“I tell you the certain truth: the one who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper opens.
The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
A stranger they will never follow, but will run away from him, because they do not recognize the stranger’s voice.”
Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So Jesus said to them again, “I tell you the certain truth:
I am the door
for the sheep.
All who came before me were thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door.
If any enter through me, they will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand, who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.
The hired hand runs away because he is hired, and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me (15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father) and I lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that are not from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me
— because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again.
No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will.
I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again.
This commandment I received from my Father.”
Another sharp division took place among the Jews because of these words.
Many of them were saying, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”
Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”