John 10:22-42
Key Verse: 10:28
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
. In the previous passage we learned that Jesus is our good shepherd and we are his sheep. The relationship between shepherd and sheep is beautiful because the shepherd knows the sheep and gives his life for the sheep and the sheep listen and follow the shepherd. The good shepherd is willing to sacrifice his own life for the sheep. A sign of being a good shepherd is willingness to sacrifice our own life. Today Jesus defines his shepherd and sheep relationship further. He rebukes the Jews who live in suspense due to their unbelief. But he assures eternal security for his sheep when they listen to his voice and follow him. Jesus gives eternal life to all who believes in him because he is the Son of God who came to this world to save lost sheep. Jesus reveals himself as the promised Messiah and the Son of God in this passage. Let’s make a decision of faith whether we live in suspense by unbelieving or in assurance by believing. May God bless us to listen to the voice of Jesus, our good shepherd, and receive eternal security. I pray that all graduates may hear Jesus’ voice when they start new life in this spiritual wilderness.
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PART I. “HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP US IN SUSPENSE?” (22-24)
Look at verses 22-23. “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.” The Feast of Dedication is the same as the Feast of Illumination or the Feast of Lights, during which a candle was lighted each day until a total of eight days was over. The Feast of Dedication has a historical background. When Antiochus Epiphanes, a pagan king of Syria, desecrated the temple, the worship at the temple was interrupted for three years. Around 167 B.C., Judas Maccabeus defeated the army of Selucus and restored the worship of God by overthrowing the statue erected by Antiochus Epiphanes. Since then the Jews celebrated the Feast of Dedication, also know as Hanukkah. It was a time of rededication of one’s heart to God as the temple was rededicated to God. We also rededicate our heart each year when we celebrate the anniversary of our center dedication. Now Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. What happened to Jesus? Look at verse 24. Suddenly the Jews gathered around Jesus saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly” (24). Their main question was “Who are you? Are you the promised Messiah?” The Jewish religious leaders were upset because Jesus called them hired hands, robbers, and thieves. Now they were looking for a way to arrest Jesus. They demanded Jesus to identify himself clearly. Jesus identified himself clearly before by saying, “I am the bread of life” (6:35) and “I am the light of the world.” (8:12) They wanted to hear from Jesus, “I am the Christ” so that they could charge Jesus of blasphemy. But Jesus did not answer them directly. So they complained to Jesus by saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense?” Of course, they knew that Jesus was doing the work of the Messiah. But they would not believe him. Rather than believing in Jesus, they just lived in suspense. Their unbelief made them live in suspense. According to the Webster dictionary, the definition of suspense is a) the state of being suspended, b)mental uncertainty-anxiety, c)pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome, d) the state of being undecided or doubtful. They were uncertain, undecided, and doubtful about Jesus’ identity due to their fixed idea and unbelief. Most movie ad says, “See this movie full of suspense and thrill and excitement.” Many people live in suspense like the Jewish leaders. Why? They did not believe Jesus as their personal Messiah. Suspense brings anxiety, fear, despair, and sorrow. People watch popular reality shows and movies like “American idol”, “Joe Millionaire,” “Survivors”, and ” Matrix Reloaded.” When we watch them, we are full of suspense and excitement sweating and screaming. When I watched Maryland championship basketball game, I was full of suspense. When Maryland won, I was excited. But movie is movie and sport is sport. Wake up from movie mentality. Our real life is different than movies. We cannot live in suspense continuously. We need assurance and certainty. Students cannot stay in school permanently as undecided majors. They need to choose their majors after their sophomore years. How long will you live in suspense without making a decision of faith? Alan Ahn will go back to LA, a city full of suspense and movie stars. Pray that he may not stay too long in a city of suspense and come back to a city of hope. Sam Jung will go back to Korea to serve 2 years army service. As you know, army life is full of suspense. But I believe that God will take care of him and give him assurance during his army life. Now believe Jesus as your Messiah today. Don’t live in suspense but live in assurance. How?
PART II. JESUS, OUR ETERNAL SECURITY (25-30)
How did Jesus answer their question? Look at verses 25-26. “Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.’” Jesus’ answer was clear. Jesus told them but they did not believe. They heard many times but they did not believe. They had a wrong concept of the Messiah. Jesus pointed them to the miracles he performed as the evidence of being the Christ. Many men missionaries used to say to their wives, “I love you.” But women missionaries don’t believe them until they see some evidence. The same is true for the Christ. So Jesus says, “I did tell you…the miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me.” Do you remember the miracles Jesus performed in John’s gospel so far. In chapter 2, Jesus changed the water into wine. In chapter 4, Jesus healed the official’s son. In chapter 5, Jesus healed the man who had been invalid for 38 years. In chapter 5, Jesus fed the five thousands with 5L and 2F. In chapter 9, he healed a man born blind. When we review the miracles in John’s gospel, all the miracles were performed in order to show them the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. His miracles show us that he is the good shepherd. Therefore, the Bible sometimes uses the words “miracle” and “sign” interchangeably. When we scrutinize the meaning of the word “miracle,” it is precisely a sign rather than a miracle; the sign that shows that Jesus is the Son of God and a good shepherd. How sorry Jesus was! Jesus had performed many signs so that they might believe in him. But they closed their ears and did not listen to the voice of the good shepherd Jesus Christ. By doing so they lost a great privilege to become Jesus’ sheep. Our main problem is unbelief because it causes us not to become Jesus’ sheep. It will be too late to find out that we are not Jesus’ sheep when we see Jesus at the day of final judgment. Therefore, unbelief is a serious matter that prevents us from being Jesus’ sheep. In spite of the unbelief of the Jews, Jesus had hope for his sheep.
Look at 27. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” What is the first step to become Jesus’ sheep? We must listen to Jesus’ voice. Why is it essential to listen to Jesus in order to become Jesus’ sheep? These days we listen to many other voices that sound good and attractive. We live in an Information age. We listen to the radio like satellite radio in the car, office, airplane, bathroom, and home. Many Iraqis learned that they were liberated from dictator Saddam Hussein by listening to the voice of America. There are many kinds of voices we may listen to. Why should we listen to Jesus’ voice?
First, the voice of Jesus is the voice of good shepherd. Jesus proved to be our good shepherd because he laid down his life on the cross. Jesus was different from the Pharisees because he protected his sheep from the false shepherds by risking his own life. It is important to listen to good shepherd Jesus. In the Bible God is pictured as our good shepherd. When Adam sinned, God came to him and asked, “Where are you, Adam?” When Adam listened to God, he was blessed to live in the Garden of Eden listening to the voice of God. But when he listened to the voice of Satan, he began to hide from his shepherd God. He lost the paradise and returned to the dust after toiling to eat three meals a day. When David was a shepherd boy, he listened to the voice of God rather than the voice of Goliath and won a great victory for God’s people. By listening to God, he became a good soldier, poet, shepherd, dancer, musician, and king. Later, he confessed in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” The secret of his successful life was that he listened to God and became God’s sheep. Jay became a good sheep to Maria and she became a good shepherd to Sarah B. S. Bora Sul became a good shepherd to her classmates.
Second, the voice of Jesus is the voice of the mighty God. Though Jesus came into this world in the form of a humble bay and suffered with his sheep, originally he was a mighty God. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” That’s right. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. When Apostle John heard the voice of mighty Jesus in the island of Patmos, he overcame the fear of the world and wrote the book of Revelation. Often times we are troubled when we look at all the problems of the world. No one can save us from our troubles. But we can have a victorious life of faith when we listen to the mighty voice of Jesus.
Third, the voice of Jesus is the voice of the Savior. John the Baptist was a voice of one calling in the desert to prepare the way of the Lord. (Mark 1:3). When John the Baptist heard the voice of Jesus, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” To John, Jesus was the voice of the Savior. Later he said in John 3:29, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’ voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” John was joyful because he heard the voice of the Savior Jesus. Where can we find such a Savior who saves us from the power of sin and death and brings us hope and love? Jesus’ voice is the voice of hope and love. Jesus is looking for his sheep and asking, “Shannon, where are you?” We should answer, “Here I am.” That’s reason why we must listen to the voice of Jesus. How can we listen to the voice of Jesus in this busy world? We can listen to Jesus through the word of God by writing our daily bread. We listen to Jesus through our kneeling down prayer in the early morning. Then Jesus will lead us to the way, truth, and life. Our life will be happy and abundant. Georgetown trio met Jesus, their good shepherd through M. Paul Oh in Chile. He has been a good shepherd to Alan Ahn, Sam Jung, and Eric Nazor. During the blizzard of 2003 he risked his life to pick them up in order to come to the Sunday worship. He could not return home due to the heavy snow after giving them ride back to their dorms and slept at the embassy eating only cookies. Now he is following Jesus and serving Jesus’ flocks in Chile. Once we listen to Jesus, he knows us one by one. He remembers all of our names. Jesus knows all Anthony. Then we can follow Jesus. What did Jesus promise to his sheep that follow him?
Look at verse 28. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus promised to give eternal life to his sheep. This is a wonderful privilege given to Jesus’ sheep. These days the words “eternal life” are not popular even in churches because people are interested in practical things like eating. But Jesus came to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. All men’s agony comes from the fact that they do not have eternal life. Suppose men have no eternal life. Men become very fatalistic. Even St. Paul wrote in his conclusion about resurrection faith, quoting the Old Testament, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1Co 15:32). I think that a pleasure seeking is the best form of life if there is no eternal life.
What is the most important thing for a man? Of course, it is his precious life. Jesus said to his disciples in Mark 8:36-37, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? “ Nothing is more valuable than our life. To a man, eternal life is real life and everlasting life. To a man, physical life is maintaining his bag of mud by means of three meals and seven hours of sleep a day. For those who do not have eternal life, the best way of life is to eat a lot and drink a lot and get mad and enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin in order to forget about their future destiny. These kinds of people all become perverse and immoral. Finally they perish and Satan snatches them to make them his prisoners. Eternal life gives a man a living hope in the kingdom of God. Those who have eternal life live in the world as holy pilgrims. They do not work for selfish gain; they work for the glory of God, sacrificing many things, believing that when they sacrifice God will bless them and their children abundantly. Those who have eternal life realize the love of God and love their wives and others, not because they are generous, but because they have eternal life, which is the fountain of joy and life and peace and hope and eternity.
Jesus promised that they should never perish. What an assurance we have in Jesus! Everything that has life will perish someday. We love our cars but soon they become old and go to the junk yard. The glory of the world is like flowers. Many men admired the beauty of Elizabeth Taylor. Her beauty is fading. Thing of the world spoil and fade and perish. But Jesus guaranteed that they would not perish. Jesus gave them a living hope kept in heaven according to 1 Peter 1:3-4. John 5:24 says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” We have an eternal security in Jesus.
He promised also that no one could snatch us out of his hand. Jesus said in verse 29. “No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Wow! This is a double security. God’s hand is mighty. He can measure the whole world with his hand. He can hold the universe with his hand. Who can snatch us from the hand of God. God is our rock, our refugee, our shield, and our Creator. This is the eternal protection from Jesus. There are many pickpockets in the world. When I visited Peru in March, there was a warning in the airport, “Beware of pickpocket!” They can snatch your valuable things quickly. Nothing is secure in this world. The stock market clashes all the time. Life can be snatched in a moment as we witnessed in the Washington sniper case last year. People work hard to obtain material security, marriage security, family security, health security, and retirement security. In reality we can not secure our life with life insurance. But Jesus assures our eternal life once we believe in him and follow him. How can Jesus give us eternal life and eternal security? Look at verses 29-30. “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. And I and the Father are one.” Our eternal security and assurance can be guaranteed through the work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is able to keep his sheep through his mighty power. In spite of our weaknesses God and Jesus can set us free from the power of sin and death. Romans 8:31b says, “ If God is for us, who can be against us?” That’s right no one snatch us from the hand of God and Jesus. The work of the Son secures our salvation. The work of Jesus on the cross is a completed work and there is nothing to be added to it for eternal life. Now we participate the resurrection life of Jesus and are part of the new Creation over which Jesus is the head. Ephesians 2:6 says, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Now Jesus advocates for us in heaven. Jesus pleads his blood for our sins. Jesus works for us in heaven to plead our case before God. (Heb. 9:24) When we go wrong way or live in darkness, Jesus comes to us and gives us his word, ‘Stop sinning and live a life of faith.” When we are confused, he sent his servant and help us to find a new direction. Jesus also continues to intercede to the Father in behalf of the believer for the weakness of the believer. (Romans 8:34) As long as God and Jesus perform an eternal work upon his sheep, they can never fall from nor lose that salvation provided by Jesus. Of course, Jesus’ eternal security does not warrant our spiritual complacency or laziness. We should not abuse God’s abundance grace and mercy to justify our sins. How can we go on sinning so that grace may increase? How can we go back to our old life and disobey Jesus? We cannot live in sin any more. We live in faith. We should live a holy life serving his will continuously since Jesus gave us eternal security.
PART III. FACTUAL EVIDENCES (31-42).
When the Jews heard that Jesus was God in verse 30, they picked up stones to stone him. Jesus declared that he was equal with God as a member of the Trinity. They became emotional and unpredictable. But Jesus again told them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” (31-32) Jesus did not say this out of his resentment. Jesus said this out of his great shepherd heart and compassion for the Jews. Then they said to him, “We are not stoning you for any of these, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” (33). Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?” (34) It was a quotation of Psalm 82:6. Jesus also encouraged them, “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (37-38). The Jews should have believed him. Yet again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp (39).
Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true” (40-41). And in that place many believed in Jesus. The majority of the Jews did not believe in Jesus even though Jesus had showed them many evidences that he is the Son of God and the Savior. But Jesus was greatly comforted by those who received John the Baptist’s baptism. They acknowledged that John was a man of power and spirit and that he preached the baptism of repentance yet could not perform any miracles, but that Jesus is the Son of God as John had introduced him. Thank God that there are always some remnants. In conclusion, we must carefully think about and pray to know how important it is to have eternal life. We must believe in Jesus so that we may have eternal life and never perish. Let’s read the key verse 28.