John 10:12 (DBY)

Passage

but he who serves for wages, and who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf seizes them and scatters the sheep.

Nearby Context

John 10:10 The thief comes not but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I am come that they might have life, and might have [it] abundantly.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep:

John 10:12 but he who serves for wages, and who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf seizes them and scatters the sheep.

John 10:13 Now he who serves for wages flees because he serves for wages, and is not himself concerned about the sheep.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know those that are mine, and am known of those that are mine,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "serves", "wages", "shepherd", "whose", "sees", "wolf", and "coming". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "serves", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "I am the good shepherd The good..." into verse 13's "Now he who serves for wages flees...", so "sheep" and "serves" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sheep" and "serves" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.