John 10:14 (GNV)

Passage

I am that good shepheard, and knowe mine, and am knowen of mine.

Nearby Context

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.

John 10:16 Other sheepe I haue also, which are not of this folde: them also must I bring, and they shall heare my voyce: and there shalbe one sheepefolde, and one shepheard.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "good", "shepheard", "knowe", "mine", and "knowen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "good" and "shepheard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "So the hireling fleeth because he is..." into verse 15's "As the Father knoweth me so know...", so "good" and "shepheard" 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 "good" and "shepheard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.