John 10:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

NIV: Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,

NASB: The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.

CSB: Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him.

NLT: Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.

KJV: Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

NKJV: Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

Ancient writers were far more concerned with themes, facts, and events than with perfect chronology. In other words, not everything written in texts like the gospel of John is assumed to happen in exactly that order. In this case, Jesus has been cornered in the temple complex (John 10:22). Solomon's colonnade included a sheer drop to the east, as well as a solid wall. The only escape route would have been back through the temple. The mob "gathered around," described using a Greek term meaning "surrounding and pressing in," and they issued a challenge to repeat controversial statements (John 10:24). This group of religious leaders is clearly hostile.

Though this verse says they "picked up stones," the implication is not that they reached down, at that precise moment, to find rocks. This encounter is well inside the temple grounds, and nowhere near easy access to the surrounding terrain. Stones suitable for an attack like this were not simply laying around the temple within reach. In other words, these men brought the rocks with them when they first surrounded Jesus. The Greek grammar involved here is not specific about "when" the act happened, only that it happened. In short, John is saying these men "had picked up" stones, anticipating violence. Jesus has given them all they need to justify following through on their threats (John 10:30).

As has happened in the past, however, Jesus will put His attackers in an awkward spot by forcing them to justify their actions (John 10:32–33). Then, without much explanation at all, He will manage to escape this seemingly impossible situation (John 10:39).

John 10:22–42 happens a few months after the controversy described in chapter 9 through the first half of chapter 10. Here, Jesus is cornered, in an overt threat, by the same religious leaders He has been castigating for years. He echoes the metaphors of sheep and shepherd He employed after giving sight to a blind man. Jesus points out that His teachings and miracles are all consistent with predictions of the Messiah, but 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, 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.