John 10:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father 's name bear witness about me,

NIV: Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,

NASB: Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.

CSB: "I did tell you and you don’t believe," Jesus answered them. "The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me.

NLT: Jesus replied, 'I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.

KJV: Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

NKJV: Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.

Jesus is standing in a specific area of the temple: the colonnade of Solomon, which blocks a person from leaving except through the temple itself. He is physically cornered there by local religious leaders with whom He's been in conflict. This encounter is neither polite nor subtle. These men don't merely approach Jesus; they are described using a Greek term related to siege warfare (John 10:24). Later verses speak of an attempt to stone Jesus, but this happens well inside the temple where stones aren't simply sitting around (John 10:31). They are already armed and prepared for violence. Like a gang of criminals, these men swarm around Jesus, trapping Him, holding weapons, and daring Him to repeat His former claims.

Jesus does exactly that. In fact, as this conversation continues, He'll make a statement almost guaranteed to send them into a rage (John 10:30).

A recurring theme in Jesus' conversations with His critics is their willful obstinance. Jesus' life and teachings align perfectly with Scriptures these men know all too well. But they actively refuse to accept Him (John 5:39–40). Their main problem is an intent to disbelieve, not a lack of knowledge (John 7:17). Others have seen Jesus' miracles and properly interpreted them: as signs He is divinely empowered (John 3:1–2; 10:21). The men who threaten Him now have proven they're opposed to God (John 10:1–6) by crediting Jesus' miracles to Satan (Mark 3:22).

Jesus will continue to answer (John 10:26) by reiterating the first of His three shepherding-related analogies from this chapter. This puts His answer in plain terms: I already told you who I was, but you're not going to listen.

John 10:22–42 happens a few months after the controversy which began in chapter 9. Here, Jesus is cornered in an overt threat by the same religious leaders He has been castigating for years. He echoes metaphors about sheep and shepherds. Jesus points out that His teachings and miracles are all consistent with predictions of the Messiah. Yet these men refuse to accept Him. This culminates in another attempt on Jesus' life, which He somehow avoids. This represents the last time Jesus will publicly teach prior to His crucifixion.

This passage continues Jesus' discussion with the religious leaders of Jerusalem, seen in chapter 9. Jesus lays out three separate analogies about His ministry using the concept of sheep and shepherds. In those statements, Jesus explains why some people refuse to accept Him. He declares Himself the only means of salvation. He again predicts His sacrificial death. This leads to controversy. Later, Jesus is cornered by a mob in the temple grounds. They try to stone Him as He repeats His divine claims, but He escapes in a way not fully described by the text. After this, Jesus leaves the area and returns to the region where John the Baptist had once preached.

Starting in chapter 7, the gospel of John describes Jesus' preaching at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. Through chapters 7 and 8, He debates with critics and attempts to explain spiritual truths. On the way out of the city, Jesus gives sight to a man born blind, as shown in chapter 9. That begins an extended debate which continues in this chapter. Jesus gives analogies of His mission using shepherding as a theme. Months later, He repeats those ideas when cornered by an aggressive mob in the temple. This sets the stage for His grandest miracle, the raising of Lazarus, seen in chapter 11.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.