John 10:17-18
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The Father's love for Jesus here isn't just general affection; it's directly tied to Jesus' intentionality in His sacrifice. It's not merely that He will die and rise, but that His laying down His life is the precise purpose for which He will also take it up again, demonstrating His divine agency and the Father's delight in His perfect obedience.
Jesus has just described himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, contrasting himself with thieves who come to steal and destroy. He speaks of calling other sheep from outside the current fold to form one unified flock under his care. This verse explains a core reason for the Father's deep love for Jesus: his voluntary sacrifice and promised resurrection, which are essential for fulfilling his shepherd's mission.
Why would the Father's love for Jesus be because Jesus is about to die? It sounds counterintuitive, but the reason is profound.
Jesus states that the Father loves Him because He lays down His life. This isn't about the Father delighting in suffering, but in the Son's willing obedience and the ultimate purpose of that sacrifice.
A Willing Offering
The Father's love is connected to Jesus' voluntary act of laying down His life. It wasn't something forced upon Him, but a choice He made, demonstrating His deep commitment to the Father's will and the salvation of humanity.
The Goal: Redemption and Resurrection
The purpose behind laying down His life is crucial: "that I may take it up again." This wasn't an end, but a means to an end. Jesus' death was a sacrifice that paved the way for His resurrection, securing redemption and victory over death for His people. The Father's love is for the Son who accomplishes this redemptive mission, fulfilling God's plan.
Jesus didn't just allow His life to be taken; He had the power to give it and take it back. What does this tell us about His divine authority?
The passage emphasizes Jesus' unique authority, especially in the context of His impending death. He asserts that His life is not taken from Him by force, but that He lays it down voluntarily.
Power to Lay Down and Take Up
Jesus explicitly states, 'I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.' This isn't just about His physical life; it speaks to His divine power over life and death itself.
A Command from the Father
This authority is not independent but given by the Father. 'This commandment have I received from my Father.' This highlights the unified will of the Godhead in the plan of salvation. Jesus' willingness to obey this command, using His divine power for sacrifice and resurrection, is central to His mission and the Father's love for Him.
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.
exousia · Greek Noun
The right, power, or prerogative to act. It indicates that Jesus possesses the divine power to control His own destiny, death, and resurrection.
This verse is spoken by Jesus during His earthly ministry, directly referencing His imminent sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection, which were pivotal events central to His mission and the Father's love for Him.
c. 27-30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Teaching
Jesus begins his public ministry, gathering disciples and teaching about the Kingdom of God, performing miracles, and identifying himself as the Good Shepherd. This period includes intense opposition from religious leaders.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Arrest and Trial
Following the Last Supper, Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot, arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and subjected to trials before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate.
c. 30 AD
Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
Jesus is crucified at Golgotha. This event, the voluntary sacrifice of his life, is central to the Christian faith as an atonement for sins.
c. 30 AD
Resurrection of Jesus
Three days after his crucifixion, Jesus is resurrected from the dead, demonstrating his victory over death and validating his claims.
This passage describes Christ humbling himself and becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross, which directly echoes the voluntary laying down of his life mentioned in John 10:17 as a reason for the Father's love.
Hebrews 2:14-15It highlights that Jesus had to share in human nature and experience death so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death, directly relating to his laying down his life to 'take it up again' and overcome death.
1 Peter 3:18This verse states that Christ suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, and clarifies that though he was put to death in the flesh, he was made alive in the spirit, underscoring the sacrificial aspect and subsequent resurrection.
Isaiah 53:10This prophecy foretells that the Lord would make the servant's life an offering for sin, and that he would see his offspring and prolong his days, directly foreshadowing the sacrificial death and subsequent life that is central to John 10:17.
Romans 6:3-4These verses connect our baptism into Christ's death with our being raised to new life, mirroring Jesus' own act of laying down his life and taking it up again, which signifies a death to sin and a new life in righteousness.
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…
The Father's love for Jesus here isn't just general affection; it's directly tied to Jesus' intentionality in His sacrifice. It's not merely that He will die and rise, but that His laying down His life is the precise purpose for which He will also take it up again, demonstrating His divine agency and the Father's delight in His perfect obedience.
Jesus has just described himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, contrasting himself with thieves who come to steal and destroy. He speaks of calling other sheep from outside the current fold to form one unified flock under his care. This verse explains a core reason for the Father's deep love for Jesus: his voluntary sacrifice and promised resurrection, which are essential for fulfilling his shepherd's mission.
Jesus has just described himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, contrasting himself with thieves who come to steal and destroy. He speaks of calling other sheep from outside the current fold to form one unified flock under his care. This verse explains a core reason for the Father's deep love for Jesus: his voluntary sacrifice and promised resurrection, which are essential for fulfilling his shepherd's mission.
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 10:17-18 is available in the Sola app.
c. 30 AD
Ascension of Jesus
After appearing to his disciples over a period of 40 days, Jesus ascends into heaven to be with the Father, from where he continues his work as intercessor.
"For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charg…" — The Father's love for Jesus here isn't just general affection; it's directly tied to Jesus' intentionality in His sacrifice. It's not merely that He will die and rise, but that His laying down Hi…
