John 10:18 kjv
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
John 10:18 nkjv
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
John 10:18 niv
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
John 10:18 esv
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."
John 10:18 nlt
No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded."
John 10 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 2:19 | Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” | Authority over His own resurrection |
| John 5:26 | For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. | Son possesses inherent life-giving power |
| John 6:38 | For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but to do the will of him who sent me. | Obedience to Father's will |
| John 7:30 | So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. | Control over the timing of His death |
| John 8:20 | He spoke these words while teaching in the treasury, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. | Unassailable until His chosen time |
| John 10:11 | I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. | Jesus' example of laying down life for His sheep |
| John 10:17 | For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. | Mutual love with Father and voluntary sacrifice |
| John 12:49-50 | For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment... | Father's command as source of words/actions |
| John 14:31 | But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. | Obedience demonstrates love for Father |
| John 19:10-11 | Pilate said to him, “Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority... but he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” | Earthly power is ultimately from above |
| Matt 26:53-54 | Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? | Jesus' ability to summon heavenly host, yet abstains |
| Matt 28:18 | And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." | All authority granted to the risen Christ |
| Luke 22:42 | saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” | Submission to Father's will in suffering |
| Isa 53:7-8 | He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth... he was cut off out of the land of the living... | Voluntary suffering, not forced victimization |
| Phil 2:6-8 | ...though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself... | Humiliation, obedience to death of cross |
| Heb 9:14 | how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God... | Christ's self-offering as a spotless sacrifice |
| Heb 10:5-7 | Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; behold, I have come to do your will, O God.” | Willing offering of Himself as ultimate sacrifice |
| Acts 2:24 | God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. | God's act of raising Him, echoing Jesus' authority |
| Rom 8:38-39 | For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers... | Nothing separates us from the power of God in Christ |
| 1 Pet 1:20 | He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake. | God's pre-ordained plan of salvation |
John 10 verses
John 10 18 Meaning
John 10:18 reveals the absolute sovereignty of Jesus Christ over His own life and death. His sacrificial death was not an outcome of external compulsion, human weakness, or accidental circumstance, but rather a deliberate, voluntary act flowing from His own divine will. This verse emphasizes that He possesses the intrinsic power and legitimate right, given by His Father, both to offer up His life and to reclaim it through resurrection. It highlights His full agency in the redemptive plan.
John 10 18 Context
This verse is part of Jesus' discourse on the Good Shepherd in John chapter 10. Following His declaration in verse 17 that "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again," verse 18 expands on the nature of this life-laying. The larger context of chapter 10 presents Jesus as the true Shepherd, distinct from thieves, robbers, and hirelings (who symbolize false religious leaders of Israel, particularly the Pharisees implicated in the preceding chapter's healing of the blind man). He contrasts His self-sacrificing love and protective care for His "sheep" (His followers) with the self-serving actions of those who would exploit or scatter them. This verse specifically addresses the question of how Jesus will lay down His life, countering any idea that His death would be a passive tragedy. Historically, the audience would have been familiar with animal sacrifice and prophetic expectations of a Messiah, but the idea of a Messiah voluntarily offering His own life and reclaiming it would have been revolutionary and highly controversial. It asserts Jesus' divine agency in the very act that many saw as His weakness or failure.
John 10 18 Word analysis
- No one takes it from me: (οὐδεὶς αἴρει ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ - oudeis airei ap' emou). The phrase "no one" (οὐδεὶς) is absolute and emphatic. It explicitly denies any external force – whether human (Pilate, the Sanhedrin, Judas), demonic, or circumstantial – as having ultimate power over His life. "Takes" (αἴρει - airei) implies a forceful removal or snatching away. This underscores Jesus' sovereign control; His life is not passively taken.
- but I lay it down: (ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν - all' egō tithēmi autēn). The conjunction "but" (ἀλλ’ - alla) establishes a stark contrast to the preceding negative. The pronoun "I" (ἐγὼ - egō) is emphatically placed, asserting Jesus' active and personal agency. "Lay it down" (τίθημι - tithēmi) signifies a deliberate, voluntary placement, an active setting forth, not a passive yielding. This verb highlights His proactive choice in giving His life.
- of my own accord: (ἀπ’ ἐμαυτοῦ - ap' emautou). Literally "from myself." This phrase further emphasizes the internal source of His decision. It confirms His full, self-initiated willingness and removes any hint of coercion. It speaks to His divine autonomy in this act.
- I have authority: (ἐξουσίαν ἔχω - exousian echō). "Authority" (ἐξουσία - exousia) denotes not merely power but legitimate right, permission, and sovereign competency. It signifies His divine prerogative and ability to act. This is not borrowed power but inherent right, albeit one affirmed and sanctioned by the Father.
- to lay it down: (θεῖναι αὐτὴν - theinai autēn). The infinitive form reiterates the active, deliberate nature of the act.
- and I have authority: (καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω - kai exousian echō). The repeated phrase strongly links His power over death to His power over resurrection, presenting them as two facets of the same divine authority.
- to take it up again: (πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτὴν - palin labein autēn). "Again" (πάλιν - palin) emphasizes the cycle of laying down and reclaiming. "Take it up" (λαβεῖν - labein) means to receive back or reclaim, confirming His active role in His own resurrection. This directly attributes the resurrection not just to God the Father, but also to Jesus' own divine power and will.
- This command I have received: (ταύτην τὴν ἐντολὴν ἔλαβον - tautēn tēn entolēn elabon). "This command" (τὴν ἐντολὴν - tēn entolēn) clarifies the specific directive from the Father regarding both His death and resurrection. "Received" (ἔλαβον - elabon) highlights His perfect obedience as Son to the Father, showing His will is perfectly aligned with the Father's.
- from my Father: (παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου - para tou patros mou). This identifies the divine source of the command, anchoring Jesus' authority and actions in His unique and intimate relationship with God the Father. It speaks to the unity of purpose within the Trinity.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord": This foundational statement establishes Jesus' absolute control over His life. It decisively rejects the idea of His death being forced upon Him by enemies or fate. Instead, it portrays His sacrifice as an intentional, self-determined act, showcasing His divine power and freedom. It's a profound declaration of agency in an event that otherwise appears as ultimate helplessness.
- "I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again": This crucial declaration underlines Jesus' unparalleled divine prerogative over both life and death. The twofold mention of "authority" emphasizes that His voluntary death is empowered, and His resurrection is not merely an event done to Him but an act He initiates by His own power. This signifies His complete victory over death, demonstrating His divinity and the ultimate triumph inherent in His sacrifice.
- "This command I have received from my Father": This concluding phrase elegantly reconciles Jesus' sovereignty with His perfect obedience within the Trinity. His laying down and taking up His life is not an independent action outside the divine plan but rather the willing execution of a specific directive from the Father. It reveals the unity of purpose between Father and Son in the grand scheme of redemption, showing His obedience is not coerced but an expression of their shared will and love.
John 10 18 Bonus section
- The deliberate language used here stands in stark contrast to accounts of typical martyrs in ancient literature or Jewish tradition, where individuals are depicted as passively suffering at the hands of their persecutors. Jesus actively asserts His initiative in giving His life.
- This verse supports the understanding of the resurrection as a Trinitarian work, with the Father, Son, and Spirit all involved (Acts 2:24, Rom 8:11, John 2:19), yet without diminishing the Son's distinct authority and agency within that divine cooperation.
- The unique pairing of "laying down" and "taking up" emphasizes a circular motion or a purposeful trajectory initiated and concluded by Christ Himself, revealing a deliberate divine strategy for redemption, not an abrupt, unforeseen end to His ministry.
- It functions as a polemic against those who would accuse Jesus of being powerless or cursed in His crucifixion (Gal 3:13). His death was His power, His choice, fulfilling the Father's will.
John 10 18 Commentary
John 10:18 provides profound theological insights into Christ's identity and mission. It elevates His death from a mere martyrdom to a supremely powerful and deliberate act of sovereign love and obedience. This verse undergirds the very heart of the Gospel, affirming that His sacrifice was truly voluntary and substitutionary, an offering that He Himself orchestrated rather than passively suffered. It is Jesus' divine agency that makes His death effective for atonement. Furthermore, it firmly establishes His unique power over life and death, culminating in His resurrection. This voluntary act of divine love and power is the basis of our salvation. It offers assurance that the Shepherd has full command over all things, including His own destiny and ours.Practical Usage Examples:
- For the worried, it affirms Christ's powerful control over all events, even suffering and death, not weakness.
- For the faithful, it confirms His deity, showing He willingly died for us, making His sacrifice immensely meaningful.
- For the skeptical, it challenges perceptions of Christ as merely a good man who was tragically executed.