Anchor My Faith

It Is Sheep Who Believe

Scripture: John 10:22-26

With the previous lesson we finished up the section about Jesus as the good shepherd. With this lesson we begin a new section titled, “The Father and I Are One”. Let us find out where we are and what is happening.

^{Jn 10:22} “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.”

In the year 167 BC, the temple and the city of Jerusalem were taken by Antiochus Epiphanes. At that time, he killed 40,000 inhabitants and sold 40,000 more as slaves. He also profaned the alter of burnt-offering by sacrificing a pig on it. A broth from this sacrifice was sprinkled all over the temple. Three years later, in the year 164 BC, Judas Maccabaeus recovered the city and the temple, and the temple was purified with a great celebration and solemnity. The ceremony of purification continued for eight days in the celebration of God with hymns and psalms. This “Feast of Dedication” celebrated the rededication of the Jewish temple in December of 164 BC. (Information obtained from Barnes’ Notes on the Bible and footnotes in the ESV Study Bible.)

Since it was winter and a cold time of the year, Jesus probably did not teach out in the open but inside where it would be warmer. This could have taken place in an area referred to as the colonnade of Solomon, which was probably a covered walkway on the eastern side of the Temple Mount. (Further information on this can be found in the footnotes for John 10:23 and John 5:2 in the ESV Study Bible.)

^{Jn 10:24} So 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.”

Why was there confusion over who Jesus was? It was predicted that the Messiah would be a shepherd, which Jesus applied to himself as the “Good Shepherd.” As evidence of being the Messiah, he would perform great miracles, which Jesus did. This was strong evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, but the rulers created a difficulty by claiming that Jesus was from Galilee, and that the Messiah could not come from there. Jesus was also poor and despised, and the expectation was that he would be a splendid prince and conqueror. It was this confusion that resulted in the Jews coming to him for clarity.

^{Jn 10:25} “Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.”’

Why don’t they understand? Jesus says it is because they do not believe the witness the works provide that he does in his Father’s name. Considering the miracles that Jesus did, how could he not be the Messiah, but instead they chose to believe he was an imposter. Jesus claimed that he did these works in his Father’s name, thus they were done by the power and command of God. Surely, God would not give such power and authority to an imposter.

Why did they not believe? They did not believe because they were not his sheep. This is a very interesting point. Do you believe and then become a sheep, or do you become a sheep and then believe? Jesus is saying here that you must be a sheep in order to believe. If you are not a sheep, then you don’t have belief. This points back to John 6 where Jesus claims that the Father chooses those who will believe. Those he chooses are called lost sheep until their spiritual birth. They are sheep before spiritual birth just as we are human before our physical birth. Birth in both cases produces a whole new dimension of life.

Conclusion

Jesus told the Jews that they did not believe because they were not his sheep. In John 6:37 Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” In John 6:44 Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” Are we to conclude that the Father has not drawn these Jews and given them to Jesus as his sheep and thus they do not believe? As you study the Scriptures, what do you think?