Tuesday, March 19, 2019

John 10

Summary: Jesus is talking to the crowds with a parable, a short story with a simple double meaning. He says that only sheep and the shepherd use the right entrance for a sheep pen; anything else has ulterior motives. He then has to explain his parable: He, Jesus, is both the door to belonging to the Kingdom of God and its Shepherd, guiding both the primary flock (the Jews, the people of God) and other flocks (the gentiles, everybody else). This teaching doesn't sit well with everyone, as about half of the people think he's either crazy or possessed by demons.

Later on, at Hanukkah (the festival of lights), the Jewish leaders confront Jesus and ask if he really is the Messiah (again, the one promised by God to save His people). Jesus confirms this, but notes that He has given quite enough evidence for this already. They try and fail to stone Him, and He escapes to a nostalgic place (by the river where his cousin John the Baptist used to baptise), and a crowd grows around Him.

Response: Yet again, Jesus is forced to testify about Himself, and yet again, no one believes Him. Yet again, Jesus tries to reveal something about His nature, and yet again, He has to parse that poetic meaning for His audience.

I hear in this a call to boldly trust. Not to overthink, not to overanalyze, just trust that Jesus is God, and to trust that He will take care of us all.

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