Chapter 10 – One God Translation

John

   10 I tell you on the highest authority: “Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the door but climbs in by some other way is a thief and robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them; the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger. They will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus gave them this illustration, but they did not understand the point of what he was telling them.
    7 So Jesus said again, “I tell you on the highest authority: I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers,[625] but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But I have come so that they may have life and have it in the greatest abundance.
    11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, because he is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, abandons them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches them and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired man and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the Good Shepherd.[626] I know my own sheep well, and they know me, 15 as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sake of the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep who are not of this fold; I must bring them along also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why my Father loves me, because I am giving up my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to resume it again. I have received this authority from my Father.”
    19 Once again a division took place among the Jews because of these words of Jesus. 20 Many of them were saying, “He obviously has a demon. He is crazy! Why do you even listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are certainly not the words of a demon-influenced person. Can a demon open the eyes of blind people?”
    22 Then the Festival of Dedication[627] took place in Jerusalem, 23 and it was wintertime. Jesus was walking in the temple complex in Solomon’s colonnade. 24 Then the Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you really are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus replied to them, “I did tell you, and you do not believe me. The works which I do on the authority of my Father testify about me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me and 28 I give them the Life of the Age to come, and they will never, ever perish! No one will be able to snatch them out of my hand. [628] 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one can possibly snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are working in complete unity.” [629]
    31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have demonstrated to you many good works from the Father. Which of these good works are you trying to stone me for?” 33 The Jews answered, “We are not stoning you for a good work, but for blasphemy, because you — who are only a man — are making yourself out to be God.” [630] 34 Jesus said to them, “Is it not stated in your own law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If God called those[631] to whom the word of God came ‘gods’ — and the Scripture cannot be broken — 36 are you telling me I am blaspheming because I, the one whom the Father set apart[632] and commissioned to go into the world, said ‘I am the Son of God’? [633] 37 If I am not doing my Father’s works, do not believe me. 38 But if I am doing them and you do not believe me, at least believe the works. This way you will come to know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” [634] 39 Then they were trying once again to arrest him, but he was able to elude their grasp.
    40 So Jesus departed again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him and said, “John did not do any miraculous signs, but everything John said about this man has turned out to be true.” 42 And many believed in Jesus there.

John

[625]

I.e. false claimants to Messiahship.

[626]

That is, the Good Pastor.

[627]

Hanukkah.

[628]

This is “one side of the coin.” Other passages teach that we must resolve to remain in the teaching of Jesus until the end. Our free will is not suspended by Jesus’ statement here.

[629]

“My Father and I are one” (neuter in Greek), one thing, not one Person. The sense is that they are in perfect agreement, hand in glove. The relationship of unity is predicated of true believers in John 17:11, 22 and so the statement in 10:30 has nothing whatsoever to do with a unity in the Trinity. Jesus endorsed the unitary monotheism of his Jewish heritage (Mk. 12:29; Jn. 17:3, etc.). This text is not remotely connected to the idea of “one philosophical essence.” 1 Cor. 3:8 shows that those who “plant” and those who “water” for the Gospel are one.

[630]

Or “a god.” If Jesus were GOD, as “God the Son,” this would have been the ideal moment to state this. But instead he very logically describes himself as the unique agent of the One God. It is the supreme irony that Trinitarians finally agreed that Jesus was in fact God, exactly what the hostile Jews accused him of, and they made this the heart of their rejection of him. Jesus, however, as a strict monotheist (Mk. 12:29; Jn. 17:3) explained that as the Son of God he was the supreme and final agent of the One God, not the One God Himself, which would of course make two who are God, thus two Gods. The same accusation was made against Jesus by hostile Jews in 5:18.

[631]

I.e. leaders or judges in Israel.

[632]

I.e. that is by a virginal begetting. The word here is “sanctified” and it was the miracle in Mary which constituted Jesus holy and uniquely the Son of God (Lk. 1:35; Mt. 1:20: “what is begotten in her is from holy spirit,” the divine creative activity of the One God, the Father). The loss of the biblical definition of Jesus as Son of God in Luke 1:35 is the disaster which allowed post-biblical definitions of him as “God the Son” to develop. Monotheism was fatally tampered with. Recovery will begin when Bible teachers root themselves again in Luke 1:35 and Matt. 1:18, 20.

[633]

A decisive and clear definition of who Jesus is, by Jesus himself! And he knew who he was! A Son of God, in the most ideal and unique sense, always obeying his Father, not “God the Son.” John calls Jesus “Son of God” and distinguishes him from Christians by referring to the latter as “children of God.”

[634]

This is the sense in which Father and Son are one (10:30).