Below is the manuscript to this Sunday’s sermon. Chances are, you will encounter grammatical errors. Please be gracious. I pray this will be beneficial to you as you study the Word of God that is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).”
Introduction
If you would, go ahead and open up your Bible’s to John 10:22-42. If you don’t have a Bible, or you forgot your Bible, there should be a blue Bible at the corner of your row. If you don’t have a Bible, this is a gift from us to you. We hope, trust, and pray that it will be a blessing to you in your life.
As you’re turning in your Bible, let me introduce our passage with a small illustration.
Several years ago I managed a cafe, and one of the major challenges in managing a restaurant is the high turnover in staff. It seemed like I was constantly training and losing employees. As soon as one of our employees got really good at their job, he or she would leave for another job.
So, over the years, I feel like I got pretty efficient in the hiring process. Over the years, I began to learn what to look for in hiring a new employee.
I also began to learn that every potential hire has flaws.Therefore, it was my job to figure out what that person’s flaws were before I hired that him or her. And once I was able to identify those flaws, I then had to answer the question, “Are we willing to work with those flaws?”
Will these flaws be detrimental to the business that we are trying to run?With their flaws, will this person fit in well with the staff that currently have
Now, here’s one thing I learned in the hiring process for a restaurant: former Chick-fil-A employees possessed minimal flaws when it came to work ethic.
These people were the golden gooses that you never wanted to lose. If you had the opportunity to hire a former Chick-fil-A employee, you wanted to do so immediately and you wanted to keep that person as long as you could.
Chick-fil-A does an outstanding job at identifying and training up good employees. Their work ethic and customer service was outstanding.
And, now, as a former manager of a restaurant, wherever I go to eat, I watch and study how different restaurants are operated.
Here’s one thing I’m confident in: If you took ten employees from McDonalds and ten employees from Chick-fil-A and placed them in a restaurant to work together, and then told me to pick out the Chick-fil-A employees, I guarantee you I could pick out the Chick-fil-A employees in less than 10 minutes.
Their work ethic and actions would reveal where they came from.
As I approached the register, I would likely be greeted with a blank stare and a “huh” by an employee from McDonalds, while a Chick-fil-A employee would likely greet me with a smile and then follow up with the question, “How may help you today, sir?”
When I say, “Thank you,” one would roll their eyes while the other would respond with the famous two words, “My pleasure.”
It is easy to recognize a former Chick-fil-A employee by their work ethic and customer service.
Their actions, the things they do, reveal where they came from.
Well, in our passage today, Jesus is greeted with a question concerning his identity. This is a question that they should know the answer to by now
But, in response, Jesus points back to his actions, saying that the works he’s done should bear witness to the fact that he is the Christ, the Son of God, who is one with the Father.
As easy as it should be for a former restaurant manager to discern a Chick-fil-A employee from a McDonald’s employee, one should be able to identify Jesus as the Christ when they look to the works that he has accomplished.
RECAP
For the past two weeks we’ve been looking at Jesus’s teaching concerning himself being the good shepherd. In contrast to the Pharisees who are blind thieves and robbers who are not looking out for the good of God’s sheep, Jesus is the good shepherd who knows and loves his sheep.
Jesus is the good shepherd who intimately knows his sheep and his sheep know him. They hear his voice and they follow him. Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He is the one who possesses the authority to both lay his life down and take up his life again.
Well, following this proclamation, there was a division among the Jews concerning these words. Some claim that he’s possessed by a demon. Others are saying, “No, a demon possessed man can’t open up the eyes of the blind.”
So, some are looking past the works of Jesus and saying that Jesus is insane. But, others are interpreting the words of Jesus through the works that he’s done.
McDonald’s employees don’t smile at you and say, “My pleasure.” Those are actions that reveal that you work at Chick-fil-A. Well, in the same way, the miraculous and selfless act of giving sight to a man born blind reveals that Jesus is divine, not demonic.
Seeing and witnessing the works that Jesus has done should lead to belief and trust in Jesus. However, we will unfortunately see that that’s not the case for some in our passage today. Despite clear evidence, some choose to reject Jesus.
John 10:22-42
Lets dive in.
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.
Alright, first things first, John gives us a bit of historical context for us to work off of here. We see that the Feast of Dedication is taking place during this time.
Anyone familiar with the Feast of Dedication? We might recognize the Feast of Dedication better as Hanukkah.
Interestingly, this feast wasn’t a feast instituted by God in the OT. Meaning, like all the other feast, you can’t skim back in your Bible to Exodus or Leviticus and see God lay out instructions on how to observe this feast.
So, what is the purpose of this feast and where did it come from?
Well, history tells us that during 167 B.C. the temple was desecrated through the leadership efforts of a Greek leader named Antiochus IV. He forced the Jews to sacrifice pigs, observe pagan practices, and avoid circumcision. His aim was to mock and replace the altar of Israel’s God with the altar of Zeus.
Well, three years later a jewish leader by the name of Judas Maccabaeus led the charge to overrun the forces of Antiochus. They were eventually able to reclaim and purify the temple.
Well, in honor of the temple being restored, when the first sacrifice was made to Yahweh, the Feast of Dedication was established. And following this establishment, the Jews would begin to, once a year, meet in homes and light candles to remember this battle that took place. They reflected on and celebrated how God delivered them from darkness and oppression and how the temple was restored.
So, now, we see more irony here… Jesus, the great deliverer and purifier of the temple, was walking in the temple. Yet they’re unable to recognize him.
We also see that it’s winter time, so it’s cold. Which is likely why Jesus is walking in the colonnade of Solomon. The large columns would protect him and his followers from the cold wind.
*** Also, side note, one commentary pointed out that the reference to the winter could also be a metaphorical reference to the cold-hearted hostility that Jesus has been and will continue to face by the religious leaders.
So, that’s what’s going on contextually here. Lets continue reading…
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.”
First off, the image I have here is the Jews circling around him like a bunch of bullies in a school hallway about to take his lunch money. And as they gather around him, they challenge him by saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Now, I want us to understand that this isn’t a question of genuine curiosity. It’s a question rooted in annoyance. They’re not genuinely trying to learn more about Jesus, they’re trying to get rid of him. We will see that the farther we get into this passage
Now, before we go any further, let’s double click on that word “Christ” and remind ourselves of what that title means. If you remember, the Hebrew word Messiah is translated Christ in the Greek and it means anointed one.
To be anointed in the OT means to be set apart by God for a specific task. We specifically saw prophets, priest, and kings being anointed (set apart) by God. The Christ would essentially be the anointed one who would be set apart by God to save his people.
Now what John has been showing us is that Jesus is the Christ. He is the long anticipated, greater prophet, priest, and king who came to redeem his people from their greatest enemy sin and death, and he came to accomplish this through his death on the cross.
But, here’s the thing, during this time there was an expectation that the Christ was going to come as a militant king with sword drawn, ready to set God’s people free from Roman domination. They believed their greatest enemy was the Greeks. They believed their greatest enemy was physical, not spiritual. Therefore, they believed the Christ would somehow triumph over unrighteousness and purify their nation similar to what Judas Maccabaeus accomplished.
We see this clearly in some of their literature during this time…Psalms of Solomon 17:21-22 (not the lovey dovey song of songs, but Psalms of Solomon, apocryphal literature),
“See Lord, and raise up for them their king, The son of David, to rule over your servant Israel in the time known to you, O God. Undergird him with the strength to destroy the unrighteous rulers, to purge Jerusalem from Gentiles who trample her to destruction.”
So, this tells us that Israel anticipated a personal benefit and blessing from the coming of the Messiah. They anticipated a physical redemption by this anointed king. They anticipated a purging of Jerusalem from the Gentiles who trample her to destruction.
So, the Jews are anticipating the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, because they think that he, like Judas Maccabaeus, will set them free from their physical enemies.
However, they’re looking in the wrong direction. The Messiah isn’t coming as a militant king who will lead the Jews into battle. He’s coming as the good shepherd who will lay his life down for his sheep in order to defeat their greatest enemy, sin and death. They’re looking west for the rising of the sun.
But, here’s the thing, they’re past the point of genuine curiosity about Jesus being this Christ. They’re not asking this question out of hopeful anticipation. They’re mockingly asking this question in frustration. They either want to hear Jesus plainly dismiss the idea of him being the Messiah so that they can be done with him or they want to hear him plainly say, “Yes, I’m the Christ” so that they can kill him for blasphemy.
They’re annoyed with him and they want a clear, point blank, answer. No more figures of speech, tell us plainly! They’re ready to get rid of Jesus.
Now, as we’ve worked our way through this gospel, is this a logical question? Has Jesus not been clear about who he is? No. Jesus has been abundantly clear about who he is and what he’s come to accomplish.
As we’ve worked through this gospel, we’ve seen that there is an abundance of evidence supporting the fact that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Son of God who was sent into the world to save his people from sin and death, through his death on the cross. By this point, there should be no confusion surrounding who Jesus is.
Therefore, Jesus responds to their question by saying,
“25 “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.”
There’s quite a bit packed into Jesus’s response here, so let’s do some unpacking.
Look at verses 25-26,
“I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.”
Twice here Jesus brings up their unbelief, which tells us that their lack of belief is an important aspect to his response. Jesus is telling them that the issue is not a lack of evidence; the issue is a hardened heart.
Jesus has already answered this question, but they don’t believe. If they would simply listen to the words that Jesus has spoken to them, then they would know the answer to the question that they’re asking.
The words and proclamations that Jesus has made should lead to their belief. But, yet, they do not believe.
Now, not only has Jesus told them the truth concerning himself, but his works bear witness to who he is, as well! His works support the answer he’s given them, but they do not believe.
Think about the works that we’ve seen throughout this gospel!
Do you remember back to John 2 where Jesus turns water to wine? Do you remember Jesus displaying zeal for the house of the LORD by cleansing the temple? Do you remember Jesus graciously and miraculously healing the officials son from miles away? Or what about him healing the invalid who was disabled for 38 years by telling him to get up and walk? Do you remember Jesus feeding the large crowd of likely 15,000-20,000 people with five barley loaves and two fish? Do you remember everyone being full? Do you remember the disciples taking home togo baskets full of leftovers? Do you remember Jesus walking on the water to his disciples in the midst of the storm? Do you remember Jesus giving sight to the man who was born blind, accomplishing something that has never been done before?
John has provided us with example after example, story after story, in order to provide an abundance of evidence supporting the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the giver of eternal life.
But, here’s what’s impressive! John tells us twice at the conclusion of this book that the stories given are only a small fracture of the signs performed by Jesus.
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book (20:30)…”
“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (21:25).”
So, that tell us that what we have read here is only a small fragment of the many works that Jesus accomplished. All of Jesus’s life oozes evidence supporting who he is. Which means that the Jews do not lack evidence! They’re dismissing a truth that should be easy to accept.
And Jesus has made it really clear, he’s not seeking his own glory. Rather, he’s seeking the glory of the One who sent him (7:18). These are works that he’s doing in his Father’s name… Those who study the law should recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of the law.
So, Jesus is making it clear, their unbelief is not a result of a lack of evidence nor is it a result of an unclear message. The question that they’re asking Jesus is a question rooted in a hard, unbelieving heart.
And their unbelief is a result of the fact that they are not among his sheep. Verse 26, they do not believe because they do not belong to Jesus. The reason for their unbelief is that they do not belong to his flock. If they belonged to Jesus, they would respond in belief. Now, this is not an excuse for his listeners, this is an indictment against his listeners. They do not believe because they are not among his sheep.
Well, that leads us to ask the question: what do Jesus’s sheep look like? Jesus answers that! His sheep hear and follow after the good shepherd who intimately knows them.“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Just like the blind man in John 9, God’s sheep hear Jesus’s call to come to him in belief, and they respond in obedience. They know the voice of the good shepherd and they follow him, no matter the cost.
Have you heard the gospel message to come to Jesus in belief, trusting in his death on the cross for salvation? Have you responded in belief, trusting that what he has accomplished on the cross for you is sufficient for your salvation?
If yes, then you belong to Jesus. You are his sheep. But, on the contrary, the religious leaders hear the call and do not respond with belief and obedience because they are not his sheep.
They do not recognize his voice. Therefore, they do not follow him. Their rejection of Jesus is proving that they do not belong to Jesus.
Ok, big deal. The Jews are probably saying at this point, “So, I don’t belong to your little metaphorical sheepfold, Jesus. Whoopdeedoo!”
Well look at verse 28, It is those who believe and belong to Jesus that have been given eternal life.
“I give them [his sheep] eternal life, and they [his sheep] will never perish, and no one will snatch them [his sheep] out of my hand.”
It’s only those who belong to Jesus, who hear his call to come and believe and who respond in obedience, that will be given eternal life.
Eternal life is not something that one can earn. It is a gift freely given!
Ephesians 2,
“We are saved by grace through faith. And this [faith] is not your doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We must always understand and remember that eternal life is a gift. Eternal life is not earned, it is freely given. And those that have been given eternal life will never perish. The hope of the eternal life does not rest on your shoulders.It rests on the shoulders of Jesus.
If your faith resides in Jesus, rest in the fact that no one will ever be able to snatch you out of his hand.
How do we know that no one will be able to snatch us out of his hand? We know this to be true because of verse 29.
“My Father, who has given them [his sheep] to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them [his sheep] out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
What a proclamation! Jesus is saying that he is one with the Father who is greater than all! Everything that Jesus says and does is the embodiment of the Father’s will. Jesus and his Father are perfectly one in action. Whatever Jesus does, the Father does. Whatever the Father does, the Son does.The strong grip of the Son is the strong grip of the Father. And the strong grip of the Father is the strong grip of the Son. They are two separate persons that are one in nature.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…”
No one is able to snatch those who belong to Jesus out of Jesus’s hand because the Father has given them to him. No one can steal from the all powerful God of the universe.
Rest in this church! Your salvation is secure in Christ.
Can the severity of the trials that you are encountering separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus? No! In those things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Can the severity of the sin that you’re struggling with right now separate you from Jesus? Can anyone bring a charge against God’s elect? No! Your sin has been dealt with viciously on the cross. Repent, confess, and rest in the fact that nothing can separate you from Jesus. “Christ Jesus is the one who died— more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who is interceding for us.” THIS IS GOOD NEWS.
Listen, the Jews wanted a plain answer on whether or not he was the Christ. Jesus upped the ante and gave far more! He and the Father are one!
Well, following this proclamation…
“31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.”
They heard Jesus loud and clear. Jesus is claiming to be God. Therefore, they are, once again, ready to kill him. And at this point Jesus doesn’t flee. Rather, as we see in verse 32, he speaks…
32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”
It’s like Jesus is saying, “So, ah, yes. Your attempt to kill me makes total sense. Are you mad that I selflessly gave sight to the blind? Are you mad that graciously fed the hungry crowd in the wilderness? Are you mad that I walked on water to help my disciples? Are you mad that I healed the centurions son? Are you mad that helped a lame man walk? Are you mad that I was zealous for the temple of the LORD? Are you mad that I restored joy to the wedding banquet by turning water into wine? No? Then, which work are upset about? Give me a good reason for wanting to stone me.”
Not a single action performed by Jesus gives validation to their unbelief. They’re all “good works from the Father…” When you survey the life of Jesus, there’s never a good reason to reject Jesus. So, trust Jesus!
Well, the Jews answer him,
33 “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.”
They’re saying that Jesus is guilty of robbing God of the honor that is due to him by making himself God. But, what’s crazy is that their accusation is the opposite of what’s actually true.
Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus, “although he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…”
So, the reality is that Jesus is God and God became man. But, they’re claiming that Jesus is man who is claiming to be God. They’re blind to what’s actually taking place before them.
Well, Jesus answered them,
34 “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.”
Verses 34-36 were honestly super confusing verses for me to wrap my mind around this week. So, lets try to piece this together.
The frustration of the Jews is centered around Jesus saying that he is God. They claim that it is blasphemy for him, a man, to elevate himself to the status of God. Jesus, however, references Psalm 82. In Psalm 82, their law, the Scriptures, God called men “gods.”
Therefore, if it is ok for God to call men gods, then it’s ok for God to set apart and send Jesus into the world as the Son of God. If God can place the title ‘god’ on a created being, someone lesser than God, then why can God not do the same for the one who he’s set apart (anointed) and sent into the world?
It is the Father who sent the Son, and it is the Son who is doing the works of the Father. Jesus is not making himself God. He is God.
Jesus then directs their attention back to his works in verse 37. He’s essentially saying, “Guys, ok, think logically here….
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me…”
If there’s a single part of Jesus’ life that is not in line with the Father, then do not believe him!
And then he says in verse 38 (which I think is remarkable!)
“…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.”
So, in the face of opposition and rejection, Jesus continues to offer the invitation to come and believe! What a picture of grace!
Have you continually rejected Jesus your whole life? The invitation to come and believe is not off the table!
Do you know someone who has continually rejected Jesus their whole life? Continue to share the hope of the gospel just like Jesus!
Jesus continues to love and offer hope to those who are seeking to kill him. What a remarkable picture of loving your enemies! If Jesus continues to extend love, grace, and hope to those who are holding stones, ready to kill him, then we can extend love, grace, and hope to those who wrong us.
And, lastly, to my theology nerds, this tells us that the doctrine of election is not an excuse to not evangelize. Jesus just said, “You do not believe because you are not my sheep,” and now he’s continuing to invite those very people to come and believe! The doctrine of election is not an excuse not to evangelize.
Well, following this invitation, they don’t respond in belief. Rather, they tragically seek to arrest him.
“39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.”
So, following this attempt to arrest him, Jesus (like Reggie Busch in his prime) escapes from their hands.
Then look at verse 40-42,
“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.”
So, he returns to the place where JTB originally baptized. And if you go back to John 1, you will see JTB continually direct the crowds eyes off of himself and onto Jesus, saying that he is the Christ.
John performed no miracles, he did no signs. He was simply a voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord.”
Now, after John is dead and gone, these people are remembering the words he’s proclaimed… and they’re seeing Jesus face to face… and they’re now making the connection. “Everything John said about this man was true. And many believed in him there.”
Folks, I want to close by asking you this:
Do you believe Jesus’s words to be true? Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ?
If no, please carefully consider the words Jesus has said here. IF Jesus is not doing the works of God, then do not believe. But if he is, then come and believe! It was the Father’s will to send his Son into the world to live the life that we could not live, die the death that we should have died, and rose from the grave, defeating sin and death.
If yes, if you do believe these words to be true, then continue to follow Jesus’s example here! Share the hope of the gospel with those around you, even with your enemies. And, as you share, find comfort in verses 40-42. Long after JTB died, his gospel proclamation became fruitful. All you can do is be faithful each and every day. Walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and trust that the Holy Spirit is working behind the scenes in ways that you may never see in this life.