John 10:27 (KJV)

Passage

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Nearby Context

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "But ye believe not because ye are..." into verse 28's "And I give unto them eternal life...", so "sheep" and "hear" 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 "hear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.