The Showdown

Expectations.  We all have them.  We have expectations when we go to a restaurant.  We expect the food and service to be good.  We have expectations of our children.  We expect to see our children and celebrate with them in any number of occasions from birthdays to holidays and more.  We have expectations of our friends, expectations of our employers, expectations of our community, and expectations of our Church. In fact, in every relationship in life, each of us hope that our expectations will be met. But when they are not, any number of things can happen in us: we become frustrated, disappointed, hurt or even angry when someone or something fails to meet our expectations.  And perhaps the greatest realm where we experience this is in the marriage relationship. That’s why one of the best things Becky and I did before we got married was to write out a list of 40 expectations and how we might respond if the other person didn’t meet our expectation.  So, we wrote out our expectations of each other: expectations about family time, expectations about work, about holidays, babies, vacations, how we would spend our money and just about anything else we could think of.  Then after writing out these expectations, we sat down with our pastor and shared them with one another. Now, the good news was that Becky and I learned that most of our expectations were similar.  But the greatest benefit from this exercise was what it did for us whenever we faced any conflict or strife later on.  Since we knew that most strife, hurt or disappointment results from unmet expectations, we were able to address any conflict or hurt with some understanding, and work things out to get back to harmony with one another.

Now that’s the negative side of expectations. And most of life is full of unmet expectations. But once in a while we encounter something or someone who goes way beyond our expectations.  We experience an event or person who gives us more than we’d ever hoped for.  And as we return to the story of Jesus in the Gospel of John today, we are going to see one of those encounters.  And it all starts with the unmet expectations that the Jews have of Jesus.  So, if you brought your Bible with you today, I want to encourage you to open it to John 10:22-42, where we’re going to see that as the Jews confront Jesus with their unmet expectations of Him, that there’s more to Jesus than meets the eye.  So, if you’ve found John 10:22-42, let’s begin where John does by introducing us to the Jews frustration with Jesus.

Tell us who you are!  Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” John 10:22-24

Here’s the scene:  It’s been a while Jesus was on the Temple Grounds.  His discourse as the Good Shepherd took place shortly after the Feast of Tabernacles.  Now, it is winter, the rainy season in Israel, which is why Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. It’s also the Festival of Dedication, which takes place in December.  The Festival was not one of the Feasts where all Israel was required to attend.  Because it was a newer celebration, but one that was equally important to the Jews. We know this feast by its modern name, Hannukah, or festival of lights.  Allow me to give you the history as to how this feast came into existence:

In 167 BC, when the Syrian Emperor, Antiochus Epiphanes, was attempting to establish uniformity of worship throughout his empire, he desecrated the temple in Jerusalem by erecting an altar to Zeus. It was an abomination that an idol to a pagan god be placed in their Temple. So, soon after this, Judas Maccabaeus led a successful revolt against the Syrians and removed this altar. Then in December of 164 BC, the Temple was cleansed and rededicated. Now this “day of dedication” that set-apart the Temple as the place where Israel could meet once again with the Living God.  So, this was an important festival for the Jews.  They had been delivered from the pagans so they could once again meet with their God.

That’s the scene as the religious leaders, encircle Jesus. Literally, the Jews have surrounded him.  To surround Jesus in this manner was a military tactic.  They’ve cornered Jesus so he has to stop and listen to them. This was a showdown.  They’ve had enough of Jesus’ tactics.  Now they want answers and so they ask Him: “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” This question could actually be translated this way: “How long do you intend to annoy us? Tell us who you really are!  What they wanted to know was if Jesus was the One they were expecting. Was he going to be like Judas Maccabeaus?  Was he going to deliver them from their Roman oppressors they could worship God like before.  If so, tell us plainly!  But as we shall soon see, Jesus doesn’t meet their expectations of Him.  Instead, he is about to reveal himself to them as so much more.  He’s about to reveal himself as the Son of God.

Jesus is the Son: Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:25-30

Jesus did tell them who He was. Jesus’ words told them who He is. He had told them He was the bread of life; the bread that came down from heaven.  He told them He was the living water; the rock from which the living water of salvation flows.  He told them He was the light of the world; that He was the light of life. He told them He was the great I Am and the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for his sheep.  He told them over and over again who He was, but they wouldn’t hear his message because they were not his sheep.

Jesus told them another way. Jesus works told them who He is.  Every work: From the turning of the water to wine, to the turning over the tables of the money changers. From healing of the Royal Official’s Son to healing of the man who’d been lame for 38 years. From forgiving the woman caught in adultery to healing the man born blind – again and again Jesus reveled that His works were the works of His Father – they were works of mercy and grace, but again they were blind to his works because they were not His sheep.

And now, here in this passage Jesus tells them a third way. Jesus’ gift tells them who He is. He says, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”  Jesus begins by telling them what he had told them before.  “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.”  But then Jesus tells them and he tells us, that He is the one who gives eternal life to His sheep.  He tells them and he tells us, that it is His Father who has already given the recipients of eternal life to Jesus.  And if God gives you eternal life, you will never perish.  Your salvation is safe and secure in the hands of Jesus.  Your salvation is safe and secure in the hands of the Father.  For Jesus’ Father is greater than all. And Jesus and the Father are one.

What is Jesus claiming here?  He’s not simply claiming to be the Messiah, He is claiming to be equal with the Father in purpose and power.  The giving of eternal life is the Father’s gift to Jesus. The giving of eternal life to His sheep is the Son’s gift to us.  Not only that, but the keeping of your salvation is in the hands of Jesus.  The protecting of your salvation is in the hands of the Father.  I and the Father are one.

Jesus is not just the Messiah.  He is the Son of God.  This is why there is far more to Jesus than meets the eye.  He has come not just to deliver his people from their oppressors.  He has come to do the work of the Father.  And the work of the Father and the Son is to give eternal life to anyone who hears His voice and follows Him.

Think about what that means: If only God can give eternal life, and Jesus gives eternal life, then Jesus is God.  Therefore, if you believe in Him, you get to live the life He gives you in the grip of His grace. You will always belong to Him. You will never perish. No one can ever take away what God has given you. No one can ever undo what Jesus has done for you.  Your salvation cannot be taken so you have a hope that can never be shaken.  For your salvation is a gift from God.  It doesn’t depend on what you do or what you will do, but on God’s promise and God’s power.  So yes, Jesus reveals here that there truly is more to him than meets the eye.  He is one with the Father to both give and protect your salvation forever!  For He is the Son of God.

Now, before I move forward in this amazing showdown between Jesus and the Jews, I need to ask a couple of questions: Do you hear what Jesus is saying?  Do you hear his voice? Do you understand salvation is a gift from God?  That you can’t earn it and you don’t deserve it?  Do you understand that once Jesus gives you eternal life, that you will never perish?  Do hear that salvation is all of God and nothing of you?  He gives this salvation. He protects this salvation. You can never lose your salvation because it’s entirely in His hands.  Do you see why there’s more to Jesus than meets the eye?

Now, the Jews listening aren’t getting the answer they’re looking for.  In fact, they are listening, but what they are hearing infuriates them, because when Jesus says, I and the Father are one, they refuse to believe it.  Instead, they react.  Here’s their reaction: Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”  John 10:31-32 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:33

They too, understood that only God can give salvation.  So then for Jesus to claim to give salvation was Him claiming to be God.  So yes, they heard his claim.  But this is not what they expected.   When they heard Jesus make these clear claims of divine power, their minds were already made up.  They judged Jesus to be a blasphemer who was worthy of death. So, they picked up stones to stone him.

But this showdown is far from over. Since the Jews had cornered and tried to trap him, Jesus was ready to turn the tables on them.  He has more to say.  He’s about to put these Jews in their place – he’s going to show us that there is even more to Him than meets the eye.  For now, he now he’s about to tell them He is the Messiah – just not the one they were expecting:

Jesus is the Sent One:   Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken – what about the one whom the Father set apart as His very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even 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.”   Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. John 10:34-39

At first glance, this is not an easy argument to decipher. Jesus defends their accusation of blasphemy by appealing to Scripture. He quotes Psalm 82:6, where God says, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you, nevertheless, like men you shall die” Who is God referring to here?  Many think He’s talking to the corrupt judges in Israel. They had been functioning as judges sent by God. So, Jesus is saying, if these judges who acted unjustly on God’s behalf were called sons of God, how is it not appropriate for Jesus who has been sent from God to call himself the Son of God?  He then adds a truth they all agree with, that Scripture cannot be broken.  So, he’s stopped them in their tracks.  He slams the door on their accusation. Jesus is quite clever here.

But now in the midst of his argument, Jesus makes a very meaningful claim. He tells these Jews that prior to being sent by God, he had been set-apart by God.  He had bed consecrated by God, dedicated by God to be the sent one of God – to be the Messiah. These Jews knew exactly what he meant, for this is what the Feast of Dedication was all about.  The Feast of Dedication celebrated the rededication, the setting-apart of the Temple to be the dwelling place of God – to be the place where they came to be with God and worship God.  Now, Jesus is telling them that he was set-apart by God in the same way.

This is an incredible claim. What Jesus is telling them is that God sent Jesus into the world, not just to do the works of God, but to be the presence of God with God’s people.  He is telling them in no uncertain terms that He is God’s anointed. That He is the Messiah.

Now, this is way beyond what they were expecting to hear from Jesus. Because now, not only has Jesus made himself equal with God, he’s telling them He is the very presence of God with them. Then he adds these words: Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even 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.” John 10:37-38

They were not expecting this kind of answer from Jesus. They wanted Him to tell them plainly who he was – and Jesus gives them far more than what they bargained for.  Not only had he told them that He was God’s Son, not only had he told them He was God’s Messiah, but He told them that He was the meeting place between God and man.  He was the one they could come to and worship.  But this was all too much for them.  Rather, than rejoice that God had come to be with them, they reacted out of complete disdain to Jesus and tried to seize him. But again he escapes their grasp.

So once again, do you see why Jesus is more than what meets the eye?  To these Jews all they saw was a man who was a blasphemer and worthy of death.  But to those who have ears to hear, Jesus is simply proclaiming the good news of God. The Father dedicated the Son and sent Him to us to be the meeting place between God and man.  He is God who became man and is now worthy of worship.  The Jews refused to see Jesus in this way and rejected him totally.  But what about you?

Well, as we can see, Jesus escaped their grasp. This showdown between Jesus and the Jewish leaders was over.  But the story doesn’t end here.  For there’s one last thing about Jesus, John wants us to see, and that is this:

Jesus is the Savior:  He gives us this brief summary of what happened next: Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.”  And in that place many believed in Jesus. John 10:40-42

I love this little summary.  After such a contentious battle with the religious leaders, Jesus returns to countryside where John had prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah.  So Jesus stays and the people come.  And they give this confession: “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.”

What did John say about Jesus?

“He is one who comes after me, whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:27 “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29

“He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.” John 1:33-34

“The one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.  The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 3:34-36

Those who came to Jesus believed in Jesus.  They believed He is the Savior who takes away the sin of the world.  They believed He is the Son of God.  They believed the Father has placed everything in His hands.

Let me ask you: Do you believe?  Is Jesus just a man, or is He who He says He is?

Is Jesus more than what meets the eye?

Is Jesus the Son of God?

Is Jesus the Anointed One of God?

Is Jesus the Savior of the World?

If what you have heard today rings true to you; if you hear His voice, then Jesus is calling you to not simply believe, but turn from your sin and follow Him.