Thieves and robbers

All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. (John 10:8)

Interesting, all who came before Jesus were “thieves and robbers”! How do you think the Jews would accept such absurdity? Would they accept that all the Prophets mentioned in the Tanach were “thieves and robbers”, what’s worse how are they to accept Moses their teacher who helped save the children of Israel from Pharaoh as one of the crooks? This is not to be taken lightly, the fact Christians are given the authority to call Prophets of God “thieves and robbers” cross the limit.

This sickness of name calling found in the New Testament has morally made Christians more aggressive towards non-Christians. This verse has also baffled many Christian commentators on why Jesus would use such language to identify the Prophets of old. This further proves that Jesus of the Bible was a narcissist.

Now before we look into a few commentaries below is a statement made by Jesus where he claims that Moses will accuse the Jews for what they have done.

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. (John 5:45)

Another baffling verse, here Jesus claims he will conceal what the Jews have done and instead make Moses accuse them. The question is, why would  Moses speak for the Jews who were living under the time of Jesus. Was Moses watching everything the Jews were doing? Here you can see how Jesus was making Moses look bad in front of his devoted followers the Children of Israel. What’s interesting, Moses never told his followers he will accuse them before God. Also notice how Jesus said “There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.” here we can see that Jesus emphasised that the Jews put their hope on Moses and the very same man would let them down. It seems like every single Jew would be accused by Moses.  Let’s read a few commentaries on John 10:8 :

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 8. - All that came before me are thieves and robbers. Great difficulty has been felt by commentators in understanding "before me." The words clearly gave the early Gnostic heretics a text on which they established their dualistic rejection of the old dispensation. Their absence from certain texts led Augustine and others to emphasize the word "came." "All who came," i.e. in their own strength or wisdom, when not "sent" or authorized by God. Other endeavors have been made (see Meyer and Lunge) to give it a non-temporal meaning, such as χωρίς, "independently of me."

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers] These words are difficult, and some copyists seem to have tried to avoid the difficulty by omitting either ‘all’ or ‘before Me.’ But the balance of authority leaves no doubt that both are genuine. Some commentators would translate ‘instead of Me’ for ‘before Me.’ But this meaning of the Greek preposition is not common, and perhaps occurs nowhere in N.T. Moreover ‘instead of Me’ ought to include the idea of ‘for My advantage;’ and that is impossible here. 

John Trapp Complete Commentary

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

Ver. 8. All that ever came before me, &c.] Manes (that mad heretic) made an argument from this text against Moses and the prophets, as going before Christ. But Austin answereth, Moses and the prophets came not before Christ, but with Christ. Intruders, whether before or since our Saviour’s days, are these thieves and robbers. Ah, whoreson {a} thieves, rob God of his glory! said Dr Taylor, martyr, in a dream, of the scribes and Pharisees of his time.

Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Such is the general sense of this verse; it is less easy to fill up the outline it presents. We may well wonder that any should have thought that the words ‘all that came before me’ might include the prophets of the former dispensation; for the context most clearly proves that Jesus is speaking of those who ‘came before Him,’ professing to be ‘the door of the sheep.’ 

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

8. All that ever came before me—Few texts have more perplexed commentators than this. It seems, at first sight, to say that all the previous religious teachers of mankind were impostors. The ancient Gnostics (a professedly Christian sect who rejected the Old Testament) quoted it to disprove the divine mission of Moses.

We can see through commentaries many took this verse to mean all the previous Prophets were “thieves and robbers”. Another reason why the Jews don’t accept the teaching of Jesus and reject the New Testament as the inspired word from God