Last week, our new friend Chris taught the first half of this chapter, and today, I’m privileged to share some thoughts from the 2nd half of John 10. I will update you a bit on the ministry of Jews for Jesus, with whom I’ve worked for 45 years, and encourage your participation and financial support. I will also mention Advent, Hanukkah and Christmas as well. Let’s get to it.
In last week’s episode, we saw a controversy in Jerusalem. Listen, I’m a Jew…for Jesus… I’m used to controversy. This one started with Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath back in John chapter 9. That’s not only a historical marker; it was a clever design by Messiah to cause a problem. Had Jesus healed the blind man on a Tuesday or a Thursday, it would have been great, to be sure, but it would have been acceptable to many. Both the when (his healing on Saturday) and how he healed caused an uproar. There are times when Jesus wanted to be a stirrer. But is that all he intended? And did he get what he intended?
You see, the blind man was unknown. We never learn his name. After he was healed, some of his neighbours wondered if that was the same fellow they used to notice but never noticed. He had been disregarded in his blind situation. The rabbis taught that blindness was a curse, and therefore, there was a reluctance to interact with him. (John 9:34) After he was healed, some religious leaders wanted him to testify about the person who healed him. The blind man didn’t know anything about him; all he knew was the result of the encounter. He could see.
The religious leaders subpoenaed his parents to testify. They were reluctant to testify about Jesus because of social pressure. All the while, Jesus was nearby, and his miracle was stirring the crowd.
But remember, it wasn’t only the day of the week that was controversial. It was the mechanism of the healing. “He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” So he went away and washed and came back seeing. (John 9.6-7)
Who else but a blind man would let someone stick mud in his face?
But beyond that, think about what Jesus is saying of himself in that moment. With others, he forgave them to cause healing. With others he said, “Stretch out your hands” and they were healed. In this case, he spat, bent down, collected the mud and refashioned the eyes of the blind man. The last time someone took mud from the earth and fashioned a being, it was God in early Genesis. Jesus is saying of himself that he is God!
That’s a controversy that Jesus intended. No wonder the crowd split along party lines. In John 10, we read, “A division occurred again among the Jews because of his words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” (10.19-21)
Yeshua, that’s his Hebrew name, would not have been a good politician. At times, he wanted controversy and division. Always with the purpose of helping people to see him, as the elevated Son of Man, and the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Great Divide would make this happen.
Note what happened in our portion of the Bible just after that healing and the teaching about his being the Good Shepherd. The narrative shows the setting. It’s winter. It’s Jerusalem again. December. In fact, it’s exactly this time of year nearly 2,000 years ago. The feast of Dedication is on. The Hebrew word for the feast is Hanukkah. And people are gathering in the Temple area.
In verse 24, some leaders of the people asked a fairly straightforward question.
“How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
When I first read this passage in 1971, I was 19 years old. I was a hippie, and I was intrigued by the stories I was reading. I had never even heard any of these stories before. There was a division in my life between all the Orthodox Jewish training I had and the amazing life of Yeshua in this book in my lap.
So when the Judeans asked Jesus to tell them plainly, I sat up. YES, I said, please tell them, and hey, tell us. I want to know the answer. Maybe you here in the congregation in person or online also want to know the answer to that. Is Jesus the Messiah?
The text says, “Jesus answered them, “I told you already, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (.25-30)
Flashback. This story is getting great. I’m reading it alone in my parents’ house in Kansas. It’s fascinating. And it’s reaching a boiling point. Yeshua seems to make his point clearly.
Then I found a major mistake in the Bible. I wondered why no one had ever caught this before I caught it. Listen, verse 31 says, “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” (10.31-32)
See the typo? As I read this in 1971, I’m thinking… I’m new at this whole thing, you see, and only 19, but I recognised that Jesus could not have stood in front of an angry mob, all with stones to stone him, and said, “For which of them are you stoning Me?” or put more simply, “If I’ve done anything wrong, go ahead and throw those rocks at me.”
In my own life, a few years earlier, I had an experience in my synagogue. I remember when I was a young teenager at our Saturday morning services. This was in Autumn 1965. Men wore suits and ties to the synagogue in those days. Ladies wore dresses and hats. My mother had knit me a beautiful white V-neck sweater with blue and red cable stitching; it looked like a cricket jumper. I wore it proudly with my white shirt and necktie. After the rabbi finished his sermon, about 20 minutes before the services concluded, the rabbi called me up from my seat towards the bimah (the platform). He stood above me on the stage, and I was on the ground looking up. He cupped my face in his hand and said, “Nice sweater. Next week, dress properly-- in a suit.” He gave my chin a slight knock and turned to walk away.
I’ll never forget that moment of shame and embarrassment. It was a horrible moment. I guess I was wrong in those days. I should not have worn such an informal garb. This is still seared in my memory banks.
Now imagine Jesus standing in front of an angry mob, with people holding stones to stone the sinful transgressor, and his saying to those folks, “If I’ve done anything wrong, go ahead and level me.” I would never do that. I know my sins. I’m ashamed of them. If I’ve done anything wrong? Ha!
So I found a typo in the Bible. “for which of my works.” It should say, “For which of my words, do you stone me?” Jesus was a poet or a prophet, a philosopher and a wordsmith. A Kahlil Gibran with a skullcap. I figured someone should have caught this error years ago, but they hadn’t. So I kept reading.
In verse 33, we read, “The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
Aha. This was not a typo after all. Jesus did say something that was so outlandish, so controversial, so amazing that it caused his naysayers to become rock throwers. He claimed to be Deity. Some of you have heard that objection from others. They say things like, “Jesus never claimed to be God.” But he did, again and again, and that on several other occasions.
Remember? Jesus claimed to have God’s powers. He had the power to raise people from the dead, to judge the nations, and to answer prayers. He also claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. He issued forgiveness, and they were upset at this role, which “Only God can” accomplish. He allowed others to worship him. (Matthew 28.9-10, Matthew 14.33, John 9.37-38). Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8.58). What did the people do when they heard Jesus say that? They picked up stones to stone him. Seems a regular response by those who don’t want to hear from him.
This idea of the deity of Jesus began to be clear to me that afternoon in Kansas, and over the last 50 years, like an old-time Polaroid camera, the image gets clearer the longer I read and listen to the words of Scripture.
Back in our passage, Yeshua declared that the Scripture cannot be broken, that the Word of God is ever alive and trustworthy, and that his own actions, whether in healing the blind man, feeding 5,000, walking on water, raising people from the dead… whatever his works, they testify to the authenticity of God being in your midst.
He said, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (10.37-38)
Here’s my takeaway from today’s reading. Yeshua declared himself deity and some believed him. Some did not. And the Great Divide happened then, and the controversy continues to this day. Until he makes his enemies a footstool for his feet, Jesus will continue to be a controversial figure. Not only in the Bible, but in my life and in our lives, here on the North Shore and wherever we travel.
Look at the final verse in today’s reading. John says, “Many believed in him there.” (10.42)
Santa Claus, on the other hand, is not controversial. He’s everyone’s favourite, bringing presents to the children who seek him. What could cause a division in a house there? No wonder the world has welcomed the jolly man-in-the-red-suit who sits in Westfield shopping centres and smiles and lies to children everywhere. Frankly, I prefer the honesty and controversy of the Messiah, the Son of God, Yeshua. The one we await at Advent. The one whose birth we note at Christmas. The one who ever lives to make intercession for us. That one. The real Saviour.
Perhaps we North Shore folks don’t experience the Great Divide very often. Most people are civil here. We softly mention controversial points of contention but don’t get into too many arguments. So when I encourage you to share this Good News message with your Jewish mates, colleagues, and even your in-laws, you may anticipate and withdraw from the probable differences. For you, controversy may be a bridge too far.
However, a disciple is someone who wants three things. One, to be with his Master, secondly, he wants to be like his Master, and third, he wants to do what his Master does or did. I’m not saying you should seek controversy, but neither should you avoid it, if the issue is the person of Yeshua himself.
45 years ago, my wife Patty and our firstborn, then a baby moved from Kansas to California to begin a journey with the missionary organization Jews for Jesus. Who knew it would take us around the country and then around the world to share the love of God in Jesus with Jewish people, and anyone else who is listening? I had no clue. We have lived in Sydney, in fact, here in this parish, for 26 years, and now are spending half the year here, and half in Nashville, where two of our children and five of our grandchildren live.
No matter where we live, however, we bring the Gospel to folks and seek to make the name of Jesus the Great Name. When we do, it often brings a Great Divide, and that cost is… well, it’s worth paying. Because people like Adi in Melbourne, like Michael in Yagoona or Gavin in Sydney’s east are alive and well, now professing the Great Name because you have prayed, because you have donated, you keep us out there, and available to them.
I remember first meeting Gav about 15 years ago. His Christian wife dragged (I mean, encouraged) this South African Jewish man into our shop in Bondi and he was formal and aloof, but pleasant. Each time I tried to reach out to him in subsequent months and years, his response was the same. “It’s ok for my wife, but not for me” Then a year ago, his daughter came into our shop and when she signed up to hear more from us, I recognized the surname as being an unusually spelled name. I asked and she answered, “Yes, that’s my dad.” So I rang Gavin later that week and again, polite, but resistant. OK, fast forward to this August and I returned from our US stint. I made an appointment to meet with a Jewish enquirer in a café in Bondi. While waiting for that fellow, this couple approached me and she exclaimed, “Bob, I have some good news to share with you!” Immediately I recognized Gavin and his Asian wife and said, “Wait. Gavin, you tell me what happened, won’t you?” For the first time in his life, he shared that controversy sentence, “I became a believer in Jesus.” And it was only a couple of weeks earlier.
We have continued to meet in person to study the Bible and to answer his myriads of questions. He’s growing into a disciple in good time. We have many such stories of real Jews finding the real Jesus and each story is miraculous.
I tell you his story in particular because it’s so recent and because I believe you will pray for him and his family. Each Jewish person who says ‘YES’ to Yeshua experiences two things: 1) a personal encounter with the Living God and commensurate peace and joy as well as 2) controversy from their family and friends.
I did. Michael in Yagoona did. Gavin is already feeling it.
I believe that each of us here at LCM has and will continue to experience the cost of following Yeshua. Controversy happens. If you stand for the One about whom I’m speaking today, you will bring the Great Divide into some of your relationships. May we know the comfort of God’s peace when the world around us falls apart, and when others chide us for being “Holy Joe” or “Holy Josephine” Don’t avoid controversy; stand up for Messiah in this worrisome season when people don’t seem to know how to speak peaceably with one another. He will stand with us. He wants to make his name known among all peoples, amen?
For those who want to hear more from me and from Jews for Jesus, please use this QR code now on the screen to visit our website, to sign up there, to read my testimony there, and even to donate if you would like. You could also fill out the white card you received and turn that in to me at the resource table in the foyer near morning tea.
To each of us here at LCM, may you know the joy of Jesus personally, and may we work together to be true disciples, who want to be with him, who want to be like him, and who want to do what he did. Amen? Shalom!
