If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him

 

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, Make Yourself God."  

 

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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?"

 

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 

 

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John  spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

- John 10:31–42 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were presented with the effects of Christ's presence at the Feast of Tabernacles during the last year of His earthly life.  He had preached widely, engaged in many disputes with the religious leaders, and performed the sixth of seven signs in St. John's Gospel; that is, He healed a man who was blind from birth.  The religious authorities continued to accuse Him and dispute with Him.  Therefore there was a division again among the ruling Council 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."

 

  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, Make Yourself God."    In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus was answering a question posed to Him earlier.  They asked Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24).  But Jesus' answer, "I and the Father are One," incensed them, and they took up stones again to stone Him.  Their previous accusations were over His healing on the Sabbath, but here they claim blasphemy.  Note how Jesus refers to the works that He does, for they testify of Him and of the Father who sent Him. 

 

 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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?"  When Jesus asks, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?" He is quoting from Psalm 82:6.  My study Bible comments that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), and so therefore rightly be called gods.  It cites St. John Chrysostom, who paraphrases Christ's response this way:  "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"

 

 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.   Again, Jesus emphasizes His works (such as restoring the sight of the man blind from birth) as testimony to Himself and His identity.  They are the works of the Father; therefore they witness to Him as One who is not only sent by the Father, but One who can say, "The Father is in Me, and I in Him."  My study Bible comments here that, because Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (John 10:17-18), His accusers cannot arrest Him until He is ready; this proper time is often referred to as His "hour" (John 7:30; 820; see Luke 4:28-30).  

 

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  Here the Gospel affirms that there were believers in Judea (beyond the Jordan), who had been prepared by St. John the Baptist, another testimony to the Baptist's work and ministry.

 

 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns His followers about false prophets to come.  He teaches, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?"  This idea, that we will know them by their fruits, is a concept that emphasizes works as a witness or testimony to the character of a person.  The things they produce reveal who or what they love, what motivates them.  That reference to the Sermon on the Mount is a negative reference to the testimony of works.  In today's reading, Jesus once again makes His own works a positive reference, or testimony to the relationship between Himself and the Father.  The signs He does, such as restoring the sight of the man who was born blind, testify to Christ's identity and loyalty to the Father, even to the understanding that they are One.  As such, we have in the Gospels these repeated assertions -- about ourselves as human beings, and in Jesus' testimony about Himself as incarnate God -- that what we do reveals who we are.  In this sense, our works are witness.  St. John's Gospel makes central to its structure the seven "signs" of Jesus' ministry.  So far as we have read in the Gospel, six of those signs have been performed, and the seventh will come in the next chapter.  The first six are as follows:  turning water to wine (John 2:1-11); healing the nobleman's son (John 4:46-54); healing the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15); feeding of five thousand men, and more women and children (John 6:5-14); walking on water (John 6:16-21); healing the man who was blind from birth (John 9:1-7).   Although Jesus speaks of works in today's reading (ἔργα/erga in Greek), St. John's Gospel uses the word translated as signs (from singular σημεῖον/simeion) for these major events of Christ's ministry.  In modern Greek, this ancient root has evolved to a slightly different spelling (σημαία/simaia), and it is used for "flag." But from this we understand that a "sign" is representative of something else.  It can also indicate a badge, for example.  Jesus' signs, His great works, reveal the presence of the kingdom of God, the way that a flag flying in a location indicates its country of origin and belonging.  When we, as faithful, wear a cross, that is also a kind of sign, a flag indicating to whose kingdom we say we belong.  Jesus makes this association with "works" when He teaches in the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  This is a way of indicating that the light, the grace, we receive from God who is Light, may be seen in our works, so that God is glorified.  If Jesus Himself claims that His works testify to His identity, we can imagine how important it is that our own works do the same.  In the depth of His love for the Father, Jesus' works testify to that love, the origin of what He does.  So our own depth of love for God may testify through what we do.  So also St. John the Baptist performed no sign, but his own "works" as a prophet of God led people to faith in Christ.  Let us consider, and learn from those who came before us.

 

John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true

 

 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."  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  

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 the Scripture cannot be broken), "do you say of Him who the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." 

 

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

- John 10:19–42 

 

In our recent readings, events have been taking place at the Feast of Tabernacles, which is an autumn harvest festival (John 7:1-10:21).  Among other things, the last, great day of this eight-day feast features the lighting of the great lamps in one courtyard of the temple.  They were so brilliant, they illumined the city, and so, much of Christ's preaching and His great sign of healing a man blind from birth emphasize Christ as "light from Light" (the Creed) and as the fullness of all forms of light.  It is now the final year of Christ's earthly life.  At this festival He has been disputing with the Pharisees and religious leaders, who have already unsuccessfully sought to have Him arrested.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "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?"  These verses take place at conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles.  My study Bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by Christ's signs, but they perceive the holiness of His words (see John 7:45-46).  

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."  The Feast of Dedication takes place approximately three months following the Feast of Tabernacles.  This feast is known as the "Festival of Lights" (or Hanukkah).  It 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 informs us, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated, many of whom were themselves shepherds.  

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."  Jesus tells these men (the religious leadership), ". . . as I said to you."  My study Bible comments on this that it indicates these are the same Pharisees whom Christ addressed three months earlier (see yesterday's reading, above).  Note that both what Christ told them, and also the works He had done, have already answered the question they ask Him.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind (see this reading) or perform the miracles which bear witness to Him.  In the same vein, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people as Christ had.

 

 "I and My Father are one."  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have  shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus responds to their question ("If You are the Christ, tell us plainly") by revealing Himself to be fully God.  One means one in nature or essence, my study Bible explains.  Christ is God before all ages, and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  The plural verb are, it says, indicates two distinct persons, while confirming a continuous unity.  The religious leaders clearly recognize Jesus has made a claim of divinity, and so they therefore accuse Him of blasphemy.

 

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 the Scripture cannot be broken), "do you say of Him who the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."   Jesus quotes from Scripture:  "You are gods" (Psalm 82:6).  My study Bible explains that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  According to St. John Chrysostom, Christ is effectively saying, "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"

 

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  My study Bible comments that, because Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (verses 17-18), His accusers cannot arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30; 8:20; see Luke 4:28-30).

 

 John's Gospel is the one that reports to us Pilate's question to Jesus:  "What is truth?" (see John 18:37-38).  Clearly we learn from today's passage, which begins at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, that the truth is not self-evident to everyone.  This is perhaps very clear when we speak about spiritual truth, but one would be a fool not to notice it seems to be also a phenomenon in our every day lives as well, whether we speak of things physical, metaphysical, emotional, or otherwise.  Witnessing a real-time physical worldly event is also fraught with contradictions from witness to witness regarding the same event.  Our "filters" (to put it one way) seem to be always at work.  Perhaps, indeed, the great work of God in us is to refine those filters, to take away the things that keep us blind, that block the light of God from getting in.  In terms of the truth of Christ, our "freedom" comes from the depth of truth we can accept.  Jesus tells us also in this Gospel, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (see John 8:31-32).  But in the context of that passage, it's important that it's prefaced with Christ's words, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  In other words, the depth and dedication of our discipleship is directly linked to the truth we can receive.  Just as we've just read Jesus' sixth sign (of seven) in John's Gospel, the giving of sight to a man who was blind from birth, in chapter 9, so perhaps we are to extrapolate and to understand that it is Christ who truly gives us spiritual sight, and it is through discipleship to Him that any of us receives sight enough to receive the truth that He is talking about.  Hence, Pilate's question, and his perplexity in trying to understand what Jesus is talking about.  Moreover, in talking about events in today's reading, perhaps it's most important -- in the context of this discussion about truth -- that we notice that Christ's truth, even the tremendous news and evidence before them of the giving of sight to the man blind from birth -- creates division.  Not everyone can accept Christ's truth.  In those "filters" of which we speak there may be many obstacles that cause darkness, even inspire human beings to cling to their own darkness so as to avoid that light, that truth.  In terms of the religious leaders in our story, they certainly have reasons to reject that Jesus could be the Messiah; their authority is threatened if Jesus is the Christ.  Many say that He has a demon and is mad.  But others say the obvious, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  We know that at least some of the religious leaders, including Nicodemus the Pharisee, are well on their way to being full disciples of Christ.  But these divisions tell us something important about truth.  We so often make assumptions that truth -- on any level -- is obvious to everyone.  But this is not the case.  As we are still in the period of Lent, and heading toward Holy Week starting on Palm Sunday, let us keep well in mind that it is through abiding in His word that we may come to know the truth, for this is what He says to us.  Let us continue our efforts at discipleship, so that we may truly know what it is to be free.  For it is discipleship that works on the filters that keep us from the light.  Let us note also the great significance of the saintly and faithful in today's reading, and consider the long lineage of the work of God among us.  For where is it that many believed in Him?  It is among those who heard the word about Jesus from John the Baptist.  They say, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  Let us bear in mind that it is John's Gospel which also tells us clearly that many of Jesus' disciples were first disciples of John, and that John sent them to Jesus the Lamb of God (John 1:29).  Let us abide in His word.

 

 

 

Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?

 

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in our law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

-  John 10:31–42 

 

In our recent readings (from the beginning of chapter 7), Jesus has been attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  There He has disputed with the religious authorities, and restored the sight of a man who was blind since birth.  Yesterday we read that there was a division again among the leaders 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."

 

  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."   At the end of yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus responded to the question of the religious leaders, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  He answered clearly when He said, "I and My Father are one."  For this they take up stones again to stone Him.  (We recall that the term the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to designate the religious leaders, and not the people.)   In so doing, Jesus reveals Himself to be fully God.  To be one with the Father means one in nature or essence.   Christ's opponents clearly recognize this claim of divinity, my study Bible says, and therefore accuse Him of blasphemy.  

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in our law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."   My study Bible comments on Christ's quotation from Scripture, "You are gods" (Psalm 82:6):  People who receive God's grace in faith will partake of God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ as effectively saying, "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"  Again, Christ cites His works as witness to His divinity and His union with the Father.  

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  As Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (verses 17-18), those who accuse Him cannot arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30; 8:20; see Luke 4:28-30).  

 

In today's reading, when Jesus goes beyond the Jordan (that is, east of the Jordan River, the place where John was baptizing at first), the people say, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  Note how, in the people's response to Jesus beyond the Jordan, it is first of all His works that speak as witness for them.  That is, the things that He does prove that John's word about Jesus was true.  Moreover, we are once again given John the Baptist as effective witness, for the people now see for themselves that all the things John spoke about Jesus were true.  So, in subtle ways, even though the religious leaders don't believe Christ, and don't accept His witness (nor the people or things He names as witnesses to His divinity), the people believe.  They accept Him, and affirm that the things John the Baptist said about Him were true.  This seems to be clearly the perspective of the Gospel, at least among those who have faithfully pursued the holy ones dedicated to God, like the prophet John the Baptist.  Perhaps there is a lesson here about witnessing and truth, in that these things teach us that the acceptance of truth also depends not simply upon witnesses, but also upon the disposition of the heart of the beholder in the first place.  If a person is dead set against accepting someone or something, then no amount of witnesses will be entirely persuasive.  This is especially true if there is a particular reason of self-interest or group interest for people to reject a particular truth.  Such things can form a compelling reason to deny or reject truth.  In the case of the religious leaders and Jesus, He criticizes them freely.  They stand to lose their positions of authority, and He also alludes to their corruption.  They have a tight control on positions in the temple and even for some faction of the ruling Council, on the wealth and property around Jerusalem.  So important is this aspect of faith that John the Evangelist begins this Gospel with verses that focus on the rejection of light for darkness (John 1:1-5).  At any rate, Christ's emphasis on repentance comes in here as an important aspect of His preaching, because in the sense of the Greek of the Gospels, the word translated as "repentance" means literally "change of mind."  In this context of witnessing and belief (or, more accurately, trust), the possibility of changing one's mind, the minimal awareness that there is perhaps something one cannot be absolutely certain about, is the one thing that opens one to the places God may lead us.  In the story of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14), we read that the Pharisee prayed "with himself," while the Publican's position of humility at least allows for the possibility that there is something he has to learn, something left undone, something God calls him to that he doesn't know.  To be at least capable of changing one's mind means that God's work within us is still possible, and we know that this is important because -- especially in our recent readings -- Jesus has emphasized God the Father's role in drawing us to Christ (see above, "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").  In yesterday's reading, Jesus also said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Without the possibility of "changing our minds," of allowing for the unknown and unexpected, how would we hear Christ's voice?  For God will always call us to what is greater than we know, what we haven't considered, or perhaps especially what we need to reconsider in our own choices and behaviors.  For God will always be asking us to grow, leading us forward into what is greater than what we think we know.  Even the works that Christ does, those "signs" such as healing a man blind from birth, ask of us to open our own minds to accept them, and especially to accept what they mean about Christ's divine identity, and the kingdom of God present with Him.  Let us consider what it is to witness, and how we receive that witness.  For how will we be prepared to understand and accept the evidence that is before us?

 

 

 

 

 

If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him

 

 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 the one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in the 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."  

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  

 

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

- John 10:19–42 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn festival.  It is the final year of His life.  Many of His memorable teachings took place against the images and commemorations during this Festival, which are recorded in John 7:1-10:21.   In our recent readings, Jesus has been disputing withe the religious authorities.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "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 the one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Once again, we recall that the term "the Jews" is used in John's Gospel as a political label, to designate the religious rulers, and not the people.  Here that is made evidently clear, as there is a division among these members of the leadership who have been disputing with Jesus in the temple.  Some plot again Him, and say He has a demon and is mad.  But others question, asking, "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"   My study Bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs, but perceive the holiness of His words ("These are not the words of the one who has a demon").

 

 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in the Jerusalem, and it was winter.  The Feast of Dedication took place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles.  It was known as the Festival of Lights (also called Hanukkah).  My study Bible explains that it commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated it in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1-4).  We recall from yesterday's reading (above) that, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd.  At the Feast of Dedication, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated, many of whom were themselves shepherds.  

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."  Both what Christ told them and the works He had done already answered their question, my study Bible notes.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind (see this reading, in which Jesus healed a man blind from birth, the sixth sign of seven in John's Gospel) or perform these signs that bear witness to Christ.  Moreover, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people as Christ did (John 7:46; 10:21).

"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."  My study Bible remarks that Christ's words, "As I said to you," indicate that these are the same Pharisees whom Christ addressed three months prior (see John 10:1-5, from yesterday's reading, above).

"I and My Father are one."  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus responds to their question by revealing Himself to be fully God.  My study Bible explains that one means one in nature or essence.  He is God before all ages (John 1:1), and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  The plural verb are (in "I and the Father are one") indicates two distinct Persons, while at the same time affirming a continuous unity.  These leaders clearly recognize the claim of divinity, and therefore they accuse Jesus of blasphemy.

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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Jesus cites Psalm 82:6 ("I said, 'You are gods'").  My study Bible explains that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and thus can rightly be called gods.  My study Bible quotes St. John Chrysostom, who comments that Christ is effectively saying, "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"  Additionally, Jesus again refers to the works He does as testimony to that divinity.

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  As Christ goes voluntarily and according to His own will to His Passion, these accusers are not able to arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30; 8:20; see also Luke 4:28-30).  Let us note the many who believed in Him there.

In today's reading, Jesus says to the religious leaders:  "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  In these words, it seems to me that one can hear Jesus doing His best to save even these leaders who oppose Him, right to the last minute.  Here, in this confrontation, He is at the Feast of Dedication, a winter festival (we know it commonly as Hanukkah), which is taking place during the final year of Christ's earthly life.  When the Passover comes, it will be time for His final entry into Jerusalem, on what we know as Palm Sunday.  But here, these words seem to plead for their faith -- not to save His life, for He already knows He will go to the Cross, but to save theirs.  He is offering to all the people, even these most arrayed against Him and who plot against Him, an abundant life, an eternal life, if they can but believe and come into communion with the Father in this way.  He offers them the witness of the works that He does.  These are "signs" with which these religious leaders, experts in Scripture and Jewish spiritual tradition, must be already familiar.  They are signs which they are abundantly capable to recognize in this spiritual and religious context, but they do not, and they will not.  What this suggests is that this is, indeed, Jesus' deepest need, His most fervent desire.  He seeks to save all, to bring all into communion with Him to the Father.  In yesterday's reading, He said to 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."  He is the door, the gate, to the more abundant and eternal life that is offered, and they have but to heed the signs and take faith from that recognition.  So many have understood the spirit and truth in His words, even among these leaders.  There are those who say, "These are not the words of the one who has a demon."  And they ask about the signs,  "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Three times in yesterday's reading, Jesus reiterates that He will die for the "one flock," for the sheep.  He finally says, "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."  There can be no doubt, therefore, that He knows He is going to His death, and that as He does, therefore, His greatest desire is to save all those whom He can -- and to offer to these religious leaders the salvation of communion through Him with the Father for the promise of abundant life.  He is not pleading for His own sake, or for His own life, but for theirs.  So let us consider the depth of His love, His fervent wish that all be saved.  For this must be the deepest command of all, the depth of Christ's priorities above all things, and the reason behind all things.  When we go through difficulties, if we survive even our own mistakes and errors, when we are tempted to think of our lives as unneeded, unwanted, discarded, or tainted, we should think about this.  For Christ wants most fervently for each one of His sheep to be one with Him and the Father, for the abundant life He promises, and that trumps every objection and every obstacle.  That fervent love and desire can overcome anything.  Let us never give up on that love, and hold fast to it, above all things.  

 

 

Is it not written in your law, "I said, 'You are gods'?"

 

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

- John 10:31-42 

 

Yesterday we read that, after His encounters with the religious leaders in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a division again among them because of Christ's 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, or Hanukkah, 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."

 

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."   The religious leadership (those hostile to Jesus among the leaders, designated by the term the Jews in John's Gospel, and not the people) take up stones because of Jesus' statement from yesterday's reading, above, "I and My Father are one."  This is unequivocally a statement of equality with God the Father, which they consider to be blasphemy.   Jesus was responding to their question in verse 24 in yesterday's reading, above,  "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."   My study Bible comments that He reveals Himself to be fully God:  One means one in nature or essence.  It says that He is God before all ages, and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  The plural verb are indicates two distinct Persons, while confirming a continuous unity.  These religious leaders clearly recognize Christ's claim of divinity ("You, being a Man, make Yourself God"), and therefore they accuse Him of blasphemy.  

 

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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."   Jesus quotes from Psalm 82:6.  My study Bible comments on this quotation by Jesus that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  According to commentary by St. John Chrysostom, Christ is effectively saying, "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"

 

 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  My study Bible notes that because Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (see verses 17-18 from yesterday's reading, above) His accusers cannot arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30, 8:20; see also Luke 4:28-30).  Note the contrast between the people and the religious leaders; many who followed John  the Baptist, who was an extraordinarily revered figure, also believed in Christ.

 

  "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  In today's reading, Jesus returns to the good works that He has done, as evidence of His tie to the Father.  Those good works testify to His identity, as He says, "they are from My Father."  That is, the seven signs given in John's Gospel (we have read six of them so far) are those which are manifestations of God the Father's will through Jesus; they are testimony to Christ's identity as Son.  In His own defense, He tells these religious leaders to "believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."   As He said, in yesterday's reading (above), "The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me."  It reminds us of Jesus' teaching in Matthew's Gospel, "By their fruits you shall know them" (see Matthew 17:15-20).   In that teaching, He was warning of false prophets, whom He called "ravenous wolves" in "sheep's clothing."  He makes clear connections between the actual things people do and the reality of their inner disposition, as opposed to their appearance and words.  This passage therefore points to something profound within our faith, and that is the work of grace and the transformation possible through participation in the life of Christ, to which my study Bible points.  For the Eastern Orthodox this process is called theosis or divinization.  This is a sense in which the fruits of a life of faith include an ontological internal change; that is, we bear fruit of the Spirit.  St. Paul named these as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (see Galatians 5:22-23).   Relevant to the context of today's reading, St. Paul adds, "Against such there is no law."  He is speaking of the power of grace working through us, for which all ascetic practice throughout the ages has emphasized first humility, so that we may be like Christ, and seek to do the Father's will.  Jesus explained it quite explicitly in our recent readings (from Saturday), when He said, " I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges," and "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God."  Earlier in chapter 10, He taught, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  Repeatedly Jesus has emphasized His own humility to the Father, and that it is the Father's glory that He seeks in all that He does.  So, we are encouraged to do the same, to live the same kind of life as does the human Jesus.  As He indicates here, He is the Son, but we are all called to be "gods."  That is, to fulfill the image and likeness in which we were created (Genesis 1:26) through our practices of worship, and the humility it takes to truly bear fruits of repentance and grace.  We become children of God by adoption, and in the sense that Jesus has used the word "father" in recent readings, we come to understand what this means.  When the leaders who oppose Him claimed to have Abraham as their father, He replies, "If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham."  Because murder is in their hearts, He later told them, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do" (see John 8:37-47).  Through our faith practices, through worship and the Eucharist, through prayer and humility, and in particular, through grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, we may also become like our adoptive Father; we may follow Christ and the gifts He offers to us.  He is looking for those who hear His voice (John 10:27), and who can also bear His light into the world (Matthew 5:14-16, John 12:46, 2 Corinthians 4:6).  In this way, we do "the works of our Father," we can be "like Christ."  This is what He teaches them, and what He teaches us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And many believed in Him there

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  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 the Scripture cannot be broken) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."   Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:31-42

At the Feast of Tabernacles, after Jesus healed a man blind from birth (the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel), and was disputing with the leadership, there was a division again among them because of His 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."

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."   The religious leaders are responding to Jesus' words in yesterday's reading, above:  "I and My Father are one."  They recognize His claim of divinity, and therefore accuse Him of blasphemy.

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 the Scripture cannot be broken) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."   My study bible comments on Jesus' quotation (from Psalm 82:6), "You are gods."   It says that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), and therefore can rightly be called gods.  St. John Chrysostom is quoted as paraphrasing Christ in the following:  "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty by calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"  Jesus once again appeals to their conventional understanding of justice, by citing a witness to His claim:  the works that He has done.

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  My study bible notes here that as Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (verses 17-18), His accusers cannot arrest Him until He is ready (7:30; 8:20; see also Luke 4:28-30).

 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  Interesting to note that there are repeated places in which John observes that there were many who believed in Jesus.  In yesterday's reading, above, it was also noted that among the leaders, there are those who dispute the claim that Christ had a demon, saying, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  All along, John has made it clear that, especially among the people, and even among the religious leaders, there is division of opinion about Jesus.

The array of public opinion that is split and divided over Jesus is quite interesting to read included in John's Gospel.  John gives us a picture of people who are "like sheep not having a shepherd" (Mark 6:34).  Frequently throughout the Gospel we are given a picture of the common people who collectively speak of Jesus and yet have no common answer about Him.  In chapter 7, when Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, we read that the leaders are seeking Him to seize Him, while the people disagree about Him.  The Gospel tells us that there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  But also that no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders.  (See this reading.)   There have also been indications that the leaders themselves are divided about Jesus, such as in yesterday's reading (above) in which there was a dispute about whether or not such a person who has performed the works that Jesus has could have a demon.  Earlier Nicodemus, a Pharisee, questioned his fellow Pharisees who wanted to immediately condemn Jesus:  "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" (7:51).  In today's reading, John tells us that in the region east of the Jordan, away from Jerusalem, many believed in Him there.   In the foreground of the Gospel is this great drama, a conflict between Jesus  and the religious leaders.  We read of their open disputes at the festivals.  But this is the foreground, and it is set against a backdrop of a type of Greek chorus, the people, who are scattered and wary and bewildered.  They expect a Messiah, someone who will deliver them from the Romans and restore to Israel its former glory, yet they do not know if Jesus is the one.  Some say He is, and others simply do not know.  Some follow for a time and fall away at His "hard sayings" (see this reading).  Others witness His great works, and Jesus chastises them for doing so, and yet failing to believe (we read His words in Matthew and Luke), and neither do His own brothers (extended family) believe (see this reading).   And those who have witnessed His miracles -- the ones fed in the wilderness -- seek to make Him king, and miss the point of His ministry entirely, which He tries to correct in His subsequent preaching (see this reading).  All in all, the people who make up this Gospel story of Christ are people like you and me, and all those who surround us.  They find themselves midst a sea of opinions, fears, desires, expectations, curiosity, and bewilderment.  They lack really true and good leadership.  Jesus goes so far as to teach them regarding the things that make for good leadership (see Wednesday's reading), as opposed to the "hirelings" who will simply mislead in order to exploit the sheep for their own ends, caring little or nothing for them.  We live in a world beset with opinions and false aims, those who will mislead for their own good, everybody with a different agenda, and far too few who are truly concerned with how to love, how to be like the Father, to whom Jesus is constantly pointing.  In yesterday's reading, and those recent readings preceding it in which Jesus spoke of Himself in the temple, we were assured that the number one consideration of a good leader is love, and that through and beyond and above all things, it is God the Father's love for us that drives any true and good leadership.  Of this we can be certain, because Jesus' assurances are emphatic.  Therefore, if we are to know good leadership and who to follow or to put our trust in, we must consider our own need to put the love of God first in our hearts.  It is in this way that Christ says we will be able to know a true prophet from a false, a good shepherd from one who leads astray.  And that is because to know love is to recognize it; to be familiar with God's love for us is to be able to hear the voice of the Shepherd.  The Gospel, with all its myriad opinions and bewildering conflicts and changes and betrayal, gives us a picture of a changing world in which we can be sure of very little.  It shows us that with a particular perspective of self-righteousness, we can delude ourselves into disbelieving even what is right in front of us.  It warns us that this will indeed continue to happen around us, and even among those to whom it is entrusted to lead.  The one thing of which we are assured is God's love, first and foremost, and the memory of the voluntary sacrifice of the Son, made also in that same love.  We start there, and root ourselves there.  Through our prayer and faith, we may come to know this love, hold fast to it, and learn to recognize it, share it, and live it.  We may also come to know, thereby, where it is missing.  It is love, after all else, that teaches us discernment.  It little matters where we come from and what we know from the world; we can always start with God who loves us so that no one is turned away.  Let us remember what He is here for, the message of love He brings, His great sacrifice which teaches us how much we are loved, and this communion of love into which He invites us always.

If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of these works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:31-42

In yesterday's reading, we were at the end or aftermath of Jesus' discourse with the temple leadership in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles. Throughout chapters 7 through 9 of John's Gospel, events have taken place around and just after this feast. The leadership is left divided. Some 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?" John's Gospel returns us then back to the temple, to a festival three months later. It is the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah, a winter festival. Jesus walked in the temple, and the leadership asked Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus said, referring to His discourse to them earlier, "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."

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of these works do you stone Me?" Jesus once again uses His works as witness - even as evidence against an accusation. What sin has He committed? For which work do they stone Him? We have seen six signs so far in the Gospel of John, the last being Jesus' healing of the man blind from birth at the previous Feast of Tabernacles.

The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" My study bible says, "Jesus' question comes in response to the Pharisees' charge of blasphemy. What the Lord is saying, according to St. John Chrysostom, is this: 'If those who have received this honor by grace are not found with fault for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?" Jesus is quoting from Psalm 82:6.

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. Again, Jesus goes to His works which witness the presence of the Father with Him. Today's reading is all about witness and testimony.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there. Again we return to witnessing and testimony. The place beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing at first is a place filled with those who became John's disciples, who revered John the Baptist as a holy man. Through faith, they not only accept the witness of John, but they can also see that John's witness was borne out in the works of Christ: "All the things John spoke about this Man were true." John served God by serving Christ, the One of whom He said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" and "He who has the bride is the bridegroom." Christ serves the Father. Testimony and service go hand in hand, and both are received through faith, trust.

Today's reading tells us about witnessing. How do we receive witness? What gives us trust that testimony is true? Our hearts tell us so, through faith or through deceit. Luke's Gospel tells us that after Herod Antipas sent Christ back to Pilate for judgment, after mocking Him, Herod and Pilate became fast friends. So some may be locked in bonds of untruth, while others relate in truth. How do you receive witness? What is it that inspires your faith, your trust? If we look at the Gospel reading, if we look at the relationships here of the ones mentioned, John the Baptist and Jesus, then we look at what and Who they serve, what kind of people they are. Jesus we know as One who has declared Himself the Son, and said in the previous reading, "I and the Father are one." John served with humility despite his great following and wide fame in Israel as a prophet. So, the question becomes, what do you serve? And how do you witness to that service? John witnessed and Jesus as incarnate Man also witnessed: His works were witnesses to the Father's presence. Let us consider what witnessing is, its essence, and its power among us. Those with the capacity for faith will hear the Shepherd's voice and respond to true witnessing. How do you witness your faith, the working of God in your heart? All that we do may bear witness to Christ's presence within us and with us, to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. What's your witness? Who is it that you deeply desire to serve?

Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'?

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 into 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."

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:19-42

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about Himself as the good shepherd -- and that the sheep know His voice. He also taught about what is to come: that He will lay down His life for the sheep, and that others who are hirelings will not do so. He said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." Today, He continues in His dialogue with the temple authorities. All of this has taken place after the healing of the man who was blind since birth (see here and here).

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?" "The Jews" always refers to the leadership of the temple, and from today's reading we can see that there is a division even among them as to who Jesus really is. We know that among the leadership there will also be followers and believers. But perhaps what is most important for this passage is the understanding of the choice that is always offered when holiness makes its way into the world, and creates its effects. In this case, they are arguing after the healing of the man who was blind since birth. Many of the Pharisees have sought to discredit Jesus regarding this sign or miracle, in one way or another, and to claim it is not righteous. But the dispute it creates is inevitable, and it is a metaphor for all of us when faced with such a choice and the action of the holy in our lives.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked into the temple, in Solomon's porch. My study bible says, "This encounter with the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem takes place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (chs. 7--9). The occasion of Christ's presence in Jerusalem is again a religious festival, the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), the festival of lights. This Feast commemorates the rededication of the temple to the God of Israel after the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the temple in 167 B.C. (see 1 Macc. 1--4). The leaders of Israel's past are commemorated, many of whom were literal shepherds." Jesus has many confrontations at the festivals at the temple, where He also goes to teach.

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." In this dialogue, Jesus covers what is already some familiar territory: that the works He does bear witness of Him. He teaches again that the sheep hear His voice, but they who do not believe are not of His sheep. He teaches that He will keep His sheep with Him forever, giving them eternal life, and that He will lose none of what the Father has given to Him, because "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." Always, we return to the Father, and the union of this embrace in the Holy, that includes His sheep, all of us. But now Jesus adds a powerful note plainly and clearly: "I and My Father are one." My study bible says that the verb are indicates the Father and the Son are two Persons. It says, "They are always distinct, but united in essence, will and action." John's Gospel repeatedly takes us further and further, from the mundane to the holy, and leads us as it teaches, as we follow Jesus' teachings. And we will see the result with His audience at the time.

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 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 the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" My study bible says here: "Jesus' question comes in response to the Pharisees' charge of blasphemy. What the Lord is saying, according to St. John Chrysostom, is this: 'If those who have received this honor by grace are not found with fault for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?'" It is another remarkable note about Jesus: He will not give up encouraging and teaching, and He does not back down. He will always tell the truth, and let others decide which way they will. He is not afraid of confrontation -- rather, on the contrary, He will do everything He can to refute false charges and to teach, up until the moment it is His hour.

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. Jesus refers again to the works that He has done (most recently, the healing of the man blind since birth), in order to teach and exhort them to belief. They (His works, done in the name of God) testify of Him. And He again teaches of His oneness with God the Father. But this is too much for them to take in, and once again they attempt to seize Him, as they have on other occasions. But it is, again, not yet His time.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there. It's a kind of sly and interesting parallel here: many believed in John the Baptist, though he performed no sign. John was widely regarded as a righteous and holy man. So we have more testimony to Jesus -- again, the works or signs He has done, and the testimony once again of the Baptist. Jesus continues to win faithful followers, outside of the temple.

So, John's Gospel is once again providing us with the split between belief and disbelief. The works that Jesus has done, the signs or revelation of the presence of the Holy with Him, are the testimonies that people believe or disbelieve. There is also the word of the Baptist, among other things, that testifies. And of course, the powerful words Jesus uses Himself to tell of Himself and the Father. But chiefly, we understand that the intervention or revelation of the Holy in our world is an occasion for choice -- and it always becomes an occasion for the exercise of judgment, for which Jesus has also told us He has come. So the real question is, how do we respond to the acts of grace or the holy in our world? Jesus, above, alludes to the passage in which by grace believers become "gods" or god-like. This quotation is from Psalm 82, and if we look at it in context, we see a parallel to the situation in the Gospel. “They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler" (Psalm 82:5--7). By grace, we are all given the chance to be "sons of the Most High." But will we also walk in darkness, or die like mere men? Those who wish to hang onto the power they grasp, without seeing, will fall like every other ruler. It is our choice, up to us. Will we see and grasp the grace we receive? Or are we afraid of losing our own power or authority by doing so? The question remains with us, all the time.