Following to do

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

FOLLOWING TO DO

John 10:19-30

19 At these words the Jews were again divided. 20 Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?" 21 But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" 22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." 

NIV

It seems there was and is always going to be division among people as to who Jesus is. Of course, even the people who refuse to acknowledge he is God in the flesh, do not profess he was a demon-possessed man, just merely a man, that is if they believe he really was a historical figure at all. However, those who refuse to see and believe he is the Christ, do make comments similar to, “Why listen to him?” In the narrative, we now move to a time of the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. This feast has been observed by the Jews from the time of the cleansing of the temple after it was desecrated by the enemies of Israel. This feast is also called Hanukkah and lasts for eight days and is still observed today. Jesus was in the temple area walking around. We have to wonder why. The narrative tells us the Jews gathered around him and ask an important question. They wanted a plain answer. Isn’t that just like most people? Who wants to listen to people who always talk in riddles or parables? Give us a straight answer, just tell us are you God or not. Well, they asked if he was the Christ, the Messiah, but that meant the same thing, someone who came from heaven, a divine being, God. Jesus tells them he has told them plainly, it is just they could not believe because they were not his sheep. What did he mean by that? Were they predestined to not be his sheep? They were Jews, the chosen people of God, how could they not be his sheep? The answer to that is in the words of Jesus. “My sheep listen to my voice”. They obviously were not listening to his voice, they did not get the truth of his words. They were thinking in the physicality of their minds, not with their hearts. To follow Jesus means more than to walk around in the same area, asking him to prove who he is, all the while not really believing, but trying to undermine the truth. Following Jesus means to walk the same path, in his footsteps, to believe his words, to accept his divine personage. But it is more than that. To follow Jesus is to go to the cross, die, be buried and be resurrected a new, glorified person and evidentially ascend into heaven, having eternal life. This eternal life begins the moment we die on that cross. That is what Jesus meant when he told his disciples, his sheep, to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him, Matt 16:24. It is not that we are not saved by faith, by the grace of God, but after we are saved, after we are securely in the hand of God, where no one can snatch us from, we have following to do.