RSV ~ John 10 Notes

Jn 10:1 | ISB Notes

the sheepfold: Probably a stone wall enclosure with a single entryway, used to protect flocks at night from thieves and predators. Only the shepherd would be recognized and admitted by the designated gatekeeper (10:3). The whole illustration gives a realistic portrayal of pastoral conditions in ancient Palestine (10:1-16).

Jn 10:3 | ISB Notes

calls … by name: A mark of intimacy and familiarity (Is 43:1; 49:1).

leads them out: To graze and find pasture (10:9). The sheep are disciples who hear the voice of Jesus and follow him wherever he goes.

• The expression “to lead out” recalls how Joshua was appointed to lead Israel out of the wilderness (Num 27:17) and how Yahweh promised to recover the lost sheep of Israel by leading them out of their exile among the nations (Ezek 34:13). See note on Jn 10:11.

Jn 10:6 | ISB Notes

they did not understand: The Pharisees, who are blind to the spiritual dimension of Jesus’ teaching (9:39-41).

Jn 10:8 | ISB Notes

All who came before: Refers to the shepherds of Israel, many of whom were denounced by the prophets as worthless and evil (Jer 23:1-3; Ezek 34:1-10; Zech 11:17). The Pharisees are their spiritual descendants (Mt 23:29-36).

Jn 10:11 | ISB Notes

I am the good shepherd: Jesus leads his flock away from dangers and into safe pastures. He is so committed to the welfare of each one of his sheep that he is willing to die for them (10:17-18; CCC 609).

• Although Yahweh was the divine shepherd of Israel (Ps 23:1; Is 40:11), he exercised his rule through earthly shepherds like Joshua and David (Num 27:16-18; 2 Sam 5:2). A similar arrangement was expected for the last days, when the Lord would shepherd the flock of his people through the Davidic Messiah (Ezek 34:11-24). Note that David himself was a good shepherd, who, before his kingship over Israel, risked his life to deliver his flock from predators that tried to kill them (1 Sam 17:34-36).

Jn 10:12 | ISB Notes

the wolf: A traditional symbol of spiritual enemies (Mt 7:15; 10:16; Acts 20:29).

Jn 10:16 | ISB Notes

other sheep: A reference to the Gentiles, who are gathered into the Messiah’s flock alongside the restored sheep of Israel (11:52). one flock, one shepherd: Jesus Christ is the supreme Shepherd over the one universal Church (Heb 13:20). The spiritual authority of other shepherds like Peter and the apostles is derived entirely from Christ, who gives disciples a share in his saving mission to different degrees (21:1517; CCC 553, 754).

• The Nicene Creed delineates the four marks of the Church as “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic”. The first mark, oneness, means that the Church is unified in her faith, worship, and leadership and receives her life from the one true God (17:11; Eph 4:4-6) (CCC 813-22).

Jn 10:17 | ISB Notes

lay down my life … take it again: Only God himself, who has absolute power over life and death, could make such a claim and hope to fulfill it (2:19; CCC 609).

Jn 10:22 | ISB Notes

feast of the Dedication: Also called “Hanukkah”. It is an eight-day winter festival that celebrates Israel’s deliverance from Syrian oppression as well as Judas Maccabeus’ cleansing and rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in 164 B.C. (1 Mac 4:36-59; 2 Mac 10:1-8).

the portico of Solomon: Colonnade walkways surrounded the outer perimeter of the Temple. The section running along the eastern side was named after King Solomon (Acts 3:11).

Jn 10:24 | ISB Notes

tell us plainly: The antagonism between Jesus and his enemies kept him from broadcasting his messianic mission openly. See note on Mk 1:44.

Jn 10:28 | ISB Notes

out of my hand: The protection that Jesus provides for his sheep is equivalent to the Father’s divine protection (10:29).

• This means, from the perspective of the OT, that Christ wields the sovereign power of Yahweh to shield the righteous from the threats of their enemies (Deut 32:39; Wis 3:1; Is 43:13).

Jn 10:30 | ISB Notes

I and the Father are one: The Father and the Son are united in the loving embrace of the Spirit. We cannot, therefore, divide the essential unity of the Trinity when we distinguish between the three Divine Persons. See notes on Jn 1:1 and 5:18.

Jn 10:34 | ISB Notes

your law: Sometimes this expression refers to the OT in general and not just to the Pentateuch (12:34; 15:25; 1 Cor 14:34). I said, you are gods: A citation from Ps 82:6.

• The psalm is a prayer for Yahweh to punish the corrupt shepherds of Israel. These leaders, who are charged with teaching and enforcing divine Law, are called “gods” by the Psalmist because of the divine authority they wield over the people. The abuse of this power makes their corruption all the more insidious. Jesus reasons that if sinful authorities are given a divine title because of their duties, how much more is he entitled to it who is guiltless and who speaks the words of God (8:45-47).

Jn 10:35 | ISB Notes

Scripture cannot be nullified: Three implications can be drawn from this statement. (1) Scripture cannot be set aside, since its teaching is as trustworthy and true as God himself (17:17). (2) The OT, represented in this context by a psalm, has permanent authority even under the New Covenant (Mt 5:17). (3) The authority of Scripture extends even to individual words, as in this context where Jesus’ whole argument rests on the import of a single word (“gods”) from Ps 82:6.

Jn 10:36 | ISB Notes

consecrated: The Greek means to be “sanctified” or “set apart as holy”. Christ is set apart by the Father to consecrate the world in truth (17:19).

• Jesus’ words resonate against the background of the Feast of the Dedication, which celebrates the consecration of the Second Temple by the Maccabees (1 Mac 4:48), just as its predecessors, the wilderness Tabernacle (Num 7:1) and the Solomonic Temple, had been consecrated (1 Kings 9:3). These sanctuaries of old are replaced by the new and consecrated temple of Jesus’ body (2:20-21).

Jn 10:38 | ISB Notes

believe the works: The miracles of Jesus are meant to authenticate his mission in the eyes of Israel (5:36; 14:11) and to corroborate his claims to divinity (5:18; 10:33). The Jews knew that only God, who has absolute power over creation, can suspend the laws of nature in a miraculous way (3:2; 9:33) (CCC 548).

Jn 10:40 | ISB Notes

where John … baptized: An unknown location near Bethany, east of the Jordan River (1:28).