John 10:13 (LSB)

Passage

because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

Nearby Context

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

John 10:12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches and scatters them—

John 10:13 because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,

John 10:15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "He who is a hired hand and..." into verse 14's "I am the good shepherd and I...", so "sheep" and "hired" 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 "hired" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.