John 10:39

But the Jewish leaders will have nothing to do with his heretical ideas. Quite the contrary, they seek even more forcefully to apprehend him, but as usual, Jesus escapes from their plans to seize him. John 10:39 EFP

Jesus’ pleading is for naught on this day. Perhaps the seeds of faith land and will give fruit in the future, but for this day, they lay dormant. Quite the contrary, rather than eliciting an interest or desire to consider the claims of Christ, their hearts are hardened. They immediately seek to seize him and put an end to his madness. They are more outraged than ever.

Their attempts to capture him have met with disappointment in the past, and they will fail again on this day. But the lot has already been cast. Their machinations are already set in motion and Jesus will not escape forever. The vice is tightening. Jesus knows what awaits him, but not today.

This text reminds me that as long as I am faithful to the calling God has given me there will be opposition and push back. Unlike Jesus, I will not always be right or perfect in my understanding of the Word. But just as certainly, God calls me, an imperfect vessel, to share the message of the cross and the everlasting Gospel to those who are thirsting for “waters of life.” Just as steadily as goodness moves forward, evil also continues its unwavering course set for self-destruction. May God give me the passion for the truth he reveals to me.

John 10:38

“But if you see that I do works consistent with God,” Jesus pleads with them, “even if you do not believe my words, believe my works! Perhaps then you will know and believe what you are unwilling to accept right now: that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” John 10:38 EFP

I imagine by this point that Jesus is at the point of imploring. This does not sound to me as words of frustration or disdain for impenitent and hopelessly biased opponents. His heart must have been paining for these men who are blinded to the truth. They are products of their upbringing. Their every pore breathes national pride and passion for the covenant established by God with their people.

As a result of this world view, Jesus is a threat to their religious paradigm. He does not fit their picture of the long-awaited Messiah. He does not exude the type of earthly power they expect in their deliverer. He is just another in the line of pretenders. But there is something different about Jesus, but they cannot see it because it clashes headlong into their prejudices and fears. He is a threat to their faith and their lifestyle.

Is there a bit of them in all of us? In me? Is this the reason people of faith distrust those who do not align themselves with their personal orthodoxy. Is there hope for the people of God if they do not even speak to each other and are threatened by their point of view? Are we also so threatened by anyone who is a threat to our faith and lifestyle as those men in the time of Jesus? Is there a danger that I might become one of these protectors of an orthodoxy that is foreign to the one who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life”? God forbid!

John 10:37

“In fact,” Jesus adds, “Don’t believe anything I say if it is inconsistent with the work of God, my Father in heaven.” John 10:37 EFP

Would I be willing to put my faith out there? Would I say to my detractors, “This is my life; scrutinize it carefully…and, do not believe anything I say if there is anything awry or askew between my life and the scriptural record of God’s acts in the past”? Wow! Truly Jesus is an extraordinary man.

Jesus knows where he stands. He has no lack of confidence in his calling, his message or his mission. He is certain of who sent him into the world. He is well-acquainted with truth and has been tested by the prince of darkness. He has spent countless hours in prayer and interaction with His Father in heaven. There is no kink in his armor; no weakness in his will; no reticence in his resolve. Yet there is no boasting or false pride. He is who he is.

There is a special power reserved for those in whom there is no gap between their “talk” and their “walk.” I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I confess there are parts of me that I would not want others to know about; things in my past, and even things I struggle with today. I walk by grace, because I need to do so moment by moment. Jesus is grace! He is both the giver of unmerited favor and the provider of the Holy Spirit power to live a life in harmony with the will of God. I want that more and more each day!

John 10:36

Jesus asks them, “Given the fact that we cannot simply cast aside this passage, how do you find it so easy to accuse of blasphemy the very one whom the Father set aside and sent into the world?  Do you do this simply because I take the Scripture at face value and say, ‘I am the Son of God’?” John 10:36 EFP

The Jewish leaders are now is a conundrum of their own making. They cannot ignore the words of the Psalmist. He does, after all, refer to people as “gods”. On the other hand by conceding this point they allow for the possibility that Jesus has the right to call himself the Son of God, even if they consider him deluded. But they cannot outright cast him aside as a lunatic, because he not only gives evidence of miracle-working power, but by doing so, he validates that God is working through him because God does not listen to sinners in their religious paradigm.

Jesus seizes this moment to solidify his claim. The bottom line is that these “men of God” are rejecting him, not on any valid biblical basis, but simply because he makes claims they cannot fathom, are unwilling to accept or even consider! Jesus, on the other hand, does not have any hesitation in making these claims, since he has self-authenticating evidence of His special connection with the Father, with whom his opponents only have a religious relationship based on their self-proclaimed status as “the chosen.”

I cannot help but consider the impact this passage has on me and my claims as a believer. What evidence exists that validates my connection with God? What do my choices reveal about my commitment to the Jesus as the Son of God? May God help me close the gap between my profession of faith and my daily witness to the validity of that faith I claim as mine.