- 1Verily, 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.
- 2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
- 3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
- 4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
- 5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
- 6This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
- 7Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
- 8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
- 9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
- 10The 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.
- 11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
- 12But 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.
- 13The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
- 14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
- 15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
- 16And 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.
- 17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
- 18No 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.
- 19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
- 20And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
- 21Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
- 22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
- 23And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.
- 24Then 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.
- 25Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
- 26But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
- 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
- 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
- 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
- 30I and my Father are one.
- 31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
- 32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
- 33The 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.
- 34Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
- 35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
- 36Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
- 37If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
- 38But 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.
- 39Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
- 40And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
- 41And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
- 42And many believed on him there.
KING JAMES VERSION
JOHN 10
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
John 10 — The Good Shepherd gathers the chapter’s central movement as Jesus’s identity, authority, mercy, and saving mission are revealed.
About this illustration
The illustration centers a shepherd guards an open stone sheepfold as sheep gather and a distant wolf watches. Other events and teachings remain in the chapter text rather than being crowded into one scene.
Scripture basis: John 10:1–42King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchitecture
Approximately AD 232–256
Dura-Europos Christian Building and Baptistery
A remodeled building buried before Dura-Europos fell in AD 256 preserves a font and early Christian paintings shaped around baptism and Gospel interpretation, even as scholars reconsider the familiar label “house church.”
Matthew 14:22–33 · John 10:1–18 · John 20:11–18
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
4th Century
Papyrus P6: John 10:1–2 in a Greek–Coptic Witness
Papyrus P6 is a fourth-century Egyptian Greek-Coptic manuscript complex in Strasbourg preserving John 10-11 alongside Coptic 1 Clement and James, a rare witness to multilingual Christian reading and composite book history.
John 10:1–10 · John 11:1–8 · John 11:45–52
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
6th–7th Century
Papyrus P44: Matthew 25:8–10 in a Greek Witness
Papyrus P44, Metropolitan Museum of Art 14.1.527, comprises Greek lectionary fragments from Thebes dated about AD 580–640 and preserves selected passages from Matthew 17, 18, and 25 and John 10.
Matthew 17:1–3 · Matthew 17:6–7 · Matthew 18:15–17
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
6th century AD
GA 070: A Dispersed Greek-Coptic Gospel Codex
Forty-four surviving leaves of a Greek-Coptic Gospel codex now divided among London, Oxford, Paris, and Vienna and catalogued under several related GA numbers. Shows the Gospels transmitted bilingually in Greek and Coptic and preserves substantial portions of Luke and John.
Luke 24:36–49 · John 10:1–18 · John 13:1–17
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Ninth century AD
Uncial 0306: The Good Shepherd and Lazarus in John
Uncial 0306: The Good Shepherd and Lazarus in John is the independently registered Greek New Testament witness GA 0306, controlled by its manuscript number, present shelfmark, physical form, and surviving biblical contents.
John 10:1–12 · John 11:6–41
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
late second to early third century AD
Egerton Papyrus 2 and an Early Unknown Gospel
Four small leaves from an early Greek codex preserve otherwise unknown stories about Jesus alongside episodes resembling John and the Synoptic Gospels. The manuscript is important evidence for second- or early-third-century gospel reading, but it cannot identify its anonymous work or prove direct dependence in either direction.
Matthew 8:1–4 · Matthew 22:15–22 · John 5:39–47
View all 7 archaeology resources
Search all related archaeology →Prophecy Events
PROPHECY EVENTUnfolding
Ezekiel 34:23–24One Davidic Shepherd over God’s Flock
Ezekiel promises that God will rescue his sheep and place one shepherd, “my servant David,” over them.
RestorationshepherdDavidflockrestoration
PROPHECY EVENTYet to come
Micah 2:12–13The Breaker-King Goes before His Flock
Micah pictures the gathered remnant passing through a breached gate with their king and the Lord at their head.
Restorationbreakershepherd kingremnantgathering
PROPHECY EVENTYet to come
Ezekiel 37:24–28The Davidic King and Everlasting Sanctuary
Ezekiel joins one Davidic king and shepherd with an everlasting covenant, a restored people, and God’s sanctuary among them forever.
KingdomDavidic kingsanctuarycovenantrestoration
Sermons
No Looking Back
Pastor Dean Odle uses an old family plow to illustrate Jesus’s warning in Luke 9:62 about following Him without looking back. Beginning with Romans 8 and John 10, he argues that discipleship requires continually hearing Christ’s voice, resisting the flesh, and surrendering self-will. He examines the excuses in Luke 14, shares personal accounts of ministry decisions, correction, and restoration, and turns to 1 John 2 and Proverbs 3 to urge trust in God’s direction. The sermon closes with warnings drawn from Lot’s wife and the parable of the talents, calling listeners to examine their faith, abide in Christ, and move forward in obedient, fruitful service.
Christian LivingSalvation and the GospelHoly Spirit and Spiritual GiftsDoctrine and Discernment
View sermon Legally Blind
Pastor Dean Odle warns that believers can become spiritually blind through pride, passivity, and failure to practice or rightly interpret Scripture. Moving from James 1 and Jesus' confrontations with the Pharisees to Paul's pastoral commands and Christ's rebuke of Laodicea, he urges humility, careful study, prayer, and honest self-examination. Odle applies the warning to disputes over salvation, spiritual gifts, women in ministry, and biblical creation, attributing deception to isolated proof texts and resistance to correction. He closes from 2 Corinthians 5 with the judgment seat of Christ, a call to be reconciled to God, and a prayer for the Holy Spirit to open believers' eyes.
Doctrine and DiscernmentApostasy and DeceptionChristian LivingScripture Alone
View sermon The Offense of the Older Brother
In “The Offense of the Older Brother,” Kelsey examines the part of Jesus’ prodigal-son parable that is often overlooked: the elder son who remained in his father’s house but resented the restoration of his brother. Working primarily from Luke 15, she argues that outward faithfulness can coexist with anger, comparison, self-righteousness, jealousy, and a graceless heart. The older brother’s refusal to celebrate reveals the danger of evaluating another believer’s restoration, blessing, healing, or calling through personal disappointment rather than the Father’s compassion.
Doctrine and DiscernmentChristian LivingChurch and Ministry
View sermon Showing 1–3 of 6 sermons
Music
After the Tribulation
Music built around the sequence described by Jesus in Matthew 24 and the questions it asks every reader to examine.
As in the Days of Noah
A Scripture-dense warning from the days of Noah: ordinary life, deepening corruption, rejected warnings, certain judgment, and saving grace. The song calls listeners to test every claim by God's Word and take refuge in Jesus Christ while the door remains open.
What's His Name
A forceful call to lay down pride, refuse self-glory, and exalt Jesus Christ—the crucified and risen King whose name alone brings salvation.