John 10:13 (GNV)

Passage

So the hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheepe.

Nearby Context

John 10:11 I am that good shepheard: that good shepheard giueth his life for his sheepe.

John 10:12 But an hireling, and hee which is not the shepheard, neither the sheepe are his owne, seeth the wolfe comming, and hee leaueth the sheepe, and fleeth, and the wolfe catcheth them, and scattreth the sheepe.

John 10:13 So the hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheepe.

John 10:14 I am that good shepheard, and knowe mine, and am knowen of mine.

John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, so know I the Father: and I lay downe my life for my sheepe.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "hireling", "fleeth", "careth", and "sheepe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "hireling", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "But an hireling and hee which is..." into verse 14's "I am that good shepheard and knowe...", so "sheep" and "hireling" 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 "hireling" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.