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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_10:7-10
7So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
Joh_10:7 "I am the door of the sheep" This is one of John's seven famous "I am" statements. This metaphor highlights the truth that Jesus is the only true way (cf. John 8, 10; Joh_14:6). This is often called the scandal of the exclusivism of the gospel. If the Bible is the self-revelation of God, then there is only one way to be right with God-faith in Christ (cf. Act_4:12; 1Ti_2:5). See note at Joh_8:12.
Joh_10:8 "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers" Because of the context of chapters 9 and 10, the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah (cf. Joh_10:22), it is possible that this refers to the messianic pretensions of the Macabees and their descendants during the inter-testamental period. However, it probably relates to the OT passages about false shepherds (cf. Isa_56:9-12; Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 34; and Zechariah 11).
This highly figurative language and ambiguous antecedents caused early scribes to modify or expand the text in an attempt to explain the meaning. One manuscript (MS D) simply omitted the inclusive term "all" and several early manuscripts (P45, P75, à *) omitted the phrase "before me."
Joh_10:9 "if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved" This is a third class conditional sentence with a future passive verb. Jesus is the only way to God (cf. Joh_14:6). The verb "saved" in this context probably relates to the OT connotation of physical deliverance (i.e., the sheep are safe). However John often chooses terms that have two overlapping meanings. The concept of spiritual salvation is not lacking from this context also (cf. Joh_10:42).
Joh_10:10 "The thief" This shows the ulterior motives of false shepherds. It also reflects the purpose of the evil one! This attitude of the carelessness of hired workers can be seen in Joh_10:12-13.
▣ "destroy" See Special Topic following.
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▣ "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" This phrase is quoted so often as a promise of material things, but in context it relates to knowing Jesus personally and the spiritual blessings, not material prosperity, that He brings (it is parallel to Joh_4:14 and Joh_7:38). It is not having so much more in this life, but knowing and possessing true life!
As the Synoptics record Jesus' emphasis on the Kingdom of God, John records Jesus' emphasis on eternal life. One can have it now! The Kingdom has been inaugurated!