John 10:40 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained.

NIV: Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed,

NASB: And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He stayed there.

CSB: So he departed again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there.

NLT: He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.

KJV: And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

NKJV: And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.

Jesus has just escaped another attempt on His life: nearly being stoned by the religious leaders of Jerusalem (John 10:22–31). Since He was cornered in a tight location, and besieged by hostile men, many believe this escape was supernatural, or a miracle in and of itself. All we know for sure is that Jesus successfully evades those trying to harm Him (John 10:32–39). That encounter is the last time Jesus will directly confront His critics in a public atmosphere prior to His crucifixion and resurrection.

Here, Jesus returns to an area outside the easy reach of Jerusalem's scribes and Pharisees. It won't be long before He returns (John 11:7–16), and when He does so, His disciples will be very worried. The incident which prior verses described is one reason the men who hate Jesus are openly trying to kill Him. That, eventually, will be exactly what happens. Jesus will soon complete His divine mission by returning to Jerusalem for the Passover, where He'll be captured and executed through cooperation between religious Jews and the government of Rome.

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.

Accessed 11/23/2024 7:07:14 AM