Here is a teaching on chapter 10 of the book of John. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
So before we get into this Bible study, I want to say a quick prayer.... Lord I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. I pray that you open up our eyes to see the truth of your words. I pray that you give us knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we're reading and how to implement it in our daily life. I pray that you use us as a vessel for your work, work through us to make an impact in other people's lives, and that we open up our minds, our eyes, our ears, our hearts, and our souls to you Lord. I pray that we spread the gospel and the truth of your words to other people and that we let you guide us through every aspect of our lives. I love you so much Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.
John Chapter 10:
1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
So I'm going to stop right there and discuss a few things with you guys here. So the Bible study that we went over last week was about Jesus healing a man born blind and the way that the religious leaders were acting towards that man born blind. They were unhelpful, they were being cruel to the man, they weren't believing that he was born blind, and they were just unhelpful and cruel in general. So when Jesus talks about these things here in chapter 10 of John, right after what happens from our Bible study last week, this was in contrast between Jesus' heart and his work as a leader to God's people, and the heart and the work of many religious leaders (like the ones we heard about in last week's Bible study.)
So at that time, these spiritual leaders and political leaders were often called shepherds. I'm actually going to put a couple verses from the Old Testament of them being called shepherds:
"They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain." -Isaiah 56: 11
"Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding." -Jeremiah 3: 15
So those are just a couple of verses showing that spiritual or political leaders were often called shepherds during that time. Not everyone is a true shepherd. Just like Jesus says in verses 2-5, a true shepherd comes in through the gate (so in a legitimate way) and he has a personal connection with the sheep and that's why they listen to his voice. He calls them by their name, he leads them out, he provides direction and leadership, and they follow him, but they won't follow a stranger because they don't recognize a stranger's voice.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep
Alright I'm going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys here. So here in verse 7 where he says that he's the gate for the sheep, he laid his body across the entrance to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves. In verse 8 he says that whoever came before him was thieves and robbers and with the word thieves here is deception and trickery and with the word robbers is violence and destruction. So the people that were before Jesus Christ were full of deception, trickery, violence, and destruction, and the people that truly follow Jesus Christ don't listen to those people. They listen to Jesus Christ because he cares for his people and shows us love, mercy, and grace. Where he says here in verse 9, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved," whenever we believe in Jesus Christ and we follow him then we are saved, we have eternal life, and we are kept safe from the deception, the lies, the destruction, and the violence. So the unfaithful leaders or the leaders that are like thieves and robbers that don't come in through the gates but they climb in some other way, they come to steal, kill, and destroy, and they do things for their own gain. They are greedy and they don't have the best interest of the people in their hearts, but Jesus Christ has come to give us life, to give his sheep life and for us to have full and abundant and eternal life.
Then in verse 11 Jesus says that he's the good shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. They don't realize this at the time, but Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. He died on the cross to forgive us of our sins so that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Someone that's not a good shepherd, one of the illegitimate religious leaders, they wouldn't lay down their life for the people. They don't care anything about the people or the best interests of the people. What they care about is themselves, greedy gain, and what's best for them.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
I'm going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys. So in these verses here, Jesus is explaining to these people that for the people that believe in him, he will love for them, care for them, teach them, and he gives up his life for them so they have eternal life and that their sins are forgiven. If we just follow him and we're disciples of Christ, he will lead us on the right path and he will never lead us astray. He has our best interests at heart, he will take care of us, and he gives us eternal life. In verse 16 Jesus says that he has other sheep that are not of the sheep pen (these other sheep are Gentile believers), so he's telling these people that the Gentiles will also listen to his voice, he must bring them in also, and there's only going to be one flock and one shepherd, but in different groups. So just like in the world today, there's so many different people in this world and so many different groups of people, but as believers of Jesus Christ, we are all one flock of sheep with one shepherd, which is Jesus Christ.
In verse 17 Jesus says that his father loves him because he lays his life down only to take it up again. So God the Father saw this self-sacrifice of God the Son and it made him love him even more for that. Jesus had the power to lay down his life and also raise it up again, so what he's saying here in verse 18 is that no one took his life from him. Jesus willingly gave his life for us, to forgive us of our sins, and it was all part of the plan to save the world, to die on the cross, and to forgive us of our sins. He had the authority to lay his life down and to take it up again and this was all according to the command of God the Father, because like it says in John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." So Jesus was submitted to this will of saving the world and he had the authority to take his life (to die on the cross for our sins) and to raise it three days later to forgive us of our sins and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
So with these teachings that Jesus was doing throughout this book of John that we see in all these Bible studies, a lot of the Jews were divided because some of them believe in Jesus Christ and believe in the words that he's saying, and some don't believe in him. This just goes to show, like he says here, that his sheep listen to his voice. The people that truly believe in Jesus Christ are his sheep. So in verse 20 many of these Jews said that he was demon possessed and they weren't going to listen to him, but then others said "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" Like we saw in last week's Bible study, Jesus healed a man born blind. Miraculous signs like opening the eyes of the blind could be a valid testimony, but only together with the faithfulness to the word of God. That's why some of these Jews believed that he was who he said he was and they believed in him, and some of them didn't.
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
So in verse 24 these Jews were saying that if he's the Christ, just plainly tell them and that he's been keeping them in suspense. Jesus says that he did tell them, but they don't believe him because they are not his sheep. His sheep listen to his voice, so these people that aren't believing that Jesus is the Christ and they're not believers of Christ, they're not his sheep. They don't follow him, they don't truly know God, and they aren't faithful to the word of God, even though a lot of these religious leaders and Jews knew all of the old Testament and they could quote scriptures and they knew all about it, they didn't truly believe in the word of God because they didn't believe that Jesus was who he said he was. The people that were true believers of Jesus Christ were his sheep and they followed him, they listened to him, they believed in him, he gives them eternal life and no one can ever take them from Jesus Christ. Once we're saved and we have the Holy spirit within us, we're always going to be saved. No one can ever take us away from Jesus Christ. We can stray away on our own and get lost, but he's always going to be right there to help us, lead us back in the right direction, and guide us.
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.
So those are all the verses for this Bible study, but I'm going to discuss these verses with the guys here. So in verse 33 these Jews said that they were stoning him because he was claiming to be God, because he says in verse 30 that he and the father are one. Which they are one, because like we know, it's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Then what he says in verse 34 "Is it not written in your law, 'I have said that you are "gods"', what he's referring to here is Psalm 82:6 so I'm going to put that verse here: "I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High." So that is what Jesus is referring to here. So then Jesus goes on to say that if he does what his father does and they don't believe in him, to believe in the miracles. No one understands that the Father is in him and he is in the Father. God the Son cannot do anything without God the Father, and it's the Holy Trinity there's three in one. These Jews didn't understand that because they were trying to stone him and saying that he is speaking blasphemy because he's claiming to be God, when he is God the Son, and they didn't understand that. So they tried to seize him but he escaped their grasp because his time hadn't come yet. Until it was time for his crucifixion, he was protected and no one would be able to take him or take his life away. Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to a place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Our first Bible study that we did on John chapter 1 talks about John the Baptist baptizing across the Jordan. John was baptizing so that Christ may be revealed to the world. Many people came to Jesus during this time of staying where John had been baptizing, they believed in Jesus Christ, and they knew that what John said about him was true.
John Ch 10 Study Guide
1. Why did Jesus talk about these things right after the events that happened in our Bible Study on Chapter 9?
2. What were Spiritual and Political leaders often called at that time?
3. What was Jesus referring to in verse 10?
4. How does what Jesus say in verse 16 pertain to us in the world today?
5. Who are the “sheep” that Jesus is referring to?
6. Why did Jesus escape their grasp in verse 39?
7. What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible Study?
Alright, so that concludes this Bible study. Next week we'll get into chapter 11 of the book of John, so stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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