John 10:26
in John 10But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
KJV
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
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This verse in John 10
Commentary
16 notes on this verseBut ye believe not,.... In me, as the Messiah: because ye are not of my sheep; they were not among the sheep given him by his Father, were they, they would have come to him; that is, have believed in him, according to Joh 6:37, they were not the chosen of God, predestinated unto eternal life; for as many as are ordained of God to eternal happiness, do believe in God's own time, Act 13:48; but these not being the elect of God, had not the faith of God's elect.
This site's exposition
The works I do in My Father’s name
on John 10:25-26
The telling has already happened, and the works done in His Father's name carry the testimony. Verse 26 puts the belonging first: they refuse to believe because they are not of His sheep. The obstacle named is the will.
This site's exposition
because you are not My sheep
Readers divide on what makes a man one of the sheep. John Gill reads it as the Father's gift and election, citing John 6:37 and Acts 13:48. Adam Clarke reads it as a disposition, the readiness of those who come to be taught.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
(Tract. xlviii. c. 4) He saw that they were persons predestinated to eternal death, and not those for whom He had bought eternal life, at the price of His blood. The sheep believe, and follow the Shepherd.
"I told you often," He saith, "and ye believe not: the works that I do in My Father's Name, they are they that bear witness of Me." A remark which the more tolerable among them continually made to one another; "A man that is a sinner cannot do such miracles." And again, "A devil cannot open the eyes of the blind": and, "No man can do such miracles except God be with him." (c. iii. 2.) And beholding the miracles that He did, they said, "Is not this the Christ?" Others said, "When Christ cometh, will He do greater miracles than those which this Man hath done?" (c. vii. 31.) And these very persons as many as then desired to believe on Him, saying, "What sign showest thou us, that we may see, and believe thee?" (c. vi. 30.) When then they who had not been persuaded by such great works, pretended that they should be persuaded by a bare word, He rebuketh their wickedness, saying, "If ye believe not My works, how will ye believe My words? so that your questioning is superfluous." "But," He saith, "I told you, and ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep." "For I on My part have fulfilled all that it behooved a Shepherd to do, and if ye follow Me not, it is not because I am not a Shepherd, but because ye are not My sheep."
"Jesus answered them, I tell you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me: but ye believe not; because ye are not of my sheep." Ye have already learned above who the sheep are: be ye sheep. They are sheep through believing, sheep in following the Shepherd, sheep in not despising their Redeemer, sheep in entering by the door, sheep in going out and finding pasture, sheep in the enjoyment of eternal life. What did He mean, then, in saying to them, "Ye are not of my sheep"? That He saw them predestined to everlasting destruction, not won to eternal life by the price of His own blood.
The Medieval Church2 voices
"You," He says, "do not believe in Me because you are not of My sheep." I, as the good shepherd, for My part have fulfilled everything that I was supposed to do; but if you do not follow Me, it is not I who am …
"But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep"; whence if they were sheep, they would have the sign of their shepherd in word and in deed. Augustine: "He says they are not of his sheep, because he saw them ordained to …
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
The reason for their unbelief is that they are separated from Christ's sheep. So he says, but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. He does three things concerning this. First, he says that they are excluded from membership in …
After He had said, Ye are not of My sheep, He exhorts them to become such: My sheep hear My voice.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Pharisees supported themselves in their opposition to Christ with this principle, that they were the pastors of the church, and that Jesus, having no commission from them, was an intruder and an impostor, and therefore the people were bound in duty to stick to then, against him.
Are known (that is, approved) by me, as loving me; and 3. Follow me, keep my commandments, with a believing, loving heart. Truly believe (observe three promises annexed to three conditions) I give eternal life.
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Ye are not of my sheep - Ye have not the disposition of those who come unto me to be instructed and saved: see what follows.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
Another sharp division took place among the Jewish authorities because of these words. Many of them were saying, "He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind. Why do you listen to him?" Others said, "These are not the words of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, can it?" Then came the feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Portico. The Jewish religious leaders surrounded him and said, "How long will you keep us in suspense?
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
Another sharp division took place among the Jewish authorities because of these words. Many of them were saying, "He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind. Why do you listen to him?" Others said, "These are not the words of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, can it?" Then came the feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Portico. The Jewish religious leaders surrounded him and said, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus replied, "I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in my Father’s name testify about me. But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand. The Father and I are one." We should notice, first, in this passage, what strifes and controversies our Lord occasioned when He was on earth. We read that "there was a division among the Jews for His sayings"—and that "many of them said He has a devil, and is mad," while others took an opposite view. It may seem strange, at first sight, that He who came to preach peace between God and man should be the cause of contention. But herein were His own words literally fulfilled—"I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matt. 10:34.) The fault was not in Christ or His doctrine, but in the carnal mind of His Jewish hearers. Let us never be surprised if we see the same thing in our own day. Human nature never changes. So long as the heart of man is without grace, so long we must expect to see it dislike the Gospel of Christ.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Are not of my sheep - Are not my people, my followers. You do not possess the spirit of meek and humble disciples. Were it not for pride, and prejudice, and vainglory for your false notions of the Messiah, and from a determination not to believe, you would have learned from my declarations and works that I am the Christ. As I said unto you - Compare Joh 8:47.
How the passage was read
On John 10:22-39On John 10:22-39
The feast Jesus was keeping
“The Feast of Dedication” is the festival modern Jews call Hanukkah: an eight-day winter feast, beginning on the 25th of the month Kislev (falling in December), that remembers the cleansing and rededication of the Temple in 164 BC. Antiochus IV, the Greek-Syrian king, had defiled the altar; Judas Maccabeus and his brothers retook Jerusalem, rebuilt the altar, and ordained the annual celebration (1 Maccabees 4:36–59). Today it is kept by lighting one more candle each night on a nine-branched lampstand, which is why it is also called the Festival of Lights; the lamp-lighting custom is discussed in the Talmud (Shabbat 21b).
Two things follow for the reader. This feast is not commanded anywhere in the Law of Moses: it was instituted between the Testaments, and John records Jesus walking in the Temple courts during it without a word of censure. And the setting is loaded: at the feast that celebrates the Temple's rescue from a ruler who claimed divine honors, the crowd asks Jesus plainly whether He is the Messiah (John 10:24).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Sources: 1 Maccabees 4:36–59 (the feast's institution; studied on this site) · Shabbat 21b (Babylonian Talmud, the lamp-lighting custom) · The Maccabean Revolt (this site's study of the history)
The words behind it
12 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | But | G235 → | 635 times |
| ὑμεῖς | humeis | you yourselves | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| πιστεύετε, | pisteuete | believe, | G4100 → | 237 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | because | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| οὐκ | ouk | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| ἐστὲ | este | you are | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ἐκ | ek | from among | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| προβάτων | probaton | sheep | G4263 → | 39 times |
| τῶν | ton | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐμῶν | emon | of Mine | G1473 → | 839 times |
ἀλλ᾽But
all᾽G235 →635 times
ὑμεῖςyou yourselves
humeisG4771 →2973 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
πιστεύετε,believe,
pisteueteG4100 →237 times
ὅτιbecause
hotiG3754 →1292 times
οὐκnot
oukG3756 →1664 times
ἐστὲyou are
esteG1510 →2333 times
ἐκfrom among
ekG1537 →911 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
προβάτωνsheep
probatonG4263 →39 times
τῶν<the>
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἐμῶνof Mine
emonG1473 →839 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 10:27My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
it leads to
- John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
- John 10:14
I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,
- 1 Corinthians 8:3
But the one who loves God is known by God.
- Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
- John 10:3–4
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
- John 10:16
Through
John 8:47Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
it leads to
- John 10:26–27
But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
- 2 John 1:9
Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.
- John 18:37
“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone…
- John 10:26–27
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies35
- The Animal Apocalypse
- Hanukkah: the Feast the Revolt Made
- The Apocrypha
- The Major Prophets
- David
- The Divine Council
Show the next 6 titles
- Eternal Life
- Eternal Security, and the Five Warnings of Hebrews
- The Fall Feasts
- The Words Tov and Agathosyne
- Hearing God
- Jesus on Himself
Show the next 6 titles
Show the next 6 titles
About John
This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on John 48; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 10; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel according to John; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of John 61; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John; Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.