John 10:26
But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
But because you are not My sheep
This phrase is pivotal in understanding the relationship between Jesus and His followers. The term "sheep" is a metaphor used frequently in the Bible to describe those who belong to God. In the context of John 10, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, who are questioning His identity and authority. The Greek word for "sheep" is "πρόβατα" (probaton), which implies a sense of belonging and being under the care of a shepherd. Historically, sheep were highly valued in ancient Near Eastern cultures, symbolizing innocence and dependence. Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, indicates that His sheep are those who recognize His voice and follow Him. The implication here is that spiritual discernment and acceptance of Jesus' teachings are marks of His true followers.

you refuse to believe
This phrase highlights the willful rejection of Jesus by those who are not His sheep. The Greek word for "refuse" is "οὐ" (ou), which is a strong negation, indicating a deliberate choice not to believe. The act of believing, "πιστεύω" (pisteuō), is more than intellectual assent; it involves trust and reliance on Jesus as the Messiah. In the historical context, the religious leaders of the time were often resistant to Jesus' message because it challenged their authority and understanding of the law. This refusal to believe is not due to a lack of evidence or opportunity but is a matter of the heart. Theologically, this underscores the doctrine of election, where those who are not part of Jesus' flock do not recognize His voice and thus do not believe. This serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of spiritual openness and the willingness to accept divine truth.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders and people who are questioning His identity and authority. He is the Good Shepherd, as described earlier in John 10.

2. Jewish Leaders
The primary audience of Jesus' statement. They are skeptical and resistant to Jesus' message and claims of divinity.

3. Sheep
A metaphor used by Jesus to describe His followers, those who hear His voice and follow Him. This imagery is rooted in the pastoral culture of the time and is significant throughout the Bible.

4. Jerusalem
The setting of this discourse, where Jesus often taught and faced opposition from religious leaders.

5. Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah)
The context of this chapter, a time when Jesus was in Jerusalem, providing a backdrop for His teachings about being the Light of the World and the Good Shepherd.
Teaching Points
Understanding Spiritual Blindness
Spiritual blindness prevents individuals from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. This blindness is often due to hardened hearts and unwillingness to accept the truth.

The Importance of Belonging to Jesus' Flock
Being part of Jesus' flock is characterized by hearing His voice and following Him. This relationship is marked by trust, obedience, and faith.

Faith as a Gift
Belief in Jesus is not merely an intellectual assent but a gift from God. It involves a transformation of the heart and mind, leading to a life of discipleship.

The Role of the Shepherd
Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, provides guidance, protection, and sustenance to His sheep. Believers can find comfort and assurance in His care.

Responding to Jesus' Call
The call to follow Jesus requires a response. It involves turning away from unbelief and embracing a life of faith and obedience.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the metaphor of sheep and shepherd help us understand our relationship with Jesus?

2. In what ways can spiritual blindness manifest in our lives today, and how can we overcome it?

3. How does understanding that faith is a gift from God impact the way we share the Gospel with others?

4. What are some practical ways we can ensure we are hearing and following the voice of the Good Shepherd in our daily lives?

5. How do the concepts of predestination and being chosen by God provide comfort and assurance in our faith journey?
Connections to Other Scriptures
John 10:14-15
Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and lays down His life for them, emphasizing the intimate relationship between Him and His followers.

John 8:47
Jesus previously stated that those who belong to God hear what God says, reinforcing the idea that belief is tied to being part of His flock.

Matthew 13:11-15
Jesus explains why He speaks in parables, highlighting the spiritual blindness and deafness of those who do not believe.

Romans 8:29-30
Paul speaks of those God foreknew and predestined, connecting to the idea of being chosen as part of God's flock.

Ephesians 1:4-5
Paul discusses being chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, aligning with the concept of being part of Jesus' sheep.
The Explanation of UnbeliefJ.R. Thomson John 10:24-26
Answering the CallC. H. Spurgeon.John 10:24-39
Believers Must not Go Before ChristNewman Hall.John 10:24-39
Believers Need not Fear that They Shall PerishJohn 10:24-39
Christ Entitled to Divine HonoursJohn 10:24-39
Christ Knows Us ThoroughlyC. H. Spurgeon.John 10:24-39
Christ's Account of HimselfT. Whitelaw, D. D.John 10:24-39
Christ's SheepPulpit AnalystJohn 10:24-39
Christ's Two NaturesPulpit TreasuryJohn 10:24-39
Eternal LifeS. Martin.John 10:24-39
Final PerseveranceBp. Westcott.John 10:24-39
God an Impregnable RefugeR. Brewin.John 10:24-39
Life EternalC. H. Spurgeon.John 10:24-39
Religious ScepticismD. Thomas, D. D.John 10:24-39
The Almighty HandR. Brewin.John 10:24-39
The Divinity of ChristW. S. DewstoeJohn 10:24-39
The Divinity of ChristJohn 10:24-39
The Eternal Life of Christ's FlockE. V. Gerhart D. D.John 10:24-39
The Least Saints Shall not PerishJohn 10:24-39
The Oneness of Christ with the FatherCanon Liddon.John 10:24-39
The Order of ThoughtArchdeacon Watkins.John 10:24-39
The Safety of BelieversJohn 10:24-39
The Safety of the SaintsC. H. Spurgeon.John 10:24-39
The Safety of the SaintsJohn 10:24-39
The Safety of the SaintsMemoir of J. Janeway.John 10:24-39
The Safety of the SaintsJohn Stevenson., D. Thomas, D. D.John 10:24-39
The Scene and CircumstancesArchdeacon Farrar.John 10:24-39
The Security of BelieversC. Hodge, D. D.John 10:24-39
The Sheep and the ShepherdC. H. Spurgeon.John 10:24-39
The Sheep of ChristH. Cooke, D. D., W. H. Van Doren, D. D.John 10:24-39
The Test of PietyJohn 10:24-39
The Unity of GodAnecdotes on New Testament TextsJohn 10:24-39
The Unity of God to be BelievedJ. Trapp.John 10:24-39
The Works of the ChristC. J. Ridgeway, M. A.John 10:24-39
People
Jesus, John, Solomon
Places
Jerusalem, Jordan River
Topics
Belief, Believe, Belong, Sheep
Dictionary of Bible Themes
John 10:26

     8835   unbelief, nature of

John 10:22-33

     7505   Jews, the

John 10:22-40

     2369   Christ, responses to

John 10:24-26

     1445   revelation, responses
     8836   unbelief, response

John 10:24-33

     2426   gospel, responses

John 10:25-26

     1418   miracles, responses
     8744   faithlessness, as disobedience

John 10:26-30

     4684   sheep

Library
February 5 Morning
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.--JOHN 10:10. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.--She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.--If by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

March 18 Evening
His name shall be in their foreheads.--REV. 22:4. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep.--The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.--Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. After that ye believed, ye were sealed
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

May 11 Evening
My sheep hear my voice.--JOHN 10:27. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, 1 will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

December 10 Morning
No man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.--JOHN 10:29. I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.--The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.--We are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 18 Morning
He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.--JOHN 10:3. The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his; and, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity.--Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you . . . depart from me, ye that work iniquity.--The Lord
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

April 19 Morning
Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.--JOHN 10:7. The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.--Christ . . . hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.--The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.--Through
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

'Other Sheep'
[Footnote: Preached before the Baptist Missionary Society.] '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 and one Shepherd.'--JOHN x. 16 (R.V.). There were many strange and bitter lessons in this discourse for the false shepherds, the Pharisees, to whom it was first spoken. But there was not one which would jar more upon their minds, and as they fancied, on their sacredest convictions, than this, that God's flock
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Gifts to the Flock
... By Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.'--JOHN x. 9. One does not know whether the width or the depth of this marvellous promise is the more noteworthy. Jesus Christ presents Himself before the whole race of man, and declares Himself able to deal with the needs of every individual in the tremendous whole. 'If any man'--no matter who, where, when. For all noble and happy life there are at least three things needed: security, sustenance, and a
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Good Shepherd
'I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. 15. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.'--JOHN x. 14,15. 'I am the Good Shepherd.' Perhaps even Christ never spoke more fruitful words than these. Just think how many solitary, wearied hearts they have cheered, and what a wealth of encouragement and comfort there has been in them for all generations. The little child as it lays itself down to sleep, cries-- 'Jesus, tender Shepherd,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

January the Seventeenth Spiritual Discernment
"My sheep hear My voice!" --JOHN x. 19-30. This is spiritual discernment. We may test our growth in grace by our expertness in detecting the voice of our Lord. It is the skill of the saint to catch "the still small voice" amid all the selfish clamours of the day, and amid the far more subtle callings of the heart. It needs a good ear to catch the voice of the Lord in our sorrows. I think it requires a better ear to discern the voice amid our joys! The twilight helps me to be serious; the noonday
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

August the Twenty-Third not Lost in the Flock
"I know My sheep, and am known of mine." --JOHN x. 7-16. There is mutual recognition, and in that recognition there is confidence and peace. "I know my sheep." He knows us one by one. My knowledge of the individual wanes in proportion as the multitude is increased. The teacher with the smaller class has the deepest intimacy with her scholars. The individual is lost in the crowd. But not so with our Lord. There are no "masses" in His sight. However big the crowd, even though it be "a multitude
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

The Shepherd of Our Souls.
"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."--John x. 11. Our Lord here appropriates to Himself the title under which He had been foretold by the Prophets. "David My servant shall be king over them," says Almighty God by the mouth of Ezekiel: "and they all shall have one Shepherd." And in the book of Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

On the Words of the Gospel, John x. 14, "I am the Good Shepherd," Etc. Against the Donatists.
1. We have heard the Lord Jesus setting forth to us the office of a good shepherd. And herein He hath doubtless given us to know, as we may understand it, that there are good shepherds. And yet that the multitude of shepherds might not be understood in a wrong sense; He saith, "I am the good Shepherd." [4124] And wherein He is the good Shepherd, He showeth in the words following; "The good Shepherd," saith He, "layeth down His life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd,
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, John x. 30, "I and the Father are One. "
1. Ye have heard what the Lord God, Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God, born of God the Father without any mother, and born of a Virgin mother without any human father, said, "I and My Father are One." [4164] Receive ye this, believe it in such wise that ye may attain [4165] to understand it. For faith ought to go before understanding, that understanding may be the reward of faith. For the Prophet hath said most expressly, "Unless ye believe, ye shall not understand." [4166] What then is simply preached
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

The Sheep and their Shepherd
In a very simple way, we shall speak about the proprietor of the sheep. "My sheep," says Christ. Then, we shall have a little to say about the marks of the sheep. After that I propose to talk awhile about the privileges of the sheep. "I know my sheep:" they are privileged to be known of Christ. "My sheep hear my voice." I. Who is the proprietor of the sheep? They are all Christ's. "My sheep hear my voice." How came the saints to be Christ's? They are his, first of all, because he chose them. Ere
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

The Good Shepherd
JOHN x. 11. I am the good shepherd. Here are blessed words. They are not new words. You find words like these often in the Bible, and even in ancient heathen books. Kings, priests, prophets, judges, are called shepherds of the people. David is called the shepherd of Israel. A prophet complains of the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves, and will not feed the flock. But the old Hebrew prophets had a vision of a greater and better shepherd than David, or any earthly king or priest--of a heavenly
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Abbott -- the Divinity in Humanity
Lyman Abbott was born at Roxbury, Mass., in 1835. As successor to Henry Ward Beecher, at Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, he ministered with great spiritual power until 1898, when he resigned his pastorate to devote his entire time to The Outlook, of which he was, and still is, the editor. Dr. Abbott's conception of the minister's work is briefly summed up in his own words: "Whenever a minister forgets the splendid message of pardon, peace and power based on faith in Jesus Christ as God manifest in the
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 8

Life.
I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.'--St. John x. 10. In a word, He came to supply all our lack--from the root outward; for what is it we need but more life? What does the infant need but more life? What does the bosom of his mother give him but life in abundance? What does the old man need, whose limbs are weak and whose pulse is low, but more of the life which seems ebbing from him? Weary with feebleness, he calls upon death, but in reality it is life he wants. It is
George MacDonald—Unspoken Sermons

The Disciple, -- what is the Meaning and Purpose of the Cross...
The Disciple,--What is the meaning and purpose of the cross, and why do pain and suffering exist in the world? The Master,--1. The cross is the key to heaven. At the moment when by My baptism I took the cross upon My shoulders for the sake of sinners, heaven was opened, and by means of My thirty-three years bearing of the cross and by death upon it, heaven, which by reason of sin was closed to believers, was for ever opened to them. Now as soon as believers take up their cross and follow Me they
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

Questions and Answers
Question. How may we know definitely that we are sanctified? Answer. We may know it by knowing that we have met all the conditions. This grace is obtained upon the conditions of consecration and faith. When we are sure that we have measured up to a true Bible consecration, we will have no difficulty in knowing that we are sanctified. The depth of meaning of this consecration does not necessarily need to be fully comprehended by the seeker, as we enter into this covenant, but there is a yielding up
J. W. Byers—Sanctification

Discourse on the Good Shepherd.
(Jerusalem, December, a.d. 29.) ^D John X. 1-21. ^d 1 Verily, verily, I say to you [unto the parties whom he was addressing in the last section], He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. [In this section Jesus proceeds to contrast his own care for humanity with that manifested by the Pharisees, who had just cast out the beggar. Old Testament prophecies were full of declarations that false shepherds would arise to
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Feast of the Dedication. The Jews Attempt to Stone Jesus and He Retires to Peræa.
(Jerusalem and Beyond Jordan.) ^D John X. 22-42. ^d 22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: 23; it was winter; and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. [The feast of dedication was one of eight days' duration and began upon the 25th Chisleu, which, according to the calculation of M. Chevannes, fell upon the nineteenth or twentieth of December, a.d. 29. The feast was kept in honor of the renovation and purification of the temple in the year b.c. 164, after it had been desecrated
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Good Shepherd' and his one Flock' - Last Discourse at the Feast of Tabernacles.
The closing words which Jesus had spoken to those Pharisees who followed HIm breathe the sadness of expected near judgment, rather than the hopefulness of expostulation. And the Discourse which followed, ere He once more left Jerusalem, is of the same character. It seems, as if Jesus could not part from the City in holy anger, but ever, and only, with tears. All the topics of the former Discourses are now resumed and applied. They are not in any way softened or modified, but uttered in accents of
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

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