John 10:1

Jesus as the Good Shepherd

10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, ¹  the one who does not enter the sheepfold ²  by the door, ³  but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

John 10:10

10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill ⁴  and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. ⁵ 

John 12:6

12:6 (Now Judas ⁶  said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, ⁷  he used to steal what was put into it.) ⁸ 

[10:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[10:1]  ² sn There was more than one type of sheepfold in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. The one here seems to be a courtyard in front of a house (the Greek word used for the sheepfold here, αὐλή [aulh] frequently refers to a courtyard), surrounded by a stone wall (often topped with briars for protection).

[10:1]  ³ tn Or “entrance.”

[10:10]  ⁴ tn That is, “to slaughter” (in reference to animals).

[10:10]  ⁵ tn That is, more than one would normally expect or anticipate.

[12:6]  ⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:6]  ⁸ tn Grk “a thief, and having the money box.” Dividing the single Greek sentence improves the English style.

[12:6]  ⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. This is one of the indications in the gospels that Judas was of bad character before the betrayal of Jesus. John states that he was a thief and had responsibility for the finances of the group. More than being simply a derogatory note about Judas’ character, the inclusion of the note at this particular point in the narrative may be intended to link the frustrated greed of Judas here with his subsequent decision to betray Jesus for money. The parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark seem to indicate that after this incident Judas went away immediately and made his deal with the Jewish authorities to deliver up Jesus. Losing out on one source of sordid gain, he immediately went out and set up another.