UST YHN Chapter 10

10 “I am telling you the truth: Anyone who enters into the sheep pen by any way other than the pen’s gate is a thief or bandit who has come to steal the sheep. 2 The man who enters the sheep pen through the gate is the shepherd who takes care of the sheep. 3 The man who guards the gate when the shepherd is away opens the gate for the shepherd when he comes. The sheep hear the sound of the shepherd’s voice. He summons by name each of the sheep that belong to him and leads them out of the pen. 4 After the shepherd has brought out of the pen all of the sheep that belong to him, he walks in front of them. His sheep follow him from behind because they recognize the sound of his voice. 5 His sheep will never follow someone whom they do not know. Rather, they will run away from him because they do not recognize the voices of people they do not know.”

6 Jesus told this illustration from the work that shepherds do to the Pharisees. Nevertheless, they did not understand what the illustration meant. 7 So Jesus spoke to them again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate through which the sheep enter into the sheep pen. 8 All the leaders who came before me without God’s authority were thieves and bandits. However, the true sheep did not obey them. 9 I myself am the gate to heaven. God will save from eternal punishment anyone who comes to him by trusting in me. Whoever trusts in me will be like a sheep who walks around safely and finds food. 10 Your leaders are like thieves who come only to steal, kill, and destroy the sheep. I have come to give the sheep eternal life, which will be full of blessings.

11 I myself am like a good shepherd. The good shepherd is willing to die in order to protect and to save his sheep, and so am I willing to die for my disciples. 12 Suppose that someone hires a man who is not a shepherd to protect sheep that do not belong to that man. When he sees a wolf coming to kill the sheep, he leaves the sheep and runs away, so the wolf snatches some of them and causes some others to scatter. 13 The hired man runs away because he was only protecting the sheep in order to receive money. He does not care about what happens to the sheep. 14 I myself am like a good shepherd. Just like a good shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know him, I know those who belong to me, and they know me. 15 We know each other in the same way that my Father and I know each other. I am willing to die for the benefit of those sheep who belong to me. 16 There are also sheep that belong to me and are from a different sheep pen. They are people who are not Jews. I must also bring them to myself. They will respond to what I say, and all those who belong to me will be united as one flock, and I will be their one shepherd. 17 My Father loves me because I will willingly die in order that I may make myself alive again. 18 Nobody is forcing me to die. Rather, I myself choose to die. I have authority to willfully die and I have authority to make myself alive again. That is the work my Father has commanded me to do.”

19 The Jewish leaders divided into opposing groups again on account of what Jesus had said. 20 Many of the Jewish leaders said, “A demon is controlling him, and he is crazy! Do not listen to him!” 21 Some other people said, “What he is saying is not something a man controlled by a demon would ever say. Surely a demon cannot possibly enable a blind person to see!”

22 Then the feast to celebrate the temple dedication in Jerusalem took place. 23 Jesus was walking in the temple courtyard in the place called Solomon’s Porch. 24 The Jewish leaders gathered around Jesus and said, “How long will you keep us wondering about who you are? If you are the Messiah, then tell us plainly so that we can know.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I have told you, but you still do not believe me. The miraculous deeds I do by my Father’s authority tell you what you need to know about me. 26 However, you people still do not believe in me, because you do not belong to me. You are like sheep that are not part of my flock. 27 Just like sheep obey the voice of their shepherd, my people respond to what I say. I know them, and they are my disciples. 28 I enable them to live forever with God in heaven. No one can ever destroy them, and no one can ever take them away from me. 29 My Father gave them to me. He is greater than anyone, and no one is able to take them away from him. 30 My father and I are one God.”

31 The Jewish leaders again picked up stones in order to throw them at him and kill him. 32 Jesus said to them, “You have seen me do many miraculous good deeds that my Father told me to do. For which one of them are you going to kill me with stones?” 33 The Jewish leaders replied, “We do not want to kill you with stones because you did a good deed. Rather, we want to kill you because you blaspheme God by claiming to be God even though you are just a man!” 34 Jesus replied to them, “In the Old Testament a prophet wrote that God said, ‘I have said that you are gods.’ 35 Since God called those to whom he spoke ‘gods’ and no one can prove that the Scripture is false, 36 why do you say that I am blaspheming God because I said that I am the Son of God? I am the one whom my Father specially selected to belong to him and sent into this world. 37 If I am not doing the miraculous works that my Father wants me to do, then you should not trust me. 38 However, because I am doing these miraculous deeds, you should trust what these deeds reveal about me even though you do not trust me. You should do that in order to learn and comprehend that my Father and I are completely united.”

39 Because he said these things, the Jewish leaders tried again to arrest Jesus, but he got away from them.

40 Then Jesus went back over on the east side of the Jordan River. He went to the place where John the Baptizer had baptized people at the beginning of his ministry. Jesus stayed there for a while. 41 Many people came to Jesus there. They said, “John the Baptizer never performed a miraculous sign, but everything that John said about this man is true!” 42 Many people trusted in him in that place.

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