Question

---

1. When and where did this event happen? (22, 23) What was the question of the Jews toward Jesus? (24) Why? 2. How did Jesus point out their unbelief? (25) What proves that they are not Jesus’ sheep? (26) How does Jesus’ sheep respond to his voice? (27) What would Jesus give to his sheep? What is eternal life? (John 17:3) What should be the sure assurance of Jesus’ sheep? (28b, 29) 3. Why did they try to stone Jesus? (33) How did Jesus defend himself from their accusation? (34-36) How did Jesus help their unbelief? (37-38) How can they know and understand about God and about Jesus? 4. Where did Jesus go and why? How was the response of the people there different from that of the Jews in Jerusalem? (41-42)

---

Attachment

Message

---

I thank God for giving us Jesus as our Good Shepherd. He knows his sheep by name. He gives his sheep abundant life. He never harms or abuses his sheep, but lays down his life for them. We are happy to be his sheep and follow him with full trust and obedience. Today, we will continue to learn what Jesus does for us as our Good Shepherd. May God give us the definite assurance of salvation through studying this passage. It was the time for the Feast of Dedication. This feast was celebrated to remember the restoration of temple worship, which had been defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes, the Assyrian King on 164 BC. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. Then the Jews gathered around him and asked him. “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” They demanded Jesus to tell them plainly whether or not he was the Christ. What was Jesus’ answer to them? Look at verse 25. “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me.” Indeed, Jesus gave them ample evidence to help them to believe in him. He had many “I AM’ declarations such as “I am the Bread of Life.” “I am the light of the world.” “I am the streams of living water.” Even in the previous part of this chapter, Jesus declared “I am the Good Shepherd.” “I am the Gate for the sheep.” Jesus did his best to show them who he was on numerous occasions. Not only that, Jesus performed great miracles such as healing a 38 years old invalid man, feeding five thousand with 5 loaves and 2 fish, and opening the eyes of a man born blind. This was intended to help them to believe that he was the Christ and the Son of God. However, despite the overwhelming evidence, they still did not believe. This reveals there big problem of unbelief. They ignored the evidence, and simply did not want to believe. It was like covering their eyes and say, “There is no sky.” They did not want to believe because what Jesus taught them was not what they wanted to hear. They did not believe because they had their own prejudices and their own preconceptions about their Christ. They expected that the Christ would come and liberate them from their political and economical bondages. When Jesus did not fit to their own ideas, they rejected him and hardened their hearts. When their hearts were hardened, the successive work of God hardened their hearts even more. Then what did Jesus say about their unbelief? Jesus told them in verse 26, “but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.” Jesus clearly told them that their problem was not with Jesus, but within themselves. They do not believe because they were not his sheep. Then who are Jesus’ sheep? Look at verse 27. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus wanted them to see themselves before God and listen to Jesus’ voice and follow him. Jesus was inviting them again to become his sheep. Then why is it so important to become Jesus’ sheep? Let’s read verse 28 again. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus gave us eternal life. Jesus will give us eternal life as a blessing to his sheep. What is true blessing in our lives? We want many blessings while living in this world. We want blessings including a good education, a good job, a good family, good children etc. We make every effort to gain these blessings and expect these blessings from God. But all these earthly blessings which are tangible and visible will eventually perish and fade away. We cannot even bring one penny to our graves. What is the true blessing God can give us? It is eternal life. Those who have eternal life shall never perish. People think eternal life is the continuation of time. But eternal life is beyond time and space. God is eternal God. In fact, God is eternity himself. Jesus was with God in eternity. But God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will never perish, but will have eternal life. Jesus is our eternal God, but came to this world and became a mortal being confined by time and space. It was to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. Eternal God sent us the rope of salvation to mankind that is destined to die in the deep pit of time and space. That rope that God lowers down to us is Jesus Christ. Whoever holds onto that rope of salvation by faith will be saved from death and will indeed live eternally. He will bring us to the kingdom of God he has prepared for us where we will enjoy eternal life with God forever. This is too good to believe. But this is God’s promise to those who believe in Jesus as his Savior. So in John 5:24 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” As soon as we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we are brought out from death into eternal life. Death is no longer the end of everything, rather the door to the kingdom of God and eternal life opens wide for us to enter through. But the eternal life is not just something we will enjoy in the future. Jesus said in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God and his Son Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” While living in this world, we can enjoy eternal life by knowing God and his Son Jesus Christ and growing in our fellowship with him. We have eternal life when we have Jesus in our heart. We have abundant life in Jesus. May we enjoy this wonderful gift of God by knowing God and Jesus Christ through deeper Bible study. Eternal life is indeed a wonderful gift of God to his sheep. Then how can we be sure that we have eternal life in the kingdom of God? Look at verse 28b, 29. “No one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one cane snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Here we learn that eternal life is available now on earth and continues on when we enter God’s kingdom. From time to time we are controlled by feelings of doubt. From time to time, we fall into doubt when we make mistakes in our lives and feel undeserved due to our sins. But feeling is different from faith. Feeling is changeable, but faith is never changing. Once we received eternal life through faith in Jesus, we will never lose it no matter what happens in our life. Even if we fails, God never fails. Jesus never fails to bring his sheep to the kingdom of God. It is because our life is in God’s hand, and no one can snatch us out of his hand. Our God is greater than all. He is Almighty God. No one is stronger than him that he can dare to snatch us from God’s hand. God will hold our hand firmly and will lead us safely to reach the pearly gate of the kingdom of God. Hebrew 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain…” May God help us to hold firm this hope as an anchor for our soul. We may lose battles while living in this sinful and evil world. But we have already won the war. Victory is ours in our spiritual battle. May God help us to live a victorious life in this world with the sure assurance of eternal life. With this glorious hope, may we overcome all our human limitations and serve God with a life-giving spirit. In verse 30, Jesus again revealed who he was. “I and the Father are one.” Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him. Their charge for stoning Jesus was blasphemy. Then Jesus defended himself by using their Scripture. Look at verses 34, 35. “Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’, to whom the word of God came – and the Scripture cannot be broken.” At that time judges were called gods, because they had authority from God to judge based on the word of God. How much more is it right to call Jesus the Son of God whom God set apart as his very own and sent into the world to judge all the living ? Jesus appealed them in their own level so that they may somehow believe in him and turn from their evil ways. More than that, Jesus wanted them to receive the wonderful gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. So Jesus again challenged their unbelief. Look at verse 37, 38. “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” We thank God that Jesus is God, not a mere man. Because Jesus is God, he can be our only Savior. Because Jesus is God, he can give us eternal life and bring us safely to the kingdom of God. When we believe that Jesus is God, we can open our spiritual eyes to know and understand the perfect union of God the Father and God the Son. Their relationship is based on beautiful love, and their perfect love extends to those who believe in Jesus. No matter what people say or whatever or not others believe, we may believe that Jesus is God and grow in deeper love relationship with him. In this passage, we learn that we must not remain in unbelief, but firmly believe that Jesus gave us eternal life as his most precious and wonderful gift. We will never perish, but live forever in the kingdom of God. No one can snatch us out of Jesus hand. No one can snatch us out of God’s hand. May we have 100% assurance of salvation no matter what happens in our life. With this assurance we may live a victorious life as holy pilgrims on earth and serve God as his faithful servants.

---

Attachment