PONDERING... John 10:19-30

John 10:19-30  There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.  20  Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?"  21  Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  22  At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,  23  and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.  24  So the Jews gathered around him and said 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 bear witness about me,  26  but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.  27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  28  I give them eternal life, 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."

What's Happening:

1. Division (vs 19-21) 19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.  20  Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?"  21  Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Again we see that 1. This is still on this heels of the healing in John 9, and 10. There was great division amongst the people because of Jesus. You cannot be indifferent towards Christ. No one ever was. No one ever will be. To hear His claims is to react.

2. Feast of dedication..time jump (vs 22-23) 22  At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,  23  and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.

This is the feast of renewing/ renovation (also known as this feast of lights...aka Hanukkah). It happened about 2 1/2ish months after the feast of tabernacles (previous verses) around December 20th or 25th. This would have been a colder rainy season which would explain why he went into the porch or colonnade of Solomon (built annually in the winter for convos).

This feast was instituted by Judas Maccabaeus, in the year 164 b.c. The temple and city were taken by Antiochus Epiphanes in the year 167 b.c. He killed 40,000 inhabitants, and sold 40,000 more as slaves. In addition to this, he sacrificed a sow on the altar of burnt-offerings, and a broth being made of this, he sprinkled it all over the temple. The city and temple were recovered three years afterward by Judas Maccabaeus, and the temple was purified with great pomp and solemnity. The ceremony of purification continued through eight days, during which Judas presented magnificent victims, and celebrated the praise of God with hymns and psalms (Josephus, Ant., b. xii. ch. 11).- Barnes

3. Jews ask to be told plainly... He had (vs 24-25) 24  So the Jews gathered around him and said 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 bear witness about me,

John 6:35  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 7:37-39  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  38  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"  39  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 8:23-25  He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.  24  I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins."  25  So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

Also, He points out that His works (miracles and misson) supplement His words.

4. Disbelieving non-sheep (vs 26) 26  but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

Contrasting with how Sheep respond, these Jews are told that they do not believe because they are not sheep. (More on this in a second.)

5. My sheep...eternal security/preservation of the saints (vs 27-28) 27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  28  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

As we've been mentioning, His sheep (Christians) listen and respond to His voice. When this happens, they are gloriously and eternally saved from damnation.

6. All hinges on the strength of the Father who 1st called and now holds (and to whom Jesus is equal) (vs 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."

A couple observations:

1. There are people who will hear, see, and experience the Truth of God and not believe---thus, not be saved. They are not part of His flock.

2. Yet, there are sheep who will hear His voice, and will follow Him. They will have eternal life, and they will never perish since no one will ever be able to take them from the Father's hand. In other words, they will never cease to be saved or lose their salvation.

A couple points of application:

1. We cannot know who these people are and must preach to everyone. God has chosen to use us as His tools to spread His Word, the good news of His salvation. We cannot understand the complexities of who will and will not be saved, but God, who is vastly more qualified, does, and we know that "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance"(2 Peter 3:9 ESV). There will be people saved because He is calling them! Therefore, we need to leave this distinction of sheep and non-sheep in His hands where it forever belongs, and seek only to do His good will. Those who follow Him are sheep. Those who die not following Him are not sheep.

2. Those who are saved can be sure that this salvation will last forever! God's hands are more than able to hold.

3. However, just because we know that salvation is eternal does not mean that everyone who thinks they are saved has eternal security. Remember, the Bible tells us that if we believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the Son of God dying in your place and rising that you might rise also with Him and returning to take His church home, and if you give Him control of your life, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 John 5:13 breaks this down even further and says, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life" (ESV). I challenge you to look at 1 John and see what the Holy Spirit inspired John to write on this subject. Here are a few quick notes.

Christians:

1. Turn from darkness to light (1John 1, 3:3-4)

2. Model their lives after Christ and obey His Word (1John 2:1-8,29)

3. Love...period, and the brothers especially (1John 2:7-11, 3:10, 14-15; 5:2)

4. Change their alleigiences/do not love the world/sin (1John 2:15-17)

5. Love Jesus (1John 2:19-27)

6. Approach God as Father (1John 3:1-3)

7. Have the Holy Spirit and live in community with believers (1John 4:12-13, 5:10-11)

8. Affirm sound doctrine (1John 2:20-23; 4:2,6)

See verses below:

1 John 1:1-10  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—  2  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—  3  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  4  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.  5  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 3:3-4  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.  4  Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

1 John 2:1-8  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  3  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  4  Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,  5  but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:  6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.  7  Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  8  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

1 John 2:29  If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

1 John 2:7-11  Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  8  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.  9  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.  10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.  11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 3:10  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:14-15  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.  15  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

1 John 2:15-17  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  16  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.  17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

1 John 2:19-27  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.  20  But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  21  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.  22  Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  23  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.  24  Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.  25  And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.  26  I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.  27  But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

1 John 3:1-3  See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  2  Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  3  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

1 John 4:12-13  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  13  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

1 John 5:10-11  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.  11  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1 John 2:20-23  But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  21  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.  22  Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  23  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

1 John 4:2-6  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  3  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.  4  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  5  They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.  6  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Ponder, pray, and propagate your perceptions.