The Shepherd Knows His Sheep, but is Rejected

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: John 10:22-42

 

John 10:27-28

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

(NKJV)

 

Psalm 23 reminds us that the Lord is our shepherd who supplies our needs and leads us by still waters and even the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus is the true and good shepherd (John 10:1-21) we can depend upon to meet our needs. Jesus tells a group of Jews surrounding Him that His sheep hear His voice but that they do not hear Him because they are not of his sheep. Not wanting to hear the truth behind their unbelief, these Jews seek to stone Jesus but cannot because Jesus escapes. In the information age where information is abundant, it is important to remain tuned in to the voice of Jesus the good Shepherd to avoid dangerous deception (John 8:32).

 

Jesus is at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem at Solomon’s porch, surrounded by a group of Jews (John 10:22-23). The purpose of the mob surrounding Jesus is to demand that Jesus tell them plainly if He is the Christ (John 10:24). Jesus reminds them that He has told them and that the works He does in the name of the Father bear witness of Him (John 10:25). Jesus then tells them they do not believe because they are not of His sheep because His sheep hear His voice with Him knowing them and with them following Him (John 10:26-27). Jesus gives His sheep eternal life so they will never perish, and neither will anyone be able to snatch them out of His hand (John 10:28). Jesus and His heavenly Father are one with the God the Father, greater than all (John 10:29-30).

 

Angered by Jesus’ accusations, the Jews take up stones to stone Him, but Jesus confronts them and asks them for which of the good works from the Father they are stoning Him (John 10:31-32). The Jews reply, letting Jesus know they are not stoning Him for some good work but for blasphemy because He made Himself God (John 10:33). Jesus reminds them of Psalm 82:6 which says they are gods (John 10:34). If this is true in Scripture which cannot be broken, how can they say He is blaspheming when He says He is the Son of God (John 10:35-36). Jesus tells them that if He does not do the works of the Father, not to believe Him, but if He does, believe the works even though they do not believe Him, challenging them to believe the Father is in Him and He is in the Father (John 10:37-38). The Jews attempt to seize Jesus again, but this time He escapes (John 10:39). Jesus then went away beyond the Jordan to where John baptized at first, with many coming to Him there and believing (John 10:40-42).

 

Jesus is at the Feast of Dedication and surrounded by Jews demanding that he clearly say whether He is the Christ. They are not seeking to become disciples of Jesus but are looking for something with which to accuse Jesus. This is evident because even though Jesus did not give them a direct response, His statement that He and the Father are one leads to an accusation of Blasphemy (John 10:30-33). Jesus then quotes Psalm 82:6, where scripture tells them they are gods, and then asks them how they who are gods could accuse one sent by the Father of blasphemy for saying He is the Son of God (John 10:34-36). The Jews once again seek to seize Jesus, but He escapes to a region beyond the Jordan where many come to Him and believe (John 10:39-42).

 

To avoid deception, believers must use discernment when choosing who to listen to as teachers of God’s Word. In the mass media, social media, and information age in which we live. To have this discernment, it is vital to check out the purpose behind the one teaching God’s Word. Is the one teaching seeking fame and financial gain through the use of media? In the age in which we live, it can be lucrative for one on TV to accumulate massive wealth through sales of books, DVDs, podcast subscriptions, or contributions to their ministries promising God’s financial blessings if they do (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Is their purpose to find discrepancies in the Bible or possibly to cherry-pick scripture to begin some new cult (Revelation 22:18-19)? If this is their purpose, I advise avoiding their teaching. However, if their purpose is to teach the entirety of truth in the Bible, pointing people to Jesus to draw people to Him (John 12:32), this is a teacher to listen to. A genuine follower of Jesus Christ is like the Bereans who searched the scriptures and sought those teaching the truth of God’s word (Acts 17:10-11).

 

If you believe in your heart that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave but have not made a public confession of this belief like the man born blind, I invite you to pray with me now,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

I invite you to let someone know of your decision or to comment on this post about your decision. I also encourage you to become involved in a Church that teaches the Bible and following through with baptism. May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post.