Many good works I have shown you from My Father

Jesus is well known as the Good Shepherd. Here Jesus also describes Himself as the sheep door. Only those who enter through Him will be saved. He contrast Himself with the false prophets who are thieves, trying to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus came to give us abundant life. The sheep will know Jesus' voice. Unlike the hired helpers who don't care about the sheep, and run when in danger, Jesus will lay down His life for His sheep and He did. Two more interesting things is that Jesus alluded to the inclusion of Gentiles when He mentioned of bringing in sheep which are not from His fold. And He revealed that He has the power to lay down His life and take it up again. Again the crowd became divided into those who believed and those who rejected Him.

Up until then, the people would have sensed that Jesus' teachings and some people believed Jesus is the Messiah. When Jesus was in the temple, they asked Him directly to confirm or deny that He is the Messiah. Jesus acknowledged that by reminding them of the miracles He did. He also claimed to give eternal life to His sheep and the God the Father and Him are one.

The people understood His claim to be the same with God, so they stoned Him. This challenged their unbelief and their claims of blasphemy. He pointed to the miracles He did and the fact that He did His Father's work, means that He is in unity with His father. Otherwise He would did not do His Father's work, then it is right for them to not believe. The people were blind to reason and continued to stone Him, but Jesus miraculously slipped passed them. Jesus went to stay for a while beyond the Jordan river where John the Baptist baptised people. The people there came to Jesus and believed Him because John pointed to Jesus and the miracles that Jesus did.

This is not the only place in Scripture where it is explained that miracles are to show people the reality of God and Jesus and to lead them to believe. However, once people believed in Jesus they should be practising more faith and rely less on miracles, as they mature.




John 10
Jesus the True Shepherd

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.

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 before Me[a] 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 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 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 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, as I said to you.[b] 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”’?[c] 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 believe[d] 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.