John 10:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

NIV: The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

NASB: He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.

CSB: This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn't care about the sheep.

NLT: The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

KJV: The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

NKJV: The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

Shepherding was hard (Genesis 31:38–40) and dangerous (1 Samuel 17:34–37) work in the ancient middle east. Jesus is comparing His role as a "good shepherd" to false religious leaders. At worst, they are like thieves and robbers who actively prey on the flock (John 10:10). Others are like hired hands who don't actually own the sheep. They provide a certain level of care—in this case, spiritual leadership—but run away when faced with personal loss or risk (John 10:12). These hired hands don't actually care for the sheep, for the sheep's sake. They only care for what the sheep can do for them. Jesus, by contrast, is willing to lay down His life for the sake of "His" sheep.

This follows from the prior two analogies Jesus taught to His religious critics. The first pointed out that sheep, in that time, were highly attuned to the voice of their own shepherd (John 10:1–6). Those who rejected Jesus did so for the same reason sheep ignore the voice of a stranger: they're not part of "His" flock. Unfortunately, this meant those who reject Jesus were ultimately owned by Satan (John 8:42–47).

The second analogy (John 10:7–9) pointed out that Jesus is the one and only means by which people find spiritual truth. He is "the door," like the single narrow gap in the ancient sheep pen. All people—like all sheep—were either "in" or "out" of this door, and only those "in Christ" can be saved.

John 10:1–21 continues directly from Jesus' encounter with local religious leaders, after giving sight to a man born blind (John 9). Jesus' references here to shepherds and shepherding are pointed barbs at these hypocritical, self-serving figures. In this section, Jesus actually creates three separate metaphors; these are not meant to be understood as a single analogy. The first comes in verses 1 through 6, the second in verses 7 through 9, and the third in verses 10 through 18. In doing so, Jesus explains how He differs from the corrupt leaders He confronts. He also delivers His third and fourth ''I am'' statements, out of seven in this gospel.

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, declares Himself the only means of salvation, and again predicts His sacrificial death. This leads to controversy. Later, Jesus is cornered by a mob in the temple grounds. They once again try to stone Him as He repeats His divine claims, but He escapes in some 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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.