have a chance to meet; but the good shepherd in this verse is the beloved Son of God Himself. As the verse has told, He has laid down His life for the sheep, God that has given His life in the hands of His own created things has allowed them to crucify Him; there is no other god on this earth that will give his own life for humans.
The Lord Jesus is the good shepherd that has sacrificed His life for his own sheep and has taken all the suffering for their souls in making mistakes; when His sheep have strayed away, the pain of suffering in those sheep, He also has taken with Him. During their suffering time, He spends time with them and teaches them to stay in His path so that they will be safe. Also, He has given all the details in the Holy Bible; if you are His sheep, follow and meditate in the Holy Book, which is considered as walking in His path.
[12] The hired servant, however, not being the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees; and the wolf snatches and scatters them;
Comments John 10:12 “The hired servant, however, not being the shepherd”; The people that have taken the job because of the payment are the hired servants looking only for the payment of work and not for the wellbeing of the flock itself. The hired servant does not take the sheep as their own; in their heart, they still think that this is not their flock but the flock of the master from whom they receive payment for being among the sheep.
“whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees.” The hired servant does not take the sheep as their own. When they see danger coming, they will first think of themselves, not the sheep. Because in their minds, if something happens to the sheep, the loss is not for themselves; the loss will belong to the owner of the sheep; they only work for their payment, but they don't feel responsible for the loss.
Q: Who is the wolf here? A: The wolf that comes into this place is a wolf in sheep skin. The shepherd (hired servant) notices the fake sheep but is unwilling to separate them out because they fear that the work is too hard for the payment they have received. The hired servant will only work what they think is fit for the payment they have received; if the work feels more than the payment, the hired servant will stop to do further work. If the wolf did not disguise themselves, the sheep themselves would run, and the hired servant would not have to do any work. Think about the sheep themselves as well; the sheep are peaceful and stay grazing all day long; if they see another sheep coming, they will not be alarmed. But a wolf must disguise themselves as well to get more sheep; the wolf needs to disguise, and then they know how to get the sheep. If they want to come among the sheep, the wolf has to disguise themselves before they can trick the sheep into coming close to them. This parable also has told all humans, when you hear someone talking about the right way and the right word of how to worship God Almighty, think as well that you have God in your hearts already, and also He has given all humans the Holy Bible as the light for the soul; keep your ears, and your eyes to the Holy Bible and all fake sheep doctrine will not affect your heart.
“and the wolf snatches and scatters them.” Then, when the sheep have received the fake sheep in their own herd, that wolf will take off the cover (in the sense that they teach false teaching), but it is already too late for some to be safe. All the sheep will fear and run away, but the slow ones (those that do not read and meditate on the Holy Word) will become the victims of the false teaching because the wolf they are hidden among them, and the sheep do not know which one is the wolf they should avoid.
Purpose-driven teaching. The main doctrine of the purpose-driven teaching is pleasing the people by bringing the world’s culture in various ways into the gatherings, at the expense of pleasing the Lord and following His teachings. This is an example of a wolf in sheep's skin. Still, it is the sheep's fault that they let the wolf come in. All believers must use the Holy Bible, filter all actions and teachings, and compare them with the teaching of the Holy Bible; if they do not fit in, escape, since only that way can you be safe. Escape both physical and spiritual by taking your Holy Bible and reading and meditating on the Word; you do not necessarily need to separate from the group. However, if it is for you to stay, the Lord will speak to your heart and will guide you to make a positive spiritual impact among those sheep. Many have the Holy Bible, but not all of them use the Holy Bible. The false teachings among humans can easily be caught as false ones, but it is the believers’ fault for not using the Holy Bible to help them. The Lord will not come down and tell them, but the Holy Bible has all information for believers to notice the fake sheep among them.
The hired servant is the false leader, the false leader of the church of Christ, which the sheep have hired, but the Lord Himself has not approved of him. When the false leader comes in, they will spread false teachings, and the people in the church itself, some with blind ears and hearts, will follow. Therefore, when a church wants to hire someone to lead the church, the people must make sure that the person's doctrine fits the Holy Bible in every word; the Lord will give in their hearts if that person is the right person or not, but if the people choose to ignore the Lord's warning that false leader will destroy the church itself.
Everyone could notice the teachings of the false leader. However, when the leader has things against the Holy Bible, the sheep must find a way to eliminate that leader as soon as possible. Still, most churches nowadays search only for a leader with whom they feel comfortable because they themselves do not study and meditate in the Holy Bible. And as a result, they have opened the way for the wolf to come among them and hurt their own faith at the same time.
If the leader has made fun of the Holy Word, get away from that leader, that leader is a wolf in sheep's skin; that leader will devour many innocent sheep, but it is not too late to help them. All the sheep need to come and meditate in the Holy Word, and they will see the fault of that leader, and they can save their soul by kicking out that fake leader as soon as possible.
Q: What can we say about leaders that take the cross, the hymn books, the Bibles, and other Biblical items out of the church? A: Those leaders are real wolves, which have learned to cover themselves well until the sheep do not feel the difference, but the sheep must come back to the Holy Word, and then they will know how to take that leader out from among them; the Holy Bible teaches that as well.
Q: What can we say about the leaders that do not talk about the blood of Jesus shed on the cross? A: These leaders are not believers of the Son of God. How can you not talk about the blood of Jesus when that blood has saved you? The beloved Son of God has given His own blood to save the sheep, but the sheep do not want His blood, so in the end time, the fault and suffering will be on them.
[13] because he is a hired servant, and he does not care about the sheep.
Comments John 10:13 Unlike the beloved Son of God, who cares first about the sheep, the hired servant will care only about the money; for the beloved Son of God, first for Him are the sheep.
[14] I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and I am known by Mine.
Comments John 10:14 The beloved Son of God also has told all humans about one of His characters; He is the good shepherd, and He knows all His sheep, and at the same time, all His sheep recognize Him as well.
"and I am known by Mine." Q: How can this knowledge be? A: Think of yourself in this time as well; you know the beloved Son of God has died for you, and you are saved by His blood. In the same way, all His sheep know Him as all believers know their Savior.
[15] Just as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Comments John 10:15 “Just as the Father knows Me …”; As the verse has told, the Father knows the beloved Son of God, and the beloved Son of God also knows the Father. Therefore, the Father knows that the beloved Son of God will do all His will. When the beloved Son of God came down on earth, in His human form, there was only one purpose of life He would want to do; to accomplish the work the Father has given to Him.
“I lay down My life for the sheep.” In accordance for the beloved Son of God to accomplish the work that the Father has given to Him, the beloved Son of God is willing to be crucified by the hand of the creatures that He has created; because by laying down His life, He will save all the people that belong to Him, and the Father will do according to His (beloved Son) will as well.
[16] And other sheep I have, which are not of this courtyard; and those it is necessary for Me to bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Comments John 10:16 This verse talks about two sheep courtyards, one spoken in verse 1 and one in this verse.
Q: What is the sheep courtyard in verse 1, and what is this courtyard called other sheep which are not of this courtyard?
A: The first courtyard of the sheep is His people, who we call Jews, but the other courtyard of the sheep is all the gentiles; the gentiles with a heart for the Lord will also hear His calling. And they all will become one flock together, when they had come at the foot of the cross, both His people and the Gentiles become His children.
“and those it is necessary for Me to bring, and they will hear My voice”; Whoever that is not in the flock yet and has realized that and accepted the Holy Bible as the true living Word of God, all these people the Lord will bring them into His flock as well because they have accepted the true living Word of God; the ear of their soul will be open, and they will obey His teaching, and He will bring them into His flock.
[17] Because of this, the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, that I may take it again.
Comments John 10:17 “Because of this, the Father loves Me …”; This verse is the testimony of the beloved Son of God, that even He came down to do the work for the Father, but to die on the cross also was His own will to do. It was not by force from the Father for Him to be crucified, but He Himself loves humans and wants to save them as well, so He laid down the human life in Him for all humans; God in human form has sacrificed the human form in Him to save all humans of this earth.
“I may take it again.” The beloved Son of God has been resurrected in human form as well because nothing that has been created will disappear. When the earth takes the punishment, no humans will be left again, but already there is one true human in heaven in the beloved Son of God Himself; His human body will be in heaven forever.
Also, the cross is essential for the resurrection; the beloved Son of God in human form must die on the cross because the humans will be the ones that have killed the human God, and also, humans will see that human God had resurrected and went back to heaven as well. God in human form will not live the human body on earth, but on judgment day, humans will see His human body and the damage of that body that happened under the humans’ hands. The picture of the Lord Jesus will be in front of their eyes; His broken body will appear on the judgment throne, and every eye will see what He had taken for all humans as punishment. This picture of the Lord Jesus’ body is vital to prove the resurrection of His body. If the Lord had merely vanished from the cross, we would not have the Gospel and the resurrection.
[18] No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. This commandment I received from My Father.
Comments John 10:18 “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.” When humans crucified the beloved Son of God, His last breath of life on earth, He was willing to give it away in order to save the humans; the last breath on earth hurt Him more than all the nail piercings on Him. If He did not give away the last breath on the cross at that moment, the humans would further destroy His body. Still, His earthly human body needs to remain to be used on the judgment day so that no soul can argue that God does not know the sufferings of humans when every soul will see His tortured body standing firm judging them.
“but I lay it down of Myself.” People misunderstood the purpose when the Lord allowed humans to crucify the Lord Jesus on the cross. For the Lord Jesus, in the end, it was only one way, dying on the cross or escaping, but when the beloved Son of God was on the cross, He laid down His human life. For the Father to do the work and complete it, the Son of God must give up His human life to the Father, and when He has taken the last breath on earth, it is with His own will to depart from this earth in order to fulfill the work He has received from the Father. When the verse says, "I lay it down," that also has told all humans that He allowed them to do to Him according to their will, but it was not His Own will to die, and He didn’t take His life by Himself, He gave it to the Father but was the humans' will to see Him perish on the cross. Because the Lord Jesus is one hundred percent human as well, when any human has been put to be crucified, they will all die, so the beloved Son of God would not change the way humans would die.
God never dies, but God in human form can die, which is also to prove to all humans that God knows what humans go through; even the death itself, God Himself has tasted it as well. The Lord Jesus spent time alone when God in human form died; He had gone to the death place where the Father can’t go since His glory will kill all the dead, but the beloved Son of God in human form could go to the death place.
“I have authority to lay it down”; To let go of His life in human form, it is in the Son of God's own will to do so; He did not choose to change the event that will happen; if He wants to continue life as a human on earth, the humans will not be able to pierce the nails through His body; even in human form, His power was still there as well with Him. Also, if He freezes the time and frees Himself, it will not be a resurrection to save the souls; the resurrection must happen, and it happened with the will of the beloved Son of God to take the torture on Himself from the hand of the humans He has created.
“I have authority to take it again.” Now the beloved Son of God is talking about the resurrection. The resurrection must happen to show humans that the way to be saved is only through the beloved Son of God. God that has tasted death knows full well the pain of death; the beloved Son of God in human form has tasted all humans' sufferings, from birth to death. He has tasted it all for all humans, the birth as a human, growing up from baby until manhood, had received all suffering as humans have it, and died in the hands of humans. The beloved Son of God has done all, all the feelings that He went through, the Father has gone through them as well; the trinity of God has gone through the pain of death, through the death on the cross of the beloved Son of God in human form, and that is one of the reasons, the Father listens when the beloved Son of God asks forgiveness for any human that sins.
“This commandment I received from My Father.” The beloved Son of God has received the commandment to be born as a human and die for humans as well. The Father Himself has a plan to save humans, not only to save them alone but also the Father has the will to forgive them through the love of the beloved Son of God; the Father will do all things for Him as well. The Father has given the commandment to find the way to save humans, and the beloved Son of God has obeyed the commandment and has come down to be a human and die for humans; the Father has commanded His Son Jesus to save the humans, that is the commandment of the Father.
Q: How to understand the existence of evil in the world and that a Holy God allowed evil to exist? A: When the Father has created all His angels, He also gives them a free choice; they can stay to be faithful to Him, or they can rebel against Him. We as humans have free choice as well. The Lord Jesus has free choice to do His will on earth, but He chose to do the Father’s will always, which is why He is the obedient Son of God. The Bible has said that the beloved Son of God is the obedient Son and that is why He could save the humans.
[19] There arose a division further among the Jews on account of these words.
[20] Now many of them were saying, He has a demon, and is mad; why do you hear Him?
Comments John 10:20 When His own people have heard His words, all readers can notice that not for every one of His people, the work of the beloved Son has worked in their hearts. The human mind always thinks negatively; when the beloved Son has told them the truth about His authority, His own children have seen Him as He has another evil spirit in Him. But those that say things this way will also make others doubt. If you do not want to listen to the Lord Jesus, the doubt will come in and take control of the heart.
[21] Others were saying, These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon; a demon is not able to open eyes of a blind.
Comments John 10:21 By the miracle works the beloved Son of God had done, even their eyes have seen what happened, but the doubt in them has blinded their eyes. But, still, if they think with reason, their eyes will open, and the doubt will go down; as humans nowadays have the Holy Bible but do not meditate and read properly, but also use their ears to listen to others speak, and this creates doubt in them as well. People in that time when the beloved Son of God was on earth had seen the miracles and doubted, as humans nowadays have the Holy Bible and doubt about the Lord Jesus' miraculous work.
[22] Then the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem happened; it was winter,
[23] and Jesus was walking in the temple in the Solomon's porch.
Comments John 10:23 Because it is winter, all the people will join together in one place more than usual, and the beloved Son of God will be among them. Therefore, if anyone had questions, they could ask Him. For their eyes to be opened, they only needed to ask Him; He was there among them then, but they chose not to ask Him because their hearts already had grown the doubt in them, and that doubt itself took control of their minds as well.
[24] The Jews then surrounded Him and said to Him, Until when our soul do Thou hold in suspense? If Thou are the Christ, tell us freely.
Comments John 10:24 The Jews, meaning the leaders of the people, surrounded Him. The beloved Son of God has told them many times already where He is coming from, but they did not listen to His words, and now they are using force (surrounded Him) to make Him speak in their way, but the beloved Son of God has told them many times, many times where He is coming from.
[25] Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness about Me.
Comments John 10:25 “the works that I do in My Father’s name …”; If the Lord Jesus called God, His Father, by that also He has told them that He is the Christ; only the beloved Son of God can be the Christ. In all the work the beloved Son has done on earth, He always told as well that it is in the Father’s will; the Bible has said this many times.
This verse also has a clear meaning: always, the beloved Son of God does the work and uses the Father's name. He never says in His name, then why do people still question who He is? The work He has done has become His witness.
[26] But you do not believe, because you are not from among My sheep.
Comments John 10:26 Those who do not listen and obey the teachings of the Holy Bible, which talks about the beloved Son of God, are not His children. His children will listen and obey all His teaching; as the verse has told, if you don’t believe, you also are not His children.
[27] My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
Comments John 10:27 As the verse has told, if you are the children of God, you will hear His voice in your heart, and also God knows you as well; all those that follow the teaching of the beloved Son of God, which He has given in the Holy Bible are His true sheep.
[28] and I give to them eternal life; and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
Comments John 10:28 “I give to them eternal life”; In this place, the beloved Son did not talk about the physical body of this earth; to have eternal life means spiritual life in the Lord, and that life in the Lord never meets the end and never perishes, as long as God is still living; those who live with Him will never perish.
“and they will never perish, …”; If you belong to the beloved Son of God, you will be with Him forever, and nothing and no one can take you away from Him. Only one can snatch you from Him, and that one is your own self if you betray the love of God. You may do foolish things, but that does not mean betraying God's love; to betray God's love is when you are a believer and go out to worship idols. The action of worshiping idols as a believer is a betrayer action since, for all true believers, there is only one God and one destiny for our worship. The rejection from God comes if you only betray Him; His love for all His children is true and forever; nothing can stop that love only if that person has betrayed the Lord.
[29] My Father, who has given to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch out from the Father's hand.
Comments John 10:29 In this verse, let all the believers notice that the Father Himself is the One that picks you and gives you into the beloved Son’s hand; whoever or whatever that wants to snatch you, their fight will be with the Father; that is why you can be sure, nothing can fight with the Father’s hand.
[30] I and the Father are One.
Comments John 10:30 All readers must keep this in their hearts; the beloved Son of God and the Father are One. Therefore, because God is One, you cannot worship only One person, but you must worship the God of Three in One.
[31] Therefore, the Jews took up stones again so that they might stone Him.
Comments John 10:31 “so that they might stone Him”; Not just because being One with the Father makes His people want to stone Him, but they want to stone the beloved Son of God because the truth hurts them; they have no respect for the beloved Son of God. The truth hurts them because He is a man and be as God; His people cannot accept God be a man.
[32] Jesus answered them, Many good works I have shown you from the Father; on account of which work of them do you stone Me?
Comments John 10:32 The verse clearly tells that the beloved Son of God did only good works, which He has done among people from the Father’s will, but His own people cannot accept the works.
[33] The Jews answered Him, For good work we do not stone Thee, but for blasphemy; and because Thou, being a Man, make Thyself God.
Comments John 10:33 “… because Thou, being a Man, make Thyself God.” It is not only His own people thinking this; other humans also think that God cannot be a man, but they also forget that God created the man, so remember, you are from dirt. And from the love of God, the beloved Son of God has come down to take human form, so God has walked among the creatures He has created.
[34] Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law that, I said, you are gods?
[35] If he called those gods, to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken,
Comments John 10:34-35 “I said, you are gods? …”; Both these verses have told all readers as well that humans have been created after God’s likeness, look-alike God but not God Himself; still, they have look-alike God (see Genesis 1:27). When the beloved Son of God becomes human, He did not take any form that is different than His own nature itself. All the living word comes through the beloved Son of God, so the Holy Bible cannot be taken lightly because all has been written through the living word of the beloved Son of God Himself; He is the Word (See John 1:1).
The old Jewish law also considers as gods the persons who do God's will and the ones that speak the words which they claim they got from God; the Jews consider those persons gods as well, but that does not mean God Most High, which the Jews call Jehovah. When the person claims to speak the word from God, the people will consider that person as a god; this god, in their meaning, is a general god (higher level than normal humans), not the God Most High Himself. (See Psalm 82:6).
“If he called them gods” refers to general people who are calling someone god-like; we can see many places people use the term god-like as the term for the person who had the action equal as being a god.
[36] you say of Him Thou blaspheme whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Comments John 10:36 The beloved Son of God is doing the work on earth in human form, work which the normal human cannot perform, but the beloved Son of God in human form had come from the Father Himself to be born; so, He takes identity as a human, but He did not leave the identity of being the Son of God.
The argument the Lord brings forth is that the Jews considered a person that spoke the word from God as a god in a general context; so, Jesus has much more right to call Himself God since the Father sanctified Him, and He is the Son of God.
[37] If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me.
[38] However, if I do them, even if you do not believe Me, believe the works so that you may know and might come to recognize that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.
Comments John 10:38 Now the beloved Son of God has told all humans that He and the Father are One, as the verse has said, “the Father is in Me, and I in the Father”; this part also tells all humans that God is One, in God the Father Himself all Three exist, God the Father, God the beloved Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit; all Three Persons but One in the Father.
Many places in the Holy Bible tell about the miracle works of the beloved Son of God; if the Lord Jesus is only human, those works He cannot perform, but He Himself in human form also, He Himself has the Father in Him, so the work He has performed is the Father also who does that work, but is the beloved Son of God's human body that has been performing the work for the Father.
[39] Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him; but He came out of their hand.
Comments John 10:39 His own people want to seize Him, but it is not His time yet; that is why the verse says, “came out of their hand,” the Father Himself has set Him free from the humans' hands at this time.
[40] And He went away again to the other side of the Jordan to the place where John was at first baptizing; and there He stayed.
Comments John 10:40 The place where John has been, he already did prepare the work, and the beloved Son of God must also go there to start the work. John has been preparing the area, and the people have already been opened to receive the teaching; that is why the work of the beloved Son will join with John's work in this place to strengthen the minds and the hearts of people related to the teaching of the Lord Jesus.
“where John was at the first baptizing.” South of the Sea of Galilee by the Yarmuk River and Jordan River; the place was far but not very far, but still far. In those times, the traveling of the Lord still took a long time, sometimes even for a short distance; as the beloved Son of God was traveling, He would stop and talk with people as well, which is why He was traveling all the time.
[41] And many came to Him; and they were saying, John indeed did no sign; but everything how many John said about this One is true.
Comments John 10:41 In this verse, the readers can see as well that John has been there to prepare the place for the beloved Son of God; the work of John was to sow the seed in people’s hearts, so the people talk and think about the beloved Son of God, and the work the beloved Son of God has done; having John in that area, has spread the news more, and people have been waiting to see the beloved Son of God Himself.
When John talked to people about the beloved Son of God, John Himself always lifted the beloved Son of God above him; John did not perform any miracles, but he spread the good news for people to be ready.
[42] And many believed in Him there.
Comments John 10:42 In the place where John had already started the work, and people's hearts had been waiting for the beloved Son of God Himself, now they have met the beloved Son of God themselves, and their ears have heard Him speak, which has confirmed in their hearts what they knew about Him. John has been talking about the work of the beloved Son of God, which is why people’s hearts were waiting to meet with Him in person.
Life and Faith Application. 1) The Good Shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life for all humans, so all might be saved through faith in Him. 2) Pray and meditate on the Holy Bible so you can distinguish between the true shepherds and thieves, robbers, strangers, and wolves. 3) The Lord Jesus and the Father are One, and because God is One, you cannot worship only One person, but you must worship the God of Three in One (God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit). 4) If you are children of God, you will hear the Lord Jesus’ voice in your heart, and God the Father also knows you. 5) Wait with a sincere heart to meet the Lord Jesus, and He will come to meet you and teach you.