I and The Father Are One
John 10:22-42
Key Verse 30
“I and the Father are one.”
We thank and praise God for today’s passage. In the earlier part of this chapter, Apostle John revealed that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep. Jesus showed His shepherd heart for one man born blind and helped him to truly see who Jesus is. In the rest of this chapter John shows that Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd, John helps us to see that Jesus is much more than that. John quoted Jesus’ words that He once gave to the unbelieving Jews who were in the Temple court. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one. When Jesus said this He was telling them clearly “I am God.” This was the most marvelous revelation. John wanted us to learn that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, but He is also the Living God in the flesh. He is Lord as well as Savior. Many love that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, but they misunderstand what that really means. They think that Jesus will lead them where they want to go. But Jesus is leading us; He is leading us to eternal life. Many treat Jesus as a super concierge. This morning I read about what some concierges did because of the outlandish requests of their clients. At a hotel in HYPERLINK "http://www.bing.com/destinations/search?q=Thailand&form=TREDIT" Thailand, a couple asked to travel by elephant through the rain forest to a stunning jungle waterfall, where a private chef would cook anything their stomachs desired. The concierge found just such a place for them, lit it with more than 400 candles and arranged a luxury car to bring the couple back to the hotel. But Jesus is not our servant who gives us our every whim. Jesus and the Father are One. His Words lead us to eternal life. May God help us to deeply accept this wonderful revelation that Jesus taught us about Himself. May we listen and follow Jesus’ Words.
First, the Jews were in suspense. (22-24)
Look at verses 22-24. “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.” This event took place during the Feast of Dedication. This feast is known today as Hanukkah. Prior to the year 165 BC, the Jews who dwelled in Judea where living under the rule of the Greek kings of Damascus. During this time the Greco-Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, took control of the Temple in Jerusalem and forced the Jewish people to abandon their worship of God, and the reading of the Torah, and he made them bow down to the Greek gods. He also defiled the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and spilling its blood on the holy Scripture.
As a result of the severe persecution and pagan oppression, a group of four Jewish brothers, led by Judah Maccabee, decided to raise up an army of religious freedom fighters. These men of fierce faith and loyalty to God became known as the Maccabees. The small band of warriors fought for three years with "strength from heaven" until they received a miraculous victory and deliverance from the Greco-Syrian control. After regaining the Temple, it was cleansed by the Maccabees, cleared of all Greek idolatry, and rededicated. The rededication of the Temple to the Lord took place in the year 165 BC. So Hanukkah received its name, the Feast of Dedication, because it celebrates the Maccabees' victory over Greek oppression and the rededication of the temple. But Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights, and this is because immediately following the miraculous deliverance, God provided another miracle of provision.
In the Temple, the eternal flame of God was to be lit at all time as a symbol of God's presence. But according to tradition, when the Temple was rededicated, there was only enough oil left in the temple to burn the flame for one day. The rest of the oil had been defiled by the Greeks during their invasion, and it would take a week for new oil to be processed and purified. But at the rededication, the Maccabees went ahead and lit the eternal flame with the remaining supply of oil, and God's Holy presence caused it to burn miraculously for eight days, until the new sacred oil was ready.
This was the backdrop of today’s event. The people had cleansed and rededicated the Temple to worship God and the Lord kept His presence among His people. In today’s passage we see that Jesus came to help the people to rededicate themselves to God and to experience the Living God who was among them.
While Jesus was walking in the Temple around Solomon’s Colonnade, the Jews gathered around Him and asked Him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” These Jews demanded Jesus to tell them who He was. They confessed that they were in suspense because they did not know who He was. Their confession reveals a great truth about all who do not know truly who Jesus is. Those who don’t know who Jesus is are in suspense. Suspense means apprehensive anxiety or uncertainty. Those who do not know who Jesus is have no peace, no quietness; they have no rest, only turmoil. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. His peace is given to those on whom the Lord’s favor is shown.
I know one woman who is one of the ancestors of faith in our ministry. Not long ago, she fell down the side of a mountain. She was injured terribly. The doctors who treated her did not think she would survive her injuries. But God did a great miracle and she survived. The doctors could only confess it was a miracle and that God must have something still for her to do. She could no longer work as a nurse, and her body is not fully recovered and may never be, but strangely, she was not angry or bitter. She knew that her Good Shepherd had protected her for His good purpose. In the past she prayed and went fishing, but she did so because she knew she should do so. But that has all changed; now she prays all the time like the widowed prophetess Anna who never left the Temple; she confessed to me that she loves to pray, so she prays night and day; it is a sweet and precious time for her; and she always loves to go fishing on campus and meet young students and to invite them to Bible study. She wants to share the joy and peace she has in the Lord with them. She always has a smile for everyone she meets; this is because she has the peace that our Lord gives to all who know Him personally. Those who know our Lord deeply are never shaken or restless, no matter what troubles come their way, but those who don’t know Him live suspenseful lives.
Second, I give them eternal life (25-29)
Jesus responded to their request. Look at verses 25-26, “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.” Jesus told them, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.” Jesus revealed the reason why they did not know who Jesus was; it was not because they were not told, it was because they did not believe. Even the miracles Jesus did pointed out who He was. When we review the miracles in John's Gospel, all the miracles were performed in order to reveal that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. His miracles show us that He is the Good Shepherd. This is why the Bible sometimes uses the words ‘miracle’ and ‘sign’ interchangeably; when Jesus performed ‘miracles’ they were not just meant to amaze people; but they were ‘signs’ to show that Jesus is the Son of God and the Good Shepherd.
Jesus pointed out that the reason they did not believe is because they were not Jesus’ sheep. This should have given them great alarm. Look at verses 27-29, “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.’” Jesus pointed out why they were not His sheep. Jesus’ sheep LISTEN to Jesus’ voice. They know Him and they follow Him. Those who are not Jesus’ sheep ignore what Jesus says and do not follow Him. They think they are wise. But Jesus teaches that those who are His sheep are given eternal life and no one can take it from them. The Father secures their lives in Jesus’ hands and no one can snatch His sheep’s lives from His hands. Even young children know this. This is why they sing the song,
“He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.”
Recently, an Iranian court has asked the pastor of one of Iran's largest house church movements to abandon his faith in Christ and return to Islam if he wants to avoid execution. His name is Yousef Nadarkhani; he is only 34 yrs. old, married and has two young children. He was asked by the judge to ‘recant his faith in order to avoid execution.’ Bu instead of recanting, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani urged the members of his congregation not to give up their faith in Jesus Christ. He wrote several letters while imprisoned similar to Apostle Paul, where he called upon all believers to accept persecution ‘as part of their spiritual course.’ He wrote, “Though the situation looks very dark naturally speaking, our God is the one who made light to shine out of darkness and the one who specializes in doing things thought impossible.” Therefore, he urged believers to pray for him that he would have wisdom and strength to take his stand, and that his attorney would also have wisdom and courage to speak the truth, but most importantly he asked to pray for ‘the hearts of the judges to be as clay in the hands of the Master Potter, our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Pastor Nadarkhani is on trial, but in reality it is the Iranian Supreme Court that is on trial. Pastor Nadarkhani knows that the court has power over his physical life, but they have no power over his life, it is in the hands of Jesus and the Iranian Supreme Court has no power to snatch it from His hands.
But those who are not Jesus’ sheep have no such assurance. This is why man is so suspenseful over his life. What is the most important thing for a man? Of course, it is his precious life. Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 8:35-38, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me and for the Gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels.” To a man, eternal life is real life and its everlasting life. But for those who do not have eternal life, the only way to live is to eat well and drink a lot and enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin in order to forget about their future destiny.
Jesus grieved over the Jews, the Chosen People-because of their unbelief. Jesus had showed them many miracles so that they could realize that Jesus is the Christ. But they did not do so because they were not Jesus' sheep. Jesus was very sorry that His chosen people became the slaves of sin and satan, and instead of feeling the peace of God, were constantly in suspense.
Third, I and the Father are One (30)
Look at verse 30, “I and the Father are One.” This is an amazing verse. Nowhere else in the whole Bible does Jesus say, “I and the Father are One.” We have to give thanks for the stubborn unbelief of the Jews. It was because they refused to listen to Jesus and Jesus’ broken shepherd heart that this most important revelation and truth came to us. The Bible teaches us that ‘where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.’ (Rom. 5:20 NKJV)
It was because the Jews were inquisitive with unbelieving and stubborn questions that the revelation that Jesus and the Father are One came out. We as shepherds of God’s flock should have great hope on stubborn people like the Jews, because the truth came out from such as them. If we have such sheep, we should not cut them off, but plug away all the more to give them God’s Word. It is in this situation that the revelation and truth of God comes out more and more. It is when we are so rebellious that the grace of God may be displayed. May God help each of us to have thankful hearts toward such stubborn sheep and to have great hope on their lives to the very end.
Let us think about the revelation that Jesus gave. When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one,” Jesus clearly revealed that He and the Father are co-equal. If Jesus is indeed the Son of God, and co-equal to God the Father, then we need to revise our thinking; we need to revise our thought world. We need to think what we should do with this knowledge. First, we must be ‘reconciled’ to Jesus. Apostle Paul as Christ’s ambassador implored all believers on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” (II Cor. 5:20) We all have gotten tangled up in all kinds of unhealthy thinking, lifestyles and practices; materialism, hedonism, immorality, etc. We must realign ourselves so that we are in line with Him. The problem of students in this generation is that they are intellectuals, they are the modern intelligentsia, but strangely they are not open minded to who Jesus is as they should be. They are wise in their own eyes, but they really don’t know who Jesus is. That is because they are not reconciled to Him. They continue to assert their own ideas and refuse to repent. Thank God for our growing disciples who struggle hard each week to write deep testimony and find themselves before God’s Word. May they be reconciled to our Lord through doing so.
Second, we must have faith in God. If Jesus is indeed the Son of God, and co-equal to God the Father and if He is working hard to help us, then why are we so aloof and ignore His Words. Why are we often dubious and relative in our thinking when confronted with God’s Word and our present circumstances? This summer we prayed and prayed and served our Bible conference with the prayer that we would, “Take up our cross and Follow Jesus.” If Jesus and the Father are truly One, then why don’t we listen to His Words? Why don’t we follow Him?
Fourth, I have shown you many great miracles from the Father (33-39)
When the Jews heard Jesus say, “I and the Father are One,” they blew a circuit. They could not accept His Words, so they picked up stones to kill Him. Jesus could have retaliated and zapped them with lightening in order to prevent them from stoning Him. Instead, Jesus continued to try and help His obstinate sheep. He calmly asked them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?” Jesus tried to help them to see who He was to the very end.
They responded, “We are not stoning you for any of these, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” They were good sheep in one sense. They had paid close attention to what Jesus said and understood that He was telling them that He was God. But they did not accept this. So Jesus, like a loving parent, patiently explained to them that the Scripture even said, “You are gods” when speaking of God’s people and since it came from God’s Word and God’s Word cannot be broken, they should not allow His Words to cause them to stumble. He was not blaspheming when He said, “I am God’s Son.” He tried first to help them to listen to God’s Word. Those who believe God’s Word are the most blessed of all and they will know that Jesus truly is the Son of God.
But He also said, “Do not believe Me unless I do what My Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe Me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” He understood their unbelief so He tried to help them to believe by at least seeing what Jesus was doing was what the Father was doing. He pointed them to the miracles that they might know and understand that He and the Father are One.
God is the God of miracles. He transforms people’s lives and gives them life and life to the full. As an example, there is a man named Dae Sung, which means “A Great Star”. His father gave him this name. It was his prayer for his son. And this young man picked up his father’s prayer and had desire to be great, to be a future leader. But as a college student his life was so dark, because when he looked around him the world looked so dark; he was uncertain about his future and ashamed of his slavery to his lustful desires. He later became a diplomat, but in reality he was like a wandering tumbleweed; a root out of dry ground. He went to Spain and while there he was in a car accident; he drove a car 93 miles an hour off a mountain road. He hurled through the air and while he was in the air all his past sinful life flashed before his eyes like a color movie. He wanted to live a meaningful life; he did not want to die like a dog in a foreign country. So while in the air, he cried out to God for help, “Lord, please save my live. I will live for your glory!” God answered his prayer and he, his wife and two daughters all survived the crash, even though his car was completely destroyed. Not long after that, Msn. Joseph Ahn came to Spain and began Bible study with this man.
Although he was born in a Christian family and grew up under the prayer of his parents, he lived an aimless and fatalistic life because he did not know who Jesus is. He was wandering diplomat, not knowing the purpose and direction of his life because he did not know Jesus. However, when he studied the Bible with Msn. Joseph Ahn, the light of life, Jesus Christ, shone into his dark and dirty heart. His soul became strong and then he could make a decision to remain in Spain and share the Gospel to lost and wandering Spanish college students; he could serve God and His ministry without fear, even mightily. There are many, many miracles among us like this. All of them reveal and show that Jesus truly is the Son of God.
Fifth, all that John said about this Man was true (40-42)
Look at verses 40-42, “40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed 41 and many people came to him. They said, ‘Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.’ 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.” Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here He stayed and many people came to Him. They said, ‘Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true’. And in that place many believed in Jesus. The majority of the Jews did not believe in Jesus even though Jesus had showed them many evidences that He is the Son of God and the Savior. But Jesus was greatly comforted by those who received John the Baptist's baptism. They acknowledged that John was a man of power and spirit and that he preached the baptism of repentance yet could not perform any miracles, but that Jesus is the Son of God as John had introduced Him. Thank God that there is always a remnant. This is the characteristic of Christian religion. It seems to be that everybody is a Christian and nobody is a Christian. But only the remnant who believes in Jesus who gives eternal life are real Christians.
Today we learned that Jesus performed many miracles and showed many evidences that He is the Son of God and the Good Shepherd. But the Jews wanted to kill Him by stoning. Regardless of the Jews' persecution, Jesus had great compassion on them and taught them that many miraculous signs from God were the evidences that He is God's Son who came to this world to give men eternal life. We must believe in Jesus so that we may have eternal life and never perish.
One Word: I and the Father are One.
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