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I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Explanation of John 10
Av 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
1
"Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn't enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2
But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
4
Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5
They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don't know the voice of strangers."
6
Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn't understand what he was telling them.
7
Jesus therefore said to them again, "Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep's door.
8
All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them.
9
I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
10
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
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I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12
He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.
13
The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn't care for the sheep.
14
I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my own;
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even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
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I 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.
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Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
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No 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."
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Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words.
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Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?"
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Others 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?"
22
It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem.
23
It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon's porch.
24
The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, "How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
25
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you don't believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me.
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But you don't believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you.
27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28
I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
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My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand.
30
I and the Father are one."
31
Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?"
33
The Jews answered him, "We don't stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God."
34
Jesus answered them, "Isn't it written in your law, 'I said, you are gods?'
35
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can't be broken),
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do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You blaspheme,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God?'
37
If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe me.
38
But if I do them, though you don't believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
39
They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand.
40
He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and there he stayed.
41
Many came to him. They said, "John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true."
