Passage
As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep.
John 10:15 (DRB)
Nearby Context
John 10:13 And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling: and he hath no care for the sheep.
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd: and I know mine, and mine know me.
John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep.
John 10:16 And other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice: And there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
John 10:17 Therefore doth the Father love me: because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "sheep", "father", "knoweth", "down", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "father", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 14's "I am the good shepherd and I..." into verse 16's "And other sheep I have that are...", so "sheep" and "father" 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 "father" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.