John Ten

   Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from another place, is a thief and a bandit. But he who enters by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the door-keeper opens the door; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by their names and brings them out. And when he has brought out his sheep, he goes before them; and his own sheep follow him, because they know his voice. The sheep do not follow a stranger, but they run away from him; because they do not know the voice of a stranger. Jesus spoke this parable to them; but they did not understand what he was telling them. Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who have come are thieves and bandits, if the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if any man enter by me, he shall live, and he shall come in and go out and find pasture. A thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; a good shepherd risks his life for the sake of his sheep. But the hired person, who is not the shepherd, and who is not the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep and runs away; and the wolf comes and seizes and scatters the sheep. The hired person runs away, because he is hired, and he does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me. Just as my Father knows me, I also know my Father; and I lay down my life for the sake of the sheep. I have other sheep also, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice; and all the sheep will become one flock and one shepherd. This is why my Father loves me, because I lay down my life, so that I may take it up again. No man takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own will. Therefore I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.

   ¶ There was again a division among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, He is insane and rambles; why do you listen to him? Others said, These are not the words of a crazy man. Why, can a crazy man open the eyes of the blind?

   ¶ Then came the feast of dedication at Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, How long do you vex our soul with uncertainty? If you are the Christ, tell us openly. Jesus answered and said to them, I have told you, but you do not believe; yet the works which I do, in the name of my Father, testify of me. But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, just as I told you. My own sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; And I give to them eternal life; and they will never perish, and no man will snatch them from my hands. For my Father who gave them to me is greater than all; and no man can snatch anything from my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one in accord. Then the Jews again took up stones to stone him. Jesus said to them, I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which one of them do you stone me? The Jews said to him, It is not because of the good works we stone you, but because you blaspheme; for while you are only a man,
you make yourself God. Jesus said to them, Is it not so written in your law, I said, you are gods? If he called them gods, because the word of God was with them, and the scripture cannot be broken; Yet to the one whom the Father sanctified and sent to the world, you say, You blaspheme, just because I said to you, I am the Son of God. If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe in me, believe in the works; so that you may know and believe that my Father is with me and I am with my Father.

   ¶ And they wanted again to seize him; but he escaped from their hands. And he went away to the Jordan crossing, to the place where John was, where he first baptized; and he remained there. And many men came to him and said, John did not perform a single miracle; but everything which John said concerning this man is true. And many believed in him.