My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand

 

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  

 

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."

 

- John 10:19-30 

 

In our current cycle of readings (John 7:1-10:21), Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles.  It is the final year of His earthly life and ministry.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued speaking to the Pharisees, who now seek to seize Him:   "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father." 

 

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"   We end Jesus' time at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1-10:21) with division among the leadership regarding Him.  My study Bible asks us to observe that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by signs, but perceive the holiness of His words.  

 

 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."   John's Gospel turns to another feast in Jerusalem, the Feast of Dedication, which is also known as the "Festival of Lights" (or Hanukkah).  The Feast of Tabernacles is an autumn festival; we are now in winter, and it is approximately three months later.  The Feast of Dedication commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated it in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1 - 4).  At this festival, my study Bible explains, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated, may of whom were themselves shepherds.  Here once again, we remember that the term the Jews is used as a political term in John's Gospel, and it most frequently designates those in the religious leadership who are hostile to Him, not the people.  Jesus and His disciples, including the author of this Gospel, are all Jews.

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me."  My study Bible comments that both what Christ told them and the works He had done have already answered their question.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind (as prophesied in Isaiah 35:5, 42:7), a prerogative which belongs only to God (Psalm 146:8), or perform the miracles (the works that I do) that bear witness to Him.  Additionally, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people as had Christ (John 7:46, 9:21).  

"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  My study Bible points out Christ's words, as I said to you, which indicate that these are the same Pharisees whom He addressed three months earlier at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 10:1-5; see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus once again returns to the theme He so often emphasizes and which underlies both His words and works, His communion with the Father, which links Christ to His sheep who hear His voice.

 

Jesus returns repeatedly in John's Gospel, and especially as we have progressed through His various signs and teachings, to Christ's relationship to the Father.  It's very important that we understand the repeated emphasis not only on Christ's relationship with God the Father, but also how that communion includes Christ's sheep.  There is a connection between the Father, Christ, and the sheep who "hear Christ's voice" and respond to it.  This is also linked to Peter's confession and Jesus' response to him in Matthew's Gospel, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven" (see Matthew 16:17-18).   It is upon this faith that Christ's church is built -- this communion that runs between Father, Son, and those who are capable of hearing His voice, for whom His words have meaning and impact.  Let us look more closely at Christ's words and the fullness of meaning in today's reading, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  The level of absolute confidence that Christ expresses here seems to be extraordinary:  His sheep hear His voice, He knows them and they follow Him.  He gives them eternal life -- an no one will take them away from Him, because no one can take them from the Father who is greater than all.  These are statements of unshakeable confidence; there is no hesitation nor wavering nor guessing, but total faith in what He is saying.  Moreover, one cannot help but feel awe at the confidence expressed in us, the sheep who follow Him, that we are not going to be lost.  He is clearly speaking of future generations to come, the generations of the Church, of the faithful, the sheep who continue today to come to Him even two millennia later.  We should be blessed by this absolute confidence, because these words include all of us.  They should not only give us pause, but also give us the confidence of His love, that we will never be let go, and that whatever forces seek to snatch us away from the love of God will not prevail, because, as Jesus declares here, "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" and "I and My Father are one."  The rest of us, we sheep who follow, cannot speak with such confidence.  We know that we are not perfect, that we are always in need of humility and of our own vigilance in seeking to deepen, strengthen, shore up our faith, and help one another to do so.  But Christ speaks with confidence for all of us, because this confidence that we need is in Him, and it is in the Father who is greater than all.  We might not be able to put this kind of confidence into ourselves and our own potential for fallibility, but our trust and confidence may be placed in Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and there we stand in faith, for they shall not fail.