Church Fathers Commentary John 10:14-21

"I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd. Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one taketh it away 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 received I from my Father. There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words. And many of them said, He hath a demon, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" — John 10:14-21 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Two evil persons have been mentioned: one who kills and robs the sheep, and another who does not stop him. The first represents those who stir up rebellion; the other represents the rulers of the Jews, who did not take care of the sheep committed to them. Christ distinguishes Himself from both. From the one who came to do harm, He distinguishes Himself by saying, I am come that they might have life; and from those who overlook the plundering of the wolves, by saying that He gives His life for the sheep.

For this reason, He said again, as He had before, I am the good Shepherd. And since He had said above that the sheep heard the Shepherd's voice and followed Him, so that no one might have occasion to ask, "What, then, do you say of those who do not believe?" He adds, And I know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As Paul also said, God has not cast away His people, whom He foreknew.

St. Gregory the Great: It is as if He said, "I love My sheep, and they love and follow Me." For he who does not love the truth is still very far from knowing it.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This shows the difference between the hireling and the Shepherd. The hireling does not know his sheep because he sees them so little. The Shepherd knows His sheep because He is so attractive to them.

St. John Chrysostom: Then, so that you do not attribute the same measure of knowledge to the Shepherd and the sheep, He adds, As the Father knows Me, even so know I the Father; that is, "I know Him as certainly as He knows Me." This, then, is a case of equal knowledge, whereas the other is not; as He said, No man knows who the Son is, but the Father.

St. Gregory the Great: And I lay down My life for My sheep. It is as if to say, "This is why I know My Father and am known by the Father: because I lay down My life for My sheep." That is, through my love for my sheep, I show how much I love my Father.

St. John Chrysostom: He also gives this as a proof of His authority. In the same way, the Apostle defends his own commission against the false apostles by listing his dangers and sufferings.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For the deceivers did not expose their lives for the sheep but, like hirelings, deserted their followers. Our Lord, on the other hand, protected His disciples, saying, Let these go their way.

St. Gregory the Great: But as He came to redeem not only the Jews but also the Gentiles, He adds, And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The sheep spoken of until now are those from the stock of Israel according to the flesh. But there were others from the stock of Israel according to faith—Gentiles, who were still outside the fold. They were predestined but not yet gathered together. They are not of this fold because they are not of the race of Israel, but they will be of this fold: Them also I must bring.

St. John Chrysostom: It is no wonder that these should hear My voice and follow Me when others are waiting to do the same. Both these flocks are dispersed and without shepherds, for it follows, And they shall hear My voice. And then He foretells their future union: And there shall be one fold and one Shepherd.

St. Gregory the Great: From two flocks He makes one fold, uniting the Jews and Gentiles in His faith.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For there is one sign of baptism for all and one Shepherd, namely, the Word of God. Let the Manichean take note: there is but one fold and one Shepherd declared in both the Old and New Testaments.

St. Augustine of Hippo: What does He mean, then, when He says, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? He means only that while He revealed Himself personally to the Jews, He did not go to the Gentiles Himself but sent others.

St. John Chrysostom: The word "must" in the phrase I must bring does not imply necessity, but only that it was certain to happen. He then says, Therefore does My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. This was in response to those who had called Him a stranger to His Father.

St. Augustine of Hippo: That is, "Because I die to rise again." There is great force in the words, I lay down. Let the Jews not boast, He says; they may rage, but if I did not choose to lay down My life, what could their raging accomplish?

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Father does not bestow His love on the Son as a reward for the death He suffered on our behalf. Rather, He loves Him because He beholds in the Begotten His own essence, from which such love for mankind proceeded.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, condescending to our weakness, He says this as if to mean, "Even if nothing else made Me love you, this would: you are so loved by My Father that by dying for you, I will win His love." This is not to say that He was not loved by the Father before, or that we are the cause of that love. For the same reason, He shows that He does not come to His Passion unwillingly: No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.

St. Augustine of Hippo: In this, He showed that His death was not the consequence of sin in Him, but of His own will, which determined why, when, and how it would happen: I have power to lay it down.

St. John Chrysostom: Since they had often plotted to kill Him, He tells them their efforts will be useless unless He is willing. He has such power over His own life that no one can take it from Him against His will. This is not true of human beings; we do not have the power to lay down our own lives unless we kill ourselves. Our Lord alone has this power. And since this is true, it is also true that He can take His life again when He pleases: And I have power to take it again. These words declare a resurrection beyond any doubt. So that they might not think His death was a sign that God had forsaken Him, He adds, This commandment have I received from My Father—that is, to lay down My life and take it again. By this, we must not understand that He first waited to hear this commandment and had to learn His work. He only shows that the work He voluntarily undertook was not against the Father’s will.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He only means His perfect agreement with His Father.

Alcuin of York: For the Word does not receive a command verbally but contains within Himself all the Father’s commandments. When the Son is said to receive what He already possesses, His power is not lessened, but His divine origin is declared. The Father gave the Son everything in begetting Him. He begot Him perfect.

Theophylact of Ohrid: After declaring Himself the Master of His own life and death, which was a lofty claim, He makes a more humble confession. He thus wonderfully unites both characters, showing that He was neither inferior to nor a slave of the Father on the one hand, nor an antagonist on the other, but of the same power and will.

St. Augustine of Hippo: How does our Lord lay down His own life? Christ is the Word and man—that is, in soul and body. Does the Word lay down His soul and take it again, or does the human soul do so, or does the flesh? If it was the Word of God that laid down His soul and took it again, then that soul was at one time separated from the Word. But while death separated the soul and body, death could not separate the Word and the soul. It is even more absurd to say that the soul laid down itself; if it could not be separated from the Word, how could it be separated from itself? Therefore, the flesh lays down its life and takes it again, not by its own power, but by the power of the Word who dwells in it. This refutes the Apollinarians, who say that Christ did not have a human, rational soul.

Alcuin of York: But the light shined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a division among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said, He has a devil, and is mad.

St. John Chrysostom: Because He spoke as one greater than a man, they said He had a devil. But others proved from His works that He did not have a devil: Others said, These are not the words of him that has a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? It is as if to say, "Not even the words themselves are those of one who has a devil; but if the words do not convince you, be persuaded by the works." Our Lord, having already given proof of who He was by His works, was silent. They were unworthy of an answer. Indeed, since they disagreed among themselves, an answer was unnecessary. Their opposition only brought out, for our imitation, our Lord’s gentleness and longsuffering.

Alcuin of York: We have heard of the patience of God and of salvation preached amidst insults. They obstinately preferred tempting Him to obeying Him.