John 10:10

🐑 Commentary on John 10:10

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” — John 10:10 (NKJV)

🌾 Theological Teaching from John 10:10

John 10:10 is a powerful declaration of Jesus Christ’s mission and the contrast between His purpose and the destructive intent of false shepherds. This verse is not about material prosperity or worldly success, but about the fullness of spiritual life found in union with Christ.

The “thief” symbolises anyone who leads people away from the truth of the gospel—false teachers, worldly ideologies, and even Satan himself. These forces aim to rob people of joy, truth, and eternal life. In contrast, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, offers life that is abundant—not in the sense of riches or ease, but in spiritual depth, eternal security, and transformative grace.

🕊️ Insights from John Chapter 10

John 10[i] builds on the metaphor of sheep and shepherds. Jesus identifies Himself as the “door of the sheep” (John 10:7) and the “good shepherd” (John 10:11), who lays down His life for His sheep. This sacrificial love is central to Christian theology, which emphasises Christ’s atonement as the means by which believers are reconciled to God.

The sheep know the shepherd’s voice (John 10:4), which speaks to the doctrine of effectual calling—God’s sovereign work in drawing His elect to Himself. The abundant life Jesus offers is not generic or universal; it is specifically for His sheep, those whom the Father has given Him (John 10:29).

🛤️ Application to Modern Christian Living

In today’s world, many voices compete for our attention, promising fulfilment, success, or happiness. John 10:10 reminds believers to discern the voice of the true Shepherd. The abundant life is not found in chasing fleeting pleasures or self-made identities, but in resting in Christ’s finished work and walking in obedience to Him.

This means living with assurance of salvation, rooted in God’s sovereign grace. It means embracing the ordinary means of grace—Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and the sacraments—as the pathways to spiritual abundance. It also means recognising that suffering and trials are part of the Christian journey, but they do not diminish the richness of life in Christ.

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[i] John 10

New King James Version

Jesus the True Shepherd

10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came [a]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a [b]hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is [c]mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

The Shepherd Knows His Sheep

22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in [d]doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, [e]as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus

31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and [f]believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

The Believers Beyond Jordan

40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. 41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” 42 And many believed in Him there.

Footnotes

John 10:8 M omits before Me

John 10:12 hired man

John 10:20 insane

John 10:24 Suspense

John 10:26 NU omits as I said to you

John 10:38 NU understand