John 10:22-42 | I and the Father Are One
Let’s open the Bible now to John 10:22-42. Like so much of John’s gospel, this passage is all about whether or not Jesus is the Messiah, the one to come, the Christ. Throughout the book, Jesus constantly battles those who don’t believe him; he does so again here in our passage today.
Let’s read it now.
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.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 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 am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
Introduction
There are ultimately only two responses to Jesus. Fall at his feet in worship or pick up stones to kill him.
It’s been that way from the beginning. John’s gospel shows us that. We find some, like the woman at the well, who fell in worship. We find others, like the religious leaders, who picked up stones to throw at him. Everyone Jesus met had one of those two reactions. Some aren’t as obvious. Some doubted before they believed. Nicodemus is one example. But in the end, it’s either worship or total rejection.
The real Jesus we find in the Bible demands a response, and he will make us happy or angry, but he won’t leave us unchanged because the gospel never does nothing. Whenever we encounter God, we move closer to or further from him, but we never remain the same.
The main goal of John’s gospel is our deep and sincere belief in Jesus. That’s true of every part of the book, including this passage today. Because it’s broken into two main paragraphs, we’re going to look at it in two major points.
True belief in Jesus is a gracious gift and a rock-solid assurance (22-30).
True belief in Jesus is biblically reasonable and empirically verifiable (31-42).
True belief in Jesus is a gracious gift and a rock-solid assurance (22-30)
John orients us by telling us where Jesus is and the time of year. It’s the Feast of Dedication, which is Hanukkah. It’s winter, and Jesus is in the temple, where he went often. The problem that day started as the Jews gathered around him with a question, as we see in verse 24. “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
They wanted to know whether Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah or not. They had asked this question before, and Jesus answered it, as he said in verse 25. “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me.” Not only had he said enough, but he had also done enough. His words and his works bore witness about him. Have we not seen throughout this gospel clear expressions of himself? Didn’t Jesus reveal himself as the long-awaited Messiah in his word and deed? They saw it firsthand and still wouldn’t believe it.
Continuing the figure of speech used in the passage we saw last week, Jesus gave a very clear reason as to why these Jews didn’t believe. Look at verse 26. “But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” The implication is that true belief is a gift from God. Those who belong to Jesus’s flock are those whom God chooses for eternal life, and they believe that Jesus is the Christ. They don’t need constant proof. They hear his voice and follow him. These Jews, not among Jesus’s flock, couldn’t believe because the gift of faith was not granted to them, so they couldn’t hear his voice and wouldn’t hear his voice. It takes a new heart, softened by the Holy Spirit, to trust in Christ. Sin deadens our hearts to God. Only God can change the heart. Hard-hearted sinners come through the door of salvation by having their hearts melted by the grace of Jesus, and that melting happens as we hear the good news of his gospel message and accept Jesus as Christ.
We must remember that no one is good. No one deserves God because we have all rebelled against him with our sins. No one could naturally choose God because sin deadens our hearts toward God. We don’t want him. He must first come to us and change our desires to want him. All those who go to hell are those who never wanted heaven anyway, and all those who go to heaven are those who deserved hell but received grace. True belief in Jesus is an undeserved, gracious gift of God.
Now, Jesus told us in the first part of John 10 who the sheep are. They are the believers who put themselves in their Shepherd’s care, who enter by the door of Jesus and enjoy him. Here in verses 27-28, Jesus revealed the kind of gift and assurance his grace grants to all those sheep. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Let’s just think about what he just said for a few minutes. Let’s take it phrase by phrase. I don’t want to skip over it too quickly because if we receive this gift of grace, we will never find a more assuring passage anywhere else.
“My sheep hear my voice.”
Later in John’s gospel, we see Mary Magdalene standing outside the tomb weeping on the morning of his resurrection. Two angels appear and ask, “Why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” She looked in the tomb; he was gone, and her heart broke again. Jesus was dead, and now even his body was missing. Her life was already shattered, this only added to the pain. But then, she turned around and saw someone she thought was the gardener. She said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” She’s just dying to find Jesus. Then, this amazing thing happens. The man she thought was the gardener was actually Jesus, but she couldn’t see him yet. Not until Jesus said her name. “Mary” (John 20:11-18).
That first Easter morning, Mary heard her Shepherd’s voice. He spoke directly to her heart in a way no one else could. Not even the angels could make her feel better, but when Jesus spoke, she instantly knew it was him. Her tears went from sadness to joy. With one word, he changed everything for her.
If you are in Christ, you know something of this voice, don’t you? He speaks to the deep places of our hearts. He uses our name in a way no one else can. Why? Because of the next phrase in verse 28.
“And I know them.”
When he speaks, you hear because he’s speaking personally. You are not a nameless person among the crowd. Jesus knows you intimately. You are his. He knows you totally. He knows exactly what you need. He knows what’s going on in your life. He knows the difficulties. He knows the joys. He knows the uncertainty you feel. He knows the depression and the anxiety. He knows the hopes and dreams. He knows the longings and hopings. He knows the sins and failures. He hears the prayers and even prays himself on your behalf.
Remember when Nathaniel met Jesus back in Chapter 1? When Jesus saw him, he said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathaniel said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” That did it for Nathaniel. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:47-49).
We have no idea what Nathaniel was doing under the fig tree. That’s not for us to know. It’s only for Nathaniel and Jesus to know. But Jesus knew it, and that convinced Nathaniel of his deity. Maybe Nathaniel was doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. Maybe he was sitting there longing for God and praying. We don’t know. Whatever it was, it was the thing that made Nathaniel know that Jesus knew him.
Jesus knows you like that too. He really, truly, deeply knows you.
“And they follow me.”
What else are you going to do if someone speaks to your heart so deeply? Who else knows you like him? Why would you not follow him? It’s the natural outflow of his grace.
Your only calling in this life is to follow Jesus wherever he goes (Rev. 14:4). I can’t say where all the paths he might lead you down. Psalm 23 comes to mind. There might be some valleys of the shadow of death, but he will bring you out the other side. You just have to trust him. The destination is glorious. It’s worth the wait. It’s worth the hardship. It’s worth all the fears and doubts and uncertainties. He will bring you all the way home to be with him in a restored and redeemed world where you have unhindered access to him for eternity. He is leading you into green pastures and beside still waters.
“I give them eternal life.”
The other day, two of my boys were talking to my young daughter in the backseat of the car. They mentioned how everyone would die. My precious daughter asked, “Daddy, will everyone die?” This was news to her. I told her that her brothers were right. Everyone would die one day. She said, “But I don’t want to die.” So I told her that if she loves Jesus, death is nothing to fear because he gives eternal life. That seemed to settle her. Oh, how it should settle us! Death? Where’s his sting? Jesus has conquered him. He is utterly defeated.
Hebrews 2:15 says Jesus defeated death by going through it. He destroyed the devil and delivered all those who, through fear of death, were subject to lifelong slavery. The fear of death enslaves us, but if we have Jesus, the chains are broken. We can truly live now because we will truly live forever.
If you are in Christ, you have this promise in black and white: I give them eternal life. In verse 10, which we saw last week, he already said the life he gives is abundant life. Now, added to that abundance is eternality. Oh man, think about this. The life your heart most longs for. The life that is so fulfilling that you can’t wait to get up in the morning to go and live. The life that is so deep and rich and meaningful. The life that is literally the ideal, perfect life is yours forever in Christ. It’s better than you can even imagine it to be.
So, okay, this life we currently live might not be the best. Jesus never said we were going to live our best life here. But there is another life to come—an eternal one, an abundant one. And you know what? Knowing that life is out ahead actually changes our life here today, doesn’t it? It’s like knowing vacation is coming. We can endure another day. We can even be excited about it.
“And they will never perish.”
The corollary to eternal life is the promise that you will never perish. You won’t wear out. You will last forever with God. You will never perish because Jesus will never perish. You are as secure as he is. He lives for you. Sticks and stones may break your bones and even kill you, but Jesus will forever save you.
“And no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
I challenge you to show me a more assuring sentence. I’m so glad this is in the Bible. No wolf can sneak in and capture. No thief can come through the back door and steal. Satan cannot snatch you away. You can’t even ruin yourself. In Jesus’s mighty hand, you are safe and secure. You have a rock-solid assurance that you will never be lost because Jesus has found you.
As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus said more in verses 29-30 to reinforce these already comforting words. “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. I and the Father are one.” The Father himself stands behind Jesus’s words. If we doubt Jesus can hold us tight, we also have the Father’s grip. If we doubt Jesus’s words are true, we also have the Father’s words. If we doubt that Jesus is working in concert with the Father, we can rest assured he is not. The Father and the Son, and the Spirit, are united in mission to seek and save the lost and to keep and provide for the sheep. Whatever Jesus does only reveals to us the heart of the Father. And what does Jesus reveal about his heart? That the Father himself loves you. There is no greater comfort than this.
Jesus is the shepherd we’re all looking for—the one who can care for us powerfully, relentlessly, and everlastingly.
Now, maybe this is all just sentimental talk. Maybe Jesus is just hoodwinking his people. Maybe he’s making it all up, gaining followers for his own ego. People do that, you know.
But Jesus doesn’t.
Everything Jesus said and did is biblically reasonable and empirically verifiable.
True belief in Jesus is biblically reasonable and empirically verifiable (31-42)
The Jews listening to Jesus that day did not find comfort in his words. They grew angry. Verse 31 says they picked up stones again to stone him. As they picked up the stones, Jesus asked a question in verse 32. “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” It wasn’t the works that angered them—at least, that’s what they said here. It was the blasphemy of making himself God though they believed he was only a man.
They asked for clarity from Jesus, and they got it. When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one,” that was their final straw. He was claiming equality and oneness with God. He was, of course, right in saying that, but they didn’t believe him. And if Jesus was not telling the truth, he would have been blasphemous. It came down to what they believed. They believed he was lying.
So Jesus goes to the Bible. Think of how amazing this is. Jesus is so calm here. A mob surrounds him with stones in their hands, and he has the calmness and clarity of mind to recall a portion of scripture to refute their argument. That’s amazing to me.
But what Jesus said isn’t easy to understand. Look at it in verses 34-36. “Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”
Jesus quoted from Psalm 82. It was a powerful statement in rabbinical thought and logic. Jesus used that portion of Scripture because those to whom the law was given meant they could serve as God’s representatives for justice in the world. They had authority from God through his revealed law. So if they were gods, then what about Jesus? Wasn’t he a god? He has authority. He has the law. It said far more to them than it does to us, and it made them even angrier because it was an even clearer statement of his divinity. He claimed to be the judge of the world. And the force of the argument grows even more when Jesus adds that he was consecrated by God and sent into the world by him. If those to whom the law was given were called gods, then cannot the one whom God sent into the world call himself the Son of God?
It’s a brilliant move. Jesus argued from Scripture. It didn’t persuade them, but it did make them think. He challenged them with the word of God they claimed to believe and know and obey. Jesus was always doing this, wasn’t he? He based everything he did on the Bible. He was always explaining, teaching, and proving who he was from it. True belief in Jesus is biblically reasonable.
True belief is also empirically verifiable, and that’s what Jesus argued for next. In verses 37-38, he challenged them, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 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 am in the Father.”
There is immense mercy in these words. They wouldn’t take Jesus at his word. Okay. Take him at his deeds. What did he do that disproved he was from the Father? What did he do that wasn’t found somewhere in the Bible as a promise of the Messiah’s coming? What did he do that wasn’t a promise fulfilled? What did he do that denied his union with the Father? If they can’t believe his words, why can they not believe his works?
Jesus was merciful toward them. It was a final plea. “Look at my works, and then listen to my words.” But what did they do? “Again they sought to arrest him.” Is there anything more tragic than that? Standing before Jesus, listening to his words, and having him plead for them to look at his works, they got out the handcuffs and told him to shut up. Utter tragedy.
I hope none of us in this room is like these Jews. I hope no one has an unbelieving heart. But if there are any, let me ask a question—and this is something you can ask your unbelieving friends when the time is right. Maybe you don’t know what to do with Jesus. You just aren’t sure what he said and did is true. Okay. But don’t you want it to be true? Don’t you want a Shepherd like him who can care for you in all your various needs? Who will never let you wander off and die? Who will always know what you need even before you do? Who will run to you when you’re in trouble? Who will fight for you when you’re in danger? Who will lead you where you should go? Who will tend to your wounds? Who will literally lay his life down to save you? Not just metaphorical but actually. Don’t you want eternal, abundant life? Don’t you want more than what you have? Don’t you want to know that behind everything is a kind, loving, gracious, and merciful God who can take your life in his hands and truly know you and care for you forever? Don’t you want it to be true? How can you know it is?
That’s the point of this passage. That’s the kind of God the Old Testament presents to us, and Jesus wasn’t breaking new ground. He said he is that God. He was building on the foundation laid from the beginning. All the way back to the very beginning. Jesus’s words and deeds are biblically reasonable, and if you don’t trust the Bible, they are also empirically rational. He really did do the deeds recorded in the Bible. He really did rise from the grave. No one has ever been able to refute that it actually happened, and millions of people have borne witness that it did.
You can know because Jesus showed up in this world and said the things he said and did the things he did. God is not sitting in some corner of the universe, hiding from his people, and then blaming them when they can’t find him. No, he comes to his people. He showed up two thousand years ago in the person of Jesus to live and die and rise again to give us the eternal, abundant life our hearts long for. Don’t you want that to be true? Well, this passage tells us it really is true. It’s not made up. Jesus isn’t hoodwinking his people. Everything he said and everything he did has the entire history of God’s Scripture holding it up and confirming it. Scripture cannot be broken. Jesus said that in verse 35. He didn’t show up to break it. He showed up to reveal how true it has always been and always will be.
The urging of this passage is to accept Jesus as the Christ. To listen to his words and to consider his works. Is he not God incarnate? Is he not the Savior of the world? Will you come into the door of his pasture, or will you stand outside with stones in your hands? Those are the only two choices you ultimately have. Which will you choose?
Conclusion
At the end of verse 39, we see that Jesus escaped from their hands. We don’t know how, but he did. In verse 40, we see Jesus returning to the Jordan, where John had baptized at the beginning. He remained there, and many came to him, and many believed in him. Why did they believe? Verse 41. “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” It wasn’t the signs, it was the message. It was the word. The witness of John the Baptist proved true. Jesus was who he said he was.
We can’t see Jesus’s signs anymore like those first-century eyewitnesses did. But we have his word. Will you trust it? Will you listen and believe?
Don’t you want to? Go to him.
Let’s pray.
