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Safe and Secure John
10:22-42
As
the crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a
five-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum.
No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm
him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats
around him.
Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in a Marine uniform
is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered
mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken
Marine leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something
into the boy’s ear.
Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother’s hand, and
quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into
spontaneous applause.
As the Marine slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin
attendants touches his sleeve. "Excuse me, sir," she asks quietly, "but
could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?"
The Marine smiles serenely and gently confides, "I showed him my pilot’s
wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they
entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door, on any flight I
choose."
Have you ever wished you had the authority to straighten something (or
someone) out?
There are times when many of us would like to have the power to fix
something that needs to be corrected. Whether it is a matter of justice
or annoyance, we long for the situation to be handled, rather than let
go. And when nothing is done, it becomes a source of constant irritation
to us. “Why doesn’t somebody do something?” is our cry.
Many years ago, in the land of Israel, the same cry had gone out among
the people. The people had been humiliated by its conquerors, Rome. They
also suffered through the hypocrisy and betrayal of its own leaders who
were more interested in keeping their power than in doing the right
thing.
During this time, someone did come that had the authority and the power
to straighten it all out. His name was Y’shua. In our day and age, we
would call Him Joshua. In the pages of Scripture, the Greek form of his
name is used…Jesus.
Throughout the ministry of Jesus, He consistently proved His identity.
Today as we come to the end of John 10, we are almost the halfway point
of the entire text. It is at this point that we are coming to the
conclusion of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Throughout this gospel, John has been giving us the evidence about
Jesus. By examining what He does and what He says, we are finding out
over and over again who Jesus really is. And when one is truly ready to
give this an honest investigation, with a desire to know the truth, the
conclusions are startling.
Jesus does not allow us any other conclusion…He is the Lord. He is God
made flesh. The display of His power, both in action and in person, does
not allow for any other conclusion.
Today we will find in our study of John 10:22-42 four stages that
demonstrate the power of Jesus.
I. The first stage is the encounter (22-24).
At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was
winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of
Solomon. 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.”
Between verses 21 and 22, two months have passed by. We are now at the
Feast of Dedication.
Setting: The Feast of Dedication is today’s Hanukkah. This time of
celebration was the newest of the feasts. The time was 175 B.C. There
was a Syrian overlord by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes.
It was his desire to mix Hebrew and Greek culture, but this attempt had
catastrophic consequences.
He desecrated the temple, forced the priests to eat pork, and used the
chambers of the temple as a brothel. The altar for the burnt offerings
became an altar for Zeus.
A small group of Jews called Maccabees (meaning “hammer”) rebelled. The
Maccabees risked their lives to live according to Jewish law and to
prevent this desecration of their sacred Temple. Although the Maccabees
won, the Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews’ holy place, was destroyed.
After this success the Jews had to clean and repair the Temple, and when
they were finished they rededicated it to God by rekindling the menorah,
the candelabrum symbolizing the eternal covenant between God and the
Jewish people and the continuity of tradition through the generations.
But there was only enough olive oil to fuel the menorah for one night,
and it would have taken eight days to make more oil. The legend of the
miracle at Hanukkah says that the one day supply of oil burned for eight
days and nights until more oil could be made.
The irony that is before us is that Jesus joins the company in its
celebration of Israel’s great victory.
So here they celebrate a great time in history, but so many are missing
history in the making. An even greater victory is coming.
Jesus is surrounded by unbelief.
Jesus is encircled. It is a confrontation. The Jewish leaders say they
want a clear reply. They accuse Jesus of not making His position plain.
But as we have studied these last chapters, the position of the Jewish
leaders catches us by surprise. Had Jesus really been evading the issue?
Has it really been that unobvious to them that His claim to be the sent
One of God, the Messiah?
II. The second stage is the clarification (25-30).
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, but you do not believe
because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never
perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 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. I and the Father are one.”
The People do not believe because they do not hear. There was plenty of
reason that they did not believe, for the works and the words of Jesus
have been plain enough. They lacked the right attitude. They lacked
faith.
It is as if Jesus said “You have never come to me.” “You have never
gotten close.” “You have never cared to find out who I really am.” “You
have had no part in who I am or what I am doing.”
But Jesus does make it clear that what He has done, His works, they have
borne witness to who He is. These people have seen miracle after
miracle. He has turned water into wine, fed over 5,000 people with very
little to start with and healed a man that was born blind. These were
not miracles that were empty of meaning. They were vivid witnesses. Yet,
they won’t believe. They refuse to hear, because they have developed a
continuing habit of unbelief.
But Jesus’ sheep, they hear His voice. They believe and they follow.
And it is here that we find that there are eternal and magnificent
consequences to belief.
He knows us! And He gives us eternal life.
This concept of eternal life is a fascinating one for eternal life is
just as much about quality as it is about quantity. It is a life of a
certain kind, God’s kind of life, a life that no one wants to miss out
on once you get a real taste of it.
And the quality of this life, along with its quantity, demands we
understand its permanence. Once this kind of life is in our possession,
it cannot be taken away. You see, it cannot be conditional and still be
eternal. It is a gift; therefore it is not something we earn (because
one does not earn gifts).
So here is the amazing thing we live in a world that is perishing, but
for those who believe, those who hear His voice and follow, they are
given life that keeps them from perishing.
But Jesus also notes that there is more that is going on here. He
describes it as an active evil. There is a movement to snatch away sheep
from the Good Shepherd. The false shepherds look to destroy the sheep,
but Jesus is so powerful, He will not let it happen.
And it is not because we can hold on. It is not our feeble hold, but
rather, His firm grip on us.
This does not mean, by the way, that life won’t be dangerous or
difficult. We are likely to have hard times, especially in accomplishing
kingdom objectives. But the good news is we are never outside of God’s
care and power! We are always permanently “safe” when His hand upon us.
Why? Because His power is divine.
Jesus leaves no doubt about the essence of His Person.
The Jewish leaders wanted a plain statement. They get plain…again. He
and the Father are one. And as soon as He said that, once again His
listeners understood. It was time for an old fashion Killing.
III. The third stage is the death sentence (31-38).
The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I
have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are
you going to stone me?” 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.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written
in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the
word of God came — and Scripture cannot be broken — 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’? If I am not doing
the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 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.”
Finally, the time of judgment has come! Again, they know what to charge
Him with. It is blasphemy. So they proceed to take judgment into their
own hands. There is no allowing for the concept of due process. They are
in a fury, running around looking and searching for stones.
And while they do this, note the calm and courageous response of Jesus.
Jesus refutes their argument with the evidence and with Scripture (Psalm
82:1, 6-7).
Jesus does not run away. He does not show any signs of fear. Instead, He
quietly resumes the discussion.
So He asks them…since He has done many great and good works, He wonders
what the problem is? After all, the evidence is compelling.
Their response, “We are not stoning you for a good work.” “It is for
blasphemy.” “You, as a man, make Yourself as God.”
Interestingly, what they never stopped to consider is whether it was
true! To make His point, Jesus goes to Psalm 82.
Note the psalm here…
[1] God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the
gods he holds judgment.
[6] I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; [7]
nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”
Jesus demonstrates here that this psalm applies the word “Elohim” (which
literally is the plural word for God) to men. It is here that God refers
to the judges of Israel as gods. They are like gods when they exercise
their high and God-given office. So, Jesus makes the point, if the word
can be used of men, can He be wrong when He is the Son of God. For
Jesus, He is not making Himself anything. He was what He was.
Jesus says that even if they do not believe what He says, they can check
out the works. He is fully ready to stand or fall by them. And if they
are willing, if they will allow it, they will receive the very insight
that they need.
IV. The fourth stage is the getaway (39-42).
Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He
went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been
baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And
they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this
man was true.” And many believed in him there.
Again, Jesus is the untouchable. Now, instead of stoning, they attempt
to arrest Him. But is another unsuccessful attempt. He again eludes
their grasp.
We can’t escape the irony here. It is the hand of the enemy that was
helpless to arrest. It stands in contrast to the hand of the Father who
is mighty to protect.
Our final verses show that it was time to retreat before the advance.
This was not a diminution of activity, but rather a safe retreat. These
will be his final weeks of ministry before He returns to Jerusalem at
His Triumphal Entry.
And those that had heard John the Baptist were ready to receive the
Messiah when He came.
And as there is so often in this gospel, there was belief!
APPLICATION:
Did you notice throughout this passage that…
Jesus never loses control!
It is a lesson that we cannot miss. For no one overrules His will. No
one overpowers Him. No one nullifies what He has achieved. No one takes
away those He has bought.
And even though life is not always easy, we can be assured that…
2. Jesus keeps us safe and secure.
We can have confidence that whatever is set before us, no matter what
God calls on us to accomplish, our safety does not depend on our
immature, weak and ultimately futile grip on Him.
Our safety depends on His grip on us. And He has us. It’s permanent! His
hold is tight!
The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your
life, you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and
provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into
dangerous situations.
Life is filled with peril and we forget that the enemy is waiting to
attack. But rest assured He will not let you go.
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