Third passover until Jesus' arrival at Bethany

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

The Good Shepherd

Jesus continued to teach the Pharisees who were questioning him:

The person who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but instead climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.

But the one who enters in by the door, he is the shepherd of the sheep.

The gatekeeper opens the door to the shepherd from the inside, and when the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice as he calls his own sheep by name, they follow.

They recognize the shepherd’s voice and they follow him. They will not follow a stranger but will flee from him, because they do not recognize his voice.

Jesus spoke to them in parables but they did not understand what he was saying. He tried again:

I am the door to the sheep. Everyone who came before is a thief or robber, and the sheep did not hear them.

I am the door. If anyone enters in through me, he will be saved, and will go in and out, and will find pasture.

The thief only comes to steal and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays his life down for the sheep. The hired hand will not lay his life down for his sheep.

If the wolf comes, the hired hand runs away and lets the sheep be scattered and killed. He runs because he does not care about the sheep; he is just a hired hand.

I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and they know me. Just like the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must be their shepherd also. They will hear my voice and they will follow me. They will all become one flock with one shepherd.

The Father loves me because I lay down my life, so that I can take it up again. No one is going to take it away from me, but will lay it down myself.

I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father.

These words caused a division among the Jews of Jerusalem. Many said:

He has a demon or he is insane, why are you listening to him.

Others said:

These are not the words of a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?