Last time we saw that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep. Today we’ll be discussing John 10:22-41.
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
Did you know that The Feast of Dedication, was once called the Feast of the Maccabees? It is an eight-day winter festival celebrated by the Jews in the month of December or sometimes late November, depending on the Jewish calendar. Today, this festival is called Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights.
Anyways, we aren’t told where in the Festival timeline we are at, only that it’s being held in Jerusalem. It’s winter and Jesus was walking in the temple. The Jewish people gathered around him with a question “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus continues with the sheep/shepherd picture. Again emphasizing that he and God the Father are one. He gives eternal life to his sheep, his sheep follow him, and they will remain his sheep forever. No one will be able to take them away from him.
As before, such a statement had the Jews wanting to stone him. This blasphemy (in their eyes) because of a man making himself out to be God. That was worth stoning a man for.
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
I find that an interesting line. Even if “you don’t believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Brings back to mind a story about a devout Christian, who despite the actions and attitudes of those around him, continued to live out his faith, being kind to folks and showing basically Christ to them in how he lived. When finally, after years of being mocked, someone finally listened to him, asking why he did what he did regardless… his actions proved Christ to the person asking.
I don’t know, It just kinda screams out at me here how important it is to actually ACT like a believer. To actually do what God would have us go even if those around us don’t want to hear the words we speak. If they won’t listen, at least they can watch right?
I do knoe the Jewish people there in the mob weren’t happy with Jesus, wanting him to be arrested. They just couldn’t do so since Jesus escaped from them.
Anyways, he went over the Jordan to where John the Baptizer had first been working. He stayed there a spell being visited by many people, some of those folks believed in him,. partily because of the testimony of John the Baptizer.
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