The Gospel of John: John 10.34-42

Read and meditate on John 10.39.
Jesus’ reasoned response to His detractors did not lead to their repenting and believing in Him. Quite the contrary. But they were no match for Jesus when it came to bringing in His hour.

                        ³⁹Therefore they sought again to try
and seize Him, but He went out from their hand.

- John 10.39

Reflect
1.  The English translation is a bit misleading here. I think it’s important we try to establish a true sense of the action. The text says, “Again they began seeking to seize Him…” This could mean that right there in the street, in front of everyone, they lunged at Jesus, but He somehow ducked or dodged or disappeared, so that they came up empty. But that imperfect verb, they began seeking, suggests otherwise. They probably huddled together, or perhaps even withdrew to a less public place to consider their options. But why? What has made them so upset? What is the bone of contention with these “gods”?  Complete the following prayer: Jesus, Yours is the Name above all names, but this doesn’t mean that…

2.  We can expect that some people in our Personal Mission Field will chafe at our insisting that Jesus is God, the Son of God, and the Messiah. They may not try to throw us in jail, but they will make it clear they find our beliefs untenable. How much of that is the result of our secular age, and how much is the desire to preserve their own autonomy? Today, Lord, I pray for the people in my Personal Mission Field who do not know You. Give me an opportunity today to…

3.  The second part of our text reads, “and He went out, out of their hand.” “He escaped” gives the wrong impression. “He went out” suggests that, as they withdrew to confer among themselves, Jesus merely went somewhere else, beyond the local jurisdiction (“hand”) of these religious leaders (cf. vv. 40-42). John does not add that “His hour had not yet come,” but that was certainly true. Explain. You are Lord of time, Jesus, and Your timing is always…

4.  We might conclude that Jesus’ attempt to reason with these people was a waste of time. They only ended up angrier and more determined to put Him away. What would you say in defense of Jesus’ approach in verses 22-42? My job as Your witness, Lord, is to…

5.  Jesus’ mission was to witness to Himself as the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel. He carried out this calling by doing works that lined up with the teaching of Scripture, and by explaining those works and teaching people to see in Him the fulfillment of all the Scriptures (Jn. 5.39). He came and went according to His own purpose and plans, and He realized a variety of results from His efforts. How should Jesus’ mission inform and guide yours? Bring together your prayers from questions 1-4 into one prayer.

Summary
“By the works he did in the body [he] showed himself to be not man but God the Word. But these things are said about him because the actual body that ate, was born and suffered belonged to none other but the Lord. And he had become a man; it was proper for these things to be predicated of him as a man in order to show that he really had a body, and not just one in appearance. But just as from these things he was known to be bodily present, so from the works he did in the body he made himself known to be the Son of God.” Athanasius (295-373 AD)

Jesus did many good works, but He did not do them as ends in themselves. His good works were designed to draw attention to Himself, so that He could show people the way to the Father (Jn. 14.16). Meditate on 1 Corinthians 10.31. What does it mean to glorify God in our works? Should we expect our good works to provide opportunities for us to bear witness to Jesus? Explain.

Closing Prayer
I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set mein a broad place.
The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in princes.

Psalm 118.5-9

Psalm 118.1-9 (St. George’s Windsor: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come)
Thank the Lord, His love endures! All to whom is love is sure,
All who fear Him day by day, let them thanks and praise now say!
Out of my distress I cry; He will hear me from on high.
He will free me from all fear. What can man do to me here?

For the Lord stands next to me; He will give me victory!
Over all who hate my life I will triumph through the strife!
In His grace I refuge find, in His steadfast love so kind.
Trust not princes, trust not men – Christ shall be our haven then!

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.