John 10:22-39

John 10:22-39

22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying 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, these testify of Me. 26 “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, 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 showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’? 35 “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.

People can be very hard to understand and even harder to please.  In this passage it looks like the people sincerely want to know the truth, but when Jesus tells them the truth, they try to kill Him.  This is why we must be very careful not become “people pleasers.”  Despite what democracy might claim, the majority is not always right.  God is always right no matter how many or how few people are in agreement with Him.  This is why we must strive to please God and not be overly concerned with pleasing other people.

A REQUEST FOR REVELATION: As Jesus walks in the temple, the Jews gather around Him and request that He reveal Himself to them.  They ask Him not to keep them in suspense any longer and to speak plainly.  It is not as if Jesus has been hiding His identity from people.  John the Baptist had clearly declared that He was the Christ.  The miracles He performed, and His own personal claims had all openly and plainly pointed to the fact that He was Christ.  The problem was not with the revelations Jesus had made.  The problem was the hearts of the people who would not accept the message.  It is easy for us to have preconceived ideas about what God is like and what His will is.  When circumstances do not align with those ideas, it is easy for us become disappointed.  God wants us to take Him at His Word.

A RESPONSE OF REVELATION: Jesus responds to their request by stating the fact that He had clearly revealed Himself already, but the problem was in their hearts of unbelief.  Jesus tells them that His works testify to the fact of His identity and demonstrate openly who He is.  Those who are true believers hear His voice and follow Him.  All who believe on the Lord Jesus will obey Him and seek to do His will.  These people will be granted eternal life.  Those who don’t believe do not trust Him, so they refuse to follow.  It is not a problem of revelation that keeps them from believing; it is a matter of unbelief.  Jesus reveals the power of the Father and promises eternal life to all who will believe.  All who trust the Son are eternally saved and preserved by the power of the Father.  Nothing can ever separate us from His saving grace and love.  He then clearly states that He is one with the Father.

A REACTION TO REVELATION: Even thought they asked Him to reveal Himself to them in a clear way; as soon as He did so, they picked up rocks to stone Him.  They had asked Him to tell them if He was the Christ.  He told them that He was one with the Father.  Perhaps the Jews did not realize that Christ would be God.  They were expecting a man to liberate them from Roman oppression once and for all.  God had promised to liberate them from sin through a suffering Savior.  When Jesus asks them for which of His good works they were stoning Him, they responded by saying it was because He claimed to be God.  This is a clear demonstration that Jesus truly did claim to be God.  The Jews considered this to be blasphemy.  The Scriptures demonstrate that His claim to be God is truth.  The claim of Christ to be one with the Father, to actually be God, made them furious to the point of believing He should be killed.  This became their focus from this point forward.  When they try to stone Him again, He simply escapes from their midst.

A REASON FOR REVELATION: Jesus has one goal in His revelation: that they would believe.  This is the only hope for humanity in any place at any time in history.  We must believe in Jesus in order to be saved from our sin.  This is the reason Jesus did so many miracles in public.  He wanted people to observe the works He did, compare them with what was prophesied about the Messiah and then trust Him to save them.  It is necessary that we recognize who Jesus is in order for us to be able to believe that He can save us from sin.  If He is just another man, it may be possible to liberate a nation from the oppression of another nation, but only God can forgive sin.  Jesus did miracles to prove that He is God those who believe He is God are then able to trust Him to forgive their sin.  The reason Jesus has reveled Himself in Scripture and in the incarnation is so that we might believe and be saved from sin.

APPLICATION: Trust God completely and seek to know Him fully, but don’t be surprised when what He reveals about Himself and what He requires of you is completely different than what you expected.  Observe the works of God because they demonstrated the character and the power of God.  Praise and worship Him for who He is and for what He has done.  Most importantly, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not so He can free you from circumstances that are not of your liking, but so He can free you from sin.