Our Great Shepherd s Claims Sunday, November 9, 2008 John 10:22-42 Introduction

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1 Introduction Chapter 10 began with an illustration (vv.1-6) of the relationship between shepherd and sheep. The chapter continues with explanations about Jesus being a door (vv.7-10) into the sheepfold; and that Jesus is the door of salvation (v.9). The chapter unfolded with contrasts between good and bad, true and false shepherds (vv.11-21). The chapter moves from illustration to explanation to application (vv.22-42). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gives His life for the Sheep. In the Old Testament the sheep died for the shepherd! Jesus calls the people of the world out of their false empty dark religions of the world into the one true flock of Christ; the church. The revelation of Jesus led to a reaction by the Jews; some suggested Jesus was either psychotic or satanic; others could not ignore the spectacular miracles; including the healing of the man born blind (v.21). Now two or three months later the religious leaders are still arguing with Jesus! For a brief moment Jesus will return to the imagery of shepherd and sheep. Jesus will speak of four qualities that help the shepherd distinguish the goats from the sheep. The Christian doesn t simply believe the right doctrine; the Christian loves and follows the right Shepherd. Somehow the word Christian has been emptied of it most basic meaning; one who follows Jesus right now. Genuine believers are (1) sensitive to the voice of Jesus; (2) submissive or obedient to Christ s leadership; (3) confident or assured of their eternal destiny and (4) secure in the Shepherd s care; carried in the Shepherd s bosom. Does that describe you? Do you listen to the voice of Jesus; obey His leadership; walk in the assurance of your friendship and fellowship and do you walk in His love? The Setting (vv.22-24) John 10:22; Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. The setting is important. We are told the encounter takes place in the winter; during the Feast of Dedication (25 Chislev; Nov-Dec). The Feast of Dedication celebrated the cleansing of the Temple and Jewish Independence from the Syrian Greeks. Antiochus Epiphanes ruled from 175 B.C. to 164 B.C. Antiochus was born the son of the Selucid King; he murdered his brother and took the throne in 175 B.C. He loved Greek culture and Greek society; and determined at first peacefully to persuade the Jews to adopt Greek culture, Greek philosophy and Greek worship. After suffering a terrible loss in his invasion of Egypt; he turned his sights on Judea and Jerusalem and ordered a full scale invasion which resulted in the death of multiplied thousands of Jews. He outlawed the observance of Jewish customs and insisted that the people follow Greek customs and worship; including the worship of Zeus. He erected a statue of Zeus and demanded that the people bow down under penalty of death. During the course of the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes; the wicked king committed spectacular atrocities. 1

2 At one point he entered the holy of holies, slit the throat of a sow and sprinkled blood everywhere inside the Temple. The outrages led to the Jewish revolt; a brief Jewish independence, and the rededication of the Temple. A madman a century earlier had claimed he was Deity on that same Temple Mount. The madman started out peacefully to convert Jews to Greek ideas, Greek customs and Greek worship. When that didn t work; he attempted to convert them through sheer terror. Some Jews worshipped Greek gods under penalty of death; others refused and were slaughtered. John 10:23; And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon s porch. Solomon s porch were a series of high columns; on the east side of the Temple Mount; overlooking the Kidron Valley. The pillars were some 40 feet high. People would walk through this magnificent scene; rabbi s and students would exchange teachings and debate hot topics. John 10:24; Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly. What did Jesus really claim about Himself? Claims come in many forms; assertions, declarations, pronouncements. Some claims sound like challenges or pretensions. Throughout history scholars and disciples have looked through the lens of Scripture and repeated the question asked in this passage; How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly, or just spit it out! What motivated the question? A sincere desire to know the truth? An opportunity to arrest stone Jesus? Who are you Jesus really? The religious leaders were unprepared for the answers Jesus gives. In this passage Jesus will make four claims; (1) He is the Messiah; (2) He is one with God; and that unity means Jesus is God. (3) He is the Son of God (vv.34-36). (4) God is in Jesus and Jesus is in God (vv.37-39). Assertion: Jesus Is The Messiah (vv.25-29) John 10:25; Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father s name, they bear witness of Me. Some people suggest Jesus never made Messianic claims. Wrong. Here Jesus says; I told you, and you do not believe. The problem certainly did not lie in the ambiguity of the revelation; but rather in the religious leaders persistent spiritual blindness and stubborn unbelief. The problem was not an insufficient revelation; or the lack of information; but because they refused to repent; and exercise faith. The religious leaders hated the truth; and loved lies and sin. From the perspespive of human responsibility; they had rejected the truth. From the perspective God s sovereignty; the religious leaders did not believe because they were not God s sheep. 2

3 Jesus told them My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me (John 7:16). Jesus has a personal and intimate relationship with the Father and was sent by the Father. But I know him: for I am from him, and he has sent me (John 7:29). If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink...this he spoke of the Spirit (John 7:37,39). I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12). Jesus has told them; he knows God; he has been sent by God; Jesus is the source of life; Jesus is the ultimate judge; Jesus is the one who gives life to men; Jesus is the light of the world; Jesus is the revelation of God (see John 8:19); Jesus has a different origin from other human beings (see John 8:23); He is from above; we are from below; if a person doesn t believe in Jesus that man will die in his sins (see John 8:23-24). The list continues; Jesus has claimed to be God s spokesman (John 8:24); that He the Son of Man would be lifted up on a cross (John 8:28); that God never left Him alone; that Jesus never sinned; that Jesus never failed to please God (John 8:29); that he was the Savior and Deliverer from death; and that if you kept His word you would never see death (John 8:51-53); not to mention before Abraham existed I AM (John 8:58); that He is the Son of God (John 9:35-37); the door of the sheep and the good shepherd (see John 10:11;14). Ok, other than that; how can we know you are the Messiah? Jesus then appeals to the works that I do in My Father s name, they bear witness of Me. What works? You mean turning water into wine at Cana; or healing the nobleman s son; or the man with palsy; or the feeding of the five thousand; or walking on the water; or healing the man born blind? John 10:26; But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. Jesus reminds the religious leaders there is a reason they don t believe; they don t believe because they don t belong. Jesus does not say You are not my sheep because you do not believe. Jesus says you don t believe because you are not my sheep. The religious leaders claimed to be followers of God; but their hearts, their lives, their behavior was far from God. They weren t really sheep; followers of Jesus; and therefore they rejected the words and claims of Jesus. John 10:27; My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:28; And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 3

4 John 10:29; My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Fathers hand. Jesus gives us not simply an apologetic for the claims of Christianity. Jesus describes the characteristics of the true believer, the genuine follower; 1. Ability and sensitivity to hear the voice of Jesus. 2. Obedience to His leading and guiding; recognition of His leadership. 3. Confidence or Assurance in their ultimate destination. 4. Security In The Strong and Loving Arms of the Shepherd. John 1:11; He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. Declaration: Jesus Is One With God (vv.30-33) John 10:30; I and My Father are one. We are in deep theological water. Jesus claims to possess the same essential nature that God possesses. The nature of God--is that substance that makes God--God. Only God possesses that substance. There are two types of Being in the Universe; the self-existent Being known as God; and all created Beings; made by the self-existent being God. Jesus claims the same nature, the same substance, the same essence, the same being, the same power, and the same glory. This is seen in the word one. The word is neuter, not masculine. It means thing not person. Jesus is of the very same thing, or the very same substance as God. Jesus is claiming to be God. My friend Ron Rhodes writes; Jesus was claiming to be God but He was not claiming to be the Father, as some cultists claim. We know this to be true because the phrase, I and the Father are one, a first person plural, we are (Greek esmen) is used. The verse literally reads from the Greek, I and the Father we are one. If Jesus intended to say that He and the Father were one person, He certainly would not have used the person plural, which clearly implies two persons (Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses; p.201). John 10:31; Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. The religious leaders understand that Jesus is making an unqualified admission to being God. The Old Testament penalty for blasphemy was death by stoning (Lev.24). This is the fourth time in John s gospel where the religious leaders have attempted to kill Jesus (5:16-18; 7:1; 8:59). The Roman occupation had removed the right of Jews to exercise capital punishment; but this mob was ready to take matters into their own hands (see John MacArthur; Vol.1; p.443). 4

5 John 10:32; Jesus answered them, Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me? Is Jesus trying to back-peddle and retract his earlier statements? I don t think so. Jesus is trying to get the religious leaders to connect his works and words. The miracles of Jesus offered visible, tangible and inescapable evidence of His unity with the Father and oneness in purpose. John 10:33; The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God. Claim: Jesus Is The Son of God (vv.34-36) John 10:34; Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, You are gods? John 10:35; If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), John 10:36; 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? Does Jesus mean that human beings are gods or can become gods as some have suggested? Jesus was a Jew. The religious leaders are Jews. They certainly do not embrace the philosophical worldview of either pantheism or pan-en-theism. Pantheism is the belief that God is all; and that only God is real. The pantheist holds the view that human beings are in their core the same essence as God. Pan-en-theism also holds the position that God is all--but that God is in all; that God generates reality; and that human beings are in effect part of God. We have every reason to believe that Jesus and His audience believed there is only One self-existent God. Both Jesus and the religious leaders believe there is One Creator God and that creation is separate from and distinct from God. The creature or the creation is not God. Jesus uses what is known in semantics and philosophy as an a fortiori argument (which means an even stronger argument or reason); that is the argument from Scripture or revelation. What does the Bible say? Jesus appeals to Psalm 82:6; Psalm 82:6; I said, You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. Exodus 22:28; You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. Since the Lord God called human judges gods (with a small g) based on their ability to make life and death decisions among human beings; how much more does Jesus have the right to call himself the Son of God; in view of His special relationship with God; in view of the miracles and works that God has shown through Him; not all humans are gods just that particular group of people who were judges or rulers; those who exercised extraordinary powers over the multitude. 5

6 The argument that Jesus is giving is that if human beings are ascribed certain divine prerogatives; and are mere men; because in the book of Psalms the author goes on and says but you will die like me ; what the Jewish judges were called in irony and in judgment He is in reality. Jesus is giving a defense for his own deity; not a defense for the deification of mere mortals (See Ron Rhodes; Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses; pp ). Jesus asks the religious leaders, if some rulers of Israel are called gods why was he accused of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God? Is Jesus saying; rulers were called gods so why not call me God? I don t think so. Jesus is claiming a unique and distinct identity separate from all men. Jesus claims to be the One God the Father sent and sanctified; the very Son of God (see 1 Peter 1:15-16; John 3:34; and John 1:1-2). If the Jewish people accepted rulers and judges in the past as gods, mere men; representing God; how much more should they accept the One sent by the Father, Sanctified by the Father, the one and only unique Son of God? Pronouncement: God is In Jesus and Jesus Is God Absolutely (vv ) John 10:37; If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; John 10:38; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him. The Bible points out that Father and Son are eternal (Romans 16:26-27; Revelation 1:17). The Bible points out that both Father and Son are the Creator of all things (Psalm 100:3; Colossians 1:16); that both Father and Son are omnipresent (that is capable of being everywhere at once) Jeremiah 23:24; Ephesians 1:23; omniscient (knows all things); 1 John 3:20; John 21:17. Both are called The First and the Last; LORD of LORDS; unchanging and eternal; judge, only Savior, redeemer of sins. the one who hears and answers prayers; and worshipped by angels. Both the Father and Son wills and acts supernaturally; gives life and strengthens believers. Jesus forgives sin (Mark 2:5-12; Luke 5:21); Jesus accepts worship as God and claimed to deserve the same honor as the Father (Matt. 14:33; 28:17,18; John 5:22,23; 9:38; 17:5). Jesus claimed to be the divine, the unique Son of God; a title the Jews rightly understood to be a claim of equality with God (John 5:17,18; John 10:30-33; John 19:7). In what way is the Father in the Son; and in what way is the Son in the Father? This is the indwelling presence of each in the other. They are of one Mind, and one essence, one Spirit; one nature, one purpose and work. 6

7 Colossians 2:9; For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; What is Jesus saying to the religious leaders? Jesus is pleading with the religious leaders to believe the truth; and the works of Jesus prove the indwelling presence of God in Him; and He in God. But the religious leaders do not believe Him. They reject his claim. John 10:40; And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. John 10:41; Then many came to Him and said, John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true. The text suggests that John s faithful ministry began to bear fruit. The followers of John the Baptist began to follow Jesus. It was here that Jesus was baptized and heard the voice from heaven. It pays to return from time to time to the place where you first heard from God. John 10:42; And many believed in Him there. Conclusion The response of the religious leaders reveal something about their own identity. We are either recalcitrant goats or obedient sheep. Do you run to the Shepherd or butt heads with the sheep and the Shepherd? Is it important that we believe both what the Bible has to say about Jesus; and what Jesus has to say about Himself? I think the answer is yes. We have both a doctrinal test and a discipleship test. You might be a sheep if you are sensitive to His voice. Is God speaking to you; through His Word; through the Savior; through your conscience? Through other people? God spoke to Balaam though a donkey. Certainly God can speak to you through something or someone equally stubborn; equally obstinate; a strong willed child; a mule-headed boss; a pig-headed co worker; a perverse politician; a wrong-headed family member; an uncooperative economy; a single minded Savior? Are you obedient to His voice? It s one thing to hear; it s another thing to act on what Jesus says to you! His sheep are expected to both hear and obey (James 1:22-25). Are you confident in your destiny? Are you secure in your friendship and relationship with Jesus Christ? Did you hear what Jesus said? Remember, you re in the Good Shepherd s invincible hands---hands that even Satan himself cannot pry apart (see Chuck Swindoll; Following Christ; The Man of God; Vol. 2; p.55). 7