The Saints Gospel 89

The Good Shepherd

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“Amen, amen, I tell you: the one who does not enter the sheepfold through the door, but climbs in from elsewhere, is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own out, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. But they will certainly not follow a stranger; rather, they will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus spoke this figure of speech to them, but they did not understand what the things were that He was speaking to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: “Amen, amen, I tell you that I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy.

“I came so that they may have life and have abundance. I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired worker, who is not a shepherd and whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees—and the wolf seizes them and scatters them— because he is a hired worker and has no care for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not from this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, so that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down from Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. This command I received from My Father.” Division arose again among the Jews because of these words.

Many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” Others said, “These are not the words of a demon-possessed person. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

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Saints Translation · The Saints Gospel · a harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts 1 · words of Christ in red · working draft awaiting specialist review.