John 10:22–42

“I and the Father are one.”

Those are very simple words, but they are among the most profound words that Jesus ever spoke about himself. And we know that because of the reaction of the people who heard them.

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him, because was making himself out to be God. It was blasphemy.

They understood Jesus. They didn't think he was saying, “The Father and I agree with each other.” They heard a man standing before them claiming to be God. And they said it was blasphemy.

Now, their conclusion was wrong. Jesus was not a blasphemer. But they were right about the magnitude of Jesus' claim. And that is really the question before us this morning: Who is Jesus?

Not merely, What did Jesus teach? Not merely, What did Jesus do? Not merely, Is Jesus a good example? But who is Jesus Christ?

And Jesus answers that question himself: “I and the Father are one.” This morning I want us to see two things in this passage: First, the unity of the Son, and Second, the security of the sheep. Because who Jesus is determines whether we can trust what Jesus promises.

The Unity of the Son

One in Essence

What does Jesus mean when he says, “I and the Father are one”? First, he is telling us that he and the Father are one in essence.

Now, “essence” isn't a word we use very often in ordinary conversation. But it simply has to do with what something is at its most fundamental level.

Think about humanity. Every human being is different. We have different appearances, different personalities, different abilities, different experiences. A newborn baby doesn't look much like a ninety-year-old man. And yet, both are essentially human. Why? Because they share the same human nature. There are many human persons, but there is one human nature.

And Jesus is making a similar, but infinitely greater claim concerning himself and the Father. The Father and the Son are distinct persons. Jesus is not saying, “I am the Father.” The Father is the Father. The Son is the Son. They are not the same person.

But they share the same divine nature. They are one in essence. And there is actually a little grammatical detail in the Greek text that helps us understand this.

Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” The word translated “one” is neuter in Greek. He doesn't use the masculine form that would indicate that he and the Father are one person. He is saying that the Father and the Son are one in being.

And John has been telling us this from the very beginning of his Gospel. In John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word was with God, there is distinction. And the Word was God, there is unity.

And then John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The eternal Son of God took to himself a true human nature. Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. And therefore, everything that is true of God according to his divine nature is true of Christ according to his divine nature.

He is eternal. He is holy. He is sovereign. He possesses divine authority. He gives life. He forgives sins. He is worthy of worship. Jesus is not merely like God. Jesus is not merely God's greatest representative. Jesus is not merely a man who has been given extraordinary power. Jesus is God the Son who has become flesh.

And that means something very important for us. Since Jesus is one in essence with the Father, then when we look at Jesus, we see God revealed to us. Jesus would later say in John 14:9: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

Think about the things Jesus does. When Jesus touches a leper, we see God's compassion. When Jesus welcomes sinners, we see God's mercy. When Jesus confronts hypocrisy, we see God's holiness. When Jesus weeps at Lazarus's tomb, we see God's compassion in the face of death. When Jesus forgives sins, we see God's authority. And when Jesus goes to the cross, we see God accomplishing our redemption.

So what should we do with this? Believe in the Shepherd. Trust him. Put your confidence in him. Since Jesus is truly God, he is able to do everything he has promised to do.

And look at what Jesus promises in this very passage. Verse 28: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” Think about the magnitude of that promise. Jesus says, “I give them eternal life.” Who gives eternal life? God gives eternal life.

Then he says: “They will never perish.” Only God could make a promise like that. And Jesus makes it because Jesus is God. The Shepherd who promises to save you is not merely a man. The Shepherd is God.

One in Will

Jesus is not only one with the Father in essence. He is also one with the Father in will.

Look again at verses 28 and 29. Jesus says: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” “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.” And then Jesus says: “I and the Father are one.”

Notice the connection. They are the same sheep. The same salvation. The same purpose. The same preserving power. The Father and the Son are united in their will to save and preserve the people of God.

And this is important because we can sometimes have a distorted understanding of what happened at the cross. Sometimes we imagine the Father as an angry God who doesn't really want to forgive us, and Jesus comes along and persuades the Father to love us. As if Jesus came to change the Father's disposition toward us.

But that is not the Gospel. Jesus did not come to convince the Father to love you. The Father sent the Son because the Father already loved you. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” The Father loves. The Father gives. 

The Son comes and willingly lays down his life. Remember what Jesus said earlier in this chapter, in verse 18: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” The cross was not the Father forcing an unwilling Son to die for people the Son didn't want to save. The Father and the Son are united in the work of redemption.

The Father isn't careless. The Son isn't unwilling. There is no conflict within the Trinity about our salvation. The Father and Son are one in will.

And what is their will? That the sheep should be saved. That the sheep should have eternal life. That the sheep should never perish. That no one should snatch them out of the hand of God.

Christian, do you see what that means for your salvation? Your salvation rests upon the eternal love of the Triune God.  The Father loves you. The Son has died for you. The Holy Spirit applies that salvation to you. The Triune God is united in His saving purpose.

And therefore, when Christ has taken you as one of his sheep, you are secure in him. Your salvation does not depend upon the strength of your faith, it depends upon the strength of your Savior. Jesus says: “No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

So what should we do? Obey the Shepherd. Verse 27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The sheep hear the Shepherd's voice. And the sheep follow the Shepherd.

That's what Christians do. We listen to Christ. And we follow Christ. Notice the order. We don't obey Christ in order to earn his love. We obey Christ because he has already loved us. We don't follow him in order to become his sheep. We follow him because we are his sheep. And that changes the character of Christian obedience.

We don't obey grudgingly. We don't obey because we're trying to make God love us. We obey because we love him. We obey because we trust him. We obey because we know that the will of our Shepherd is good. 

Sometimes our disobedience is really unbelief wearing a different outfit (like the old Bugs Bunny cartoon where the wolf would dress up like a lamb to fool the sheepdog). We say, “I know what Jesus says, but I think my way will make me happier.” “I know what Jesus says about forgiveness, but I want to hold on to my bitterness.” “I know what Jesus says about purity, but I think I know better.” “I know what Jesus says about loving my neighbor, but I don't want to.” “I know what Jesus says about generosity, but I don't trust him with my money.” 

And underneath all of that is the question: Do I trust the Shepherd? Because Jesus is one with the Father, then we can trust his will and  obey him with gladness.

One in Work

Third, Jesus is one with the Father in work. Look at verse 25: “The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me.” The works Jesus does testify to who he is.

Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus repeatedly tells us that his work and the Father's work are inseparable. John 5:19: “Whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” John 5:21: “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” And here in John 10: “I give them eternal life.”

Jesus does the work of God. He gives life. He raises the dead. He judges. He saves. He preserves his people. And this teaches us something important about the Trinity.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three independent gods who divide up the work of God among themselves. The Triune God works as One. Creation is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Redemption is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Glorification is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And so the work of Christ is not merely the work of a remarkable man. It is the saving work of God incarnate. And this matters when we think about the cross. If Jesus were merely a man his sacrifice would be just one more death. But Jesus isn't merely a man. He is the eternal Son of God who became man. And therefore his sacrifice is of infinite worth. The One who died for our sins is God the Son in human flesh.

And so when Jesus says, “It is finished,” salvation isn't merely made possible. Redemption has been accomplished. Christ has done what we could never do. He has borne the penalty for sin. He has satisfied divine justice. He has defeated death. He has secured eternal life for his sheep. And that is why the work of Christ gives us confidence. Because Christ's work is the work of God.

So what should we do? Praise the Shepherd. Since Jesus is one with the Father in essence, will, and work, then Jesus is worthy of our worship. He deserves our admiration. He deserves our devotion. He deserves our praise. He deserves our whole lives. 

Jesus is not simply someone we ask for help. He is our Lord. He is our God. He is our Shepherd. And he is worthy of everything we are.

THE SECURITY OF THE SHEEP

And now I want to bring all of this together. Because Jesus doesn't tell us who he is merely so that we can pass a theology exam.

He tells us who he is because our security depends upon knowing who he is. Listen again to the language Jesus uses: “My sheep hear my voice.” “I know them.” “They follow me.” “I give them eternal life.” “They will never perish.” “No one will snatch them out of my hand.” “No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

And then: “I and the Father are one.”

Do you see the connection? The security of the sheep rests upon the identity of the Shepherd. If Jesus were merely a man, his promise of eternal life would be presumptuous. If Jesus were merely a prophet, his promise that his sheep will never perish would be impossible. But Jesus is one with the Father. And therefore we can trust him.

Christian, your hope is not that your faith is strong enough. Your hope is that your Savior is strong enough. Your hope is not that you have never wandered. Your hope is that the Shepherd comes looking for his sheep. Your hope is not that you have held onto him perfectly. Your hope is that he has held onto you. And that means there is a rest that belongs to the Christian.

You can stop trying to be your own savior. You can stop trying to earn what Christ has already accomplished. You can stop trying to persuade God to love you. You can stop carrying the burden of securing your own salvation. Christ has you in his hand.

And why can you trust his hand? Because: Christ and the Father are one.