The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 10:24-26,
"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.' 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.'"
These people wanted Jesus to express himself in a way they wanted it. They accused Jesus of teasing them, of keeping them in suspense. They wanted Jesus to declare himself as Messiah on their terms, in their way. Jesus refused.
Jesus said that he had already told them he was the Messiah, but they didn't believe it. Jesus went on to say that now they were beyond being impacted by his works because they were not his "sheep", they didn't belong to him. A good Calvinist would point to this passage as further proof of their particular theology and explain that these Jews couldn't believe because they were not chosen by God to do so, they were not his sheep.
Not being of that persuasion, I see it a bit differently. I understand Jesus as saying that these Jews could not accept the works Jesus did in his Father's name because they did not believe his earlier revelation of himself, and as such, they were not his sheep. A bit more awkward, I'll admit, but there you have it.
In any event, I find something informative here about evangelism and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others. These Jews would not accept what Jesus had to say about himself earlier, and so that was the end of the matter for him. He informed these Jews that they were not his sheep because of their unbelief and now they were impervious to the "works" Jesus did, his miracles. They had placed themselves in that position by not accepting what Jesus had said earlier about himself.
It reminds me of John 12:37-39, "Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: 'Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' [Isaiah 53:1] For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.' [Isaiah 6:10]" At first they "would not" and now they "could not".
I'm not suggesting we give up on anyone while sharing the gospel with them, just that we need to recognize there may exist an end to the matter, as disappointing as that may seem, just as Jesus pointed out in the passage above.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"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.' 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.'"
These people wanted Jesus to express himself in a way they wanted it. They accused Jesus of teasing them, of keeping them in suspense. They wanted Jesus to declare himself as Messiah on their terms, in their way. Jesus refused.
Jesus said that he had already told them he was the Messiah, but they didn't believe it. Jesus went on to say that now they were beyond being impacted by his works because they were not his "sheep", they didn't belong to him. A good Calvinist would point to this passage as further proof of their particular theology and explain that these Jews couldn't believe because they were not chosen by God to do so, they were not his sheep.
Not being of that persuasion, I see it a bit differently. I understand Jesus as saying that these Jews could not accept the works Jesus did in his Father's name because they did not believe his earlier revelation of himself, and as such, they were not his sheep. A bit more awkward, I'll admit, but there you have it.
In any event, I find something informative here about evangelism and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others. These Jews would not accept what Jesus had to say about himself earlier, and so that was the end of the matter for him. He informed these Jews that they were not his sheep because of their unbelief and now they were impervious to the "works" Jesus did, his miracles. They had placed themselves in that position by not accepting what Jesus had said earlier about himself.
It reminds me of John 12:37-39, "Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: 'Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' [Isaiah 53:1] For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.' [Isaiah 6:10]" At first they "would not" and now they "could not".
I'm not suggesting we give up on anyone while sharing the gospel with them, just that we need to recognize there may exist an end to the matter, as disappointing as that may seem, just as Jesus pointed out in the passage above.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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