Christ Lost and Found

If you remember last week Christ Jesus dropped a bomb on the unbelieving Jews. They pretended that they were sincerely interested in who He was, but Christ Jesus knew better, “I told you, and you do not believe;” (vs. 25). Christ Jesus talked to the Jews about the “true sheep” and how they “know His voice” (vs. 27). He spoke of assurance – assurance of eternity with Him or eternity separated from Him (vs. 28-29). And then...then He does it, He says, “I and the Father are one.” Yes, Christ Jesus stated that He is God, and now the religiosity hit the fan. The Jews so pious and set in their ways were seeing red – they couldn't believe that this carpenter turned prophet could possibly be so bold and blasphemous. It was time to do something about this.

John 10:31-42
31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

33 "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, `I have said you are gods'? 35 If he called them `gods,' to whom the word of God came-and the Scripture cannot be broken- 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, `I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed 41 and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.
  

1. Christ Jesus Challenged (vs. 31-33) 

The words were barely out of Christ Jesus' mouth and the Jews were picking up stones. 

To the Jews, Christ Jesus had just committed blasphemy, and the punishment for blasphemy was death by stoning. Then the LORD said to Moses: "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: `If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death. Lev 24:13-16 

How could they deny or ignore all the miracles and what many who had attested to to be true? They could not, but that wasn't a problem to them. In other words it wasn't His works that upset the Jews, but Christ Jesus's words. They understood His claim to deity, but they could not grasp the ramifications of it because of their blindness.

Jesus answered what they did, for we do not find that they said any thing, unless perhaps they stirred up the crown that they had gathered about him to join with them, crying, Stone him, stone him, as afterwards, Crucify him, crucify him. When he could have answered them with fire from heaven, he mildly replied, Many good works have I shown you from my Father: for which of those works do you stone me? - Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

Christ Jesus knew that according to the law they had no right to stone Him unless there was a specific charge! So He wisely and quietly asked them, “For which of those works do you stone Me?” (v. 32). For He had done many. They could only answer that it was not for any works, but again for what they term blasphemy because He made Himself God.

This is the first time in this Gospel the Jews have officially accused Christ Jesus of blasphemy. But Christ Jesus never “makes Himself anything. Everything that He is stems from the Father. He is the Word of God who has become man.” Will you continue to harden your heart or will you see Christ Jesus for who He really is – God?

2. Christ Jesus Responds (vs. 34-39)

In verse 34, Christ Jesus answers them by quoting from Psalm 82:6: I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.” 

In Jewish tradition, this verse was sometimes applied out of context to Israel as recipients of divine law. So if Israel was loosely called “gods,” how could they object to Christ Jesus saying He is God's Son, without even understanding His point? Ex 4:16: "Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.” 

So if unrighteous judges who had given the people the Word of God were called “gods.” If unholy men who held high office were referred to as “gods” because they were vehicles for God’s message. Then was it really blasphemy for the One whom God had “sanctified and sent into the world” to speak of Himself as the Son of God?

“the Scripture cannot be broken” (vs. 35)- in both the Greek and Hebrew understanding, not being broken refers to unity and the phrase itself argues that if Scripture says something , it must be true. The word broken is actually a common Greek word meaning “to loosen or unbind.” 

You can be sure that the scripture cannot be broken, or broken in upon, or found fault with. Every word of God is right; the very style and language of scripture are unimpeachable, and not to be corrected. A key to help you understand what Christ Jesus is saying here is found in Matthew 5:17-18: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Jewish tradition emphasized right motives but allowed that obeying a commandment from inadequate motives was better than not obeying at all. - THE IVP BACKGROUND COMMENTARY: NEW TESTAMENT KEENER 

Christ Jesus reminded the Jews that they had a basic test for truth teaching: if people who claim to be God's Son do not do God's will, then their claims can be challenged. If Christ Jesus' behavior was marked by the kind of righteousness and power that people associated with the God they worshiped, why not believe His words and attribute His works to God? If they had done this they would have known that the Father was in the Son and that the Son was in the Father. It is the same for you this morning. If you look at the actions of Christ Jesus and the motives behind them you can only come to one conclusion – Christ Jesus and the Father are One.

Christ Jesus was carefully making His last open plea to these unbelieving

listeners, only asking for an honest investigation of His ministry. But the Jewish leaders were having none of it, again they seek to seize Him, but Christ Jesus escaped out of their “hand” (v. 39). Surely no human authority, however powerful, could or can finally take Him. It was to be only as the Father allowed it. It would only happen when Christ Jesus willingly laid down His life for you, me and everyone else. Likewise, no enemy can snatch anyone whom the Son has given eternal life out of the Father’s “hand.” Please if you have not done so, place yourself in those nail-scared hands this morning.

You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? - C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed. 

 

3. Christ Jesus Believed (vs. 40-41)

Jesus retreats, leaves this land of unbelief where His own had not received Him, moving to the place beyond the Jordan where John had first baptized. For the time being Christ Jesus's work in Jerusalem was done. So He left and went back to the east side of the Jordan (Perea). This region was ruled, like Galilee, by Herod Antipus – and was well outside the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem leaders.

What memories and longings and gratitude must have stirred in Christ Jesus as He returned to the setting where His public ministry had begun. You can almost sense again His deep ties with the John the Baptist, who by his faithful witness had prepared for a rich harvest which Christ Jesus reaped. Not all the Jews were unbelievers. Not all followed the rejecting, murderous intentions of the Pharisees. 

Some remembered that while John the Baptist never did any miraculous signs, he had promised the Messiah would come. And now here He was in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Everything that John the Baptist had said about Christ Jesus people now knew to be true—“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” “the Son of God,” “One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And many believed. It was a rich time of fulfillment for Christ Jesus before His final struggle.

Conclusion: There is a story about a brilliant violinist who performed with a major urban symphony. Presumably he served as concert master and occasional soloist. He was heard often and known well by classical music lovers in that city.

On one occasion one of his admires chatted with him briefly at a benefit luncheon staged by the symphony society. After asking the usual questions about favorite composers, practice time, and guest conductors, the sponsor said to the violinist, “I'd give my life to play as well as you do.” Without missing a beat the musician responded, “I did.”

Christ Jesus has repeatedly called you to follow Him, to trust Him, to be obedient to give your all for Him. But as you have seen this call does not always set well with people, not even the religious.

Are you willing to quit following the crowd and follow the Good Shepherd, truly follow Him, no matter the cost? Are you ready to say, “I want the eternal security that heaven will be my home.” Are you ready to ask Christ Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour right now?