The good shepherd
1 ① Truly, I say to you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2But the shepherd of the sheep enters by the gate. 3The keeper opens the gate to him and the sheep hear his voice; he calls each of his sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. 5A stranger they will not follow, rather they will run away from him because they don’t recognize a stranger’s voice.”
6Jesus used this comparison, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, I am the gate of the sheep. 8All who came were thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved; he will go in and out freely and find food.
10The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, life in all its fullness.
11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12Not so the hired hand or any other person who is not the shepherd and to whom the sheep do not belong. They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. 13This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep.
14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15as the Father knows me and I know the Father. Because of this I give my life for my sheep.
16I have other sheep that are not of this fold. These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock since there is one Shepherd.
17The Father loves me because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down freely. It is mine to lay down and to take up again: this mission I received from my Father.”
19Because of these words, the Jews were divided again. 20Many of them said, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” 21But others said, “One possessed doesn’t speak in this way. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Jesus claims to be the Son of God
22The time came for the feast of the Dedication. It was winter 23and Jesus walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon. 24The Jews then gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in doubt? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered, “I have already told you but you do not believe. 26The works I do in my Father’s name proclaim who I am, but you don’t believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep.
27My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me 28and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish and no one will ever steal them from me. 29What the Father has given me is above everything else and no one can snatch it from the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
31The Jews then picked up stones to throw at him; 32so Jesus said, “I have openly done many good works among you which the Father gave me to do. For which of these do you stone me?” 33The Jews answered, “We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for insulting God; you are only a man and you make yourself God.”
34Then Jesus replied, “Is this not written in your Law: I said: you are gods? 35So those who received this word of God were called gods and the Scripture is always true. 36Then what should be said of the one anointed and sent into the world by the Father? Am I insulting God when I say: ‘I am the Son of God’?
37If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. 38But if I do them, even if you have no faith in me, believe because of the works I do, and know that the Father is in me and I in the Father.”
39Again they tried to arrest him, but Jesus escaped from their hands. 40He went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had baptized, and there he stayed.
41Many people came to him and said, “John showed no miraculous signs, but he spoke of this man and everything he said was true.” 42And many became believers in that place.
The raising of Lazarus
- Jn 10,1 COUNTRY WITHOUT FRONTIERS Thanks to the parable of jesus, we can imagine one of those sheppfolds in which the flocks of various shephers are gathered together for the night under the vigilance of one caretaker. At dawn, each calls his sheep and leads them out. The Bible foretold the day in which God would came to gather together the dispersed sheep of his people, so that they would live in their land. Jesus is the Shepherd and he has come to accomplish what was announced, but he will not do it in the expected way. The Jews thought that the Shepherd would revive their former prosperity: they would again be a privileged nation among other nations. Jesus says clearly that his people are not to be thought of as identical to the Jewish nation. Those who believe, and only they, are his. He will take from among the Jews those who are his: likewise, he will take sheep from other folds as well (v.16), that is, from among nations other than the Jewish nation. Therefore, he will lead them all and will guide this flock - which is not a nation with land boundaries - to where he knows. The only flock (not the only fold, as people say), that is, the only Church, moves freely through history, not confined to any one nation or era of civilization. The shepherds of the Jewish people thought they could achieve unity by promoting national pride, by maintaining the privileges of the high-er castes, and by discriminating against non-Jews. Jesus unites his people soleley by attracting them to himself, by letting people experience who he is. All who are attracted to him, recognize his voice and believe his word are his. People willingly gather around great figures, whether they be leaders or saints. When a people have neither frontiers, arms, language, nor laws to defend themselves against external and internal dissension, the presente of a Shepherd or leader is even more essential. Faith in Christ unites us far better than does fidelity to traditions of the past or solidarity with co-religionist. Christ's people are not a mass; I t is nor Humanity with a capital H. They are composed of persons who have begun an adventure with Jesus of mutual trust and love. I know them and they will hear my voice (vv. 14 16). When the Bible speaks of the Shepherd, it usually refers to God himself, the only king of Israel, but sometimes means the king-messiah sent by God. Jesus spoke of only one shepherd. Though distinct form the Father, he is one with him (v. 30). In the Bible angels are sometimes called sons of God, and Jesus remarks that the rulers are called gods. Because of this, jesus did not like to be proclaimed Son of God. He speaks forcefully in saying: the Father is in me, and I in the Father: equal to equal (v. 38). At the same time that he stresses his divine power (vv. 15, 18, 29, 38), he also affirms his total dependence on the Father. In this we rec es not just prolong life but transforms our entire being. The resurrection is spiritual. It begins when faith moves a person to give up wrong ways of living and become open to receiving God's life. The Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead on the las day, as Martha mentioned ( v. 24). They thought a divine force would come to shake the universe and open the tombs so the dead could come out. In reality, the resurrection of the dead comes about through someone, the Son of God, who has in himself all the power needed to raise people to life and to transform creation. One who lives in submission to Christ has already passed from deaht to life (5: 24) and, because of this, will never die (v. 26). All the persons mentioned here called Jesus Master, but John has them say Lord. In this way he teaches us that this miracle of Lazarus recalled to life is an image of the glorious resurrection of Jesus, the Lord. (Regarding this term the Lord which is one of the strongest proofs of the faith of the early church in the divinity of Jesus, see the commentary in Acts 2:36). The Jews wanted to kill Jesus (v. 8), but it was legally difficult for them to take Jesus prisoner. They could do this only in the province of Jerusalem, where their religious communities and political organization were strong. As long as jesus remained on the other side of the Jordan, he was secure. The resurrection of Lazarus hastened the time of Jesus' death and glorification. The twelve hours (v.9). Jesus will complete the twelve hours of his journey, that is, of the mission, without fear of the risks involved. Those who, like him, walk by day, that is, in accordance with the divine plan, will not stumble; Christ will be for them the light of the world. I have come to believe that your are the Christ (v. 27). What more extraordinary profession of faith is there than Martha's! It is like Peters's (Mt 16: 16), and in a short while it will be mary who will tell about the resurrection to the same apostles. Truly the gospel is not male chauvinist, nor does it enthrone ecclesiastical hierarchy. Father, I thank you.. (v. 41). This act of thanksgiving is the only one we read in John, aside from the long prayer in chapter 17 which is full of praise for the Father. We read another such prayer in luke 10:21. These recorded acts of thanksgiving may seem very few, considering than thanksgiving is an essential attitude of a Christian, but Jesus expressed his act of thanksgiving in all he did. In his mortal existence, he dispossessed himself of his own will and power so that the Father could use him for his greater glory (Jn 12:27-28). Untie him (v. 44). For burial the Jews bound their dead with linen. This word to untie means something more, it was the expression used by the primitive. Church in referring to forgiveness of sins. Like Lazarus, one who receives pardon returns to life.
