Passage
This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not what he spoke.
John 10:6 (DRB)
Nearby Context
John 10:4 And when he hath let out his own sheep, he goeth before them: and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.
John 10:5 But a stranger they follow not, but fly from him, because they know not the voice of strangers.
John 10:6 This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not what he spoke.
John 10:7 Jesus therefore said to them again: Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
John 10:8 All others, as many as have come, are thieves and robbers: and the sheep heard them not.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "proverb", "jesus", "spoke", and "understood". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "proverb" and "jesus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 5's "But a stranger they follow not but..." into verse 7's "Jesus therefore said to them again Amen...", so "proverb" and "jesus" 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 "proverb" and "jesus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.