Verse by Verse

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 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?”

other sheep (v. 16) — not the Church because Paul said the mystery had never before been revealed. So … this could be a reference to Gentiles who will be blessed through Israel, as during the Millennium.

not of this fold (v. 16) — fold (here) refers to the wall encompassing Israel.

one flock (v. 16) — outside the wall, outside the law.

I lay down My life (v. 17) — Unlike us, Christ did not have to die. He wasn’t under the curse. The Jews and Romans were the means of Christ’s death, but His own will was the reason.

That He said “I will take it up” (v. 18) is saying “I am God.”

from My Father (v. 18) — His authority to die and rise again came from the Father. Christ raised Himself. The Father raised Him (Romans 6:4). The Spirit raised Him (Romans 8:11). Philippians 2:8

division (v. 19) — among the Jews (Isaiah 8:14)

open the eyes of the blind (v. 21) — a sign of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5).

Death is the first step in glorification (John 12:23-24).

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

¹² But a 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.

good (shepherd) (v. 11) — divine, spiritual, preeminently excellent

hireling (v. 12) = hired hand. One who uses his position of leadership for self-gain. And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them” (Ezekiel 34:1-6).

wolves (v. 12) — false prophets and teachers (Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29). The wolf scatters the sheep but doesn’t devour them. No sheep belonging to Christ will perish.

The sheep and shepherd know each other (v. 14) as the Father and Son know each other.

Prophecy of the Good Shepherd — Genesis 49:24; Isaiah 40:10-11; Ezekiel 34:11-12; 15-16; 23; 30-31.

Christ didn’t die for the truth or for a principle, but for the sheep (v. 15) = people (Isaiah 53:8; Matthew 26:28).

for (v. 15) = in the stead of (Romans 5:6-8)

When Jesus talked of laying down His “life,” He uses the word psuche, which means “soul.” This is the word Peter used when he told Jesus he would lay down his life for Him. In response, Jesus said to him, “No, you won’t, You can’t! You, Peter, can’t give your soul for another. But I will give My soul, that you — and all My flock — might have life” (see John 13:37-38). Isaiah 53:10 says the Messiah would “make His soul an offering for sin.” — Comfort, page 169-170

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 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.

door of the sheep (v. 7) — The only way to become a member of His flock is through Him.

all who ever came before Me (v.  8) — all who claim a higher position than Him. Any, like the Pharisees (9:16, 24), who claimed to know more than Christ and denied His Messianic authority. (Perhaps the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes were the three false shepherds prophesied in Zechariah 11:8 who misled the Jews before Christ came.

I am the door (v.  9) — in anticipation of His death and resurrection. It is by these, and not by His earthly ministry, that He brings salvation.

will go in and out (v.  9) — perhaps the liberty of the saved as opposed to the law (the fold); or, life without fear. (Deuteronomy 28:6; Psalm 121:8).

thief (v. 10) — one whose intention is to hurt the sheep. Uses stealth.

door (v. 1) — the way into Judaism

door (v. 7) — the way out of Judaism

door (v. 9) — salvation to Jew

If anyone enters by Me (v. 10) — we can’t enter without His assistance (John 15:5).

¹ “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.

Prophecies of the Messiah as Shepherd:

Psalm 80:1 — Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!

Isaiah 40:11 — He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.

Ezekiel 34:12-15 — As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD.

door (v. 1) — simply the lawful entrance contrasted with climbing in as a thief.

Sheepfold (v. 1) = Judaism. Shepherd = Messiah. Thieves = Pharisees and other false leaders who claimed to be the Messiah.

door (v. 2) — Scripture. The true Messiah enters according to the prophecies in Scripture.

porter/doorkeeper (v. 3) — The Holy Spirit vouched for Christ. John the Baptist prepared the way (John 1:31).

Only the sheep given Him by the Father followed Him (v. 3) — He led them out of Judaism with its constraints of law. Jesus Christ called the entire nation of Jews, but only His flock responded.

calls His own (v. 3) — like the blind man in John 9:38

illustration = parable (v. 6) — similitude (Greek – paroimia) “It’s like this … ” Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees, but because of their blindness, they didn’t understand.

There are three doors in this passage: Sheepfold (v. 1); Sheep (v. 7); Salvation (v. 9).

Three things about the true Shepherd: (1) He enters lawfully — according to the Scriptures (2) The porter lets Him in —  heralded by John the Baptist (3) The sheep know His voice — His own knew Him (blind man)

The blind man had been cast out of Judaism, but was in the care of the true Shepherd, away from thieves and robbers.

There are two kinds of sheepfolds in Israel. One near a large village or town was a communal fold, where various flocks were kept at night. The owners of the sheep hired a porter — a doorkeeper or guardian — and he let in only those shepherds whom he knew personally as rightfully belonging to the sheep. The other kind of fold was out in the hills and away from any village. It frequently was a walled enclosure, without roof, and had a small hole in the wall through which the sheep entered at night and across which the shepherd lay to sleep — so that the shepherd was, indeed, a door. Nothing could enter or leave unless the shepherd allowed it. — Comfort, page 165.

³⁹ And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

⁴⁰ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

Judgment (v. 39) — not condemnation. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17). This verse is talking about discrimination — He revealed the truth that showed the true state of things. His object was salvation but the effect was judgment.

Those who see (v. 39) — Those, like the Pharisees, who claimed to have the light but didn’t. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God (Romans 3:19).

When the true Light came, the Pharisees, who claimed to have the light were shown to be blind. They sinned because they claimed to see but rejected Christ. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father (John 15:22-24).

The blind man gained physical and spiritual sight. He knew he was blind and so saw the light.

The Pharisees thought they saw the light (the Messiah) and this caused them to reject Christ and remain blind.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

³⁶ He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”

³⁷ And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”

³⁸ Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

The man was an outcast from His religion, but saved by faith.

Son of God (v. 35) — Son of Man in most early manuscripts. It is the title of Jesus as Messiah. Jesus was asking him if he believed the very thing that had just gotten him thrown out of the synagogue. Jesus goes on (v. 39) to speak of His role as a judge. A role for which Son of Man is also used (John 5:27).

Jesus again states His deity (v. 37).

Only to the Samaritan woman had Christ previously so clearly stated His deity. She was, as was the blind man, outside the synagogue. The nation rejected Him, only those on the outside received the truth.

²⁴ So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

²⁶ Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

²⁸ Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.

²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”

³⁰ The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!

³¹ Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

³² Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.

³³ If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

³⁴ They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.

The Jews tried to make the man reject Christ as his healer (v. 24).

Give God the glory (v. 24) — (used in cross-examining). Speak the truth in the presence and in the name of God (Joshua 7:19).

Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know (v. 25) — He wasn’t unsure, but he refused to debate the point.

One thing I know (v. 25) — They wanted to debate Christ’s person. The healed man concentrated on what Christ had done for him.

What did He do? (v. 26) — A repeat of the inquiry in v. 15. They were trying to shake his evidence and cause him to change his story.

reviled (v. 28) = pronounced anathemas, called him execrable.

God does not hear sinners (v. 31) — Job 27:9; 35:13; Psalm 66:18; 109:7; Isaiah 1:15. Sinner (in this case) = more than ordinarily bad character.

The man said that God’s power could only come through one who does His will and not through a sinner. No mere man had ever given sight to the blind (v. 31).

The more they questioned the man, the more understanding he gained. They forced him to think and he came to the only possible conclusion — Jesus was of God (v. 33).

¹⁸ But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.

¹⁹ And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

²⁰ His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

²¹ but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.”

²² His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

²³ Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

The man’s parents pointed out that their son was of age (v. 21) so they wouldn’t be held responsible for him. They were afraid of being thrown out of the synagogue, a fear their son no longer had.

who ye say was born blind (v. 19) — as though they had been lying his entire life.

The man might have expected his parents to be happy he had been healed, or at least back up his story, but out of fear, they did neither.

The Greek expression for “be put out of the synagogue” states an action similar to excommunication. The expression is uniquely Johannine (used here and in 12:42; 16:2). According to Jewish regulations, there were two kinds of excommunication: one that would last for thirty days until the offender was reconciled, and one that was a permanent “ban” accompanied by a curse. In a tight-knit community, it was a terrible judgment to be removed from the synagogue, the very center of Jewish life. Many Jews in John’s day had been “de-synagogued” because they confessed Jesus to be the Christ. An ancient document called the Cairo Genizah (c. A.D. 80-90) contains a curse against the Nazarenes, banning them from participating in the synagogue. Perhaps John included this story for particular encouragement to those Christians who were experiencing such treatment. — Comfort, page 159.

¹³ They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.

¹⁴ Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

¹⁶ Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

¹⁷ They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

By example (v. 14), Jesus showed that works of necessity and mercy were allowed on the Sabbath.

In their arrogance (v. 16), the Pharisees believed Jesus could not be from God because He broke laws they had created.

All divisions are not necessarily bad, neither is unity always good (v. 16).

They couldn’t deny that a miracle had occurred (v. 17)

The healed man still hadn’t seen Jesus. He knew the Pharisees hated Jesus, but stood strong in his growing faith.

⁶ When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.

⁷ And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

⁸ Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”

⁹ Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.”

¹⁰ Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

¹¹ He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”

¹² Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

Christ healed the man unasked.

Twice before, Jesus used spit:

And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue (Mark 7:33).

So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything (Mark 8:23)

Here, perhaps, the spit was a reminder that He’d formed man of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). The miracle proved He was the creator.

Go wash (v. 7) — a test of faith. The man’s faith was blind faith — he could hear but could not see Jesus.

Of the recorded miracles, more blind (five) are healed than any other healing. This was proof He was the promised King.

In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness (Isaiah 29:18).

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped (Isaiah 35:5).

To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house (Isaiah 42:7).

The man didn’t mention (v. 11) that Christ spit because he didn’t see it. Support (not that it’s needed) of the truthfulness of the account.

Physically, the man gained sight instantly. Spiritually, sight came gradually. In verse 11, he refers to Christ as the “man called Jesus.” In verse 17, it was “Prophet.” In verses 32-33, he said He “came from God.” In verses 35-39, “He was the Son of Man.”