Thursday, 29 March 2012

Quiet Time today--John10:22-42

 Feel free to download or print the QT passages in the side bar. It is for this month.

John 10:22-42
Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[b]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’[c]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 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 in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.
Footnotes:
  1. John 10:22 That is, Hanukkah
  2. John 10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all
  3. John 10:34 Psalm 82:6
 vs26-27: being God's sheep, we easily know God's voice and who he is. We can recognise him. We can hear him and know him and be able to follow him, as Jesus promises. But to follow him, we must be sure we believe him first. We cannot follow someone effectively if we are not sure/doubting the person we follow, a leader or some other. It's the same with Jesus. 
 
If I gave you a pen and told you it's a pen, but you said it was a pencil and you didn't believe what I said, you cannot use the pen effectively because you doubt its function and may use it for drawing/sketching instead. Duh.
 
APPLICATION: The gospel itself is full of the truth. It is all we need to know about whether Jesus is the Son of God or just a liar. A very good liar at that too. I want to fix my eyes on this wonderful gift of grace, so I can bring others to believe and others who already believe, to follow well.