John 10:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

NIV: I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--

NASB: I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me,

CSB: "I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,

NLT: I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,

KJV: I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

NKJV: I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

Jesus repeats that He is "the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). A main point of this analogy, which began in verse 10, is contrasting Jesus' spiritual leadership with that of others. Jesus is especially criticizing the hypocritical and self-serving religious leaders who have betrayed Israel in the past. At worst, they are like robbers who cause mayhem in order to profit from the sheep (John 10:10). In other cases, they are like employees who abandon their duties when faced with personal risk; they are only concerned for the sheep when it's convenient and comfortable (John 10:12–13).

Jesus also reiterates a point made in His first analogy related to shepherding (John 10:1–6). Ancient shepherds spent considerable time with their flocks, from the moment of a lamb's birth. As such, sheep were acutely tuned to the voice of their shepherd, and only theirs. Sheep would instinctively ignore—or even flee from—the voice of a stranger. Jesus' sheep, on the other hand, know His voice and respond to it. And, as a "good shepherd," He knows every detail about those for whom He cares.

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 1:21:57 PM