John 10:22-42 – A Liberating Submission
(Nameun Cho)
John 10:22-42 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.
————————————
Jesus continues the imagery of himself as a shepherd and those who follow him as his sheep. But this time, he presents this reality to the opponents of his ministry in Jerusalem. Those who believe in Jesus are the ones who recognize his voice and follow him. But those who do not are the ones who fail to see the very Messiah they have been waiting for over many centuries. The Jewish leaders are so scandalized by Jesus’ seemingly outrageous claims of divinity, they are prepared to stone him. And while we may view this response as a bit harsh, it is actually a very relatable one considering our own heart patterns. Jesus stakes a claim to his divine status by associating himself so closely to God as if to say they are one in the same. And to intertwine himself with the God of Israel, meant that all peoples would have to submit to him as the sole authority over their lives. Therein lies the threat.
Even as modern day human beings, we struggle with the implications of Jesus’ statement. It’s one thing to admire Jesus’ works from afar or to interact with the gospel as a mere “feel good story.” But to proclaim that Jesus is Lord over our lives means that we are no longer our own. Every thought, word, deed, plan, fear, aspiration, desire, hope, and everything in between all belong to Christ. And in an economy where we are prone to call the shots and be our own authority, “Jesus as Lord” is a massive threat.
But the key factor that the Jewish opposition missed is how the unity that Jesus speaks of in this passage is not a threat, but a liberation. Rather than hearing Jesus say “I and the Father are one” as a preposterous blasphemy, they failed to see it as a fulfillment of the prophesied Messiah their ancestors have been waiting on since the beginning of time. Jesus was being sent by the same covenantal God that had led his people out of slavery and promised his people restoration in a flourishing land. To believe in Jesus would mean to accept the One who sent him. The crucial truth is not rejecting all forms of authority in our lives that rival our own, but to submit to the one authority that actually frees us from our slavery to sin.
On the day of this blog entry’s posting, Sarah and I will be waking in the wee hours of the morning to bring Natalie into her fourth major surgery in the first 14 months of her life. This last year+ has been a constant reminder for us of what it looks like to live as though Jesus is Lord over our lives. Through immense difficulty and trial, anyone can see how quickly our lives can fall apart if we are the ones sitting at the helm. But when we are able to submit to the reality that Jesus is one with the Father who sent him, we find full assurance and hope for the road ahead. Indeed there is still a sobering restlessness in the long hours of a hospital waiting room, or creeping doubt during endless stretches of night with no sleep. But we rest in the joy of knowing that there is no greater peace than when we submit to a Savior who deeply empathizes with our sorrows. May you continue to find strength in your obedience to Christ.
Editor’s Note: In place of our normal pattern of prayer, I will ask you to pray for Nameun, Sarah and Natalie as they proceed through another significant surgery. Please pray for effective surgery, strong recovery, and for emotional endurance for all. (MK)