But you believe not, because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you.
because.
John 10:4,27 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice…
John 6:37,44,45,65 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out…
John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
you refuse to believe
The refusal to believe is a recurring theme in the Gospel of John, where belief in Jesus is central to receiving eternal life (John 3:16, John 6:29). The Greek word for "refuse" indicates a willful decision, suggesting that the Pharisees' unbelief is not due to a lack of evidence but a hardened heart. This echoes the Old Testament pattern of Israel's unbelief despite witnessing God's works (Psalm 95:8-11). Theologically, this phrase underscores the doctrine of human responsibility in the context of divine sovereignty. While Jesus' sheep hear His voice and follow Him, those who are not His sheep choose not to believe, highlighting the mystery of faith and unbelief. This refusal also fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, where the Messiah would be rejected by His own people (Isaiah 53:3).
• Jesus speaks to a group of religious leaders who had just demanded, “If You are the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24).
• His reply points to the reason for their confusion: the causal link signaled by “because.” They lack something essential that would allow them to recognize Him.
• Scripture consistently ties spiritual understanding to prior receptivity to God: “Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47).
• In Romans 1:20-21 Paul explains that refusal to acknowledge God’s self-evident truth results in darkened hearts; Jesus is identifying the same cause-and-effect here.
• This clause reminds us that unbelief is not merely an intellectual shortfall but a spiritual condition.
• Jesus has just identified Himself as “the good shepherd” whose sheep “hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:14, 27).
• To be His sheep is to belong to Him by the Father’s sovereign gift: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me” (John 6:37).
• Psalm 100:3 affirms that “we are His people, the sheep of His pasture,” showing continuity between Old and New Testaments in God’s shepherding care.
• The imagery conveys protection, provision, and intimate knowledge. Those outside the fold lack these blessings and, as Matthew 25:32-33 illustrates, face ultimate separation.
• By stating “you are not My sheep,” Jesus diagnoses their spiritual status: they do not have the relationship that results in recognition of His voice.
• The refusal is willful. John 5:40 records Jesus saying, “You refuse to come to Me to have life,” emphasizing deliberate rejection, not lack of evidence.
• Unbelief fulfills prophecy: Isaiah 53:1—“Who has believed our message?”—and John 12:37-38 show that many would see miracles yet remain hardened.
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 attributes such blindness to the god of this age blinding minds, while Hebrews 3:12 warns against “an unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”
• Acts 13:46 demonstrates that turning from the gospel is a personal choice: “You reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life.”
• Jesus’ statement exposes the underlying reality: their refusal flows from not being His sheep; it is evidence of their alienation from the Shepherd.
John 10:26 explains that unbelief is the inevitable outcome for those who do not belong to Christ’s flock. Because they are outside the Shepherd-sheep relationship ordained by the Father, they neither hear nor heed His voice, and they actively resist faith. The verse highlights the divine initiative in salvation and the human responsibility revealed in willful refusal, urging every listener to recognize the Shepherd and follow Him.
(26) But ye believe not.--Comp. Notes on John 10:5; John 10:14; John 10:16.As I said unto you.--These words are not found in the Sinaitic or Vatican MSS., and are omitted by the best modern editors. They are not, however, without considerable authority, and the fact of their difficulty may have led to their omission. They are sometimes joined to the following verse, and some expositors accept this as their probable meaning; but although the preceding clause of John 10:26 was not actually spoken in the previous discourse, it was implied, and the reference is of a like kind to that of the Messiah in John 10:25. There is no real difficulty in the fact that He thus refers them to a discourse uttered two months before. In continuity of teaching from Him to them it immediately preceded, and at the commencement of this discourse He gathers up the thread of that which had gone before. On the other hand, the interval helps us to understand how He refers to a truth which was taught them, rather than to the actual words in which He taught it. . . .
Verse 26. - He gives the reason of their insensibility or lack of appreciation and faith: But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep (for similar construction, ἐστὲ ἐκ, see Matthew 26:73; John 6:65). The clause (καθὼς εϊπον ὑμιν), [as I said unto you], is rejected by powerful arguments, and commentators cease to discuss whether it belongs to the previous or following clause. In neither case does it appear entirely relevant, although the difficulties felt in either application may be reduced by supposing either one saying or the other to have been virtually embodied in the statements of the parables of John 10:1-18.