The setting is the feast of dedication and Jesus is coming to the end of His public ministry. This feast was to memorialize the cleansing and rededication of the temple in Jerusalem under Judas Maccabeus who freed the Jews from the Greek occupation in 164 B.C.
The feast was symbolized by a celebration of lights. But here the lights were lit in each house, not in the temple. It was not a celebration that pointed to the past but to a future hope -for time when the Messiah would come to the temple and establish, as Judas Maccabeus had anticipated,
“a time of freedom from oppression and independence for each person and family.”
John 10:22-39
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area, in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then surrounded Him and began 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 My sheep.
27 My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and 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 replied to them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, 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 nullified), 36 are you saying 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, even 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 arrest Him, and He eluded their grasp (John 10:22-39).
Jesus is talking with the religious Jews in this passage. As we read through the account, we see it is not an unusual situation for Jesus to be questioned by the Jews concerning His teaching, His authority, and especially His deity.
Instead of simply talking about what the passage is relaying, how can we apply this to our lives in a practical way?
The importance of:
Taking Responsibility
Understanding our Security and
Seeing the Obvious
Taking Responsibility
John tells us that this encounter took place in winter, at the feast of dedication. Jesus was walking in an area of Solomon's porch when all of a sudden, He was surrounded (encircled in a military sense) by a group who came to interrogate Him.
They weren’t asking questions to discover the truth about Him, or to help them to decide whether to follow Him or not, but to find a reason to arrest Him and put Him to death.
They already had sufficient evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, to convince them of who He was. In reality, their minds were already made up and would argue their case no matter what Jesus did or said. Jesus was putting the ball back in their court - telling them to take responsibility for what they had seen and heard.
Choosing freedom means taking what we have heard from biblical principles, taking responsibility, and
“applying truth to our lives.”
But freedom also comes from the second point:
Understanding our Security
In verse 26 Jesus was saying to the religious crowd, “You do not have the distinctive characteristics nor the promises of those who belong to my flock.”
(27) His sheep listened to His voice, understood His words and works and followed Him. The blessing that comes out of this relationship is that His sheep, His people, are assured of the security of their salvation and final redemption and the security of His unfailing love. Jesus said that He gives His sheep eternal life.
““Give””
is in the present tense - those who believe in Jesus do not have to wonder or wait until they get to heaven to know they are secure but can experience this security every day.
Knowing that He is with us and that He will provide for us every day, no matter what is happening in our lives or around us can give us great peace. In the amplified version Jesus said,
And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10:28-29, AMP).
Our peace and security is not found in our financial investments, friends, our physical strength, or our good works but in the all-powerful Shepherd alone.
Jesus is not saying that we will be delivered from all earthly disasters, but that we will be saved, no matter what disaster or calamity may come and that He is able to work all things together for good.
“We can rest assured that our foundation is secure in the midst of uncertainty.”
Jesus has not only overcome the world (John 16:33) but God has told us not to be terrified nor dismayed, because He is with us wherever we go (Josh 1:9).
He is with us and is our peace in the storms of life. He is our strong tower and Jesus was expressing His Father’s heart for His sheep. He wants you to know this, He wants you to experience this security.
Seeing the Obvious
The Jews were accusing Jesus of being a man who exalted himself as God (v. 33). They refused to see or acknowledge that He was God Almighty, the second Person of the Trinity who humbled Himself to become a man to save them.
Even when they tried to arrest and kill him, He still called them to come to Him to be set free from the power of sin and death. He pleads with them to believe in Him, because He knew what their end would be if they refused. You asked me if I am the Christ. It should be clear to you, but you wouldn’t examine the evidence or acknowledge the obvious by looking at the works I have been doing (vv. 37-39).
It was not Jesus who rejected them, but they had ultimately rejected Him, the Savior of the world.
The irony of this story is that while they were celebrating the feast of dedication, which pointed to their future freedom,
“they wanted to stone the very One who came to set them free from their own blindness and oppression. ”
God has given us all the practical wisdom we need for life and godliness. So as we learn to make the right choices, no matter how hard or challenging they might be, we want to make choices that honor God and accomplish His will for our lives. When we do, it will bring healing and freedom of heart and mind.
