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ONEFamily Outreach exists to "Connect Kids to Community and Communities to Kids." Have you considered having a mission week for your church? This is one of my favorite "in-depth" ways of reaching out with the Great News of Jesus Christ. Activities can include:

  • Interactive and participative praise concerts for children, youth, and families;
  • Morning staff studies on "Authentic Leadership" and "Building a Culture of Intentional Courtesy"
  • Brown-Bag Luncheon Studies for your community focusing on our scriptural call to justice;
  • In-service for your volunteers or teachers on reaching today's youth and families with the vibrant, living, message of Jesus Christ;
  • Evening parent seminars based upon two of Jerry's recent books: "Significant Conversations: Helping Young People Live Meaningful Lives," and "The Deepest Longing of Young People; Loving Without Conditions."
  • Local networking with other area groups (secular or faith-based) regarding prevention and intervention strategies for high-risk and incarcerated youth;
  • Humorous and thought-provoking school assemblies (secular or religious, elementary through high school).

ONEFamily Outreach is primarily supported by your donations and by trainings, workshops, retreats and concerts.


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To Hear and To Follow

John 10:22-30

Fourth Sunday of Easter C

John 10:22-30

[Jn 10:22] At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; [23] it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. [24] The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  [25] Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. [26] “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.  [27] “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; [28] and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. [29] “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. [30] “I and the Father are one.” (NAS)

John 10:22-23

[Jn 10:22] At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; [23] it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.

At That Time (why the timing was so important)

Jesus goes to Jerusalem in December for the Feast of Lights or Hanukkah.  It was not an official feast day of the Old Testament. This feast was instituted by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B.C. commemorating the cleansing of the Temple after Antiochus Epiphanes had defiled it by sacrificing a pig on the altar of burnt offering [see 1Ma 4:36-59; 2Ma 1:9; 10:1-8].

Obviously, this Feast would be one of Rome’s least favorite Jewish holidays as nationalistic fervor would be at frenzy levels among the occupied Jews. This is very important to understand if we are to grasp the breadth of the situation in which Jesus had intentionally placed himself some 2,000 years ago.  The question Jesus is asked, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly,” was loaded with images of a conquering king like David or Judas Maccabeus unseating and thoroughly humiliating Rome.

Are our images of Jesus rooted in who he really was or who we want him to really be?  Do we see him as some nationalistic hero or someone who is going to ride in and under gird my self-righteousness?

The Jesus who rides into Jerusalem during the Passover decides to do so on a donkey colt a symbolical action to announce he is a King, but a King who comes in peace [Lk 19:33-40].  Our King lays aside the sword to pick up the cross.  Do I have some other expectation of what values that I, his mere servant, should live by or how he, my savior-king, will appear in my life, neighborhood, or city?

According to John, the visit on the Feast of Lights was the second to the last trip that Jesus would make to Jerusalem. The next visit would be Christ’s last, when he would return there for his final Passover and sacrifice.  Jesus had been in Jerusalem three months before the Feast of Dedication to celebrate the Festival of Shelters [7:1-10:21]. 

On that occasion the crowds had many divided opinions about Jesus, some claimed that he was obviously the Messiah because of his miraculous works while the chief priests and Pharisees continually sought to discredit and seize Jesus. However, the crowds were always too large and given the heightened, nationalistic zeal) an arrest may well have incited an insurrection. A civil disturbance would have immediately and harshly brought down the hand of Rome whereupon the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate, would either bypass or pressure Herod to unseat the family of Caiaphas and Annas from their position of power as High Priests.

If the High Priest couldn’t control the masses, he would lose his position. The interesting question here is, “Should that have been the High Priest’s primary focus?” Should he have focused on appeasing politicians or, perhaps, should he have focused on curing the ills that caused so much oppression among the people? It reminds me very much of the situation in which Archbishop Oscar Romero found himself in early 1980 (in El Salvador) except that Archbishop Romero chose the path of justice instead of compromise.

Certainly, in Christ’s day, the temple treasury had the money and power to do many works of service, provide for the oppressed, and offer jobs. Yet, instead of engaging the oppressed with the wealth they held in trust (it was God’s money, not theirs), they tried to control the oppressed.

In short, the people were primed for Jesus because their situation was so oppressive. All of the conditions were ripe for the message of Jesus including:

1.        The socioeconomic gap between those who had and those who did not;

2.        The hubris of the leaders who thought that they could manipulate the people for generations;

3.        The altruistic leadership of Jesus who was not trying to “cash in” politically or financially on his growing popularity. Instead, he remained focused upon meeting the needs of the poor.

Whenever and wherever these conditions exist, a revolution will occur, whether that is through movements like the Base Communities of Central America in the 1980’s or the Civil Rights movement under Dr. King, Jr.

John 10:24-25

[24] The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  [25] Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.”

“If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

There are many people who ask questions, not as a tool for learning, but as a tool of entrapment.  These people weren’t seeking to follow Jesus but corner him.

If Jesus had succumbed to the pressure and made a public statement in Jerusalem, on that feast day, it would have led to our Lord’s arrest before he had the opportunity to prepare his followers for the cross.  Peter had not yet seen Jesus as the Christ, no one would have witnessed the transfiguration, the resurrection of Lazarus or the washing of feet at the Last supper.  The apostles would not hear or be prepared for the Lord’s final sacrifice or the call to service (instead of lordship), which is at the heart of discipleship.

If Jesus had spoken at that time; it would have been on Zealot’s and the Sanhedrin’s terms and not according to God’s plan.  In response, Jesus resists their title; he will not be goaded into revealing himself to fools.  Why?

Because their title had strings!

If Jesus had claimed their title at that time, he would have been trapped. The Zealots would use him to start a revolution while the High Priest’s would have killed him as a heretic. 

Eventually, Jesus would be tried, not for his works or statements (the High Priest’s drummed up charges after Christ’s arrest), but because he couldn’t be bought with favors and was undermining the fragile power base of the High Priests. Jesus was not afraid to admit the truth, he just would not reveal himself by man’s timing or accept man’s interpretation of his mission.

Do we have this much lucidity in our lives?  Are I goaded by cynics into action or stirred by titles and power to latch onto worldly positions?

In our trainings, we define adolescence as a stage where our peers define our self-worth.  Do I make decisions based upon impressing others or serving God?  It is quite simple to know this by simply looking at the clothes I wear, the car I drive, and the house I own.  It is easy to tell by the way I either listen to others and call out their worth or try to rule each conversation (for example, telling others about my worth and my position all the time).  It is evident in where I give my time. Do I only seek to further my goals or do I selflessly seek to serve the needs of God’s most forgotten people?

What evidence does my life give of whose opinions are most important to me?

Jesus tells the harassing crowd: “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.”

Jesus’ works spoke plain enough, do my works speak with such clarity? Eventually, nothing will illustrate my allegiances more than my works.  So, “to whom” do my works testify that I follow?

John 10:26-27

[26] “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.  [27] “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

“You do not believe”

The word “believe” is an important word study for Christians.

To believe [GSN4100 pisteuo] means to place trust in, to believe in someone or something.  It comes from the word pistis [GSN4102], which means to have faith in someone or something.  But pistis [GSN4102] comes from the word peitho [GSN3982], which means to place confidence in someone or something and to listen and obey someone in whom you have placed your trust.

To believe in Jesus is more than a statement or a creed, it is to have the confidence to act on our faith, to listen and obey.  James tells us that even demons believe in Jesus but belief is useless without action:

James 2:19-20

[Jas 2:19] You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. [20] But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? (NAS)

Many of the religious rulers of Jerusalem had witnessed the miracles of Jesus.  In fact, it was because of his miracles and the following they were garnering that they decided to kill him [John 11:47-50].

The Nazarenes heard Jesus’ words and marveled at them [Lk 4:22].  Minutes later they picked stones to kill Jesus.

I can fear his title, witness his works and marvel at his words and still miss his call entirely.  I can listen and not obey (in fact, I probably get it right one percent of the time). But the work of a follower is just that: to follow.  “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

To hear and to follow!

Life itself is a process whereby I become increasingly able to recognize Christ’s voice and follow or I become enamored with my own voice (like the demons, the Religious Leaders and the Nazarenes) and reject his call. Everyday I must practice listening, everyday I must place myself where I can hear his call, or everyday I will come to mistake my voice for his.

It is so important that we ask ourselves:

1.        “Where can I go that I am most likely to hear his call today?”

2.        “What can I do to make me humble enough to hear his words and follow them today?”

3.        “What practices do I need to pursue today that will silence my deception and heighten my reception?”

4.        “Will I know his voice better tonight than I did this morning?”

And most of all, “When he calls do recognize his voice and follow?”

John 10:28

[28] and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

I give eternal life to them

This sentence is filled with statements that underline Jesus’ claim to be Messiah and the type of Messiah he claims to be.  If those questioning listened with the intent to hear, these answers would have led them to grasp that the Messiah had indeed arrived and was staring them in the face.

·     Jesus promises eternity [GSN166 aionios]:

This is a difficult concept to translate, especially in its true Hebrew context.  As opposed to the Greeks (and our culture); time was not measurable on a line whereby my life represents some dot between A - Z.  Rather, eternity was not a place but a presence.  God calls himself; “I AM [HSN1961 HAYAH] WHO [HSN834 ASHER] I AM” [HSN1961 HAYAH].”

Exodus 3:14

[Ex 3:14] God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

ASHER [HSN834] means all things, all places, and all power.  God cannot be pinpointed to a place on a line for He is neither a thing nor in a place.  GOD is, was, and will be.  Herein is the Hebrew concept of God and eternity.  It is all of eternity in the present and the present in all of eternity.  God is able to bring the eternal into the present and make the present into the eternal.  Now that can be a frightening or exciting concept.  It is exciting if your life is filled with the presence of Christ even now:

Philippians 4:4-7

[Phl 4:4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! [5] Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. [6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NAS)

Paul, who writes this letter under arrest and facing a possible death sentence, has already welcomed God into his presence and knows the eternal peace of God that transcends time and circumstance.

Alternatively, if we have already made our current reality a living hell (by not including God into it) then our future is going to be more of the same.  God offers unsurpassable peace now, His presence, power, and love is available now.  If I don’t experience that peace in the present then my future won’t be any different except for horrific revelation that I could have changed my reality at anytime in this life.  I AM WHO AM is willing to 1) heal my past, 2) share my present, and 3) shape my future; my part is to give Him all three.

·         Jesus promises life [GSN2222 zoe];

Jesus actually promises much more than life, he promises a way of living that leads to everlasting life:

John 14:6

[Jn 14:6] Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life [GSN2222 zoe]; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (NAS)

Initially, Christians were called Followers of the Way.  The root word of Zoe [GSN2222] is Zao [GSN622] a word we might remember from Easter when the Angels asked the women at the empty tomb: “Why do you seek [GSN2198 zao] the living One [GSN2198 zao] among the dead?” [Lk 24:5].

Perhaps the closest translation of this phrase would deeply urge us to “seek the way of the living One.”

Life everlasting is the living way of the Living One.

·     “They will never perish [GSN622 apollumi]; and no one will snatch them [GSN726 harpazo] out of My hand [GSN5495 cheir];

As Christ continues with his resurrection promises we are told that we will never perish [GSN622 apollumi], which means to be lost or destroyed, that we will never be snatched [GSN726 harpazo] which means to be seized or taken by force from his hand [GSN5495 cheir] or his commission.

The Hand of God is one of the oldest concepts of strength and protection in the Old Testament. The Psalm which most illustrates this concept is Psalm 10:

Psalm 10:12-18

[12] Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted. [13] Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”

[14] You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan.

[15] Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none. [16] The LORD is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land.

[17] O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear [18] To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror. (NAS)

Look at the sheep that our Messiah will never let be taken from his hand:

1.        The afflicted;

2.        The unfortunate;

3.        The orphan;

4.        The humble;

5.        And, the oppressed.

Men, of the earth will no longer cause them terror.  Their arms will be broken (their strength will be no more) if they try to take them, and God will strengthen the humble and incline His ear to the outcast.

This is the glorious news of salvation.  This is the Ram’s Horn of triumph.

2 Samuel 22:2-4

[2] And he said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; [3] My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, Thou dost save me from violence. [4] “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.” (NAS)

John 10:29-30

[29] “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. [30] “I and the Father are one.” (NAS)

“I and the Father are one.”

Jesus breaks down two major barriers here and clearly states his position with God.  First of all, he calls God his Father [GSN3962 pater], identifying his significant closeness to God.  God is rarely called Father in the Old Testament for Jewish writers and scholars largely had a distant relationship from Him.  He was God Almighty, Mighty King, but He was rarely referred to as “Father,” especially in the familiar term that Jesus uses here.  Through this statement, we see one of the prophesies of Isaiah fulfilled; the role of Jesus with God:

Isaiah 9:6

[6] For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (NAS)

Jesus is identifying his unique and intimate relationship to God as Father and Son.  It was a relationship that God Himself testified to both at Christ’s baptism [Mk 1:11] and Christ’s transfiguration [Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35].

Secondly, Jesus declares not only his unique relationship to God as His son, but he also declares that he and the Father are one [GSN1520 heis].  Heis [GSN1520] is a form of intimate, legal, and physical unity.  We might think of it as “the sum is greater than the parts,” but also, “the parts don’t exist outside the sum.”  They are “uniquely” one, independent and interdependent at the same time.  Look how Isaiah describes this relationship in another prophecy about our Lord, Jesus Christ:

Isaiah 42:1-9

1 “Behold, My servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one {in whom} My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.

2 “He will not cry out or raise {His voice,} nor make His voice heard in the street. 3 “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed, until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

5 Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it, 6 “I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, 7 To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images. 9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim {them} to you.” (NAS)

Jesus is:

1.        “One with the Father;”

2.        The only Begotten Child [GSN3439 monogenes] of God (mono = only and genes = by birth) [John 1:14; 16; 3:16; 18];

3.        And, the Chosen One [HSN972 bachiyr] of Israel [Is 42:1; 45:4; Lk 9:35]

Our Lord couldn’t have been any clearer about his Messianic claim unless he wore a sandwich board on top of his cloak and surrounded himself with a thousand camels dressed in aluminum foil and neon signs flashing; “Yes, he is the Messiah.”

However, Jesus instead chose to point to his works as his testimony:

John 10:37-38

[37] “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; [38] but if I do them, 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.” (NAS)

Jesus couldn’t have been more lucid.  God couldn’t have been clearer.  The Holy Spirit couldn’t have been plainer.  The prophecies couldn’t have been more coherent.

Those in Jerusalem on that day had everything they needed to make the decision and they still chose not to believe.  In like manner, we have everything that we need to make a decision including the testimony of the Gospels, the early church, the letters and countless saints and martyrs who have shown with the love of God since that day in the temple at the Feast of Dedication.

Jesus cannot be more forthright.

If we don’t believe, it is not because the evidence is not there; it is because, like these Pharisees, we saw the evidence and refused to believe.  Or, even worse, we saw the evidence and chose not to follow.

On this day, generations later, will I hear? Will I follow?

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2005 Jerry Goebel. All Rights Reserved.  This study may be freely distributed, as long as it bears the following attribution: Source: Jerry Goebel: 2005 © http://onefamilyoutreach.com.

Scripture taken from God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society original work copyright © 1995.

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