Joel M Bradshaw

24The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

25Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

31Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”–John 10

1. Anyone can claim to be anything.
2. The miracles that Jesus did backed up His message. Only the Messiah could do what Jesus did.
3. The point Jesus made was that sheep recognize the Shepherd. They weren’t His sheep, and so they didn’t recognize Him.
4. Only those who the Father gives to Jesus are His sheep. You follow Jesus because the Father gives you to the Son. And those the Father has given are eternally secure. Nobody can snatch them out of Jesus’ hand.
5. Jesus claimed oneness with the Father. Jewish theology holds to the oneness of God. Jesus affirmed that oneness, here in two Persons. Trinitarian Christians hold that God is one, but in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
6. Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders had an interesting back and forth regarding stoning. They clearly were seeking him dead because of theology and how they understood His claims about Himself. Again, Jesus’ main enemies wanted Him dead because He claimed to be God.
7. Are you Jesus’ sheep? People should recognize what Shepherd you follow by how you live your life. The things you say, the things you do, even the things you post on the internet should reflect Jesus.–JMB