Jesus the Good Shepherd
(Psalm 23:1–6; Ezekiel 34:11–24)

1“Amen, amen, I say to you, he who does not enter through the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up by another way, he is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. 4And when he has sent out his sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5But they do not follow a stranger; instead they flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus spoke this proverb to them. But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7Therefore, Jesus spoke to them again: “Amen, amen, I say to you, that I am the door of the sheep. 8All others, as many as have come, are thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone has entered through me, he will be saved. And he shall go in and go out, and he shall find pastures. 10The thief does not come, except so that he may steal and slaughter and destroy. I have come so that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.

11I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep. 12But the hired hand, and whoever is not a shepherd, to whom the sheep do not belong, he sees the wolf approaching, and he departs from the sheep and flees. And the wolf ravages and scatters the sheep. 13And the hired hand flees, because he is a hired hand and there is no concern for the sheep within him. 14I am the good Shepherd, and 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 my sheep. 16And I have other sheep that are not of this fold, and I must lead them. They shall hear my voice, and there shall be one sheepfold and one shepherd. 17For this reason, the Father loves me: because I lay down my life, so that I may take it up again. 18No one takes it away from me. Instead, I lay it down of my own accord. And I have the power to lay it down. And I have the power to take it up again. This is the commandment that I have received from my Father.”

19A dissension occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20Then many of them were saying: “He has a demon or he is insane. Why do you listen him?” 21Others were saying: “These are not the words of someone who has a demon. How would a demon be able to open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

22Now it was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23And Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24And so the Jews surrounded him and said to him: “How long will you hold our souls in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them: “I speak to you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in the name of my Father, these offer testimony about me. 26But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep. 27My sheep hear my voice. And I know them, and they follow me. 28And I give them eternal life, and they shall not perish, for eternity. And no one shall seize them from my hand. 29What my Father gave to me is greater than all, and no one is able to seize from the hand of my Father. 30I and the Father are one.”

31Therefore, the Jews took up stones, in order to stone him. 32Jesus answered them: “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?” 33The Jews answered him: “We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy and because, though you are a man, you make yourself God.” 34Jesus responded to them: “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said: you are gods?’ 35If he called those to whom the word of God was given gods, and Scripture cannot be broken, 36why do you say, about him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You have blasphemed,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’ 37If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe in me. 38But if I do them, even if you are not willing to believe in me, believe the works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” 39Therefore, they sought to apprehend him, but he escaped from their hands.

John’s Testimony Confirmed

40And he went again across the Jordan, to that place where John first was baptizing. And he lodged there. 41And many went out to him. And they were saying: “Indeed, John accomplished no signs. 42But all things whatsoever that John said about this man were true.” And many believed in him.