We encounter Jesus at the Feast of Dedication, the feast of
Lights, Hannukah, where we remember that God redeemed his people and set them
free, and we remember the Light of the World.
We meet Jesus walking in Solomon’s Portico. This is the part of the temple precincts
associated with the king giving judgement.
And it seems that it is Jesus himself who is on trial.
Are you the Messiah?
Are you claiming to be in charge?
Do we follow you?
I wonder if Jesus allowed a little tone of exasperation to
creep into his voice? It is sometimes
called the Messianic Secret in John: he has been very open about his call and
ministry, but there are those who just do not “get it”. In chapter two he cleansed the temple, and
the religious leaders demanded that he show them a sign. In chapter five Jesus says that the
scriptures testify about him, but that the leaders refuse to come to him to
have life. In chapter six he feeds the
five thousand, and says that he is the bread of life; from that time many who
had followed him turn back and leave him.
In chapter seven they debate whether Jesus is the Messiah – the Christ;
the Pharisees announce that he cannot be, because he comes from Galilee not
Judah. In chapter eight Jesus points out
that the true descendants of Abraham, those who have faith, are marked out by
whether they believe in him, Jesus, or not; the chapter ends with a mob trying
to kill him because he claims to be equal with God. In Chapter nine Jesus is criticised for
healing a blind man on the Sabbath; he accuses his accusers of being wilfully
and spiritually blind. Chapter ten opens
with Jesus announcing that the leaders of Israel are false shepherds of the
people, but that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep;
the leaders hit back that Jesus must be demon possessed.
And so we find Jesus in Solomon’s Portico, surrounded by a
mob, going over the same ground. Jesus,
who are you? What are we to make of your
claims? The truth, Jesus says, is that
he is the Good Shepherd, but that there are those who refuse to be his
sheep. His true sheep are those who hear
him, and follow him.
Note that his detractors were religious people. It is not enough to be religious. They were knowledgeable people. It is not enough to know our bibles. They were articulate and opinionated. What they were not was …. to be open for all that God had for
them. They were not sure what God’s will
looked like, but they were sure that Jesus did not feature in it.
There is a positive side to this. In this Easter season we can encounter the
risen Jesus, calling us as our Good Shepherd.
We can choose to hear, and to follow.
There is a healthy debate about whether what we believe will
influence what we do, or whether our actions influence our beliefs. People who recycle for just a month find
their concern for the environment increasing all round. If you act lovingly towards someone, you find
that your emotions follow. If you
structure in times of prayer, or worship, or listening, it will increase your
chance of hearing God, finding yourself in tune with his will.
And it gets better.
Jesus makes to each of us who follow him this personal promise: we will
be his sheep and he with be our God Shepherd.
Even if he must leave the 99, he will come after us. He promises us the eternal life that comes directly
from God so loving the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that
whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
The very definiteness with which some will reject following
Jesus is turned round by the fact that Jesus is very definite that he will care
for us who follow him. We may feel
ourselves surrounded by close relatives, or colleagues or friends who would
scorn our beliefs and seek to drive a wedge between Jesus and us. The action we take is to pray for them to be
forgiven as we seek to be forgiven, and to pray to be kept from the time of
trial and to be delivered from the evil one; for the glory and the power are
his.
We are doubly secure.
None will pluck us out of Jesus’ hand; none will pluck us out of the
Father’s hand. Jesus and the Father are
one, and we are held, doubly secure.
Discussion Starters
- In
this passage Jesus talks about his sheep (his followers) recognizing his
voice and following him. Have you ever felt like you’ve heard Jesus’
voice? What was it like? If not, what might you imagine Jesus would call
you to do?
- There
is a promise in this passage that those God has entrusted to Jesus will
never be “snatched away.” When things are particularly hard, how might you
remember – and remind others – of Jesus’ promise that he will never let us
go?
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