Sermon based on the preparatory notes (below).

John 10:22-30 (NRSV)

Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’²⁵Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; ²⁶but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰The Father and I are one.’

My text this morning is John 10. 27:

Jesus said ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 

William Barclay is always useful in helping us to understand the historical context of the scriptures, and I believe it is this context that often helps us to discern the meaning of a text for us today.

The Festival of Dedication is the Jewish festival of lights called Hanukkah and falls very near to our Christmas and is still observed by the Jewish community. The origins of this festival go back to the time when the King of Syria – Antiochus Epiphanes – reigned from 175-164 BC. He loved all things Greek and decided that he was going to eliminate the Jewish religion and introduce Greek thought and ways into Palestine. In 170 BC, Antiochus attacked Jerusalem; 80,000 Jews perished and many were captured and sold into slavery and a vast sum of money was stolen from the Temple treasury. It became a capital offence to possess a copy of the Torah or to circumcise a male child. The Temple courts were profaned and the Temple chambers were turned into brothels. Antiochus also turned the great altar of the burnt offering into an altar to Zeus where he made offerings of pig flesh. Nothing more could be done that could be more offensive to any Jew.

From among the Jews arose Judas Maccabaeus. In 164 BC, he was. The Temple was cleansed and purified and the altar rebuilt. It was to commemorate all this restoration that the Feast of the Dedication was instituted. It is referred to as the Festival of Lights because there were great illuminations in the cleansed Temple as well as in every home beginning with eight lights and then reduced by one for each day of the festival until on the last day only one remained.

As Jesus was walking in Solomon’s portico some Jews, probably religious leaders, came to him and asked: ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ But did they really want to know the answer to this question? As a teacher, I know that there are a variety of motives for knowing, and the one that is least significant is just so that one can earn a good grade in an examination. This can lead to knowledge but certainly not to wisdom. I am probably naive, but I still think teaching and learning ought to be about searching for truth. There were probably some of those who were listening to Jesus who sincerely wanted to know the truth. But we also know by this time, that there were a growing body of opponents who were bent on trying to trap Jesus – especially so that they could lay a charge of blasphemy against him, and so get rid of him. If Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, this would get him into trouble, not only with his people, but also with the Roman authorities, because they could make this into a charge of insurrection. And what better time that at the Feast of Dedication, when there was a recollection of a Jewish insurrection and overthrow of a foreign power. However, A M Hunter suggests that even a plain “Yes!” in answer to their question would still not have ended the issue. It would have at best been misleading because all it would have done would be to cause further argument. If they wanted a clear answer, it would have to come in a different way. What was unambiguous, were his actions, and so Jesus points to them!

His ‘learned’ audience, who supposedly knew the Scriptures well, should have been able to see for themselves that he was the fulfilment of ancient prophecy – especially with reference to Isaiah 35.5-6 where we read:

⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
   and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 
⁶then the lame shall leap like a deer,
   and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
   and streams in the desert …

Every one of Jesus’ miracles was a claim that Jesus was the long promised Messiah.

It was the deeds and the words of Jesus that made who he really was real to those who sincerely sought the truth about him. Everything about Jesus was evidence that he was someone extraordinary: the tone of his message, the way he changed the sacred Jewish law putting his own teaching in its place – everything - was a claim that God was speaking in and through him. But the majority did not accept Jesus.

John then goes on to show Jesus using the image of sheep with a shepherd. In Palestine sheep knew the voice of their shepherd and followed him. It would appear that – despite the evidence – people deliberately chose not to take heed of the voice of Jesus. People can close their minds, so that even when what is obvious stares them in the face, they refuse to accept it.

I have enjoyed the wonders of YouTube where I have been able to watch the various debates between Richard Dawkins and some of the great religious thinkers of our day. I was especially taken by the debate between Dawkins and the Chief Rabbi – Dr Jonathan Sacks (which I watched on returning from Midnight Holy Communion last Christmas)! Dawkins just cannot bring himself to accept that God is intellectually as well as rationally, and in every other respect philosophically, more than possible, but possible. This point is well made by the emeritus Oxford Philosophy professor, Richard Swinburne, who keeps good company with countless others. But we also know, that more important than anything intellectual, is our actual ‘experience’ of the reality of God in our own lives, as Jesus becomes real for us in the power of the Holy Spirit .

This week I decided to return to one of my favourite devotional texts, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. In his chapter entitled On the teaching of Truth he writes:

A humble knowledge of oneself is a surer road to God than a deep searching of the sciences. Yet learning itself is not to be blamed, nor is the simple knowledge of anything whatsoever to be despised, for true learning is good in itself and ordained by God; but a good conscience and a holy life are always to be preferred. But because many are more eager to acquire much learning than to live well, they often go astray, and bear little or no fruit. ... On the Day of Judgement, we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not how eloquently we have spoken, but how holily we have lived.

In verse Jesus John claims that Jesus said: “The Father and I are one” (verse 30).  This is the mystery of our faith but not one that ought to launch us into deep philosophical probing, because, if we explore the Scriptures, we will find the answer. John 17 recorded Jesus praying: “Holy Father, keep them in my name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”

It is all about love – the greatest mystery of all. Jesus and the Father are one in divine love; we are one with each other and God because of divine love. And we know this when we keep Jesus’ command to ‘… love one another as I have loved you…’ which is beautifully explained in John’s first epistle: ‘… you know you have passed from death to life if you love one another …’ and ‘ God is love!’  Barclay comments:

“Here is the essence of the matter. The bond of unity is love; the proof of love is obedience. Christians are one with each other when they are bound by love, and obey the words of Christ. Jesus is one with God, because as no other ever did, he obeyed and loved him. His unity with God is a unity of perfect love, issuing in perfect obedience.”

Jesus had power that came from God the Father, but this power was made manifest in works of love. But even though this fits in with everything a person can know about God, the religious leaders still could not get it, because they – as Jesus explained - ‘… do not belong to my sheep …’ How can Jesus be so unambiguous about this? Because what is true of the Father, is also true of the Son for Jesus said: “The Father and I are one.” T W Manson puts it this way: ‘The Son thinks the Father’s thoughts, and wills the Father’s purpose, and acts in the Father’s power.’ This claim was unambiguous and was blasphemy in the eyes of the religious leaders.

When Jesus said that he and the Father are one, he was therefore not speaking philosophically; he was speaking of the world of personal relationships. Jesus’ unity with the Father is a result of perfect love and perfect obedience. Barclay writes: “[Jesus] was one with God because he loved and obeyed him perfectly; and he came to this world to make us what he is.”

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By God’s grace we belong to Christ. We know this to be real because it is part of our own personal experience as well as being based on the facts of history. We sometimes hear his voice – and follow him – and all goes well even in the midst of difficulties, pain and all the rest that makes this human toil a struggle at times. When we stop listening, we go astray. But even in these times our Shepherd calls all the louder and we eventually hear and return to the fold. As John explains, Jesus said: ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.