King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 6 notes
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.
Jesus's laying down of his life was not by compulsion.
It was a free-will offering. He decided to lay it down, though he could have decided otherwise.
It was part of the bargain.
19There 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?
Jesus was an enigma — the people had a certain fixed mindset about how the Messiah ought to be, and this Jesus did not fit.
However, he did works which were undeniable, that no man ever did.
So now they were caught in a dilemma — he did not quite fit the perfect 👌 picture 🖼 they had created.
Lord, help us to walk in your truth even when we are at a loss by the deceptions and illusions of the enemy.
22And 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.
How come it took revelation to know this?
That means Jesus in his teachings and preaching did not make that his emphasis.
In fact, rather than talk about who he was, he rather did the works of God and taught about the kingdom of God 👑 from the perspective and with the authority of someone who had been 🐝 there 🤒.
Thus Jesus ✝ left the final conclusion as to who he was to the people to judge for themselves, rather than he emphasizing it.
In fact, Jesus so stuck to this method that the Jewish leaders in their frustration 😤 asked him to tell them plainly if he was the Christ.
John 10:24-27,29-33 KJV
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.
[25] 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.
[26] 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:
[29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
[30] 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.
In the end he told them of his methods. It is better to prove who you are than to just say it without proof. Apparently "talk is cheap" is not a modern concept.
When he finally told them that I and my Father are one, they sought to stone him... Smh 🤦♂️.
Thought they wanted to know if he is the Christ???
And they knew very well that the Christ is no ordinary man, and yet when he emphasizes his divinity they sought to kill him.
That shows they did not really want to believe him. Jesus knew this and never gave them attention.
They were crooks and liars, yet they were the religious heads of the time. Broken heads 🤕
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.
And this saying was put to the test when they finally killed him.
Only to make matters "worse", for they unleashed and released him to live in the heart of many more hundreds who believed in him.
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.
The Jews understood this statement to mean oneness with God in his deity, not unity of purpose or mind or character.
And thus they sought to stone him.
Jesus in his response did not deny that he was making reference to his deity, and went further to use Psalms 82:6.
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 can not 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.
Those who were willing did remember and consider the evidence that came from John about Jesus.
It was not for lack of evidence that people did not believe he was the Christ,
it was a stony and stubborn heart ♥
42And many believed on him there.