Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

Jesus the Good Shepherd

(Psalms 23:1–6; Ezekiel 34:11–24)

10 ^<1>“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. ^<2>But the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ^<3>The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

^<4>When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ^<5>But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize his voice.”

^<6>Jesus spoke to them using this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them. ^<7>So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ^<8>All who came before Me ¹ were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ^<9>I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. ^<10>The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.

^<11>I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. ^<12>The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock. ^<13>The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep.

^<14>I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me, ^<15>just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. ^<16>I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

^<17>The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. ^<18>No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”

^<19>Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message. ^<20>Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”

^<21>But others replied, “These are not the words of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*

‘You will be fully alive’

^<1>Jesus told a story in which he likened God’s people to sheep coming into a sheep pen in which God gathers all his people. Jesus compared himself to the gate, the only way to come to know God. ‘I am telling you Pharisees the truth, the only way to enter the sheep pen is by the gate. Anyone who tries to enter the sheep pen some other way, by sneaking over a wall or fence, must be a thief and a robber, doing more harm than good. ^<2>The one who enters the proper way, by the gate, is the shepherd who looks after his sheep.

^<3>‘The gatekeeper knows the shepherd is a friend and allows him to enter. He opens the gate for him, and his sheep hear and recognise his voice. They respond to him because they trust him. The shepherd calls each of his own sheep by their name. He leads them out. ^<4>When the shepherd has brought out all his sheep, he goes on ahead of them, leading the way. His sheep follow him closely because they trust him and recognise his voice. ^<5>There’s no way that his sheep will follow a stranger because they don’t recognise his voice. The stranger’s voice is unknown to them: it isn’t the real thing. They will be frightened and run away from him.’

^<6>Jesus used this story as an illustration, but the Pharisees didn’t understand what he was telling them. ^<7>So he told them, ‘I am telling you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the only entrance by which the sheep can go into God’s sheep pen and belong to God’s people. ^<8>All those who came before me, who claimed to teach the truth but in reality misled and mistreated people, are not true shepherds. They are thieves and robbers, and the sheep don’t listen to them. ^<9>I am the gate for the sheep. Through me you can have direct access to God’s presence. Anyone who enters the sheep pen through me will be kept safe from all danger. They will feel at home and come in and go out. They will enjoy fresh grass to feed on that will strengthen them.

^<10>‘The thief has completely different intentions. He is hell-bent on destruction and wants to rob you of the best that life can offer, savagely end all your hopes and wreck your lives. But I have come to give new life. I want you to do more than just get through each day. The purpose of my coming is that you will be fully alive, overflowing with a vitality that is beyond your wildest dreams.

‘I am the perfect shepherd’

^<11>‘I am the perfect shepherd. I care deeply about you, my sheep. I know every one of you completely. Each one of you is important to me. As the perfect shepherd I am willing to lay down my life for my sheep. I recognise that the only way to save you, my people, is for me to die for you.

^<12>‘The hired man, who doesn’t care who he works for as long as he gets paid, has no sheep of his own. He’s not interested in keeping an eye on the sheep to make sure they’re safe. So when he sees a wolf coming, he turns his back on the sheep and runs away. The wolf then attacks the sheep, snatching some of them away and leaving the rest of them to scatter. ^<13>The hired man runs away as he’s only in it for the money and doesn’t care about protecting the sheep from danger.

^<14>‘I am the perfect shepherd. I know my own sheep deeply and my own sheep know me deeply. ^<15>The close relationship between me and my sheep is rooted in the intimate relationship between my Father and me. I care for you so much that I am willing to lay my life on the line for you, my sheep. ^<16>But I also want to share this new life with other sheep—those who are not Jews—who belong to me but are not yet in the sheep pen of God’s people. I must bring them into this sheep pen too. They also will respond to my voice, and there will be one flock under one shepherd.

^<17>‘The reason why my Father loves me is that I lay down my life. I do this because the only way to save my people is for me to die. But my death will not be the end. After I have died, I will receive my life again. ^<18>No one takes my life away from me. I choose to lay it down; I do it of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down and the right to take my life back again; it is in my power to do so. All this is the mission I received directly from my Father.’

God’s powerful grasp

^<19>The Jews who heard what Jesus said were again divided among themselves. ^<20>Many of them said, ‘This man is possessed by a demon. He’s crazy! What’s the point of listening to him?’

^<21>On the other hand, some people said, ‘A man who’s demon-possessed doesn’t say such things or behave as he does. Can a demon open the eyes of people who are blind?’

Study Guide

This passage, Jesus talks about what may be the most important role of a leader – shepherding: to care for and oversee a group of people like a shepherd does a flock of sheep.

Jesus presents an illustration of shepherding in verses 1-5, then personalizes His illustration in verses 6-18.

Using the Word Come Alive extended translation above, what does John 10:1-18 teach you about the following key terms in this passage?

• Sheepfold (sheep pen)
• Gate
• Shepherd
• Sheep
• Gatekeeper

Did you learn anything else about these terms from the Study Resources Bibleref.com or GotQuestions.org?

How did the Jewish leaders respond to Jesus’ illustration and personalization of a shepherd (John 10:19-21)?

Which sentence or verse in this passage had the greatest impact on you? How? Why?

Study Resources

To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/10/John-10-1.html. Read the commentary of each verse in the study passage.  (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)

If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.

If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage. Also check out any maps, charts and articles related to the study passage.