_CHRIST IS THE DOOR AND THE GOOD SHEPHERD: DIVERS OPINIONS OF HIM: HE PROVETH BY HIS WORKS, THAT HE IS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD: ESCAPETH THE JEWS, AND GOETH AGAIN BEYOND JORDAN, WHERE MANY BELIEVE ON HIM._ _Anno Domini 32._... [ Continue Reading ]
VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU,— Our Lord, having reproved the Pharisees in the foregoing chapter, for shutting their eyes against the evidence of his divine mission, continued the reproof by describing the characters of a true and false teacher; leaving them, who had so unjustly excommunicated the... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE THAT ENTERETH, &C.— "The teacher who believes on me, and acts by my commission, is properly the _shepherd;_ to him the door-keeper openeth, and the sheep hear his voice. The people of God, knowing him to be the true pastor, hearken unto him, and _he calleth,_ &c." Our Lord here alludes to the... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP.— As our Lord's parable was not understood, he graciously proceeds to explain it to his audience; and in the first place he informs them, that by the door he meant himself. _I am the door of the sheep._ Perhaps this is a metonymy for _I am the door of the sheep-fold;_ or o... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THAT EVER CAME BEFORE ME— "All those who in former times assumed the characters of teachers of religion, without commission from me, _are thieves and robbers."_ Here, as in many other instances, our Lord's words are very elliptical, and must be filled up from what goes before. The gloss that we... [ Continue Reading ]
BY ME IF ANY MAN ENTER IN,— "If any man believeth on me, he shall become a true member of God's church on earth, and, if faithful, shall from time to time receive such instructions as shall nourish his soul unto eternal life." Our Lord here seems to allude to the common pastures, and to the method o... [ Continue Reading ]
THE THIEF COMETH NOT BUT FOR TO STEAL, &C.— "I am no thief or robber, as you may easily know, by considering that the intention of such is only _to steal, and kill, and destroy the flock._ They assumed the character of teachers divinely commissioned, for no other reason but to promote their own inte... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD:— "I am not a hireling shepherd, appointed by the owner to take care of the flock; but I am _the good Shepherd,_ promised Isaiah 40:11.Ezekiel 34:23; Ezekiel 34:31 and the proprietor of the sheep; as is evident from hence, that I cheerfully endanger my life for the safety of t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HIRELING— It is not barely _receiving of hire_ which denominates a man a _hireling,_—(_for the labourer is worthy of his hire,_ Jesus Christ himself being the judge; yea, and _the Lord hath ordained, that they who preach the gospel, should live of the gospel;_) but it is the _loving of hire;_ th... [ Continue Reading ]
I—KNOW MY SHEEP, AND AM KNOWN, &C.— _Know_ here, as in many other passages of scripture, implies much more than a mere speculative knowledge;—a knowledge of love and approbation. The force of the passage therefore is this: "Being the good Shepherd and owner of the sheep, I am so careful and solicito... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OTHER SHEEP I HAVE,— "To convince you that I know my sheep, and am known of them, I tell you that I have other sheep besides the Jews; I have sheep among the Gentiles: for I know those in every country, whose honesty of disposition will induce them, through my grace, to accept of the gospel in t... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE DOTH MY FATHER LOVE ME,— "Nothing can shew the great regard I have for the salvation of mankind in a stronger light, than my laying down my life to promote and secure it; and this is so correspondent with the operations of infinite goodness, that my Father cannot but look upon me as an obj... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE WAS A DIVISION THEREFORE— What our Lord said, affected the minds of the Jews in differentways; for some of them cried out that he was possessed and mad, and that it was folly to hear him: others, judging more impartially of him and his doctrine, declared that his discourses were not the words... [ Continue Reading ]
IT WAS—THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION,— As this feast was in winter, it could not be observed in commemoration of the dedication of the temple by Solomon, which happened in the month _Ethanim,_ which answers to our September. 1 Kings 8:2. Nor could it be the dedication of the temple by Nehemiah, which... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CAME THE JEWS ROUND ABOUT HIM, &C.— As our Lord was walking in Solomon's porch, the Jews came and required him to put them out of doubt, whether or no he was the Messiah. He well knew that they came not for real information: as it was not lawful for them to put any man to death, all they wanted... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS ANSWERED THEM, I TOLD YOU, &C.— "I have in effect told you over and over;"—for what our Lord had just been saying of himself in the preceding verses, as the _good Shepherd,_ was in sense equivalent to a declaration of his being the Messiah: further, he had already performed those miracles whic... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT YE BELIEVE NOT, &C.— "The reason why you disbelieve me, is not becausethe proofs of my mission are insufficient, but because you are not of a humble teachable disposition, free from worldly passions, and willing to receive the doctrine which comes from God: persons of this character easily know... [ Continue Reading ]
I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE.— The Arians affirm that the sense of this passage is, "My Father and I are the same, in power and in will; so that if you oppose _my_ will, you oppose _his;_ and if you take my sheep out of my hand, you must at the same time overcome him, and take them out of his hand likewi... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE JEWS TOOK UP STONES— As a full proof in what sense our Lord's hearers understood him, we find that they took up stones, and were going to kill him, in obedience, as they supposed, to the law, Leviticus 24:14 which ordered the blasphemer to be stoned. Our Lord remonstrates against this viole... [ Continue Reading ]
IS IT NOT WRITTEN, &C.— The Jews divided the Old Testament in various manners; sometimes, as we have before observed, into the writings of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets; and at other times only into the law and the prophets; comprehending by the prophets, only the writings of those who were pr... [ Continue Reading ]
IF HE CALLED THEM GODS, &C.— "If in the scripture, the authority of which you all acknowledge, they to whom the commandment of ruling God's people was given, are called _gods,_ and the _sons of God,_ on account of their high office, and the inspiration of the Spirit which was bestowed on them but sp... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT YE MAY KNOW, AND BELIEVE— "That ye may know that I neither do, nor say any thing, but by my Father's authority; for the Father and I are so intimately and entirely united, that every thing I say and do, is in reality said and done by him, and he approves of it accordingly." See John 10:30.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WENT—INTO THE PLACE WHERE JOHN, &C.— _To Beth-arbara,_ Ch. John 1:28. See also the latter part of the note on Luke 3:3. Our Lord seems to have remained in the country of Peroea till he came into Judea to raise Lazarus from the dead; that being the next particular mentioned by our evangelist; and... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN DID NO MIRACLE:— John was not endued with the power of working miracles, that the authority of Jesus might be more conspicuous and unquestionable. We hence see how strong a confirmation of our Lord's ministry was to be deduced by the people from that of John. Our Lord's public life was now draw... [ Continue Reading ]