John 10:22-29
John stops his recording of the dialogue between Jesus and the religious leaders in [10:22] …it’s a recurring theme with His critics in one form or another since chapter seven when Jesus preached at the Festival of Booths…so we are left unsure how the rest of this encounter played out…John just stops writing about it.
Starting in [v 22] the narrative leaps ahead several months to the Feast of the Dedication.
The Feast of Dedication was once also called the Feast of the Maccabees…it was an eight-day winter festival celebrated by the Jews commemorating the victory of Judas Maccabeus (Jewish) over Antiochus Epiphanes (Syrian) in 164 or 165 B.C.
Antiochus tried to force Greek philosophy and religion on the Jews…failing that, he attacked Jerusalem, looted the temple… the treasury…and desecrated the altar by sacrificing a pig on it.
Judas Maccabeus and his brothers gathered an army, liberated Jerusalem, cleansed the temple, and rededicated the altar…this festival is celebrated to commemorate that meaningful event in Jewish history.
The original feast according to rabbinic tradition involved a miracle…when the Jews re-entered the temple, they found one small sealed jug of olive oil that had not been contaminated…they used it to light the menorah in the temple…supposedly there was only enough oil to last one day but it miraculously lasted eight days… today, this festival is called Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights and is the reason Hanukkah lasts for eight days.
So, in [22] Jesus is at the temple complex…some Jews had gathered around him… the word used in the Greek (ἐκύκλωσαν) doesn’t mean a bunch of guys gathering around to talk about local events…in the Greek it means to encircle.
This is the same word used to describe siege warfare in the fall of Jericho…the Jews surrounded Jericho forming a siege with no possible way to escape…He is physically cornered by the local religious leaders He’s been in conflict with… these guys mean to cut Him off from leaving.
They were not willing to let Jesus just pass by without Him first answering some questions.
They wanted Him to put an end to the debate concerning his identity once and for all:
“How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly” (10:24).
In [25] Jesus answers them…I told you before…I’ll tell you again…that the works I do bear testimony to me…I have told you I am the light of the world: …the Son of God: …the good shepherd: …that I am come to save – to give life – to redeem…and in order to do this, I must die, and rise again…I am absolute master of my life, and of my death.
So…besides His words…His doctrine…His ministry…and His miracles…all which plainly showed who He was…in addition to His own confession as the Messiah… people are still asking Him to give proof of His claims and the power behind the miracles.
But the questions in this passage goes beyond that…they are questioning not only His identity but if His power is verifiably from God [25].
So, here’s Jesus on Solomon’s porch with the Jews gathered around Him…the wording in the Greek… ‘gathered around Him’ …is not a dry academic statement …these guys are like a bunch of school bullies shoving someone against a wall and taunting Him to speak.
They’re asking Jesus ‘How long will you keep us in suspense’ …in the Greek it literally reads… ‘Until when do You hold our soul in suspense?’ …in other words, …how long do you make us doubt…how long are you going to deprive us of that knowledge…If You are the Christ, tell us plainly [24].
On the surface that doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request…except for the past 3 years He has demonstrated to them through His words…His doctrine…His ministry…and His miracles that He is the Christ.
The Jewish leaders had gotten Jesus by Himself and had circled around Him …they had Him hemmed in…their request was not…as it seems in reading it in English… a simple desire to know who He was for the sake of information…their intent was to ensnare him… they wanted evidence to accuse Him to the Roman governor as an enemy to Caesar.
Jesus responds by saying; I told you, and you do not believe…I can just see these guys saying…what? …when was that? …where was I? …when did that happen?
The expression ‘the Son of God’ they would have understood to be equivalent to the Messiah…He had often used that title when referring to Himself…on numerous occasions and in many ways.
Look at the many ways He makes reference to Himself as the Messiah in just the ten chapters we have looked at so far… Jesus told them:
I am the one who came from heaven (John 3:13, 6:38).
I am the Son of God (John 5:19-23).
I am sent from the Father (John 7:28-29).
I am sent from God (John 8:42).
I will raise Myself from the dead (John 10:17-18).
I am the Bread of Life (John 6:48).
I am the Light of the World (John 8:12).
I am the Door (John 10:9).
I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).
I and the Father are one (John 10:30).
The problem wasn’t that Jesus was unclear about who He was and where He came from…the problem was that the religious leaders had unbelieving hearts.
Throughout the book of John, we see one continuing theme…Jesus reiterates time and again His claim as the Messiah…but in every case all it further reveals is the inability of unbelievers to believe in Him.
So, why in spite of all the evidence were the Jewish leaders so adamantly opposed to Jesus as their Messiah? Two reasons:
FIRST…they plainly give the reasons why they don’t believe in Jesus…looked at these reasons before…it’s the same reason they don’t believe today…don’t need to dig for this…they’re blunt about it.
For blasphemy and because you make Yourself out to be God. [33]
because He healed on the Sabbath [Matt. 12:10 / Luke 13:14, 10-17]
SECOND…Jesus tells them [26]
You do not believe because you are not of My sheep.
Contained in that one simple statement is the reason for their unbelief…in Jesus’ statement; You do not believe because you are not of My sheep… He hits a sore spot…He’s emphasizing the consequences of unbelief.
You are not My sheep because you do not believe…only those who have accepted Him as their Savior are His sheep…those who don’t aren’t.
BUT there’s another reason they don’t believe in addition to the two I already gave …He tells them…in [27] and it bears careful reading.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me
We expect Jesus to say that the sheep follow Him because they know Him…that’s how sheep are herded…they follow the shepherds voice…but here Jesus says with me that’s not the case… just the opposite…they follow Me because I know them.
Here’s the importance in that statement…we are His…because He knows us…not because we know Him…there are a lot of people who say they know Jesus…but who are not known by Him…in fact He will use that statement one day as judgment against them ‘depart from Me I never knew you’ [Matt. 7:23].
Only those who have Christ living in and governing their souls belong to Him…that is because of their faith in Him as Savior…as a result…those that are His will never perish, because they have eternal life abiding in them.
I’m going to explain that in a little more in detail…about what it requires to be saved …to be one that shall never perish…one who has eternal life.
I have been recently reminded that I don’t talk about that enough…how to be saved is something I don’t mention very often because I have a belief that you all here this morning are already saved based on my years of knowing you all.
BUT…not knowing who is watching on Youtube, I’ve been asked to share on a more frequent basis what is required for salvation…the easy answer is:
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).
That’s what Peter told the jailer when he asked, ‘what must I do to be saved’ BUT…without some clarification there’s danger in that statement…again…that implies all I need to do is believe that Jesus existed…easy believeism answer.
I said last week…we need to be aware of statements that are partly true but also partly false…and let me just also add…those that are incomplete…not that there’s anything false in that statement…but by itself it’s incomplete.
Because salvation does require that you do something;
…First of all, it requires that you admit that you are a sinner…that despite your best efforts to be a ‘good person’ you’re not…all have sinned.
…Second, it requires that you do something the Jewish leaders wouldn’t do… believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
To believe in the Greek means more than just knowing…it’s more than intellectually knowing that He is who He claimed to be.
There are five ‘do you believe’ questions that I would expect a ‘yes’ answer on all before I baptize any one:
1. Do you believe with all your heart that Jesus is the Son of God?
2. Do you believe that dying on the Cross Jesus bore your punishment paying for your sins? That is the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement
3. Do you believe that on Resurrection Sunday He literally, physically, bodily rose from the dead never to die again?
4. Do you believe that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God?
5. Do you believe that Jesus’ resurrection removed death for all who trust him?
That’s what it means to believe in Jesus.
…Third, confess our sin…when we sin, a barrier is created between us and the Lord which interrupts our fellowship with Him.
This is why we need to confess our sins…when we confess our sins we are forgiven and our fellowship with the Lord is restored.
It’s not just admitting ‘I may have done some bad things’ …confessing sin is far more than just ‘yea, whatever’ …it means I am serious …I have sinned and I have done it purposefully.
Does that mean you’ll never sin again…not hardly…and although we will continue to sin…asking God to forgive us of those sins keeps us in fellowship with Him.
…Fourth, salvation includes repentance – a sincere willingness to radically change your behavior…something a lot of people are not willing to do…it means to make a commitment that you’re going to live your life not according to how you want to…but how He wants you to.
That is what God is expecting from us if we are serious about being one of His children…ADMIT you’re a sinner…BELIEVING that Jesus is God’s Son… CONFESSING our sins…and REPENTANCE. Anything short of that is not salvation.
Salvation encompasses what God has done for us, not what we can do for Him.
God has taken the initiative…He’s the One who reached out to us…it’s only through Jesus’s death on the Cross that God can overlook the sins that separate us from Him…and if not forgiven…will cause us to be eternally separated from Him.
Salvation and eternal life with God are completely, uniquely dependent on Jesus…it is only through His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins and His resurrection to life eternal that we are able to enter into His presence.
I want us to look at [28] …because this verse gives the promise that is the result of admitting…believing…and confessing…it is the guarantee to every person who is known by Jesus…who trusts in Him.
It is yet another verse that stresses the promise of God in keeping those who believe in Him eternally secure.
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand
God wants His spiritual children to know that He loves and accepts them…He wants us to know that we are eternally secure in our salvation even when we sin.
That doesn’t mean that He will not discipline us for our own good…but He will not punish us and He will not withdraw His love for us…nor will He cast us off.
We need to know that our salvation is secure forever and verse 28 promises that.
The security Jesus offers is not security as the world understands security…too often people attempt to make a correlation between what the Bible says and put it into worldly terms…this goes back to the misunderstanding regarding the ‘abundant life’ and the mistaken belief that it’s referring to God giving me everything I need to live the good life.
Being secure in the Lord doesn’t mean that you may not be asked to die for your faith—or lose your job—or be denied opportunities—or suffer ridicule…being secure in the Lord is the assurance that we will not lose our relationship to the Father…to the Son …or the salvation that that relationship brings.
I want us to look at [27 & 28] a little closer…note the word ‘follow’ in [27] …it’s in the CONTINUOUS TENSE in the Greek and it describes Jesus’ sheep…it is something done continually…not just when it’s convenient…not just on Sunday.
The plural pronouns ‘they’ and ‘them’ in [28 and 29] refer back to [27] …the ‘them’ in [28,29] is the same ‘them’ in [27] …meaning the only ones promised to never perish are the ones who CONTINUE to follow Jesus!
That’s the importance of that statement I made earlier regarding believing…to believe in the Greek means more than just knowing.
It’s more than intellectually knowing that He is who He claimed to be…it’s committing your life to Him and being willing to continuously follow Him.
There are people who dispute the claim of ‘eternal security’ and use this verse as proof that eternal security is bad theology…and here’s their argument.
All of us know people who seemed to believe in Jesus…but because of certain events in their life…or they have grown weary of Christianity…or just want to return to their previous lifestyle…they now deny the Savior they once professed to believe in…so…are they saved?
Well first of all only God knows that answer because only He knows their hearts.
BUT…with regards to those who make a claim to believe in Jesus but live in willful sin…they certainly don’t give evidence that they believe in Him.
If people truly possess eternal life they will be miserable in their sin…but for those who are comfortable in sin and are indifferent about Christ…and give no evidence of being saved…we should not give them the assurance of salvation.
Think about yourself for a moment…as a Christian you can’t be comfortable in sin…you’ll be miserable…the minute we are convicted of something…we know we are not in God’s will and we should want to immediately repent and receive God’s forgiveness.
Some argue that a believer can remove themselves from Jesus’ hand…change their mind so to speak…but that goes against what Jesus says in [28] ‘no one will snatch them out of My hand’ …that no one includes you because Jesus knows that our greatest enemy is ourselves…what about those people I just mentioned…who seemed to believe in Jesus but now don’t show it…I’d say they were never saved.
If believers could lose their salvation by sinning then every believer who has ever lived would be lost because we all have sinned after coming to faith in Christ…so these words are words of comfort knowing that He knows us and promises to give us eternal life…here’s what that means:
First…Eternal life is a gift that Jesus gives… ‘I give’ [10:28] is a claim to deity… no one but God can give eternal life.
Second…eternal life is a gift…it cannot be earned nor is it something given as a reward…it’s undeserved.
So…how can we know if we have received this gift of eternal life? …you know that you have the gift of eternal life if you believe in Jesus as your Savior.