In the Father’s Hands - John 10:22-30
The verses we’re looking at this morning might be the most well known from John 10. For many, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” are familiar words. But what might be less familiar is the circumstances which surround these verses.
We often either forget or fail to recognize that those incredibly popular verses are in response to the Jews question: “Are you the Christ?” And of course, Jesus answers that question, albeit, in perhaps a somewhat roundabout way, ‘yes.’ Jesus actually being who he claims to be is central to Christianity, isn’t it? It’s everything.
And in this passage, Jesus gives the Jews three reasons to believe that he is in fact who he claims to be: the promised divine Messianic deliverer. He first makes a persuasive argument in verse 22-25a. Second, he makes a historical argument in verse 25b. And lastly, he makes a theological argument in verses 26-30.
By way of reminder, we’re still in John 10, that great passage where Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd. But we’ve entered into a new segment in chapter 10, where Jesus is still answering questions, but different questions now.
It’s been a few weeks since we were last in the gospel of John, but Jesus is still, or perhaps left and came back to Jerusalem, but now he’s at the temple during the Feast of Dedication. It’s sometimes called the Feast or Festival of Lights, but it’s now most commonly known as Hannaukah. I’m sure you’ve all heard of it.
It’s the Jewish festival that comes around every December that commemorates the Jewish revolt led by Judas Maccabeus against Antiochus Epiphanes which led to the restoration of the temple. And that event took place during the four hundred years of silence between the Old and New Testaments.
A Persuasive Argument (v. 22-25a)
So it’s winter, and Jesus is outside and is once again accosted by a crowd of Jews. And they ask him a very straightforward question: “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Remember Christ simply means Messiah. So they’re asking Jesus directly, are you the promised deliverer?
Now, I’m calling this first point a persuasive argument, but if someone asks you if you checked the mail and you said yes, that’s not really persuasive, there’s not a lot of convincing going on, it’s a direct ‘yes’ or ‘no’ sort of question. That’s what’s going on here, but to be honest with you all, I’m trying to be creative so work with me here.
We’ve all been there. We’ve been asked something directly, but we know that something lies behind the question. And so you’re wondering, “why are you asking me that?” It’s not coming from a place of genuine interest or curiosity.
I think we have to stop and ask, “are the Jews asking this question to Jesus in good faith?” “Do they actually want to know, or is there some sort of ulterior motive.” And of course, we know the answer: there was an ulterior motive, which was to catch Jesus in something that they could use against him.
The Jews understood the Messiah to be a great political leader that would free them from the Roman Empire, but that’s not what Jesus came to do - he came to set people free from the tyranny and oppression of sin. It was a trap question.
This is what we might call, “a gotcha question.” They want Jesus to plainly tell them if he is the Christ so they could charge him with insurrection against the Roman Empire, blasphemy, you name it.
Notice how Jesus answered them: “I told you, and you do not believe.” He doesn’t give a direct ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ although, if they’d been paying attention they would have of course understood that yes, he had answered the question. Jesus had told people that he was the Messiah, the Christ, the promised deliverer on numerous occasions.
In John 4:26, the Samaritan woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
But it wasn’t just there. Jesus made Messianic claims in John 8 and 9 as well. He’s already addressed this question many times.
We’ve probably all been in classroom situations where the teacher or instructor is trying to build rapport and make the students feel comfortable so they ensure the class that there are no ignorant questions. But do you know how to test that statement? Ask the same question over and over and over again. They’ll never make that promise again.
Or how about when a child discovers ‘why?’ Nothing will test your patience quite like being asked ‘why’ ten thousand times a day.
“You need to brush your teeth. Why? Because you want to keep them clean and healthy. “Why?” Because I said so. And then it happens all over again the next night, Mom or Dad just says, “I already told you why.”
Jesus had already answered this question plainly. And really he answers it right here too, because he doesn’t deny it. Remember when the same question was posed to John the Baptist? He quickly denied being the Christ.
But everything hinges on the second part of his answer. “I told you, and you do not believe.”
He’s already told them the truth. He’s already said, “yes, I’m the Messiah.” In John 5 he even explains in theological detail his relationship to the Father.
Here’s what I mean by Jesus using a persuasive argument: Jesus has told them and tells them really here again that he is the Messiah. He certainly didn’t deny it.
But words only get you so far, don’t they?
I love making use of the great apologetic arguments that have been developed throughout the centuries that beautifully defend Christianity. There are great Van Tillian, presuppositional arguments, there are even helpful evidentiary arguments for Christianity - there is a wealth of resources.
And whenever you get the chance to use one of the arguments you feel like a kid in a candy store. You have to curb your enthusiasm a little bit, you don’t want to be too overzealous, because there’s a sense in which you’re like: “I’ve been preparing my whole life for this moment.”
Because you finally have the chance to blow away your atheist friend with the coherence of the Christian worldview.
But who hasn’t had this happen: you have a friendly debate with your atheist friend, and perhaps your atheist friend even admits, you made some good points. You made a solid case.
But what happens more often But you still didn’t change their mind. They might even say, “wow, that was really good, but I still don’t believe in Jesus.” Isn’t that so discouraging?
It can go exactly the way the apologetic book laid out a hypothetical conversation. He said this and then you said that… but then nothing happened. They still reject the faith.
Winning an argument, or simply telling someone the truth does not save their eternal soul. Many of us have friends and family that do not believe in Jesus and we’d save them if we could wouldn’t we? But God in his sovereignty has determined that it doesn’t work that way. We can’t save souls, but He can and does.
If we’re honest, isn’t that one of the hardest things about Christianity? The frailty and insufficiency of our words. It’s one of the hardest things about preaching!
No doubt, Romans 10 tells us that faith comes through hearing. God in his glorious sovereignty decided that he would save people through a message. Through the use of words. But it’s not merely the words of the message, it’s the message penetrating the depths of the human heart by his Spirit. But we don’t know when, how, or under what circumstances the Spirit of God will move. The Spirit must work.
We are completely dependent upon God, aren’t we? And this reality shouldn’t cause you to simply shrug your shoulders in indifference, but it should drive you to your knees in prayer. We have no other recourse than to pray to the sovereign God of the universe to rend the heavens and come down.
Because if the Jews didn’t take Jesus at his word, what hope do we have? God has to move doesn’t he?
A Historical Argument (v. 25b)
So first, Jesus straight up tells them that he’s the Messiah and they’ve rejected that. Second, Jesus lays out what I’m calling an historical argument in verse 25b.
Jesus said, “The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me…”
In other words, Jesus is saying that all the miraculous signs and wonders that he performed throughout the course of his ministry up to this point, were done in order to affirm his divine, Messianic claims.
Which makes a lot of sense doesn’t it?
I can stand up here and tell you I’m the greatest football player to ever walk the earth, but it doesn’t matter if I can’t prove it.
If there’s no game tape that demonstrates my claim then it’s just empty fluff words devoid of any real meaning.
But Jesus is essentially saying here: remember when I turned the water into wine? Remember when I fed the five thousand? Remember when I healed the lame man? Remember when I healed the man born blind?
Those weren’t miracles for the sake of miracles. They were confirmation of Jesus’ testimony concerning himself!
Jesus makes this exact same argument to John the Baptist’s disciples. When John the Baptist is imprisoned shortly before he’s beheaded, in a moment of weakness, he sends his disciples to Jesus to double check and make sure that Jesus was in fact, the Messiah.
John the Baptist’s disciples ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”
In John’s moment of weakness and doubt, Jesus simply says, “look at what I’ve done.”
But here’s what’s so remarkable about this passage: Jesus gives a persuasive argument, which by the way, I understand it’s probably closer to a thesis statement, but bear with me. Jesus’ thesis statement is: I am the Messiah. And then proves that thesis statement true by performing great signs and wonders.
It’s the difference between me standing up here and saying I’m the greatest football player of all time and Tom Brady standing up here and telling you he’s the greatest football player of all time. He can show you the game tapes, he can point to the Super Bowl wins, and then he can show you all of his Super Bowl rings - which is so much more compelling isn’t it?
Because what he has done backs up what he claims.
And this is exactly what Jesus is telling the Jews. I’ve told you who I am. I’ve demonstrated to you who I am.
“...but you do not believe.”
Think about that: Jesus has said all the right things, he’s also done all the right things, he’s amassed quite the Messianic resume if you will, but they still do not believe him.
So what do we see here? Not only is there an insufficiency in the words and arguments that we make in favor of Jesus Christ, we also see that there is an insufficiency even in historical record.
And here’s what I mean by insufficiency of the historical record: it’s insufficient to bring someone to saving faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not good enough. Because these Jews had all the information and they had it all firsthand.
You see, just as the best arguments cannot save someone, neither can historical facts and information. You can take someone to Israel and show them all the historical sights where Jesus was and what he did and so on, but none of it matters does it? No matter how compelling the argument or evidence is - it’s never enough is it?
No matter how compelling the historical information is, it cannot convert or save someone’s soul.
A Spiritual Argument (vv. 26-30)
So what was Jew’s primary issue? They’re primary issue wasn’t in their lack of interaction with good apologetics. Their primary issue wasn’t in their lack of historical information. After all, both of these things were readily available to them.
The issue resided in the fact that this group of Jews, this particular crowd, was not among Christ’s sheep. They were not his sheep and he was not their shepherd.
You know, verses 26-28 are somewhat of a treasure trove of Reformed Theology. Verse 26, “but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” That’s unconditional election. You cannot merit or earn your way into becoming one of Christ’s sheep.
Verse 27, “ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” That’s irresistible grace. If the Holy Spirit is at work in your heart you will come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Verse 28, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” That’s perseverance of the saints. The Lord will keep you till the end. You will reach your heavenly home if you are one of his sheep.
No doubt, these verses teach various elements of Reformed Theology, but that’s not what Jesus set out to do. Jesus isn’t saying, “hey let me explain to you Reformed Theology.” No, what Jesus is saying is, let me explain to you how salvation works.
Notice that the emphasis is not on what the sheep do. Rather the emphasis is on the one who possesses and takes care of the sheep. Jesus knows his sheep. Jesus protects his sheep, and no one can snatch them out of his hand. But most clearly of all, Jesus said that he gives them eternal life. They don’t earn or merit eternal life. He gives it to them.
Because if you are among Jesus’s sheep then he is going to keep and protect you to the end. He will preserve you. Put another way, if the Lord in his sovereign grace and mercy has predestined you to eternal life before the foundation of the world, doesn’t that logically mean he’ll preserve to the end?
Election, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints they all interlock together. They’re inseparable from one another.
There’s a trinitarian element to verses 28-30 as well. Verse 28, Jesus says that no one can snatch his sheep out of his hand. Then verse 29, he says no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. But he clears up any potential confusion in verse 30 when he said, “I and the Father are one.”
The entire implication is that from beginning to end salvation is from God. He justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies those that are his.
But again, remember the context here. Jesus is answering the Jews question, “are you the Christ?”
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus gives a profoundly theological answer to a very straightforward question? Are you the Messiah? Let’s talk about election, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints. Excuse me?
Initially, it may seem unclear as to what Jesus is doing. He’s explaining not just that they don’t believe him, he’s explaining why they don’t believe in him.
In essence, he’s telling them, you’re dead in your sins. You're trapped in your unbelief. Or to put it so eloquently as Jesus only could: you’re not among my sheep.
The Jews problem didn’t have to do with hearing the right persuasive arguments or having the right understanding of the miracles of Jesus.
Their problem was spiritual. Their problem was that they were dead in their sins. Their problem was that they had hearts of stone. To put it simply: they weren’t believers.
It reminds me of Jesus’ parable in Luke 16. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In the parable the rich man asks Abraham to send someone from the dead to his family so that they might repent. And [Abraham] said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
If they’re unconvinced by the testimony of Moses and the Prophets (which is a reference to Scripture), then they won’t be convinced by supernatural miracles either.
The best arguments, even miracles themselves, are all futile if the Spirit of God is not at work.
Apart from the inner working of the Holy Spirit and a real turning to Christ by faith, there is no effective argument, there is no supernatural event convincing enough. The Lord must work because He and He alone saves.
But what I hope you see, is that the condemnation that Jesus cast upon the Jews is a source of great confidence for the Christian. What was bad news to them, is good news for you and me.
Is there a verse more glorious than verse 28? “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
The beauty of this passage is that if you believe in Jesus for the salvation of your soul - you have tremendous confidence and security. You should have great assurance of your salvation.
It reminds me of the final verse Getty’s wonderful hymn In Christ Alone:
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
Aren’t those just beautiful lyrics? And those lyrics so eloquently describe exactly what Jesus said here.
I think the greatest source of assurance of salvation isn’t upon maintaining a Christian lifestyle, always being a nice person, or perfect obedience, but rather what Christ has done for you on the cross. And that sacrifice was indeed sufficient to take away your sins.
It’s a paradigm shift.
I like what the Westminster Confession of Faith says in chapter 17 paragraph two.
“This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.”
The Christian’s assurance isn’t grounded in themselves - it’s grounded in the Lord.
I think R.C. Sproul said it best in commentary on John: “We are secure, not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because He holds tightly to us.”
Amen. Let’s pray.
