The Gospel of John: John 10.19-33

Read and meditate on John 10.29, 30.
Rather than answer their demand that He plainly identify Himself as the Christ, Jesus continued to make that claim in “slanted” ways. He declared Himself to be the Giver of eternal life and of one being and essence with God the Father.

                                       ²⁸“I give to them
eternal life; their lives will never end,
and no one from My hand can snatch them. ²⁹And
My Father, He Who gave them to Me, than
all others is the greatest; none can from
My Father’s hand remove them. ³⁰I am One
with God the Father.”

- John 10.29, 30

Reflect
1.  Jesus said He gives His sheep eternal life. How would you explain “eternal life” to an unbelieving friend? Complete this prayer: I thank You, Lord Jesus, for the gift of eternal life, because…

2.  The shepherds of our Lord’s flocks must know their sheep, lead them, lay down their lives for them, defend them, and bring other sheep into the fold. Is there also a sense in which the shepherds of local churches should be working to give more of eternal life to the people entrusted to their care? Explain. I want to grow each day into more the life You have given Me, Lord. Today, help me to…

3.  Eternal life, once given and received, can never be lost. Jesus Who gives life keeps us in it, and no one or nothing can wrest us from His grasp. So how do we explain people who once identified as believers but now no longer even believe in God? How does John advise us to think about this in 1 John 2.18, 19? Or the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 6.1-9? Thank You, Lord, that You keep me in the grace by which You saved me. Help me to grow in that grace today by…

4.  Jesus dropped a bombshell on His hearers in verse 30. First, let’s note that the NKJV is a bit misleading by adding My in the translation. The proper translation is not “My Father” but “the Father.” What difference does this make? Why would this be an even more astonishing claim than “My Father”? Your Father is now my Father, Lord Jesus, because…

5.  In the Greek language of the New Testament, it is usually not necessary to include the state-of-being verb (is, am, are, was, were, etc.). It’s simply implied. Most translations add it, but put it in italics to indicate it’s not actually in the original text (cf. is in v. 38). However, when the Greek does supply the state-of-being verb – as in verse 30, esmen or “we are” – it makes an emphatic point. Why is this important here in verse 30? Bring together into one your prayers from questions 1-4.

Summary
“The Son, born from everlasting of the Father, God from God, does not have equality with the Father by growth but by birth. But the Father is not God from the Son; the Son is God from the Father. Therefore in begetting the Son, the Father ‘gave’ him to be God, in begetting he gave him to be coeternal with himself, in begetting he gave him to be his equal. This is that which is ‘greater than all.’ … That which the Father gave him, that is, to be his Word, to be his only begotten Son, to be the brightness of his light. This is what is ‘greater than all.’ This is why no one is able to take his sheep out of his hand, any more than from his Father’s hand.” Augustine 354-430 AD)

We are safe and secure in the hands of Jesus and our Father. Nothing can rob us of the gift of eternal life. But we must continue to “work out our salvation” and grow into Christ and His great gift. How would you describe the state of that endeavor in your life at this time?

Closing Prayer
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

Psalm 80.1-3

Psalm 80.1-3, 17, 19 (St. Theodulph: All Glory, Laud, and Honor)
O God of grace, restore us, and shine on us Your face!
O save us, Lord, work for us; renew us by Your grace!
Give ear, O gracious Savior, Who leads us as Your flock:
Stir up Your pow’r and favor, our King and Lord and Rock!
           
T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.