John 10:17
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jesus isn't just saying his Father loves him because he'll die, but specifically because his death is a means to taking his life back up again. This isn't about a sacrifice that ends, but a willing death that becomes the very foundation for his victory and continued ministry to us.
Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders who don't believe in Him, contrasting Himself as the good shepherd with their poor leadership. He explains that He has other sheep, those from the Gentiles, who will also hear His voice, leading to one flock under one shepherd. This upcoming sacrifice and resurrection are central to His mission and the reason for His Father's love.
Why would laying down one's life be a reason for love? Especially when that life will be returned?
Jesus declares that the Father's love for Him is directly connected to His willingness to lay down His life. This isn't just about a future reward, but about the very nature of His mission.
A Willing Offering
Jesus states, 'I lay down my life... of myself' (John 10:18). This emphasizes that His sacrifice was not forced upon Him. He willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for humanity.
The Purpose of the Sacrifice
He lays down His life so that He may take it up again. This isn't just a passive death, but an active, purposeful act. The death itself is the means to the glorious resurrection, proving His divine power and completing the plan of salvation.
What does Jesus mean that His death is so that He can take His life again? Isn't death the end?
Jesus frames His death not as an end, but as a necessary step toward His resurrection and the continuation of His work. The Father's love is linked to this entire redemptive cycle.
Death as a Means, Not an End
The phrase 'that I may take it up again' reveals the resurrection as the intended outcome and purpose of His death. His life is not extinguished, but transformed and restored, demonstrating His ultimate victory over death.
Sustaining the Shepherd's Work
Jesus' resurrection is crucial for Him to continue His role as the Good Shepherd. Only by overcoming death can He effectively gather His 'other sheep,' assure His flock, and offer eternal life. His renewed life fuels His ongoing ministry.
Understand the original words
patēr · Greek Noun
The first person of the Trinity, emphasizing the relational aspect of the Godhead. He is the originator of the plan of salvation and the sender of the Son.
psychē · Greek Noun
A reference to the physical death of Christ. Theologically, it signifies the voluntary self-offering of the Son of God as the substitutionary atonement for the sins of the world.
Jesus' words about the Father's love stem from His unique mission, rooted in God's long-standing covenant promises, to gather a diverse flock of both Jews and Gentiles through His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection.
c. 2000 BC
Abrahamic Covenant Established
God establishes a covenant with Abraham, promising him numerous descendants and a land, foreshadowing a people who would eventually include both Jews and Gentiles.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus and Law Given
God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt, giving them the Law at Mount Sinai, marking them as a distinct people under a covenant mediated by Moses.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed by the Babylonians, and many Judeans are exiled, disrupting the sense of a unified 'fold' and challenging their identity.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great permits the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, restoring a semblance of national and religious life.
This passage directly echoes the self-sacrificial obedience mentioned in John 10:17, highlighting Jesus' willingness to humble himself and lay down his life, which is a key reason for the Father's love.
Hebrews 12:2This verse speaks of Jesus 'for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.' This connects to John 10:17 by emphasizing the purpose and reward behind Jesus' laying down his life, something that pleased the Father.
Isaiah 53:10This prophetic passage directly foretells the suffering servant laying down his life as a sacrifice for sin, aligning with the fulfillment described in John 10:17 as a reason for the Father's love.
1 Peter 3:18This verse states that Christ 'suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.' This mirrors the 'lay down my life' and 'take it up again' theme in John 10:17, showing the redemptive purpose that pleased the Father.
John 10:11This verse, spoken by Jesus just before John 10:17, establishes Jesus as the 'good shepherd' who 'lays down his life for the sheep,' providing the immediate context for why the Father loves him for this very act.
barnesJohn 10:17: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again."
I lay down my life - I give myself to die for my people, in Jewish and pagan lands. I offer myself a sacrifice to show the willingness of my Father to save them; to provide an atonement, and thus to open the way for their salvation. This proves that the salvation of man was an object dear to God, and that it was a source of special gratification to him that his Son was willing to lay down his…
calvinJohn 10:16-18: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
- And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. 17. On this account the Father loveth me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. 18. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to la…
Jesus isn't just saying his Father loves him because he'll die, but specifically because his death is a means to taking his life back up again. This isn't about a sacrifice that ends, but a willing death that becomes the very foundation for his victory and continued ministry to us.
Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders who don't believe in Him, contrasting Himself as the good shepherd with their poor leadership. He explains that He has other sheep, those from the Gentiles, who will also hear His voice, leading to one flock under one shepherd. This upcoming sacrifice and resurrection are central to His mission and the reason for His Father's love.
Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders who don't believe in Him, contrasting Himself as the good shepherd with their poor leadership. He explains that He has other sheep, those from the Gentiles, who will also hear His voice, leading to one flock under one shepherd. This upcoming sacrifice and resurrection are central to His mission and the reason for His Father's love.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about John 10:17 is available in the Sola app.
c. 150 BC - 4 BC
Roman Domination of Judea
Rome increasingly asserts control over Judea, culminating in the appointment of Herod the Great as king, creating political tension and expectation for a Messiah.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Teaching
Jesus begins his public ministry, calling disciples, healing the sick, and teaching about the Kingdom of God, often using shepherd and sheep metaphors.
c. AD 30-33
Crucifixion and Resurrection
Jesus is crucified and then miraculously rises from the dead, fulfilling his own words about laying down and taking up his life.
"For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again." — Jesus isn't just saying his Father loves him because he'll die, but specifically because his death is a means to taking his life back up again. This isn't about a sacrifice that ends, but a willi…
