Hear My Voice

John 10:22-30

Key Verse 27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

1. Look at verses 22-24. What is the Feast of Dedication?(See notes) What was Jesus doing during the Feast?(23) What did the Jews ask Jesus?(24) Why do you think they asked him if he is the Messiah in this way?

2. V25. How did Jesus respond? Jesus said ”I told you”-How did Jesus tell them that he was the Messiah?(John 8:24) In what way did the works of Jesus show that he was the Messiah?(John 9:32)

3. V26-27. What did Jesus say was the reason why they don’t ‘believe’?(26) What did Jesus say made someone ‘His sheep’?(27) What does it mean to hear Jesus' voice, that he knows us, and that we follow him? Why are these 3 things important in our relationship with Jesus?

4. V28. What does Jesus do for those who belong to Him? What security is there in being Jesus’ sheep?

5. V29-30. Who did Jesus say ‘gave the sheep to Him’? Why are Jesus’ sheep safe from being ‘snatched” away? Why do you think Jesus ended the conversation with the Jews by saying, “I and the Father are One”?

John 8:24
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

John 9:32
Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.

The "Feast of Dedication," also known as Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BC.

The history of the Feast of Dedication goes back to the intertestamental period and the Maccabean Revolt. After the Seleucid king Antiochus Ephiphanes profaned the Jewish temple and forced the Jews to abandon their sacrifices and adopt pagan rituals, a group of Jewish freedom fighters rose up, defied the oppressive pagan regime, and overthrew the Seleucids. The temple in Jerusalem was re-dedicated to God; ever since then, the Feast of Dedication has been celebrated to commemorate this meaningful event in Jewish history.

The original Feast of Dedication involved a miracle, according to rabbinic tradition. When the Jews re-entered the temple they could only find one small, sealed jug of olive oil that had not been profaned or contaminated by the Seleucids. They used this to light the menorah in the temple, and though the oil was only enough to last one day, it miraculously lasted eight days—time for more oil to be made ready. This is the reason Hanukkah lasts for eight days.

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