John 10:22-30 “My Sheep”

John 10:22-30 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

22Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Colonnade.

24So the Jews gathered around Jesus, asking, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25Jesus answered them, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. 26But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep, as I said to you. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

“My Sheep”

I.

It was Hanukkah. Back then it’s subtitle was “The Festival of Dedication.” These days it’s often called “The Festival of Lights.” As is still the case at Hanukkah, it was wintertime. Solomon’s Colonnade seemed to be a popular place to gather in the temple complex; perhaps there was a little shelter from the cold winds there.

So it came to pass that Jesus was walking around and teaching there in Solomon’s Colonnade. “So the Jews gathered around Jesus, asking, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly’” (John 10:24, EHV).

Noting that it was Hanukkah is important. Jesus had been at Jerusalem several months before, at the Jewish Festival of Shelters, or the Feast of the Tabernacles, as it has also been called.

Lots of things had happened when Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Festival of Shelters in the fall of that year. He taught in such a way that the Jews were amazed, and wondered how he could know these things without some formal instruction from the rabbis of the day (John 7:14-15). They accused him of having a demon—even being a demon (John 7:20) because, as Jesus told them, he had healed a man on the Sabbath (John 7:23). Some of the regular people believed that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah (John 7:40-43). Among other things, Jesus had taught that he was the Light of the World (John 8:12ff), he healed a man who had been blind from birth (John 9). And then it happened—Jesus talked about himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-10, 11-20).

Every year there is a Good Shepherd Sunday. It is always the Fourth Sunday of Easter. There are three series of readings that are used for our Church Year. This year we are in Year C. John 10:1-10 is the Gospel for Good Shepherd Sunday in Year A, and John 11-20 in Year B.

Now it was the Festival of the Dedication—it was Hanukkah. It had been several months since Jesus had called himself the Good Shepherd. It had been several months since there had been a furor about Jesus healing people on the Sabbath, and teaching others about himself as the Light of the World. It had already been some time since he had amazed the Jews with his deep understanding and his incredible gift at teaching God’s Word.

Months ago he had said and done so many things that identified him as the long-promised Messiah. Of all people, the religious establishment knew and understood many Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. Psalm 23, which we used in our service today, was familiar to them, and recognized as pointing to the One God promised. They were familiar with what God said in Ezekiel: “I myself will shepherd my flock. I myself will let them lie down, declares the LORD God. 16I will seek the lost. I will bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured. I will strengthen the weak. I will destroy the fat and the strong, and I will shepherd them with justice” (Ezekiel 34:15-16, EHV), and culminating in his words: “Then I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he will tend them. My servant David will tend them, and he will be their shepherd. 24I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be the prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.” (Ezekiel 34:23-24, EHV).

There were other Old Testament prophecies, too. They were familiar with God’s Word concerning the Messiah, who was so often called the Shepherd of his people.

II.

With all that in mind, back to their question: “‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ 25Jesus answered them, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe’” (John 10:24-25, EHV).

They didn’t believe...because they didn’t want to believe. They didn’t believe because they had firmly and adamantly rejected the Messiah God had sent them. What the whole Jewish world was wanting and expecting was a Messiah that would deal with their political wants—their earthly wants. The Jews wanted to be prominent on the world stage again. They wanted to be an autonomous nation again. Beyond even that, they wanted a Messiah who would fulfill other earthly desires—they wanted health and wealth—stuff. They wanted to be taken care of—the ultimate welfare state.

Jesus didn’t fulfill their wants, so they didn’t believe.

So many don’t believe in Jesus. If a person’s wants are all earthly, as so many are, it’s easy to not believe because they don’t want to believe. The message of the Bible isn’t designed to win popularity contests. Since the fall into sin, people like sin. Many lifestyle choices involve sin.

Perhaps the Jews who demanded that Jesus tell them plainly if he were the Christ thought that if they kept mocking him and deriding him as foolish he would just fade away. Maybe if they insisted strongly enough that he hadn’t convinced anyone he was the Messiah, most people would reject him as the Messiah.

Such methods still continue. Whenever any Christian concept is mentioned in a story today there will be tons of comments mocking Christianity. Churches will be called nothing but a scam, and pastors are just grifters, looking to fleece people of their hard-earned money.

There are even those in the Christian community who cater to those looking to fulfill their wants, rather than what God actually says. Long ago, God said through the prophet Jeremiah: “I have heard what the prophets who prophesy lies in my name have said. They say, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ 26How long will this be in the hearts of these lying prophets? These prophets proclaim the fantasies of their own hearts” (Jeremiah 23:25-26, EHV). The false prophets of the Old Testament were willing to cater to people by telling them what they wanted to hear. It was a lucrative gig. Paul talks about the same thing: “For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. 4They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, EHV). Sadly, many Christian churches make it easy for unbelievers to call pastors grifters when they willingly cater to the whims of society, rather than teaching what God really says.

Jesus continued his answer to the Jews: “The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. 26But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep, as I said to you” (John 10:25-26, EHV). The works of Jesus that testify about him are both his words and actions, especially those words and actions he was referring to from his earlier visit to the temple at the Festival of Shelters. He had taught about himself. He had punctuated his teaching with miracles, to help people identify him as truly the One who had come according to God’s promise.

The unbelieving Jews turned to their own whims and fantasies and the teachings made up for their itching ears because they wanted nothing to do with the truth. They insisted on not being Jesus’ sheep. Unbelievers of every generation choose unbelief because they want nothing to do with the truth.

III.

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27, EHV). Jesus knows you. You are his sheep.

Sheep are fickle animals. They wander off. They get lost. They get into places that are dangerous, or wander in the direction of predators without ever recognizing the danger. Jesus knows all about you—about your failures and shortcomings. How tempting it is to follow fantasies—to gather teachers that will cater to itching-ear disease. He calls to you when predators would rip you away from the safety of his true voice.

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (John 10:28, EHV). How does Jesus give his sheep eternal life? He gave the answer during his previous trip to Jerusalem at the Festival of Shelters: “I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15, EHV). As your great High Priest, Jesus willingly went to the cross to become the sacrifice for the sin that separates us from God. He laid down his life to save us from eternal death. That means that his sheep will never perish.

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one” (John 10:28-30, EHV).

No one has power superior to God himself. Jesus and the Father are one. The Triune God is the God of salvation. No one has the power to snatch you from the care of the Good Shepherd.

IV.

Think back to the Psalm of the Day, Psalm 23. “The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing. 2He causes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. 3He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3, EHV). Does the Psalm teach you that you will live a life of ease? Not necessarily.

Listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Be in his Word on a regular basis. By tuning in to the Good Shepherd on a regular basis, you learn the secret of being content, no matter what life has to throw at you. Even when the tumultuous waves of life are crashing all around you, your Good Shepherd leads you to quiet waters—he calms your troubled spirit and reassures you that he knows you and cares for you. He restores your soul, even when all the trials and tribulations of life come at you with machine-gun power.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4, EHV). The Good Shepherd will never leave you or forsake you, even as death comes knocking at the door.

“You set a table for me in the presence of my foes. You drench my head with oil. My cup is overflowing. 6Surely goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:5-6, EHV).

Jesus did not promise that the life of a Christian would be a life of ease. He did not promise that you would always have health and prosperity. But he did promise, and does promise, that even in the presence of your enemies, he is with you. When you listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice in his Word, you will find that your cup overflows. Maybe you will find physical blessings overflowing, but even if you don’t, your spiritual blessings will continuously overflow because you listen to your Good Shepherd.

And, as Jesus said: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (John 10:28, EHV). You will live in the house of the Lord forever, as the Psalmist said; you will live with Jesus eternally. All because he laid down his life for his sheep. He laid down his life for you. Live your life in confidence because you know you are his sheep. Amen.