I am the good shepherd.
In this declaration, Jesus identifies Himself as the "good shepherd," a title rich with Old Testament imagery. Shepherds were common in ancient Israel, and the role was often used metaphorically for leaders and kings. In Ezekiel 34, God condemns the false shepherds of Israel and promises to be the true shepherd for His people. Jesus fulfills this prophecy, presenting Himself as the divine shepherd who genuinely cares for His flock. The term "good" implies not only moral excellence but also the ideal or model shepherd, contrasting with hired hands who do not own the sheep and flee when danger comes (John 10:12-13).

I know My sheep
The knowledge Jesus speaks of is intimate and personal, not merely intellectual. In biblical terms, "knowing" often implies a deep relationship, as seen in Genesis 4:1 where Adam "knew" Eve. Jesus' knowledge of His sheep signifies His understanding of their needs, struggles, and individual characteristics. This reflects the personal relationship God desires with His people, as seen in Psalm 139, where David speaks of God's intimate knowledge of him. This phrase also emphasizes Jesus' role as the omniscient God who knows each believer personally.

and My sheep know Me,
This mutual knowledge indicates a reciprocal relationship between Jesus and His followers. The sheep, representing believers, recognize and respond to the voice of their shepherd, as described earlier in John 10:3-4. This relationship is based on trust and familiarity, cultivated through faith and obedience. The concept of knowing God is a recurring theme in Scripture, seen in Jeremiah 31:34, where God promises a new covenant in which His people will know Him directly. This phrase underscores the personal and relational nature of faith in Christ, contrasting with a mere religious observance.

1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this verse, identifying Himself as the "good shepherd," a metaphor that highlights His role as a caring and sacrificial leader.

2. Sheep
Symbolic of believers who follow Jesus, emphasizing the relationship between Christ and His followers.

3. Shepherd
A role that involves guidance, protection, and care, illustrating Jesus' commitment to His followers.

4. Pharisees
Religious leaders of the time who are often contrasted with Jesus' teachings and actions, providing a backdrop for understanding the significance of Jesus as the good shepherd.

5. Jerusalem
The setting of many of Jesus' teachings, including this discourse, which is part of a larger conversation about His identity and mission.Understanding Jesus as the Good Shepherd
Jesus' self-identification as the good shepherd emphasizes His unique role in providing spiritual guidance and protection.

The Intimacy of Knowing
The mutual knowledge between Jesus and His followers signifies a deep, personal relationship that believers are called to cultivate.

Contrast with False Shepherds
Jesus' role as the good shepherd contrasts with false leaders who neglect or harm the flock, urging believers to discern true spiritual leadership.

Sacrificial Love
Jesus' willingness to lay down His life for the sheep is a model of sacrificial love that believers are called to emulate in their relationships.

Security in Christ
The assurance that Jesus knows His sheep provides believers with security and confidence in their salvation and spiritual journey.(14) And know my sheep, and am known of mine.--Better, and know those who are Mine, and those who are Mine know Me. The thought of the Good Shepherd is repeated to show that it expresses the closest communion between the shepherd and the sheep. It is not simply that the sheep know the Shepherd's voice, but they partake of His nature, and the solemn form in which He expresses this union is in likening it to that between His Father and Himself.

Verses 14, 15. - The Lord resumes: I am the good Shepherd. He now makes his discourse more explicit. He almost drops the allegory, and merely adopts the sacred metaphor. His self-revelation becomes more full of promise and suggestion for all time. He takes up one of the characteristics of the shepherd which discriminated him from "hireling," "thief," or "robber." And I know mine own, and my own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father. This more accurate text, translation, and punctuation of the Revised Version brings into living comparison the mutual knowledge of Christ and his own sheep, with the mutual knowledge of Christ and the Father. Christ's personal knowledge of his people is that which comes into their religious consciousness. They know his knowledge of them. They know him to be what he is - to be their Lord God, as they realize his personal recognition and care. The one involves the other (see Galatians 4:9; 1 Corinthians 8:3). The particle of transition is more than a mere illustration (καθώς is more than ὥσπερ; κἀθώς introduces not infrequently an explanation, sometimes a causal consideration, or an illustration which accounts for the previous statement; see John 15:12; John 17:21, 23). The knowledge which the sheep have of the Shepherd corresponds with the Son's knowledge of the Father, and the Shepherd's knowledge of the sheep answers to the Father's knowledge of the Son; but more than this, the relation of the Son to the Father, thus expressed, is the real ground of the Divine intimacies between the sheep and the Shepherd (cf. John 15:10; John 17:8). Then the Lord repeats and renews the solemn statement made at the commencement of the sentence, And I lay down my life for the sheep. Such knowledge of the peril of "his own" involves him in sacrifice. Whereas in ver. 11 this is attributed to the "good Shepherd," now he drops the first part of the figure, and says, "I am laying down my life."

Parallel Commentaries ...


I
Ἐγώ (Egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

am
εἰμι (eimi)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

the
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

good
καλός (kalos)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2570: Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.

shepherd.
ποιμὴν (poimēn)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4166: A shepherd; hence met: of the feeder, protector, and ruler of a flock of men. Of uncertain affinity; a shepherd.

I know
γινώσκω (ginōskō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

My [sheep]
ἐμὰ (ema)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1699: My, mine. From the oblique cases of ego; my.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

My [sheep]
τὰ (ta)
Article - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

know
γινώσκουσί (ginōskousi)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

Me,
με (me)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.


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NT Gospels: John 10:14 I am the good shepherd (Jhn Jo Jn)