22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 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.” 25 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, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 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. 30 I and the Father are one.” - John 10:22-30
The Setting: The Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah)
At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. - John 10:22-23
What is the “Feast of Dedication”?
- in 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes overran Jerusalem and polluted the temple, setting up a pagan altar to displace the altar of Israel’s God.
- “Chafing under the brutal repression, under which possession of any part of the Hebrew Scriptures was a capital offence, many Jews revolted and developed the fine art of guerilla warfare. Eventually they grew strong enough to overthrow the oppressor, and, under the leadership of Judas Maccabaeus (‘Judas the Hammer’), they recaptured the temple and reconsecrated it to God,” (Carson, PNTC)
- Hanukkah was a kind of national renewal holiday. It reminded the Jews of the heroic efforts of their people to throw off their overlords who oppressed them and sought purity of worship. It would make sense for this to be a time where the Jews would have their minds drawn towards their Messianic hopes, especially if there is a figure like Jesus walking around who many are claiming to be the Messiah. Judas Maccabaeus is a great representation of what many of the Jews of Jesus’ day were looking for in a Messiah.
- Jesus is even in the Temple itself! The epicenter of not only the Jews religious, but political life; the place that the Maccabeans helped retake from the Greeks and purify.
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.” - John 10:24
Who are the “Jews”? Jesus was Jewish. His disciples were all Jewish. In John’s gospel he uses the term “the Jews” as a technical term to refer the Jews who do not believe in Jesus, especially the religious leaders, like the Pharisees, priests, and scribes. They gather around Jesus and ask Him “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly.” Literally: “How long will be taking away our life?” Sort of: We are dying to know…the suspense is killing us.
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” - John 10:25
So…
It is a season when Messianic expectations are high. The Jews beg for Jesus to just plainly tell them if He is the Messiah—they are dying to know. And Jesus says: “Oh, I told you already. But you just did not believe me. Look at all the miracles I have performed—the ones I have done on behalf of the Father—these are sufficient evidence.” Consider the last miracle Jesus performed: healing the man born blind in John 9. There, the young man attests to how unique this miracle was and that it points to a unique identity for Jesus:
32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. (John 9:32-33).
The prophet Isaiah foretold of a day when the Messiah would arrive and:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
- Isa 35:5-6
The Jews challenging Jesus knew this verse. They had heard Jesus’ teaching in person. They were eyewitnesses to the miracles Jesus had performed. Jesus told them plainly who He was…and yet…they did not believe.
Could you imagine?
The Root of Belief
“…but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” - John 10:26
Now we see why John inserts this story here. He brings us back to Jesus’ use of the sheep metaphor that was used earlier in chapter ten. “Sheep” are used repeatedly throughout the Bible to describe God’s people, the Church. We are the sheep of His pasture. He is our good shepherd, we listen to Him. Jesus explained earlier: “The sheep hear [the shepherd’s] voice…and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4).
The reason that Jesus’ opponents here—despite the ample evidence they have been given—do not believe is because they are not among Jesus’ sheep. They cannot recognize His voice. In fact, it appears that the longer that Jesus speaks, the more evidence they are given, the harder their hearts become. Again, consider what happened with the healing of the blind man in John 9.
Because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, they immediately believe that Jesus is a sinner.
“Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.” (John 9:16)
The Pharisees conclusion make that Jesus is violating the Sabbath is far from clear here. This is their interpretation of the Sabbath law and what it permits and forbids. Why do some of them come to the snap decision “This man is wicked” while others say: “Hang on…he just healed a blind man…can wicked people do something like that?”
Why do some people respond with openness to Jesus, and other people are turned off? In The Magician’s Nephew, (and I have used this illustration before, so sorry), a group of children and adults are brought before Aslan, a talking lion who represents Jesus Christ. There are two men in particular who are brought before Aslan and are witnesses to Aslan creating the world of Narnia through a song. One of the men is a highly educated scientist, the other is an uneducated cab driver. And while the scientist at first hears Aslan’s song, he immediately hates it. He tells himself: Lions cannot talk, let alone sing; this is impossible. And, in time, with enough mental reinforcement, he actually loses the ability to hear Aslan’s voice, and all he hears are growls and snarls. Then, the more Aslan speaks, the more the scientist hates and fears Aslan. Meanwhile, the simply cabby listens in rapt attention to the song, in hushed worship. The scientist becomes an enemy of Aslan, and the cabby a devoted follower.
So too, the more miracles and teachings that Jesus offers to verify His identity, the more the Jews are hardened against Him. But notice what Jesus says: “you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” He did not say “You are not among my sheep because you do not believe”—as if believing was the prerequisite for you to belong to the sheep. No, it is precisely the other way around—being precedes believing. It is because you are one of Christ’s sheep that you believe. So, the reason that the blind man in John 9 makes the choice to believe in Jesus by the end of the chapter is because he was already one of Jesus’ sheep. His belief gave evidence to it. And the reason that the Pharisees do not believe (and are instead hardened against Jesus) despite the evidence given, is because they are not among His sheep.
Belief does not create identity; belief reveals identity. What makes an apple tree produce apples? Does stapling fruit to the branch make the tree an apple tree? No. Apples are produced because the roots of the tree—it is an apple tree before it produces an apple. The fruit it produces is the display of what it is. Roots create fruit.
This tells us that God is at work in our salvation long before we are even aware of it. How so? John tells us:
- The Father in predestining us
- The Son in atoning for our sins
- The Spirit in regenerating us
The Father
My Father, who has given them to me - John 10:29
When did the Father do that?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, - Eph 1:3-6
The Son
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. - John 10:14-15
Jesus does not lay down His life for all—but for the sheep. Paul tells us that Jesus died specifically for His Bride, not for the whole world indiscriminately (Eph 5:25). Elsewhere when the Bible speaks about Jesus dying for the “sins of the world,” the term world isn’t referring to all people without exception (all human beings who have ever lived)—but all people without distinction (all kinds of human beings: Jew, Gentile, etc.). When Jesus died on the cross, He really atoned for your sins—He did not merely create an opportunity for sins to be forgiven, like a grant that you could apply for. He took your debt away.
The Spirit
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27
How does one “hear”? In John’s gospel both “hearing” and “seeing” are repeatedly used as euphemisms for believing.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”…That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3, 6-8)
Regeneration precedes belief. The Spirit works to first open your eyes, open your ears, so that you—by nature only “flesh”—can hear and see the Spirit filled work of Jesus Christ and believe.
The Triune God is the primary and essential cause of our salvation. He uses means of salvation, of course! Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ, and how they will hear unless someone goes and speaks it to them? Someone shared the gospel with you, and that was the means by which you were saved—yes, yes, yes. But, it is also true that the only reason that you responded to that was by the grace of God. He began the work in His predestining, carried it on in the death and resurrection of Christ, and applied it to us through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit, so that at some point in our lives we would have the lights click on and say, “Oh yes, I believe that.”
This may feel complex, but I think every Christian can arrive at this truth through a fairly intuitive question (one I use often when explaining this): If you were to die and be brought to the gate of heaven and an angel were to ask you: “Why should I let you in here?” What answer would you give?
Hopefully, you would say something like: “I believe in Jesus, that He died for my sins and rose again so that those who put their faith in Him could have eternal life.”
But if the angel were to say: “Yes…but why did you believe that and not your neighbor?” What answer would you give? Were you smarter? More moral? More spiritual? More humble? Why did you believe and they didn’t? Every Christian I have ever asked that question to says some version of: “I have no idea.” And that is exactly the point. We don’t know. We shouldn’t be here. But God was somehow (in ways we cannot even fully comprehend) gracious to us.
The Fruit of Belief
Why does knowing any of this matter? Well, Jesus teaches it so it matters. But look at how He turns to apply it:
Grace-Driven Effort
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27
Jesus’ sheep listen to Him, are known by Him, and follow Him. They are in a relationship with Jesus, and it is a relationship of obedience and submission. They go where He goes, they do what He says, they work. The acknowledgement that God is the primary actor in our salvation does not make us shift into neutral. It energizes us with confident, grace-driven effort.
- For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. - Col 1:29
- Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. - Phil 2:12-13
God does not “work” in us like a surgeon who operates on an unconscious patient. We have no analogies for this. His energy, His work, His effort is made manifest in our life through the channel of our will. We are not ants who have been scooped up and placed into God’s ant-farm against our will and ignorant of what has happened. Even in the experience of our salvation, where it is most clear that God is doing all in all—it still comes to our awareness exclusively through the faculty of our faith! We must believe!
Jesus’ sheep are not saved by their obedience, but they are marked by it. How can you know who Jesus’ sheep are? Look at who follows Him, who listens to His voice. Christianity is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. So, brother and sister, put in the effort! Work hard! Do not be surprised when the cross-shaped path kind of feels like dying!
But, be comforted Christian, even your effort is a grace given to you by God! Probably my favorite illustration of this is the story of Peter walking on water. Peter cannot walk on water. But He can. If he looks to Christ. With Christ all things are possible, and there He is, standing on the water, calling Peter to join Him. The only way for Peter to obey that command is if God provides supernatural power that Peter lacks. But the only way for Peter to experience that supernatural power is by choosing to obey! To respond! To take a step out of the boat in faith.
Assurance
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 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.” (John 10:28-30)
What has discouraged you this week?
Let this thought encourage you Christian: whatever temptation you are enduring right now, whatever trial, whatever discouragement, whatever season of hardship you are in—because the Father, Son, and Spirit have promised you the hope of eternal life, you will never perish. You may feel like you are. But you will not. “Eternal life” literally refers to the quality of life that God experiences in the heavenly places. It is not merely an expression of time (forever and ever), but it is the “abundance of life” that Jesus spoke of earlier in chapter. The Son gives you this eternal life here and now, even as you await His final coming.
…so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 1:7-8)
The image Jesus gives is as powerful as it is personal: when Jesus earlier stated that He knows His sheep, we had the image of a shepherd who looks out over His flock and is aware of each one. But here, we see the knowledge is much more intimate. Jesus’ sheep are in his very arms. For a thief or robber or wolf to get to the sheep, they must get through Christ—or, even more sensational—they must get through the Father, who is greater than all, for the Father and Son are one.
The fact that Jesus brings the Father’s power into the equation demonstrates what the threat is: is anyone more powerful than the Father? Is the world? What about Satan himself? What about you? If you are in the Father’s arms and try to wriggle out, are you stronger? If I am holding my three-year-old’s hand as we cross the street, he may try to let go of my hand, but I will not let go of his. And God will not let go of you. He has promised us He won’t:
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
- Ps 73:23-24
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. - Phil 1:6
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. - John 6:37
The life of a Christian is a series of miracles. See a spark living in mid ocean, see a stone hanging in the air…and the snow-white swan among rivers of filth, and you behold an image of the Christian life. The new nature is kept alive between the jaws of death, preserved by the power of God from instant destruction; by no power less than divine could its existence be continued. - Spurgeon
