By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 10:45am Svc, 2009-06-28

Text: John 10:31-42

In the midst of the present economic downturn many people are in need of jobs. But looking for employment at a time like this when jobs are so scarce can be a difficult and trying experience. However there are 2 things that can make a difference: The first is having a friend to recommend you to a prospective employer. I know of one member of our church who obtained a job recently through another church member who recommended him to a business client. Words that are spoken or written favourably and truthfully in testimony of someone are therefore very helpful.

The other thing that can help is a good record of one's works. Those who look for employment often find that their prospects of finding a job improves tremendously if they had worked before and have acquired a good track record or portfolio of all the works they have done. Most employers would accept a person who has an excellent track record, as this provides objective and verifiable proof of his skills and abilities. 

The best prospects of employment then would be for those who have abundant works and words in their favour for any job application. This may help us to understand a little better what Jesus did in our passage of Scripture - John 10:31-42. It was by works and words that He established who He is. After 3 years of public ministry Jesus had done many excellent works and miracles and these had become well-known throughout Israel. And these works support the words He spoke concerning Himself, as well as the words that had been spoken about Him by others like John the Baptist. The unified impact of these words and works should put to rest all doubts about who Jesus really is. They tell us in no uncertain terms that Jesus is truly the Son of God, and one with the Father. They also teach us that we must honour Him and believe in Him. 

This passage can be divided into 3 parts. In verses 31-33 we see the Rejection of Jesus by the Jews for what they claimed as blasphemy. In verses 34-38 we see the Reasons Jesus gave to the Jews why they should not reject Him but believe in Him. And finally in verses 39-42 we see the Responses of the Jews to Jesus after all that.

I. The Rejection of Jesus by the Jews (vv.31-33)

The background for this rejection is found in vv.22-30. Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication. And as He walked in a part of the Temple known as Solomon's porch, a group of Jews gathered around Him with very unfriendly intentions. About 2 months earlier (John 8) these very same Jews had several hot debates with Jesus during the Feast of Tabernacles. Although He always gave them the plain truth they needed to hear, they simply refused to listen to Him.

By the time of the Feast of Dedication, which is in December, they were seeking for an opportunity to kill Him. But they had to find a way to do this that is both legitimate and acceptable to the crowds of people in Jerusalem who came to be taught and healed by Jesus. And so they set up a trap. According to their Law, anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be stoned to death. Leviticus 24:16 'And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.' (cf. 19:7)

Therefore it was obligatory for all law-abiding Jews who hear somebody speaking of their God in a dishonouring manner to take up stones and throw them at him. This would result in certain death if the person was continuously pelted with sizeable stones by a large group of people. And so these Jews thought that the easiest way to put Jesus to death was to make Him blaspheme the name of the Lord in the presence of a large crowd in Jerusalem. Since the Temple was undergoing renovation then with building materials lying all over the place, there were plenty of stones conveniently available to stone someone to death at Solomon's Porch.

Thinking that they had a fool-proof plan, the Jews came to Jesus, and asked Him, 'How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.' (v.24) They hoped that in answering this question, Jesus would say something that can be construed as blasphemy. And when Jesus said, 'I and My Father are one' (v.30) they must have thought, 'Aha, we've got Him now!' To them this was pure blasphemy, for no man can claim equality with God. When a man claims to be equal to God he brings God down to the level of a human being.

So thinking that they had the Law on their side, they proceeded to take up stones and were about to hurl them at Him. But when their arms were raised, Jesus asked them what they were stoning Him for. They replied, 'For blasphemy and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.' (v.33) Jesus then showed them from their own Law that what they had construed as blasphemy is really not blasphemy at all. We see this in the second part of the text which is on:

II. The Reasons Jesus Gave to the Jews (vv.34-38)

In His reply Jesus begins by quoting from Psalm 82. To understand why He did this let us turn our Bibles to it and read the whole psalm 'God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. 2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. 6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.' 

Here in psalm 82 the term 'gods' is clearly applied to human beings, and this is clearly not blasphemy because it is God Himself who said to them, 'Ye are gods.' Now, who were these men who are called 'gods'? Verses 2-4 tell us that they were the judges of Israel who were supposed to judge the people justly, to protect the rights of the poor and needy, and to punish the wicked. The judges of Israel are not gods at all but men, but they are called 'gods' in this psalm to bring out the awesome responsibility they hold - they are supposed to be agents of God, executing justice on God's behalf. They were appointed by God to stand in His place as it were, whenever they applied God's laws to judge His people. Hence, their judgments were to be obeyed by the people as if God Himself made those judgments.

Now look at v.6 'I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.' Jesus quoted from this verse in order to refute the charge of blasphemy that was used against Him. His point was this: If mere human judges can be called 'gods' without committing blasphemy, how then can Jesus be charged with blasphemy when He says, 'I and My Father are one,' or 'I am the Son of God'? When the Jews heard this they must have realized that their fool-proof trap had failed. They had no justifiable grounds to stone Him now, because they were defeated by the Law - the very Law that they had tried to use against Him. 

One lesson that we must learn from this is on the way we use the Bible. Please be careful not to abuse the Word of God by making it serve your own selfish ends. Some people have claimed, 'We can make the Bible say anything we want.' Hence some have used the Bible to teach that salvation is by works and not by faith alone. Others have even used the Bible to teach that dogs and cats go to heaven after they die, and that Hell does not exist. Others have tried to use the Bible to teach about UFOs and aliens from outer space! All these are done by wrenching Bible verses out of their original context, or by twisting them to make them fit one's own ideas, or by finding hidden meanings in the text. But all these will only make the Scriptures say what it does not say at all. 

In the case of the Jews, they conveniently abused the Scriptures to make Jesus a blasphemer worthy of being sentenced to death. How futile it is to do such a thing! How can the Scriptures which are designed to testify of Christ (5:39) and to expound concerning Christ (Luke 24:27) be used for the destruction of Christ? To put it plainly, how can anyone use the Word of God to attack God? Isn't this a more grievous blasphemy than what they accused Jesus of? 

The cause of the folly of these Jews is found in v.33, in the words, 'thou, being a man.' They insisted that Jesus is only a man. They refused to acknowledge that He is God who made Himself man, and by doing this they ended up with the delusion that Jesus is only a mere man who made Himself God. And to make matters worse, there was ample evidence available to deliver them from such a delusion. Jesus had provided ample evidence that He is God who became man in all the works He had done. He states this in verses 37 and 38 'If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.'

For these works to produce the end result that is mentioned heree2C they cannot be just any kind of works. Modern myths and legends like to portray superheroes that can fly, leap over tall buildings, defeat the most powerful villains and perform spectacular stunts. These are the kind of works that Superman or Batman would do. But the works of Jesus are of a different kind. They are works that are clearly recognizable as being works of God - works that bear unmistakable marks of God's own handiwork because they are fully consistent with all His attributes. 

This is precisely what the works of Jesus had to be if they are to produce the end result mentioned in v.38 'that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.' Every miracle, sign and wonder that Jesus did was fully consistent with the nature of God, with the character of God and with all the attributes of God as revealed in the Bible and as revealed in all Creation. The works of Jesus fro- beginning to end reveal God in all His glory.

In the first chapter of John's gospel we had seen how Jesus saw Nathanael under a fig tree long before Philip had called Nathanael and brought him to Jesus (1:48). This exhibits God's omniscience - He knows all things. In chapter 2 we had seen how Jesus turned water into wine (2:1-11). This exhibits God's omnipotence - He has power over all elements. It also exhibits God's perfection - that He does all things well, since the wine He produced was of the best quality. It also exhibits God's warm approval on marriage since the miracle was done to bless a wedding couple. In the same chapter of John, we had seen how Jesus drove the money changers and animal sellers out of the Temple (2:13-17). This exhibits God's zeal for the purity of all worship that is given to Him. 

In the next 2 chapters of John we see Jesus ministering to Nicodemus (3:1-12) who was a great spiritual teacher, and then to a Samaritan woman at a well (4:6-29). This exhibits God's equal care and regard for everyone in society - whether they are high or low, rich or poor, man or woman, Jew or Gentile. Then in the latter part of chapter 4, we see Jesus healing a nobleman's son and He did it remotely, from a great distance (4:46-53). This exhibits God's omnipresence - great distances do not matter to Him because He is everywhere.

In chapter 5 we see Jesus healing a man who had been paralysed for 38 years (5:5-9). This exhibits God's compassion on those who are sick and suffering. It also exhibits God's jurisdiction over the Sabbath since this miracle was done on a Sabbath day. In the next chapter Jesus feeds 5,000 men with 5 loaves and 2 fishes (6:10-13). This exhibits God's marvelous care and provision for the basic needs of His people. And God's power over natural forces like stormy winds and waves is exhibited in Jesus' walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee (6:19). In chapter 8 we see Jesus saying to the woman who was caught in adultery, 'Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.' (8:11) This exhibits God's prerogative to forgive our sins. 

In John chapter 9 we see Jesus giving sight to a man who was born blind. This is a miracle of immense proportions which underscores God's power to do the impossible. In the remaining chapters of John's gospel we will see Jesus raising the dead back to life - not only His friend, Lazarus (11:38-44), but Himself as well (20:1-9). This exhibits that God is the Living God and the source of all life! 

What we have just gone through from John's Gospel are just a small sampling of the works of Jesus. John himself said so in John 20:30 'And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.' But all that is written are sufficient to prove that the works of Jesus bear all the marks and characteristics of God. Can you see how indisputable they are as evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, who is one with the Father, sanctified and sent into the world by the Father? Can you see how the works of Jesus should lead people to know and believe that the Father is in Him, and He is in the Father?

If you have seen all that, then you are now held responsible for what you have seen. You must give an appropriate response to the works of Jesus, and your destiny in eternity depends on your response. Now someone may then say, 'But Pastor, all these things happened 2,000 years ago. The witnesses who saw these works of Jesus are all dead and gone and all that we have today are the records they left behind. I need something better than that to be convinced about who Jesus is. I want evidence that exists today.' If this thought is in your mind right now, let me tell you that there IS one thing that bears testimony to Jesus even today. Please look at v.41 'And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.'

This is what the people on the other side of Jordan testified: They were convinced by what they had heard from John the Baptist - that Jesus is truly the Son of God. By this time, John the Baptist was already dead, but the words he had spoken continued to make an impact after his death, because they were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was a prophet of God and everything that he had foretold about Christ has come to pass. The same thing is true of words that were spoken by other prophets like Moses, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and Zechariah. Everything they said in prophecy about Christ was true because Jesus Christ fulfilled them to the smallest detail. Do you know that there are about 2,000 prophecies fulfilled in Scripture, out of which 330 are fulfilled in Christ? There is no other person in history whose entire life has been so extensively predicted in prophecy and with such great detail. And these fulfilled prophecies provide one of the greatest proofs that the Bible is truly inspired by God. 

Beside this, there are also many prophecies that did not have any fulfillment recorded in Scripture. For example, those dealing with the final regathering of Israel as a nation, the return of Christ and the end time judgment of the world. But we can see the fulfillment of these prophecies today. Israel was regathered as a nation 60 years ago. And the events that are taking place today reveal that world is heading for a grand climax, when Jesus Christ will come to receive His people, and to judge every sinner who has not trusted in Him. 

We are living in momentous times - times when biblical prophecies about the end times are being fulfilled. And the question that you must consider this morning is this, 'Are you ready for the coming of Jesus Christ?' Have you responded to the powerful testimony of all His works and of all the words He has fulfilled? And how should you respond to them? There are two ways that people have responded, and we can see both of them in the last part of our text-

III. The Responses of the Jews to Jesus

The first response is found in v.39 'Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand.' How hardened their hearts were to respond like this! The Lord Jesus had been so patient with them. After they had tried to inflict great harm upon Him with stones, He had carefully reasoned with them if only they would open their eyes to see the plain evidence - all the works He had done, which would lead them to see and believe in Him. But they deliberately persisted in their relentless rebellion and sought to take Him by force. They could not succeed in doing this, because His time had not yet come. There were 3 more months before His time would come - the time when He would yield Himself to die on the cross for our sins. 

Today there are many people who give the same response when confronted with the truth about Jesus Christ. They refuse to see it and they rebel against it. In their blind rejection of Christ they choose instead to exert themselves by every means to gain eternal life and heaven on their own, without Him. But their rebellion is futile. They cannot succeed. There is no way to be saved when one rejects Jesus Christ, who is God's only provision for our salvation. 

If you have not accepted Christ as your Lord and Saviour yet, please understand that you cannot succeed in being saved without Him. And why do you still hesitate and delay to make Jesus your Lord and Saviour when all the evidence, all the proof that you need has already been given? Let His works and words speak to you loudly thiskmorning. And let His greatest work be experienced in your life right now - the work that Jesus accomplished not in His life but in His death. On the cross where Jesus died Jesus accomplished His greatest work of all - the redemption of sinners like you and me. On that very cross He took our sins upon Himself and bore the full wrath of God that we deserved.

And by dying on the cross Jesus fulfilled the words of John the Baptist who said that He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (1:29). This brings us to the response of those who heard these words of John the Baptist in our text. According to verses 41-42, 'many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true. And many believed on him there.' 

Many sinners have resorted to Jesus Christ and f/und that He is truly the Saviour of the world. How about you? Will you resort to Him now while you still can? And many have believed on Him and found Him to be faithful to keep all His promises. How about you? Will you believe on Him and trust Him to be your Lord and Saviour? And what does it mean to believe in Jesus? 

Firstly it means accepting everything that the Bible says about Him and about yourself as true - that Jesus is the Son of God who came down from heaven to be made a sacrifice for sin, and that you are a sinner who deserves nothing but judgment from God. Secondly, it means putting your trust entirely in Jesus alone to save you, and throw away whatever confidence you may have in your own good works or in any other thing to save you. And thirdly, it means surrendering your life to Him once and for all with no thought of turning back. Jesus must be made the Lord and master of everything in your life. This is the only way to be saved. Now that you know it please do not say to yourself, 'Oh never mind, I will do it later.' For who knows whether something unexpected may happen to you, and your postponed response can never take place?

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