Hidden Agenda versus Christ the Shepherd

Scriptures: John 10:22-30

By Rev. Rong-Hu Lu translated by Howard Chang

April 25, 2010

Today’s Bible verses were the dialogues between Lord Jesus and the Jews. The content reflects the very different understanding about the concept of Messiah. In fact, the kind of difference in understanding is similar to the current controversy in Taiwan regarding the importing the internal organs of cows from America. Although the laws in Taiwan clearly stated that it is forbidden to import these organs, President Ma and his followers, however, insist to import them. They contend that ox tails, penises, testicles are “chop-suey”, despite they are defined as internal organs by the export control bureau of the United States. I don’t know what kind of benefits President Ma is getting by insisting in importing the high risk organs, but his distortion of the definition clearly indicated that he has certainly hidden agenda.

In John’s Gospel, it stated that the dialogues happened on the Feast of Dedication, which is Hanukkah. This festival did not come from Moses, it is commemorated the rededication of the Holy Temple after Judah Maccabee’s victory over Syria around 164 BC. It started with the Syrian King, Antiochus Epiphanes who loved Hellenic culture, decided to exterminate the Jewish culture around 175 BC. He started by using various incentives to lure Jews to convert to Hellenism, however, most Jews still practiced their own religion. He then decided to attack Jerusalem in 170 BC. He killed 80 thousands Jews and enslaved another 100 thousands. He seized the Holy Temple, took away 1800 talents of gold and gold containers for ceremonies and forbidden any Jew to own law books. If the male baby received circumcision, both mother and the son would be put to death. He converted the outside rooms of the Holy Temple to become brothels and made the altar to burn offerings to Zeus, including offering pigs. With these oppressive measures, Judah Maccabee and his brothers could stand no more and decided to fight back. They eventually reclaimed Jerusalem in 164 BC. They rebuild the Holy Temple, cleansed the altar, replenished with new set of worshiping vessels, and sanctified the temple. They celebrated the regaining of the freedom by signing hymns and lighting up the candles, not only in the temple, but also in every household. Therefore, this occasion was named Festival of Dedication, and also called Festival of Lights.

It was during this festival, while Jews were celebrating the victory of Judah Maccabee, they pressured Lord Jesus in front of the Holy Temple to declare himself. They asked “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” This question might not sound like a big deal for you and me at this time, but it was quite serious at that time. If Jesus proclaimed he is Messiah, in their minds, he would then take on the responsibility to deliver the Jews from the Roman rule. In their concept, Messiah was like the judge who received power from the God, and could perform miracles and defeat any enemy and would be the national hero.

In their eyes, they might have thought that Jesus could have the qualifications to be the Messiah, as He had performed miracles curing illnesses, getting rid of demons, opening eyes for the blind. They might also believe Jesus had possessed special power from God, but he had never proclaimed himself as Messiah. They also wondered that if Jesus indeed is Messiah, then he should start to do the rightful things by leading Jews to fight the Romans and reclaim their own heritage and rebuild their country, but instead, Jesus did not show any interest of doing so. Therefore, they decided to press Jesus to make it clear whether he was Messiah or not at that time.

Of course, Jesus could not deny that he was the Christ. In fact, he had told the Samaritan woman that “I who speak to you am he (Messiah).” (John 4:26) He also praised Peter when Peter answered Jesus that “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He said to Peter “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew: 16: 15-17). Also just a chapter before today’s Bible verses, a blind man whom Jesus had opened his eyes earlier, declared that he believed Jesus was the Son of Man. He knelt down Jesus gladly accepted his worship. (John 9:35-38)

Despite these proclamations, some of the Jews might not see or hear them. Therefore, when Jesus said in verse 25 that “I did tell you but you do not believe”, some of the Jews were still at a loss.

What Jesus tried to tell them was that He had shown them through His works to demonstrate that he was the Christ/Messiah. He had taught the gospel to express God’s grace, deliver God’s love by curing illness, getting rid of demons, and forgiving sins, etc. He also drove out the merchants at the temple and declared “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’.” (Matthew 21:12-13) All these were trying to show Jews that he was indeed the Messiah, the Christ through the teachings from Old Testaments. That is why he said in verse 25:”The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me.”

Jesus certainly had done more in Galilee than in Jerusalem, but he had done plenty in Jerusalem to prove he was Messiah as well. The clearing of the temple court and the cure of the blind man that we mentioned earlier were just 2 of the examples that Jesus performed in Jerusalem, and both of them created a great deal of controversy.

When he was clearing the temple court, the Jews demanded “what miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus intriguingly answered “destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:13-19) It must be quite hard for Jews to understand what he meant, but Jesus was trying to tell them that he is the temple, he is the lord of the temple, and he certainly can rebuilt the temple. He wanted them to understand that he is the Christ and no one comes to the Father except through him. The Jews, however, had their pre-conceived notion of the Messiah and they just could not understand.

In John chapter 5, Jesus healed a paralyzed man who had been sick for 38 years at the Bethesda pool near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. When Jews admonished him that he had broken Sabbath rules by healing the invalid, he answered:” My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” (John 5:17) This statement enraged the Jews as they clearly heard him making himself equal with God. Moreover, Jesus followed up with verse 23 “he who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” These statements and the miracles he had performed clearly showed the Jews that he was the Christ, the Messiah. With their pre-conceived notion of the Messiah that supposed to reclaim the throne of David, to defeat Roman Empire, to deliver Israelites to have prosperity, they could not accept what Jesus had done was the act of Messiah.

Lord Jesus said “you don’t believe because you are not my sheep.” Therefore, they could not listen to His voices. Jesus tried to prove to them that He is Messiah through His deeds, but Jews could only accept that the Messiah would overturn the Roman rules.

When they demanded Jesus to show that He was Messiah by defeating Roman, their voices sounded like the devil tempting Jesus in the desert. “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread,” or “throw yourself from the highest point of the temple, and the angels will lift you up in their hands.” Whoever has his/her preset agenda is not the Lord’s sheep. His sheep will listen to his voice and abide by his teaching and guidance.

Our Lord has promised to give His sheep 2 blessings.

First, “I give them eternal life: (John: 10:28) the sheep who listen to our Lord’s voice will experience wondrous blessings and prosperity through him. He will also give us an endless, glorious, eternal life after the worldly life. Our death is not the end but the beginning.

Secondly, He promised “no one can snatch them out of my hand.” He further emphasized that His sheep is also the Father’s sheep, and “no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”(John 10:28-29) This does not tell us that the Lord’s sheep will not have any misfortune, illness, or frustration, or guarantee that whatever they do will always be successful. Instead, it tells us that you and I, as Lord’s sheep, will always be under His (and the Father’s) protections. We shall never lose faith in Him and He will always give us peace even during suffering. He will always embrace and cradle us with his love and compassion.