The Attempted Murder of the Good Shepherd

Jim ButlerJohn 10:31–42

John 10:31–42 presents the religious leadership of Jerusalem responding to Christ's declaration 'I and my Father are one' not with worship but with stones. This exposition traces three movements: the revelation of Christ's divine glory in verse 30, the attempted murder by the Jewish leaders in verses 31–39, and the fruitful reception of Christ in the Transjordan in verses 40–42. Central to the passage is Christ's appeal to Psalm 82 and the argument from lesser to greater — if God calls earthly magistrates 'Elohim,' on what grounds do they stone the One whom the Father sanctified and sent? The sermon closes with an encouragement to the people of God: where Jerusalem rejects, the Transjordan receives, and the Good Shepherd will gather His sheep from every tribe and nation.