John 10:1-21 - Jesus As The Good Shepherd
1 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter in by the door into the fold of the sheep, but goes up some other way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens to this man. And the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them. And the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 And they will, no, not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.
6 Jesus spoke this allegory to them, but those men did not understand what it was that he spoke to them.
7 Jesus therefore said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, that I am the door of the sheep. 8 All, as many as came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If any man enters in by me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and will find pasture. 10 The thief comes not, except that he might steal and kill and destroy. I came so that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 But the hired man, and not being the shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf catches them, and scatters the sheep. 13 But the hireling flees because he is a hireling, and it is no care to him about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine, and I am known by mine, 15 just as the Father knows me, I also know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring those also, and they will hear my voice. And there will become one flock, one shepherd. 17 Because of this the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, so that I may take it again. 18 No man takes it 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.
19 Therefore again there became a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 And many of them said, He has a demon, and is mad. Why do ye listen to him? 21 Others said, These are not the sayings of a man possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?