John 10

“Most assuredly, I tell you, one who does not enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6‘ISA1 spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

7‘ISA therefore said to them again, “Most assuredly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. 10The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. 13The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; 15even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. 17Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. 18No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

19Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. 20Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” 21Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”

22It was the Feast of the Dedication2 at Jerusalem. 23It was winter, and ‘ISA was walking in the Temple, in Sulayman’s porch. 24The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are AL-MASIH3, tell us plainly.”

25‘ISA answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s Name, these testify about me. 26But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

31Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32‘ISA answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”

33The Jews answered him, “We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God4.”

34‘ISA answered them, “Isn’t it written in your Taurat5, 

‘I said, you are gods’? 6

35“If God called them gods, to whom the Word of God came (and Al-Kitab cannot be broken), 36why do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the SON OF GOD7?’ 37If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. 38But if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

39They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand. 40He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where Yahya8 was baptizing at first, and there he stayed. 41Many came to him. They said, “Yahya indeed did no sign, but everything that Yahya said about this man is true.” 42Many believed in him there.

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  1. 10:6 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
  2. 10:22 The “Feast of the Dedication” is the Greek name for “Chanukkah,” a celebration of the rededication of the Temple. ↩︎
  3. 10:24 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH.  Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
  4. 10:33 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
  5. 10:34 Taurat, this Arabic word is derived from Torah (Hebrew) which literally means “instruction” or “teaching.” Depending on context, Taurat can refer to, 
    1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament. 
    2. The book of Prophet Musa, which is also called the Law (of Moses), or the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
    3. Taurat can refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book. ↩︎
  6. 10:34 Quoting the Zabur 82:6 which says, “I said, ‘You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.’ ↩︎
  7. 10:36 SON OF GOD, a title of the Messiah, ‘ISA AL-MASIH, revealed through Prophet Dawud in the Zabur 2:7-9, which says: I will tell of the decree. YAHWEH said to me, “You are my SON. Today I have become your FATHER. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, The ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” ↩︎
  8. 10:40 Yahya, this Arabic name and the English name John (for John the Baptist/Baptizer) are both derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, which means “YAHWEH is gracious”. (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎