THE GOOD SHEPHERD. THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION 1-18. Allegories of the Fold and of the Good Shepherd. This chapter continues Christ's discourse to His Pharisaic disciples begun at John 9:39. His words take the form of an allegory which is intended partly to rebuke the Pharisees, partly to comfort th... [ Continue Reading ]
The thieves and robbers mentioned here are primarily the Pharisees who have unjustly excommunicated the blind man, and secondarily and prophetically false pastors in the Christian Church. Christ is the rightful owner of the flock, and those who would exercise the office of shepherd must 'enter by th... [ Continue Reading ]
BY NAME] A beautiful picture of pastoral converse. The true pastor knows every member of his congregation individually.... [ Continue Reading ]
GOETH BEFORE THEM] The false pastor, loving popularity, follows his flock. The true pastor leads them. He leads them, (1) by his teaching. He gives his people not what they want, but what they ought to want; (2) by his good example, his holy life being an ensample to the flock (1 Peter 5:3).... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP] i.e. 'I alone can endue pastors and teachers with spiritual authority over the flock of God.' In John 10:9 Christ calls Himself 'the door' in a wider sense.... [ Continue Reading ]
'All who have taught Israel from the cessation of prophecy to My own coming have been false and unauthorised teachers.' Our Lord is alluding, of course, not to the OT. prophets, but to the scribes who had dominated the religious life of Israel for 400 years, but whose teaching had nevertheless been... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE DOOR] 'Through faith in Me both shepherds and sheep enter into the Kingdom of God, and find all their spiritual needs supplied.' PASTURE] i.e. the means of grace.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GOOD SHEPHERD] The Gk. signifies the Perfect or Ideal Shepherd. This beautiful figure is often found in the OT. applied to Jehovah (Psalms 23, 80 Isaiah 40:11); only in Ezekiel does it become a title of the Messiah (Ezekiel 34:23; Ezekiel 37:24). GIVETH (RV 'layeth down') HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP]... [ Continue Reading ]
SEETH THE WOLF COMING.. AND FLEETH] The wolf (Satan) may come in various ways, as an open persecution, as a popular heresy, as a tendency to lax morality. The hireling shepherd is the cowardly compromiser who gives way to, instead of resisting, the evil tendencies of his age. 14, 15. RV 'I know min... [ Continue Reading ]
The Gentiles also are God's children. The gospel is for them also, and Jew and Gentile shall form one Church under one shepherd (Christ). ONE FOLD] RV 'one flock.'... [ Continue Reading ]
As usual in this Gospel, the death and resurrection of Christ are united in one idea.... [ Continue Reading ]
Christ's death is the result, neither of a compulsory decree of the Father, nor of the power of the Evil One, but of a voluntary impulse springing from Christ's love for lost mankind.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Feast of the Dedication (lit. 'the Renewal') was instituted by Judas Maccabæus, 164 b.c., to commemorate the purification of the Temple, which had been profaned by the idolatrous king Antiochus Epiphanes. It was held on the 25th of Kislev (about the middle of December), and on account of the bri... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS AT THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION. As there is no statement that Jesus went up to Jerusalem, it is fair to infer that Jesus spent the two months between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the Dedication in or near Jerusalem. Less probable is the view that these months were spent in Galilee, Sam... [ Continue Reading ]
PORCH] i.e. portico, or, cloister. This portico was on the E. side of the Temple buildings, and, according to Josephus, was a portion of Solomon's Temple, which had been left standing by Nebuchadnezzar.... [ Continue Reading ]
I TOLD YOU] viz. in those discourses in which I claimed to be the Son of God (John 5:17; John 7:14; John 8:12), and the Good Shepherd (John 10:1). These were Messianic titles.... [ Continue Reading ]
AS I SAID UNTO YOU] see John 10:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
No power of the world or of Satan can pluck believers out of Christ's hand; only their own unfaithfulness to grace received can do this.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Father is superior to all hostile powers, and therefore believers can never be lost through the power of the enemy. There is another reading, 'That which the Father hath given unto me is greater than all' (so RM). This means that believers, through grace, are superior to all their enemies, and c... [ Continue Reading ]
I AND _my_ FATHER (RV 'the Father') ARE ONE] lit. 'one thing,' i.e. one essence or substance. The Greek indicates that the Father and the Son are two Persons but one God.... [ Continue Reading ]
AGAIN] see John 8:59. 34-36. If the fallible and sinful judges of Israel were rightly called 'gods,' much more may I, who am one with the Father and free from sin, claim the title of 'the Son of God.'... [ Continue Reading ]
YOUR LAW] i.e. the OT., which you acknowledge. 'The Law' not infrequently stands for the whole OT.: see John 12:34; John 15:25; 1 Corinthians 14:21. The quotation here is from Psalms 82:6. GODS] Judges, as God's representatives, are several times called 'gods' in the OT. (Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:7; E... [ Continue Reading ]
The word of God 'came' to the judges when He appointed them to their office.... [ Continue Reading ]
SANCTIFIED] consecrated to the office of Messiah and Redeemer of the world.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FATHER _is_ IN ME] A commentary upon John 10:30. Human personality differs from divine personality. Human persons exclude one another. The Divine Persons mutually contain, pervade, and include one another. They are absolutely one in knowledge, sympathy, will, and act.... [ Continue Reading ]
The place was Bethany beyond Jordan, John 1:28.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PERÆAN MINISTRY. These vv. cover a period of about three months, which is generally spoken of as the Peræan ministry (see Matthew 19:1; Mark 10:1, and cp. Luke 9:51). Its chief incidents were the mission of the Seventy (Luke 10:1), the question of divorce (Matthew 19:3), the blessing of little c... [ Continue Reading ]
The remark that John did no miracle shows that there was little inclination at this period to invest popular teachers with miraculous powers.... [ Continue Reading ]
Although John was dead, his influence was still strong in this district, and the people were ready to believe that He to whom John had borne witness was the true Messiah.... [ Continue Reading ]