Or, Don't Take My Word for It
Scripture: John 10:31-42
Date: March 10, 2013
Speaker: Sean Higgins
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Jesus and the Father are one. They are not one in Person but they are one in purpose: to seek and save the lost sheep. They are not one in Person but they are one in essence, having the same nature and, as John repeatedly emphasizes, their nature is sacrificial. The Father sent the Son to die and the Son came to lay down His life for the sheep. Not only that, both Father and Son preserve the sheep. The Father gave them to the Son and no one is able to snatch the sheep out of their hand.
Jesus represented the Father. Jesus acted on the Father’s behalf, doing the things His Father did and teaching the things His Father taught Him (John 8:28). For this reason John wrote in the first chapter of his gospel, “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The Jews did not acknowledge the oneness of Father and Son. They didn’t acknowledge the reality of Jesus even though Jesus told them that if they had known the Father, as they claimed, they would have known Him (John 8:19). The likeness was so great that it was unmistakable. The Jews thought Jesus’ claim was so blasphemous that Jesus must be executed. Jesus again presents evidence contrary to their accusations.
Jesus is back in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22), or Hanukkah. He was “walking in the temple” (verse 23), the Jews surrounded Him and demanded a clear answer. “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly” (verse 24). Jesus answered and basically said, “I told you already” (verse 25). His entire ministry revealed His saving mission, the mission of the Messiah.
The reason that these angry Jews did not believe is that they were not among Jesus’ sheep (verse 27). His sheep, all those who were chosen by the Father and given by the Father to the Son, hear the Son’s call and they know Him and they follow Him (verse 27). The eternal identity of the sheep leads to their identifying Jesus as the Shepherd, the Christ, the Son of God. At the right time, they believe in Him and He gives them eternal life (verse 28). His sheep never perish. They are as secure in His hands as the Father and Son are one. Jesus asserts, “I and the Father are one” (verse 30).
The Jews got what they came for. They got their plain answer and were ready to react but not to believe. Jesus didn’t only claim to be the Christ, He claimed to be God and they charged Him with blasphemy. Still Jesus presents them with evidence to the contrary and effectively said, Don’t just take My word for it.
The Jews make ready to kill Jesus and Jesus asks a question that exposes no good reason for killing Him. Would patients try to have a doctor fired whose career was filled with helping people? Even less do the Jews have grounds for judging Jesus.
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.” (John 10:31–33, ESV)
It wasn’t really the Jews’ responsibility to judge and execute; the Romans were in charge. Yet this isn’t the first time that the Jews thought stoning Jesus was appropriate (also in 5:18 and 8:59). Jesus created strong feelings in other people and, as John Calvin put it, “unbelief is the mother of rage” (417). The temple was in ongoing repair so large stones were accessible. It’s hard to imagine being surrounded by a mob with their hands full of malice.
Jesus calmly puts evidence on the table. His question frames their desire to kill Him as impulsive hostility and not as faithful justice. I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me? There are three pieces of evidence: the number of works, the kind of works, and the origin of works.
Jesus did so many good works that John wrote that the whole world could not contain the books that could contain the stories (John 21:25). John included in his gospel only some signs in order that we might believe. Jesus did many signs in Jerusalem (2:23-25). He healed the 38 year-long paralytic (5:1-17). He gave sight to a man born blind (9:1-41). πολλὰ ἔργα καλὰ, He did many and they were good. They really were giving Him grief over these things?
Most significantly the works were from the Father. That’s the second time Jesus said it. “The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me” (verse 25). Jesus acted as a representative of and worked in the power of His Father. Jesus had done divine works (think John 9:31-33). These Jews claimed to be acting on God’s behalf, so Jesus said, for which of these acts (of God) are you going to kill me?
The Jews walked right past the evidence table and said, “We’re not talking about You doing the works of God. We’re talking about You claiming the nature of God.” They said this as if the two things could be disconnected. 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 charge Jesus with blasphemy, with false speech about God, with speech that made God appear of little worth. Verses 33 and 36 are the only times in John’s Gospel that the term is used.
Was that true? It depends on which part we’re referring to. Jesus did claim to be God, true. But Jesus was not blaspheming.
They snidely limit “many good works” to a good work but they are in a hurry to ignore it anyway. They’re not concerned with what He’s done. Even as it came out of their mouths, it seems that someone should have thought, “Why are we ignoring this evidence?” Jesus said that’s not all they were missing.
Not only did the Jews wrongly ignore Jesus claims from His conduct, they also wrongly ignored their own law. Would a coach slam his team for running a play from his playbook?
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’? (John 10:34–37, ESV)
Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6. He calls it law because “law” could refer to the entire Old Testament rather than only the Pentateuch. Psalm 82 addresses the leaders, kings and judges (those who should judge justly and not show partiality to the wicked, who should defend the weak and fatherless along with the afflicted and destitute, verses 2-4), those who received their assignment by God Himself. So the psalmist refers to them as “gods,” those appointed by God who rule and judge like God.
I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.
(Psalm 82:6–7, ESV)
Jesus makes His argument. If he called them gods to whom the word of God came, [then] why are you upset about Me? God did call these men gods. The Bible uses the word “god” for beings other than God. That is written in the law, and Scripture cannot be broken. That is a powerful parenthesis. You can’t rewrite God’s Word, not even one word of it. God gave the law, they’ve received it, they should acknowledge it. God’s Word came to these men, it appointed them to their task and referred to them as gods. The starting point for Jesus’ argument: “It’s in the Bible” or, “For the Bible tells me so.” The Bible refers to men as gods, what about Jesus?
The Father consecrated and sent [Him] into the world. Consecrated is another word for dedication. They were in the middle of the Feast of Dedication when the temple was reconsecrated for worship. Jesus was consecrated as the fulfillment of temple worship (John 2:19-22). He was set apart by the Father for His work.
Jesus’ argument is from the lesser to the greater. The lesser judges commissioned by God were called gods, so Jesus was consecrated by God the Father. How then would it be blaspheming because [He] said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
Jesus is not backing down from His point. He is not making semantic moves and playing games with words even though it is a play on words. He is establishing their inconsistency and hostility. They don’t have a good reason for killing Him. Even their own “sourcebook” called a created human “god” in certain circumstances. The Jews have to jump over His works and the Scripture in order to justify killing Him.
Jesus returns to what He’s done as evidence that corroborates who He is. The Jews are standing in front of the mural, looking at Jesus with the paint brush in His hands, and denying that paint exists.
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.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. (John 10:37–39, ESV)
He makes one point that could go either way, a point that pivots on His works. First, If I don’t do the works then don’t believe. Second, If I do do the works then believe.
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. Knowing what we know, men should believe Jesus simply because of who He is, on the basis of His word alone regardless of His works. But He doesn’t ask for that. He established the connection and doesn’t work outside it. What we do shows who we are. “Even a child is known by his acts by whether his conduct is pure and upright” (Proverbs 20:11). Believing doesn’t run on air.
[B]ut 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. He isn’t leaving open the possibility that He isn’t doing the works. He already said He did (and for that matter, actually did) the works. He’s challenging them to pay attention. Stop ignoring the obvious. They had no excuse for not believing. If they open their eyes and look they may start to recognize and then go on to realize more and more God, Father and Son.
We know that believing works, or at least being impressed by the works, occurred often and didn’t always indicate true believing. That works can be improperly viewed does not mean that they have no point. They point (accurately) to Jesus. His works reveal that He is the one who He said, He is the Son of His Father. He was exposing their lack of evidence and inviting them to look again. They didn’t.
Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. It seems that He at least caused them to question, created a bit of hesitancy. They put down the stones but were still going to seize Him. He got away, however it happened, because it wasn’t His hour.
Jesus left Jerusalem. The next time He returned was on what we call Palm Sunday. This small transition paragraph both discourages and encourages.
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. (John 10:40–42, ESV)
Was His time in Jerusalem successful or not? Was it a waste? From a temporal perspective, it was mostly unsuccessful. He had to escape. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. So He went away again across the Jordan where John had been baptizing. We considered that location in chapter one.
Jesus continued His ministry and many came to him. These many were from the area, those who had previously heard and seen John the Baptist. Now that Jesus came, they recognized the object of John’s witness. They said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true”. This is the final time that John the Baptist is mentioned in John’s Gospel and what a commendation of John’s work. His testimony had lasting effects and was entirely true. Though the men in Jerusalem ignored the evidence, John the Baptist had been witnessing to Jesus all along (think John 5:33-35).
So many believed in him there. Many came and many believed. John adds no discouraging exceptions (like in John 2:23-25), except for the context itself. Jesus was in a small, out of the way place at the end of six chapter’s worth of rejection. He was not welcome in the capital city and was facing capital punishment.
This section finishes off the discussion about the Shepherd and His sheep. This section transitions us from Jesus’ public ministry to a more private ministry. He’s revealed Himself by His works and by His teaching. Now He will focus on His disciples and some close friends. It doesn’t change that He and the Father are one. We cannot know God apart from Jesus and we cannot know Jesus truly apart from His divinity.
While it could be asked any time when men not only ignore Jesus but even lash out at Him, why does John record these verses about men who rejected rather than received Jesus? John wants us to believe, why does he spend so much time talking about men who don’t?
Certainly this story provides real-life clarification on ground-level unbelieving. The ammunition was real; the attack wasn’t simulated. The rounds of stones were live and we get to see front-line answers. This is how men behave who don’t believe. This is how Jesus handled it. We learn how to answer disbelieving but that’s not all.
I am impressed that He put Himself in a place where He had something to handle. I am surprised that He doesn’t get annoyed. Maybe it’s more surprising that He doesn’t take them out; call in a pterodactyl from a nearby mountain cave to swoop in, snatch up the Jews, and drop them in an active volcano…or something. Jesus did all these good works for men who needed them and who didn’t deserve them. Why subject Himself to false accusations and ill-advised anger and crowd violence? Why arrange it this way? How can He show up at just the right time to meet the woman at the well by herself and not have shown up at just the right time to be assaulted by these men? Because He deals with the annoying. Because He invites haters. Because He came to seek and save the lost.
We often want to evangelize those who are saved. We want to disciple the mature. We want to help those who don’t need help. We want to be patient with those who are easy. But we’re called to love our enemies, bear with the unbearable, and call dead men to believe. We go proclaiming the works of the Son of God, patterning our works and words after His.