Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

^<22>At that time the Feast of Dedication¹ took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ^<23>and Jesus was walking in the temple courts² in Solomon’s Colonnade. ^<24>So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

^<25>“I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify on My behalf. ^<26>But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. ^<27>My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. ^<28>I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. ^<29>My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ^<30>I and the Father are one.”

^<31>At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him. ^<32>But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?”

^<33>“We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.”

^<34>Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’³ ? ^<35>If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— ^<36>then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?

^<37>If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me. ^<38>But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”

^<39>At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.

John’s Testimony Confirmed

^<40>Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there. ^<41>Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.” ^<42>And many in that place believed in Jesus.

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

^<22>Some time later it was the time of the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem, held during winter. ^<23>Jesus was walking in the temple grounds on Solomon’s covered walkway as that provided shelter from the cold winds. ^<24>Some Jews had gathered round him to listen to him there. They were becoming annoyed with Jesus and asked him directly, ‘How long will you keep us on tenterhooks? Stop hiding your identity! If you really are the Messiah, tell us straight.’

^<25>Jesus answered them, ‘I’ve already told you, but you don’t believe me. But it’s not just about my words. The miracles I’ve done are surely more than enough evidence of my identity. Everything I’ve done in my Father’s name—with his authority—has been clear evidence of who I am. ^<26>But you don’t believe because you refuse to accept what my actions clearly teach and you don’t belong to my sheep.

^<27>‘My sheep belong to me. They’ve learnt to discern my voice, so when they hear my voice, they recognize me and respond to my call. I know all about them. They follow me. ^<28>Right now I give them the gift of eternal life. They will never be separated from my love and experience death but will enjoy the delights of heaven for ever. I am holding them securely. No one can snatch them out of my powerful grasp. ^<29>My Father has given them all to me. He is the greatest. So no one can snatch them out of my Father’s powerful grasp. They are secure in my Father’s hands for ever. ^<30>I and the Father are one in being and purpose. Even though we are distinct, we are equal. What my Father does, I also do.’

The unique Son of God

^<31>Once again, when they heard this, the Jews began to pick up stones to try to kill him, ^<32>but Jesus told them, ‘You’ve seen the enormous good I’ve achieved through the power of the Father. For which of my achievements are you stoning me? I’m not guilty of any crime that deserves to be punished by stoning.’

^<33>They answered him, ‘We’re not stoning you because of the good that you’ve done, but because you, a mere man, have committed blasphemy by claiming to be God. The crime of blasphemy must be punished by death.’

^<34>Jesus continued, ‘Doesn’t your law describe human judges as “gods”,⁸⁴ because they represent God to administer justice? ^<35>The word of God—Scripture—came to these people. Scripture is true and reliable and has never been withdrawn but is to be observed for ever. ^<36>Now if God values those human judges so much that he can describe them as “gods”, then surely that title is even more appropriate for the One who is the unique Son of God. I declare to you that the Father chose me for the special purpose of sending me into the world. How come you accuse me of blasphemy when I said, “I am the Son of God”? ^<37>If I’m not doing what my Father does, don’t believe me. ^<38>But if I am doing what my Father does, even though you don’t trust in me, I ask you to think about the miracles I’ve done. What do you make of them? You can’t just write them off as worthless! Were they extraordinary miracles or simply ordinary, everyday events? What do they show about the person I claim to be? I ask you to at least recognize my achievements so that you may fully realize that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’ ^<39>At this, they tried to grab hold of him, but he managed to escape their clutches.

^<40>Next, Jesus returned to the other side of the River Jordan, to where John the Baptist had been baptizing earlier. He stayed there, ^<41>and many people came to him. They realized, ‘Although John never performed a miracle, we now recognize that everything he said about Jesus is true. We’ve now experienced this for ourselves.’ ^<42>Many people there came to trust in Jesus.

Study Guide

Read the study passage, John 10:22–42, from both the Berean Standard Bible above (a formal translation) and the Word Come Alive above (an expanded translation).

The Feast of Dedication in verse 22 is know today as Hanukkah.

► Read about Hanukkah HERE.

In verse 28, Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.”

► Watch the video HERE about eternal life.

► In this passage, Jesus refers to His followers as sheep. What impressions (positive and negative) does the picture of sheep bring to your mind?

► According to Jesus, how are the Jewish leaders in this passage different from His sheep?

Study Resources

To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/10/John-10-22.html. Read the commentary of each verse in the study passage.  (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)

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https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.

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