Jn 10-2

Why follow Jesus: Because he is the Son of God

Context: Previously (Jn 10:1-21), Jesus told the parable of the Good Shepherd because a man whom he healed from inborn blindness after the Feast of Tabernacles (ch 7) was expelled by the religious establishment (Jn 9), and to illustrate how under his own leadership a new community will form. Now, only 2 months later, Jesus returned to visit Solomon’s Colonnade, a place where the learned would meet to discuss theology. Rejecting Scripture that he is the Son of God, they wanted to stone him for blasphemy. Instead of backing down, Jesus replied that even his enemies should understand that his claim was proven by his works as the true Shepherd, and by an ancient prophecy (Ps 82) that God himself will have to accomplish them because all other ‘sons’ of God had become mortal.

Read: John 10:22-42

• Why, of all places, would Jesus go to Solomon’s Colonnade where he had to expect another confrontation by the hostile religious establishment?
• Why did their debate focus on the question ‘Who is Jesus’?
• How is the structure of John’s gospel related to this question?
• Since John takes us now to the central question of his book (cf Jn 20:30-31), what do you expect in this chapter: ‘Business as usual’, or the ultimate road sign?
  => Of all places, this is where the ultimate theological proof should be given that Messiah must be and is indeed the Son of God.

• Jesus answered his hostile opponents by specifically reminding them again of his parable of the Good Shepherd, and of their unbelief. Why? => Already in the OT, shepherding of people was a common metaphor in Israel for leading people (e.g. Jer 23:1-2; Ez 34:1-9 or Zech 11:4-7). Accordingly, what did Jesus tell them with this metaphor about the shortcomings in their leadership?

• What did Jesus mean by good ‘works’ (Greek erga, not teras (miracles) or dynamis (signs or wonders)?
  • Hint: Does the parable about shepherding explain which of his ‘good works’ Jesus had in mind? Cf Ps 28:9 and 78:70-71
  • Explain: The Greek word erga translated as ‘works’ in v23+27 refers to His work as the Good Shepherd doing only God’s will (Jn 5:20; 5:36), even dying for the sheep to save them to accomplish “…that you believe in Him whom he sent (6:29-30) and to give them eternal life (6:38-40). By contrast, never did John use this word to describe any other miracle.

• Read Ps 82:1-8 How would you summarize its theme?
• Who is condemned by God there, and why, how and when?
• Why does this Psalm address corrupt rulers as gods?
  • Was it meant sarcastically? Why or why not? cf Gen 1:27 and Ps 82:6-7.
    Men are “ gods” in the sense of being “created in his image” and in terms of their position of leadership as rulers (v1+6). However, God’s verdict is that they have fallen and thus were sentenced to become ordinary mortals (v7, cf Gen 3:19)
• By quoting Ps 82, what verdict did Jesus pronounce on the Pharisees?
• By contrast, what did he imply that Ps 82 said about himself (Ps 82:3+8)?
  • What are the ‘good works’ of the Messiah according to this psalm?
  • Does Psalm 82 even mention ‘miraculous healings’ at all? Why not?

• Back in Jn 6, Jesus said that “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent”, Jn 6:28-29. In what sense is this a work of God? Jn 6:37
  • If all whom the Father gives to Jesus will come to him, what about those who don’t? Are they ‘lost sheep’, or does Jesus not regard them as sheep at all? v26
• Compare Jn 10:26-29 with 6:37. Does the willingness of the sheep cause God to work and give them to Jesus? Or are faith and willingness rather the consequence that results from being given to Jesus?
• If God chose who will believe in Jesus and become his sheep, does it necessarily follow (as we might fear) that they will therefore be only like “puppets”? Why not?*
  
• Why was this teaching offensive, especially to religious people like the Pharisees?
  • Hint: The doctrine of election (and that it is not based on merit) invariably provokes objections, namely that this would be too unfair to be true (cf Ro 9:18-18). Why?

• Do you think people today are still interested in the question of who Jesus really is?
• How did Jesus help people realize that this is the key question to ask if they want to find God? How can we emulate his example how he did this?
• How would you summarize what hindered the enemies of Jesus to be convinced of his deity? How does that compare to your own objections to Christianity, past or present?
• What do you find practically relevant about this passage (Jn 10:22-36)? And what do you perhaps find irritating or offensive? Explain.
• In what way(s) does this passage speak to you where you are today?
  • Does it resolve any doubts you may have had, e.g. about the deity of Jesus, or whether  or not you are one of ‘his sheep’, or whether believers can lose their salvation, or whether and how we can know?
• Have you experienced your own conversion to the Christian faith as a “coming home” of a lost sheep, or as a transformation of a non-sheep (goat, wolve, dog,…) into a sheep? Why?
• What should we imitate about the example of Jesus how he engaged with his opponents?

* God did not predestine anyone for them to just enjoy a better view of sitting on a cloud, but to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, to suffer with him and to loose ourselves: cf Ro 12:1, yielding even our body to this God as a sacrifice surely is an act of the will.