Category: John 10

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John John 10

When seeing is not believing

John

A lot of times, people say, “I’ll believe in God if he appears to me and talks to me.”

There is a fatal flaw with this line of reasoning.

God did appear. He did talk to us. He walked among us. He performed miracles. He said words that left all his opponents speechless and without argument.

And people still didn’t believe in him.

The point? If you are determined not to believe, you won’t believe whether God appears to you or not. You’ll convince yourself you were dreaming or hallucinating or something else.

People don’t reject God because they can’t believe, but because they don’t want to believe.

That’s what you see in this passage. The Jews came up to Jesus and said,

How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. (John 10:24)

Jesus replied,

I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me. (John 10:25)

Jesus to this point had healed the sick, made lame people walk, blind people see, healed leprosy, and even raised the dead.

How people could see these things, especially in light of the prophecies they’d studied all their lives (Isaiah 53:4 and 61:1-2 among others) and not believe is inconceivable to me. But they didn’t.

Jesus got even clearer with the Jews. He said,

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:27-30)

Who can give eternal life? Only God can. Yet Jesus promised just that. He went further than that, saying that he and the Father were one.

What did he mean by that? The Jews understood. He was saying that he was God himself in human flesh. Their response was immediate. They tried to kill him, saying,

We are not stoning you for any of these good works you’ve done… but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God. (John 10:33)

That they understood Jesus correctly is only enforced by what he said next. He pointed to scripture at how God called a bunch of unjust judges “gods,” because of the position of authority they held over the people.

And Jesus basically said, “If God called these people ‘gods,’ how much more worthy am I of that title as his one and only Son.”

Fathers and sons always share the same nature, whether they be human, animals, or whatever. So if Jesus is God’s Son, what does that make Jesus?

He then again pointed to his life. First, how he lived his life, doing all the things that God does, and then on top of that, again, the miracles he performed.

The Jews saw all these things. They knew all these things. And they still rejected him. Why?

I don’t know. Perhaps it was because all Jesus said and did went counter to what they thought he should be. But instead of changing their way of thinking, they turned their backs on him.

People do the same today.

They encounter Jesus, but he is not at all what they expect or want him to be. Or the things he says offend them because he confronts them with their sin and they don’t want to change. So instead of changing, they reject Jesus.

How about you? Are you hiding behind the excuse that you need to see God to believe in him?

Seeing isn’t always believing. Chances are that if you are intent on disbelieving, you won’t believe. At the very least, be honest about that. Don’t deceive yourself on that point.

But my prayer is that you would go beyond being honest and start softening your heart to Jesus. Because only in doing so will you truly find life.

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John John 10

The good shepherd

Jesus the good shepherd

Here we see a beautiful picture of Jesus’ relationship with us. And he paints the picture with the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep.

He said,

The sheep listen to the shepherd’s voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:3-4)

What do we get from this?

In short, Jesus has a very personal relationship with us.

I teach in a high school, and I have to admit, with 40 students in a class, most of whom I only teach once a week, it’s hard to remember my students’ names.

It’s hard for a lot of the teachers too, as they often keep track of names with a seating chart list.

Think about trying to differentiate sheep, however. For just about anyone, they would probably look all alike. But the shepherd knows each sheep by name.

It’s hard to fathom that in a world full of billions of people, that Jesus would know my name. That he would actually care enough to know my name.

And not only to know my name, but to actually take the time to lead me and care for me. To go ahead of me.

And if that weren’t enough, to be willing to lay his life down for me. Jesus said,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

Think about the relative worth between a shepherd and his sheep. By any practical measure, there’s no comparison at all.

Now consider the relative worth of the God of the universe, and… you.

Yet Jesus cared enough about you, he loved you so much, that he left everything to become a man, to suffer on a cross, and die for your sins.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s mind-blowing. But that’s the love he has for you and me.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are my shepherd. That though there are millions of other people in this world, still you know my name. And that even if I were the only one who were lost, you would have still died for me.

Your love is so amazing. Help me to truly grasp it. And help me to be a vessel of your love that others may know you and become your sheep as well.

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John John 10

The Gate

John

Many people wonder, “Why does Jesus have to be the only way to God?”

The short answer: because he said so.

Jesus told the people,

I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)

There are many people that try to tell us how to go to heaven.

The Pharisees said it was by a rigorous keeping of not only the law, but of the rules and traditions that they held to as well. Even today, many people try to enter heaven through their efforts.

But Jesus tells us that anyone who tries to enter heaven through any other way than the gate, is a thief and a robber.

And not only do they try to grasp what they can never achieve through their own efforts, they will steal your souls and send them to eternal judgment if you follow them. Jesus said,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10a)

Here, I believe Jesus is talking about the great Thief, Satan. But Satan will use people to try to lead us to spiritual destruction.

This is not to say that these people themselves are aiming to destroy us. Their intentions are generally very good. But they have been deceived themselves, and if we follow them, we’ll follow them right into the pit.

What then is the gate that we are to enter by? Jesus said,

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (John 10:9)

The picture Jesus gives us here is very interesting.

When a shepherd went out into the field and put the sheep to rest, he would take them to a temporary fold that had only one entrance. And when the shepherd went to sleep, he would sleep right at the entrance. He literally was the gate.

Jesus is saying here that if you want to enter God’s kingdom, if you want to live a life that is truly blessed, it can only come through him. And anyone who tells you different is a thief who will lead you to destruction.

Again, Jesus said,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10a)

But then, he concludes,

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10b)

Do you want a full life? A complete life? There is only one way. There is only one gate. The only question is, will you use it?