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I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Explanation of John 10
Durch Rev. John Clowes M.A.
Explaining the Inner Meaning of John 10
Verse 10:1. The Lord in his Divine Humanity teaches, that whoever does not approach him in that humanity, by faith and love, destroys in himself the goods of faith by falsities, and thus seeks to establish his own merit.
Verse 10:2. Whereas all they, who by faith and love approach him in his humanity, cherish and keep alive in themselves those goods.
Verse 10:3. Therefore their interiors are opened to the life of heaven, and they obey the divine precepts, and are gifted with heaven according to the good of love and faith, and are led of the Lord, and not of themselves.
Verses 10:4, 5. And in all their operations they have respect to the Lord, and acknowledge the divinity of his humanity, because they obey his precepts, and shun all false principles, as not being in agreement with their love.
Verses 10:6, 7, 8. That this teaching is not understood by the men of the perverted church, therefore they are expressly taught again, that the only entrance to the life of heaven is through the Lord's Divine Humanity, and that all who exalt themselves above that Humanity, destroy in themselves the life of heaven, and are opposed to all heavenly good.
Verse 10:9. Whereas they, who by faith and love acknowledge the Lord in his Divine Humanity, are made partakers of his good and truth in every state of life both internal and external.
Verse 10:10. For as evil and false principles deprive good and truth of their proper life, so the Lord in his Divine Humanity was manifested for the purpose of communicating heavenly life to every good and truth, and this in a greater fullness than had ever been before experienced.
Verse 10:11. Therefore the Lord teaches and leads to all truth, whilst by temptation combats, through his own proper power, he unites his divinity to his humanity.
Verses 10:12, 13. Whereas they, who seek their own glory in what they do, having no regard to the good of others, fall in temptations, and are deprived of all heavenly good, inasmuch as they look more at recompense than at that good.
Verse 10:14. But the Lord in his Divine Humanity imparts heavenly good, acknowledging all who receive that good, as his children, and being reciprocally acknowledged by them as their Father.
Verse 10:15. In like manner as the divinity acknowledges the humanity, and the humanity reciprocally acknowledges the divinity, and by enduring temptations unites itself with the divinity.
Verse 10:16. Thus effecting the salvation of the spiritual, or those who are in the good of faith, and who, through the Lord's Divine Humanity will make one with the celestial, or those who are in the good of love.
Verses 10:17, 18. For by temptations, inmost and plenary union of the divinity with the humanity, and of the humanity with the divinity, was effected until the humanity became divine.
Verses 10:19, 20, 21. That these truths effect a work of judgement in the perverted church, by separating those, who reject and blaspheme the Lord's humanity, from those who acknowledge its divine power manifested in the restoration of the understanding of truth.
Verses 10:22, 23. So that some in the church are in the warmth of heavenly affection and life, whilst others are in the warmth of infernal affection and life, and the Lord in his humanity was instilling introductory truths of wisdom.
Verses 10:24, 25. On which occasion, an apparently ardent desire is kindled in the perverted church, to know the truth respecting the Lord's humanity, and they are instructed, that the truth has been declared to them, but they did not receive it, which truth is, that the operation of the Lord's humanity proved it to be derived from the divinity.
Verses 10:26, 27. This truth however they did not admit, because they were not principled in good, for all they, who are principled in good receive the doctrine of the Lord's Divine Humanity, and are acknowledged by that Humanity, and are obedient to its guidance.
Verses 10:28, 29, 30. They receive also from that humanity the life of heavenly love, and are never separated from it, because there is no power which is able to separate them, since the divine good, by which they are drawn to the Divine Humanity, is above every other power, and one with that humanity.
Verses 10:31, 32, 33. That they, who are of the perverted church, oppose the above divine truths with falsities, and being questioned why they thus set themselves against the operation of the divine good, they reply, that they do not oppose the divine good, but the blasphemous idea that humanity can be divine.
Verses 10:34, 35, 36. But this humanity on the contrary teaches, that there is no blasphemy in calling itself divine, since the Holy Word, which is eternal truth, ascribes divinity to those who receive it, and therefore divinity ought more especially to be ascribed to that humanity which proceeded from it, and which is it.
Verses 10:37, 38. And the humanity ought to be judged from its operation, since if its operation be divine, it is a manifest proof that it has reciprocal union with the divine good.
Verse 10:39. That this reasoning is not apprehended by those who are of the perverted church, and therefore they again seek to destroy the Lord's humanity, but in vain.
Verses 10:40, 41, 42. For the Lord in his humanity applies himself to the Gentiles, who are principled in introductory truths, and amongst them he establishes his church, being received by them with affection, and with faith, not grounded in miraculous testimony, but in the love of truth for its own sake.
John 10
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Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
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But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
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To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
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And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
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Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
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All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
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I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
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I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
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But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
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The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
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I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
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As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
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And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
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Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
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No man taketh 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 commandment have I received of my Father.
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There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
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And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
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Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
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And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
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And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
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Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
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Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
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But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
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And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
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My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
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I and my Father are one.
31
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32
Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
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If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
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Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37
If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38
But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39
Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
40
And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
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And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
