Joel M Bradshaw

24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

31The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”–John 10 (with emphasis)

One of my new friends is in her eighties. She attends my nursing home worship service every week and she regularly announces to all who would listen that she is ‘Jewish, but comes to the services anyway.’ She and I have had some good and respectful conversations over coffee in the facility dining room. She views Jesus as a renegade rabbi who had controversial views. We talk about how HaShem has blessed her life. We sometimes ponder if the Jewish Scriptures present HaShem as a Father who has a son. And if so, who this Son might be? Jesus certainly in today’s text assumed that reality to be true.

I plan on sharing these Bible verses also on Sunday. It will most likely be seen by my friend as another one of Jesus’ radical messages. It definitely wasn’t received well by Jesus’ original audience. Here are 5 questions that I want to ask you as the reader of John 10 today.

1. Why did Jesus do miracles? According to Jesus, those miracles backed up His message. His radical claims seem less radical when he is healing diseases, calming storms, and driving out demons. Jesus regularly did things only God can do.
2. If you claim to be a sheep, do you follow the Shepherd? According to Jesus, sheep believe (trust), listen, are known, and follow. Do you trust Jesus in all your daily trials? Do you submit to the guidance and correction of the Bible? Are you honest with Jesus about your struggles and sins? Do you seek biblical counsel from trusted friends to keep you accountable? What about your life needs to stop and what needs to start?
3. Do you feel eternally secure in Jesus? Reread those words about eternal life and nobody snatching out of His hand.
4. Do you view Jesus as a second God or do you see His oneness with the Father? How did Jesus view Himself regarding the Father?
5. Do you understand why Jesus’ audience picked picked up stones to kill Him? Thanks for joining me today. Some of you have been a part of all 500 of these daily blogposts. A special thank you to you, my friends. Here’s to 500 more.–JMB