The Gospel of John: The Greeks and Jesus’ final appeal 12: 20 – 50

 In the first half we looked at Jesus in Bethany and his entrance into Jerusalem. In this lesson we look at Jesus’ talking about his death after he is approached by the Greeks (v. 20 – 36) and then an explanation as to why the Jews) do not believe and Jesus’ final appeal to them (37 – 50)

When in v. 19 the Pharisees say, ‘Look, the world has gone after him’, we then have v.2- as a confirmation of this. Some Greeks want to see Jesus. . It is not just the Jews who follow Jesus, there are Gentiles – Greeks – who are drawn to Him. This is not just a Jewish event, this is for the whole world.

 One scholar has explained that by using grammar in a certain way, the writer has emphasized almost every sentence in this text. He has also put into this short passage many of the key words of the Gospel, words like love, truth, glory, life, remain, hour…It is like he has highlighted this text it on his lap top and hit the bold button.

 It’s an important passage. The Greeks are non-Jews, Gentiles from the Greek speaking world, and they have come to Jerusalem to worship. These people were known as ‘God fearers’ Gentiles who were supportive to the Jewish faith. People like the centurion in Luke 7 who built the synagogue in Capernaum, or Cornelius in Acts 10. And Paul acknowledges that we have this group in Acts 13 when he addresses the crowd in the temple. He says, ‘Brothers, sons of Abraham…’, that is the Jews. And then he says ‘and those among you who fear God.’ That’s the Gentiles, the Greeks, who were allowed into the court of Gentiles in the temple.

 

These Greeks were not necessarily from Greece. They were just Greek speaking Gentiles. It has been suggested that they could have come from the Greek cities in the Decapolis where Jesus had visited – remember the story about the pigs going into the sea. Anyway, they approach one of Jesus’ disciples who has a Greek name, Philip. Philip is from Bethsaida which is near the Decapolis, a town full of Greek speakers. It is possible they approached Philip because they saw his Greek was good. We don’t know how Jesus’ Greek was, but Nazareth, where he grew up was a solidly Jewish town. He wouldn’t have heard as much Greek as Philip.

 In the prologue we read that Jesus came to his own people and they did not receive him (v.11), and from chapter five onwards we have seen how the Jews have rejected Jesus. How they did not want to see who Jesus really was. But the prologue also said, in 1:12,  ‘But to all who did receive him…he gave the right to become the children of God’ This is now reality. The Jews have rejected Jesus, but others, these Greeks, they want to see Jesus.

 Remember Jesus said to Andrew and Philip, ‘Come and see’, and Philip said to Nathaniel, ‘Come and see’, and the Samaritan woman said to the people of her village, ‘Come and see’. That is exactly what these Greeks – who represent the whole Gentile world – this is what they are doing – they are coming to see.

 The Pharisees, with little hope say – the whole world has gone after him. The writer is saying, they are right – that is what is going to happen – the whole world, the whole Gentile world represented by these Greeks – is going to follow Jesus.

 For Philip this request is massive. And it is massive for the writer, so we see he slows the camera down. For in this Gospel Jesus has had no ministry with Gentiles. Nicodemus, the royal official, whose son was sick, the lame man, the blind man, Lazarus, Martha, Mary, his disciples, the crowds – they are all Jews. And the Samaritans were half Jews. They were not Gentiles. This is according to what Jesus says in Matthew 15:24, that his mission was for the lost sheep of Israel.

 So, it is a huge thing that these Greeks wanted to see Jesus. Philip doesn’t think he can just take the request by himself. He needs support. So he finds Andrew, who also has a Greek name. Maybe Philip thinks he can help with interpretation if there are problems. Also he probably wants a second opinion. Should they approach Jesus or not?

 Notice how Andrew – again – is the connector He connected his brother to Jesus; he connected the boy with bread and fish to Jesus; and now he is connecting these Greeks to Jesus.

 The message comes to Jesus and we expect him either to say – great, let them come and see me at such and such a time, or not so great, I can’t see them now. Sorry. But we don’t get a yes or a no. In fact we never know whether Jesus ever talked to these Greeks. That’s typical of Jesus in this Gospel. His reactions are not what we expect.

 What we do know is that this request triggers ‘the hour’. We have been hearing about this hour since chapter 2…Jesus to his mother, ‘My hour has not yet come’. Then from chapter seven Jesus’ enemies want to arrest him, but they can’t, because his hour has not yet come. And now – with this request from the Greeks, and listen to what Jesus says: ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’.

 Why is it this request that triggers, starts, Jesus’ hour? Many think the answer to this question lies in Isaiah, a prophet quoted twice in this chapter, and a prophet who is quoted 25 times in the New Testament. Isaiah underlined at least three things that help us answer our question. One is that Isaiah talked about how the Jews would not respond. That is in Isaiah 6, and is quoted here in 12:40. The second is that Isaiah explains that Christ’s Messiah is also the Suffering Servant the sacrifice for sins. This is spelt out most powerfully from Isaiah 52:13 – Isaiah 53:12. Indeed that passage starts with the Messiah being lifted up, which we hear about in John 12. And then finally it is Isaiah who spells out that this Messiah’s ministry will stretch way beyond Israel. He will be a ‘light to the nations’ (49:6). Jesus believed that he was fulfilling what Isaiah predicted. He knew that He was the lamb that had to be slaughtered, according to Isaiah 53:6.

 And He also knew his suffering was going to have a fundamental impact on the Gentiles, for that is also in Isaiah. In 52:15 we read that the nations are going to be startled. In Jesus’ mind his suffering and the response of the Gentiles are totally connected. So for Jesus, this ‘We want to see Jesus’ is not just a polite  request for an interview. It signals for him the start of the hour, the light to the Gentiles is going to start, and that means that first his suffering is going to start. And so Jesus starts to talk about his hour having come.

 What does Jesus then say about his death. First, He turns our understanding of glory upside down, because the glory is the death. The word used here for glory is kabod, which means a visible manifestation of the divine. Something that makes it very obvious that God is involved in what happens. That is certainly true of the cross when you think of the curtain splitting and the darkness.

 Then secondly, He emphasizes that the glory is both death and life, that the death brings the life – and bearing much fruit. That again takes us to Isaiah 52 and 53, especially 53: 11 where we are told that the suffering of Christ will ‘make many to be accounted righteous’

 And thirdly, v.25 – 26, all of us have to have the same attitude as Jesus towards life in this world. We must be ready to give it up. If not, we will lose eternal life. This losing one’s life to find it is a proverb found in all the Gospels – Mark 8:35, Matthew 10:39, and Luke 9:33. The wording is a little different, the teaching the same. And the aim is the same. Not for us to hate our lives, but to hate our lives if they stop us finding eternal life.

 That means we must be where He is, in other words, we will have to follow his walk to the cross. We must follow. That is what servants do. And this will guarantee the receiving the Father’s honour.

 In v.26. We have ‘I am’. The divine name. Where I am. Where the divine presence is. We do not serve without his presence, and we do not serve without the Father’s pleasure. This is not blind following. This is the most logical thing for any human being to do. To live in God’s presence. And that means serving.

 After talking about his death, we now have Jesus’ reaction towards it.

 27 – 28a.

 Jesus is deeply troubled. We are reminded of what happened when he was in front of Lazarus’ tomb. He is looking at his death which will be unlike any other death – and he recoils. He does not want this to happen.

 And so he asks, ‘Can this death be avoided? Can I be saved?’ It is exactly the same as what happens in the Garden of Gethsemane – which is not recorded in John.

Jesus asks – and gives the answers. In Gethsemane Jesus says, not my will, but yours be done, here he says – but this is why I came. I came for this hour. I came to die for the salvation of mankind. And – as with Lazarus’ death, so now – there is only one issue that matters. The glory of God. So, Father, if this is for your glory – let it be.

 In the synoptics we know that angels comforted Jesus, here we have God’s voice. And note the message – the Father and Son are one – the cross is going to be about Jesus’ glory. The Father has glorified Jesus’ name through the miracles, now He is going to glorify it through the cross and resurrection.

 The word for voice carries the idea of an echo. So it was not crystal clear. Jesus understands what is said, but the crowd don’t. Jesus then says though that the voice has come for the sake of the crowd. This seems odd if the crowd had not understood what had been said. The point is that after the cross and resurrection, the disciples would remember that this had happened, and this event underlines that Jesus death, which was difficult then for many to understand –it was from God

 After this Jesus and the writer gives more teaching about what his death means.

 31 – 33.

 We are told four things:

 1. Jesus’ death will judge the world

 The cross happens because men reject Christ, who has proved that He is from God So, to reject Christ is to reject God.

 2. Jesus’ death will cast out the ruler of the world, Satan. The word used is ‘archOn’, which means a ruler or a prince. On the cross his authority – which was always temporary and always under the sovereignty of God – is completely broken.

 3. Jesus’ will be lifted up. The use of ‘lifting up’ which the writer explains to us means his crucifixion,– and the passage in Isaiah which has so much influence on understanding Jesus’ death, 52:13 – 53:12. The opening verse of that passage, 52:13 speaks of God’s servant being ‘lifted up’. And then in v. 14 we find out that he is marred, and this speaks to the nations.

 4. This lifting up will draw all men to Christ. This does not mean every individual, otherwise all the verses that talk about judgement on those who reject Christ and God become meaningless. No, this means every type of person will be drawn to Christ. Jews and Greeks. So here is Jesus’ answer to the Greeks. Yes, you will be able to see me when I am lifted up. It is the cross you have to see.

 The crowd hear all this and have a question. The want to believe that Jesus is the Messiah – but here is Jesus talking about dying, and they have heard that the Messiah is not going to die. We don’t know exactly which verse from the Old Testament they are thinking of, but there are plenty.

 Psalm 72:17 May his name endure forever; Psalm 89: 35 – 37 talks of the Christ’s throne being eternal and Ezekiel 37:25 talks of a prince who will live forever. And the image of the Son of Man, the title Jesus has used, we have in Daniel 7: 13 – 14. It is absolutely not of someone who is going to die on a cross. Here we have a heavenly being who is given everlasting dominion. So – we can understand the crowd’s question. We think you might be the Messiah – but, how come you are going to die?

 Jesus doesn’t answer their question – because He has already told them that He is going to be lifted up. Again Isaiah is important here. Yes, we have Daniel 7, but we also have Isaiah’s very vivid description of the Suffering Servant. Instead of answering the question, Jesus warns these Jews. He says the light is only with you for a little longer. To become a son of light, you must believe in the light, i.e. you must believe in me. If not – darkness will overtake you. Jesus is clearly saying – the opportunity for you to be saved is running out. Be careful.

 And then he hides himself. That is what is going to happen. There is someone listening who wants to believe, but he or she delays. And then they are too late. Jesus is not there.

 Now we have the explanation about why the Jews don’t believe and Jesus’ final appeal to the Jews.

 12:37 – 50

 It is obvious from the story, obvious from what happened later – when the early church started – that the Jews did not believe. For Jews this is an issue. If Jesus is the Messiah, why did not the Jews in his time believe. Why would the Jews reject their Messiah? And why would they do this when Jesus has performed powerful miracles that prove he is from God – healing a lame man, giving sight to a blind man, raising Lazarus from the dead. Why? And again we see the importance of Isaiah. For this is where the writer turns, first with a reference to Isaiah 53:1 underlining that people were not going to believe in Christ, and then this is reinforced by the famous passage that comes after Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6.

 The key verse is 6:10. The Jews do not respond because God has blinded them. They don’t respond because God does not want them to respond. Theologians have an important title for what is happening here. It is called ‘judicial hardening’. This means it is just, fair, that this hardening happens. This surely goes back to John 9. The healing of the blind man showed conclusively that Jesus was from God; but the Jews refused to believe this. So it is fair that now they are blind. We have the same idea in 2 Thessalonians 2:11. There are people who refused to love the truth, and so God sends them ‘a strong delusion’ They choose deception; God sends deception. It is a ‘judicial hardening’.

 When the writer in v. 41 says that Isaiah says these things – about the Jews rejecting Christ – because Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory, it is possible to think of the vision that the prophet had at the start of Isaiah 6. However it is much more likely that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus’ suffering and cross and resurrection and understood that this glory would be rejected by the Jews.

 It is important to say that because this hardening comes from God, this means that God – who is utterly sovereign – can always have mercy. The hardening can be lifted. Let me say this another way – with God, there is always hope. He is a Person, not a fixed system.

 There is hope in v. 42 where we read that many of the authorities do believe in Christ. They are not all opposed to Him, but this hope is then weakened because it is not allied with courage. If they say they believe in Christ, then they will be put out of the synagogue. So, they do not confess their faith. And that for our writer is not good enough. If you are going to believe, you must confess your faith. If you don’t then ultimately you are loving your life and your reputation and the approval of others, more than what God can give us.

 Now we come to Jesus’ final appeal to the Jews, from v. 44 – 50.

 In v 44 this word is important, Jesus cries out. The opportunity for the Jews to believe is coming to an end. The door is closing. And He cares. It matters to him. Yes, some of them are his enemies. They have sneered at his background, Nazareth, joked about his birth, illegitimate, called him a Samaritan, called him a Sabbath breaker – and all the time they have called him a liar, a charlatan, a trickster. And yet – despite all this – Jesus wants them to be saved. He does not want the darkness to overcome them.

 In the next six verses Jesus makes one point: God has sent me; I am from God; this is a God story. Believe in me, and you are believing in God – reject me, and you are rejecting God. Look at v. 44, v,45, 49, and 50. In every verse apart from two, 46 and 47, this is the point he is making, this is his final appeal. And in v 46 and 47 Jesus is saying that what has motivated him, what has brought him from heaven to earth, is not a desire to judge, it is not a desire to bring harm, to bring darkness. He has come to bring salvation, to bring light.

 And in the last verse, verse 50, he spells out what is at stake. This is not about agreeing or disagreeing with a particular rabbi. No, the stakes are much higher. To believe in Christ is to experience eternal life. That is what God has commanded.

So, to disobey Christ is to reject eternal life.

 We come to the end of chapter 12. Now the door closes. In the next five chapters we will not see Jesus with the crowds, or even seekers. It is too late. Now he is with those who have chosen to come into the inside with Him.

 I would like to end by reminding you of three magnificent truths that we have seen in this second half of chapter 12.

 The first is the magnificent truth about the Bible. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. For in this chapter we have seen how the prophet Isaiah – written seven hundred years before Christ – explains about how the Jews will reject Christ; how Christ is a light to the Gentiles; and about Christ’s suffering. It is because of Isaiah that we understand the significance of the Greeks saying, ‘We want to see Jesus’.

 The second magnificent truth is that what Christ says here about his death has proved true in history. Today there are 2.18 billion Christians in the world. And they are of all types. Millions in South America, in Africa, in Asia. Jesus’ cross has given the world much fruit.

 And finally, let us go back to what Jesus says in 12:26 ‘where I am, my servant will be’. There is no better place to be than in fellowship with Christ. Yes, that will mean our own suffering, but be encouraged, that suffering is temporary, that suffering has glory, and best of all that suffering is in fellowship with Christ.

 

 

 

The Gospel of John: The anointing of Jesus and the entry into Jerusalem 12: 1 – 19

 Chapter 12, is the final chapter where Jesus has public ministry. After this chapter, the invitation of Jesus is no longer there for the crowds. He only teaches those who have chosen to be near him.

 In the very structure of John’s Gospel, there is an ‘outside’ and an ‘inside’. Jesus preaches to all, the outside, but there comes a time when that finishes. And He is only there for the inside. There is an invitation. Then the invitation ends. We are either on the outside, or inside.

 This chapter divides into four sections.

 a. Jesus in Bethany 12:1 – 11

b. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem 12:12 – 19

c. The Greeks and Jesus’ death 12: 20 - 36

d. Jesus’ final appeal to the unbelieving Jews. 12: 37 - 50

 We will look at the first two sections in this lesson, and the last two in the next.

 12: 1 – 11, Jesus in Bethany.

 After the raising of Lazarus, Jesus goes to Ephraim with his disciples, about 12 miles north of Jerusalem. This was a wilderness area. It was safe. He could have stayed there. But He doesn’t. Jesus chooses to come to Bethany, just two miles from Jerusalem. He is writing the story, not his enemies. He knew it was dangerous for him to come there, and especially dangerous to go to Lazarus’ home. Jesus knows what has been decided by the council. So, he is starting his journey to the cross.

 The coming death of Jesus is underlined in the first words of the verse. Six days before the Passover…six days before the lambs would be killed. The writer is saying – the hour is getting very near and he wants us to understand the role of Lazarus. He is there at the start of the story, and he ends the story. In v. 1 Jesus comes to Bethany, the home of Lazarus. There is a feast given in Jesus’ honour – that’s not surprising – and we are told that Lazarus was with Jesus. They were together.

That starts this story. Now look at the end of the story, in v. 9. A great crowd of Jews – almost certainly from Jerusalem – are coming to Bethany, not just to see Jesus, but to see Lazarus. And in the next story, the entry to Jerusalem, we find out that many in the crowd have come to see Jesus – because of Lazarus. (12:18).

 The writer is doing at least four things here.

 Every time he writes the name of Lazarus he is proving that Jesus is who He says He is. He is the resurrection and the life. He has been sent by God. There are no ifs and buts. Lazarus was dead for four days. Now he is alive, eating with Jesus and his family.

 And so, secondly, the writer is underlining the courage of Jesus. Lazarus proves that Jesus is from God and this is what his enemies hate. In fact they hate it so much they now want to kill Lazarus too. Look at v. 10. Jesus knows this, but He still comes and sits right next to Lazarus.

 And then thirdly, this means that the story about Mary anointing Jesus – which points to his burial; and Judas’ criticism – which points to the betrayal, these two events, death and betrayal – they are in the middle of the story. Yes – there are dark events, but they are framed by life, framed by Lazarus.

 And finally by presenting us with Jesus and Lazarus sitting together we have a contrast. Lazarus has been dead and is now alive; Jesus is alive, and will soon be dead. There is a feast. This points to heaven, like the wedding in Chapter 2, but as in Chapter 2 with the ‘best wine’ the blood, so now – Lazarus is at the table, because Jesus is going to die. This is grace.

 Now we come to the most famous part of this section. Mary’s anointing of Jesus. It is all in v. 3.

 This is almost certainly the same story that is recorded in Mark 14 and Matthew 26, but it is not the story in Luke 7. The one in Luke is in a different place, a different time, with a different host, and a different woman.)

 They are all enjoying the feast, with Martha typically in charge of what is going on. She is the one who is serving. Mary sees Jesus, maybe passing some bread to Lazarus, maybe she sees her brother laughing – and she is overwhelmed by gratitude. Remember she is the one who didn’t go to meet Jesus. She is the one who probably doubted Jesus’ love. And now she sits and she realised how much He loves them. And it is almost certain that she knew how dangerous for Jesus it was to be there with them. In fact, as we will see in v. 7, it is very possible that somehow Mary understood that Jesus was going to die because of what He did for her brother.

 So she looks at the scene and says – more, we must do more to show our love to Jesus. This feast isn’t enough. So she gets up to find this very expensive perfume – pure nard. It almost certainly belonged to the whole family, not just her, because it is so expensive. It is a year’s salary. Jesus is giving everything, she wants to give everything.

 So she comes to Jesus with the perfume. He – and the other guests would not have been sitting at a high table on a chair, nor were they sitting cross-legged on the floor. They were reclining on thin mats around a low table. They would be leaning on your arm, and your feet could come out, from the table. So, Mary can easily come to Jesus’s feet.

 In Mark it was Jesus’ head that was anointed; here it is his feet. There is no contradiction here because also in Mark Jesus says that Mary has anointed his body for burial. There is a pound of perfume. Plenty for the head, the feet, the whole body. John’s focus though is on the feet. This underlines Mary’s humility. And as in the next chapter we will find out that the disciples were not willing to wash each other’s feet, this underlines their lack of humility. Mary is ahead of the other disciples.

 Mary’s drying of Jesus’ feet with her hair is dramatic. This is sometimes what the slave women would do. And showing her hair was scandalous. That is something a Jewish woman would never do. A woman’s hair was for the eyes of her husband only. For a woman to show her hair in front of other men, that was terrible. There was a Jewish mother, Kimchit and all her sons became high priests. When asked why she thought she had had this honour, her reply tells us much about the Jewish culture. Kimchit said, ‘Ever since I married the walls of my home have not seen my hair’ Kimchit kept her hair covered Mary didn’t. Her love for Jesus was ready to break al the cultural rules.

 This perfume speaks of intimate love. Nard is mentioned three times in the Song of Solomon. So in 1:12 we have ‘While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance’. This intimacy means that now the smell of Jesus will be in her hair, and the smell of her hair will be with Jesus. Mary is not worried about the money, she is not worried about her reputation. She only wants to show her love for Jesus.

 In Mark and Matthew we are told that Jesus says that what Mary has done will be told wherever the Gospel is preached. John doesn’t tell us this. But he does say that, ‘The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume’. Jesus’s first miracle at the wedding focused on the taste of the wine; now here we are just before his entry to Jerusalem, and the focus is on the smell. We have already been told about the terrible smell that comes from a dead person– in 11:39. Marth was right. Death has a terrible smell. Now we are being told about Jesus’ death and burial – and yet there is no terrible smell. There is a beautiful smell that is felt throughout the house. Death has a terrible smell; but that smell completely changes with Jesus. He too is going to die, but his death gives off not a terrible stench but a beautiful fragrance. It completely takes away the smell of Lazarus’ death, because it is this death that brings resurrection to mankind. No wonder the smell fills the whole room.

 It is right also to think of this fragrance being Mary’s worship and you can connect the nard to the incense used in the temple. The story is encouraging us to respond to Jesus’ love with worship which is similar to hers – extravagant But, we need to take the camera a little closer. It is true that what Mary did cause the house to be filled with the fragrance – but we must also remember the source. The source is the death of Jesus. The fragrance that fills the house comes from the body of Jesus Christ which has been prepared for burial.

 That was verse 3. Then for four verses the camera goes to Judas. How our writer loves contrasts. The contrast between the resurrected man, Lazarus, and the condemned man, Jesus. The contrast between the fragrance coming from Jesus’ body and the stench coming from Lazarus’ body. And now the contrast between Mary – the disciple to emulate, and Judas, the disciple to loath.

 Our writer does not like Judas. He is mentioned eight times in the Gospel and four times he has to tell the reader that this is Judas – who betrayed him. As if we can forget. It’s obvious. The writer is deeply hurt because what Judas has done.

 Judas is posing. He wants everyone to think that he is concerned for the poor. But the writer tells us that is a lie. Judas wants to get rich. So he tells us – and this is only from John – that Judas was a thief and he stole from the money box. Given that Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, this is not hard to believe. This betrayal of the trust Jesus had in making Judas the team treasurer, points to the much worse betrayal that is going to happen.

 And perhaps there is more going on here than just money. Perhaps Judas is ambitious for control of the group. Jesus first mentioned his betrayal at the end of chapter six, when the disciples had left Jesus. So this probably means it was  Judas who suggested the disciples leave Jesus on the mountain praying. He was taking control of the group. It’s the same here. Mary has done something scandalous, showing her hair wiping Jesus’ feet. The whole room is silent. And so Judas sees his chance, feeling that many in the room will support him. So he speaks up and criticises Mary. This means of course that he is criticising Jesus, because Jesus gave permission.

 Jesus could have said – yes, Judas is right. And if he had done this, then he would be saying that Judas – and others – can have a say in how things happen in their group. It would be a surrender of his leadership. So – after Judas has spoken there is a lot at stake. All eyes look to Jesus, not Mary. Jesus is very strong. He robustly says, ‘Leave her alone’. He is protecting Mary and he is rebuking Judas for attacking her instead of Him.

 Jesus then interprets what she has done. What he says is a little enigmatic It can’t mean that she is going to keep the perfume till the day of Jesus’ burial, because Mark tells us that she broke the flask. That means she had already poured all of the perfume on Jesus – his head, his body, his feet. What Jesus is probably saying to Judas is that this perfume was never for selling and giving for the poor. This perfume was for his burial. And now she has used it. Jesus is not saying that we should not help the poor, but you can always do this, with our normal money. But we must also understand that there are times in life for special expenditure – and the going of a loved one is one of them. We will all find that out. Jesus is also implying that Mary knew what she was doing, that she knew he was soon going to die, and so she wanted to prepare his body for that terrible death.

 The woman in this story then shows not just devotion – but extraordinary insight. The man in this story has no devotion, and is only concerned about his own pocket. The message is obvious for disciples. Be like Mary, never be like Judas.

 Let’s turn now to the second section of this chapter, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, 12 – 19.

 We move from a very private scene in Bethany, to a very public scene in Jerusalem. Josephus tells us that 2.7. million Jews would come to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. It was the most important feast, and all adult men were expected to be there. In this crowd many people are talking about the raising of Lazarus, look at v. 17. The people who had been in Bethany were ‘bearing witness’.

 So when the news comes that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem, a massive crowd go out to greet him. Not thousands, but hundreds of thousands. On their way, many break off palm branches which were plentiful in Jerusalem. These they use to wave in the air. This is political, because the waving of palm leaves was associated with the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus in 167AD. And what they chant for Jesus is political: Hosanna! That means ‘give salvation – now’. Jesus – do something now, bring us salvation from the Romans – now. ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’, that is from Psalm 118. This is what the crowd think: Jesus comes in the name of the Lord and He is the true king of Israel – not Herod, not Pilate.

 In John 6 Jesus had escaped when the crowd wanted to make him king. Now his hour is near, and he accepts what they are saying. But he does something which a normal king would never do. He finds a donkey to ride on. This fulfils the prophecy in Zachariah (9:9), but it dampens down the nationalism. For a king going to war would never ride a donkey, he would ride a horse. The reference to Zachariah 9 underlines this. One commentator invites us to consider three points. This text says we are to expect a king who will stop war; bring peace to all the nations; and this is connected to the blood of God’s covenant. None of this was in the minds of the crowd who were chanting ‘The King of Israel’. They wanted a king who would go to war with the Romans; Jesus came as a king who was ready to die – to bring peace to all nations. No wonder the disciples did not understand.

 We are so familiar with the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey that we can easily forget what a brave thing this was for him to do. He knew very well that He had powerful enemies there. But still he got on that donkey. And when the crowds shouted out that He, Jesus, was ‘The King of Israel’ Jesus did not stop them. This is raw courage. For this was bound to mean his enemies would kill him.

 This courage had impact. As He rides into Jerusalem on that donkey He is saying unequivocally to Caiaphas, and Pilate, and Herod – your days are numbered. I am the true King, and you will have to answer to me. Jesus here does not just have the courage to come to Jerusalem to save the world; He also has the courage to rebuke the world. And He is ready to do this – even if it costs him his life.

 Here we get valuable insight into Jesus’ way of dealing with government injustice. Apart from calling Herod a fox, Jesus has refused to support any opposition against the rulers. The opposite. He teaches that they should support these rulers – the Jews didn’t want to carry a Roman’s bag for one mile, Jesus said, go two miles. The Jews didn’t want to pay taxes, Jesus said, pay the taxes; the Jews wanted to get rid of Pilate for his cruelty, but Jesus said, make sure you repent, otherwise you will end up being one of his victims (see Luke 13).

 What is the insight? In the short-term Jesus supports the system even though He knows it is unfair because a system is better than anarchy. But that does not mean there will be no justice for those responsible for government injustice. There will be. The King is coming, and this is exactly what Jesus is saying when he rides into Jerusalem.

 Even though it will cost him his life. There is no thought of Jesus dying as he rides towards the city. This looks like a victory march, and the Pharisees (v. 19) admit this. There is nothing they can do. ‘The world’, everyone is for Jesus.

 This ‘nothing they can do’ is true, not true, and true. It has three meanings. It is true that at that point in time Jesus’ opponents could not do anything. If they had tried to arrest him they would have had to kill a lot of people. There would have been an uproar. It is not true because they are going to find a way to do something. They will arrest him in a secret place, Gethsemane, and have him sentenced to death by the Romans, so if the crowd get angry, the Romans would deal with them. But it is also true, because even though they think that by sending Jesus to the cross they can stop him, in fact, ‘there is nothing they can do’ to stop the message of Christ spreading, and that has been happening ever since the crucifixion.

 And so the first part of Chapter 12 ends.

 Let us be warned.

 Judas allowed a love for money to develop in his heart – so he stole from the money box, later he would sell Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. And he gave himself the freedom to criticise Jesus. Let’s be careful with our hearts, and careful with our tongues.

 Let us be challenged

 By Mary’s devotion and understanding. A feast was not enough for her, Martha’s serving, while good, was not enough. More was needed. And she gave, and so the fragrance of Jesus body, prepared now for burial, spread through the whole house. Let us all follow Mary.

 Let us be encouraged.

 Jesus comes. He comes to Bethany, He comes to Jerusalem.

 He comes with a purpose – to celebrate life with a family he loves, and to remind the rulers of Jerusalem that one day they will have to bow to the true king. Perhaps there are situation when we think that Jesus should do something. Be encouraged. He will act – at the right time, and in the right way.

 He comes – even though it will cost him his life.

In the second half of chapter twelve some Greeks come and say, 'We want to see Jesus'. This triggers 'the hour'. To read more - click here https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-gospel-of-john-greeks-and-jesus.html

 

 

 

The Gospel of John: The resurrection and the life John 11

 John 11 is stupendous. As one writer said, it is the centrepiece of the Fourth Gospel.

 John’s Gospel is usually said to be in two halves. The book of signs, where Jesus speaks to the crowds. That ends in Chapter 12. Then from Chapter 12 to the end, the Book of Glory.

 So, this chapter stands at the centre of the story, because the raising of Lazarus is the last sign, the last miracle, and it is because of this miracle that the Book of Glory, the road to execution begins. The council decides to kill Jesus because of Lazarus’ resurrection.

 But it is also a central chapter because this is where the themes and the symbols of the Gospel are intensified. The volume has been turned up, the colours become stronger, 

 So here we have the greatest ‘I am’ saying, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’; we have the greatest miracle – a dead man is raised; we have the personal love of Jesus for the family, so we know their names. We don’t know the name of the lame man in John 5, or the blind man in John 9 – but we know Lazarus, Martha, and Mary; we know that Jesus has a close relationship with his Father, but here we can listen to him talking to His Father. And here we have the whole Sanhedrin meeting, and none other than the High Priest says – this Jesus must die. It is definite.

 And there is one more reason why I think we can call John 11 the centre piece of the Gospel. This is the chapter speaks into our human story of suffering and death - and into the pain of unanswered prayer. We sent the message that our brother was ill – you didn’t come. Nearly all of us have been there. This is surely one of the best chapters in the Bible that deals with the issue of suffering – the suffering of death and doubt.

 Death is answered by resurrection

 Doubt about God’s goodness is answered by the poignant fact that Lazarus’ resurrection caused Jesus’ execution. We will now only sleep – but Jesus, He suffered and was crucified and was cut off from God. That is goodness.

 Let us go through this wonderful chapter.

 1 – 3.

 We start with a sad scene. Lazarus of Bethany, a village less than two miles from Jerusalem, is ill.  He has two sisters, Mary and Martha and we know from Luke 10 that Jesus was a guest in Lazarus’ home. This family and Jesus, they are friends. And the writer tells us the story which we have in chapter 12 about how Mary anointed Jesus’s. He wants us to understand how devoted this family were.

 And there’s something else. Mary anointed Jesus’ body – for burial. For death. That is spelt out in 12:7. So the suffering and death of Jesus stand in the background of this story about Lazarus and his sisters. In fact, all through the story the writer is reminding us of the coming death of Jesus. So we have Thomas saying ‘Let’s go to Jerusalem to die with him’. That will happen, but not in this chapter. We have a Mary weeping outside a grave. That will happen, but it is another Mary, Mary Magdalene, not Mary of Bethany. And we have a large stone in front of a cave. Just like there was in front of Jesus’ grave. And then of course at the end, Caiaphas says that Jesus must die. The death of Jesus begins the story, the death of Jesus ends the story.

 So, a devoted family with a problem, a sick brother. What should they do? It’s obvious. They must send Jesus a message. He loves them and so He will come and Lazarus will get better. Their thinking is exactly like my thinking and your thinking. We are devoted followers of Jesus, He loves us, so when we have a problem, we just have to pray and all will be well.

 But – we have learned in this Gospel that Jesus does not act in the way we would expect him to act. We expect him to respect and welcome Nicodemus, but Nicodemus has to talk first; we don’t expect him to talk to the woman of Samaria, but he does; we expect him to show sympathy to the royal servant whose son is ill, but he rebukes him…and so now…we expect Jesus to come and heal his friend Lazarus.

 But He doesn’t.

 4 – 6.

 Jesus says and does the exact opposite of what we expect. Illness leads to death. That was in the minds of Mary and Martha. That’s why they have sent the message.

 But what does Jesus say? ‘This illness does not lead to death.’ And everyone who knows the story is thinking – but that’s not right. Lazarus’ illness did lead to death. And all of us know people who have got sick – and their illness led to death.

 As always with Jesus, here we have a choice. We can dismiss this talk as foolishness or we can think it through. It is not so complicated. There is only one answer. Our view of death and Jesus’ view of death must be different.

 We see death as being final. The last word. The place of no return. But that is not Jesus’ view. Here we must take in the fact that we are being told that there are two types of death. There is the one that Lazarus will experience, which Jesus does not call death; and there is another one.

 We will find out more about these two types of death as we go through the chapter.

 Mary and Martha thought that Jesus should come and help them. We think the same. But that is not Jesus’ priority. Jesus’ priority is always God’s glory. This glory isn’t just praise for God. Jesus’ first miracle was about showing his glory to his disciples – the water being turned into wine. See 2:11. Now too in chapter 11 it is the same. The priority is God’s glory.

 But both in John 2, and here in John 11, that glory is closely connected to Jesus’ suffering. In John 2, the best wine, is the blood of Christ. That is the foundation for the wedding celebration. Here in John 11 God’s glory will involve Jesus being condemned to death for raising Lazarus.

 Jesus says the exact opposite of what we expect; and does the exact opposite. We expect him to immediately go to Bethany to help his friends. He doesn’t. The writer brings this out brilliantly in v. 5 and 6. In v. 5 we are told how much Jesus loves Martha and Mary and Lazarus – so we expect him to go. And then in v 6 we read, ‘So – because He loved them – he stayed two days more’.

 Many suggest that Jesus waited because He needed to know the Father’s will. As a friend he wanted to go; as a Son he had to hear from the father – especially because Bethany was so near to Jerusalem, so it was very likely that if he went there, he would face arrest. That was to be the Father’s choice, not even Mary or Martha’s.

 But…we must not think that because Jesus waited and prayed this does not mean that He does not care for Mary and Martha, he does. They think that the most important thing is that Lazarus is healed. Jesus wants them to experience more. He wants them to see a resurrection.

 God’s love does not give us what we think we want or need. God’s love is giving us what is best for us. That is why we have – because Jesus loved them, so he waited two more days.

 Now we have a section with the disciples 7 – 16

 Somehow Jesus found out that Lazarus has died – and now he decides to go. That is too late for the sisters. And too dangerous for the disciples. At the end of chapter 10, the Jews in Judea were wanting to stone Jesus. So, that’s not a good place to go. No wonder they question him.

 Jesus’ answer in v. 9 is important. It’s not about what we think is dangerous or not, it is whether we are walking with the light or not. It’s God’s protection that matters, not our fear. Jesus is challenging the disciples to trust that He has heard from God, that this journey is going to happen in the day, not the night.

 Now he explains the reason, and here we find out how Jesus views the sort of death that Lazarus has experienced. It is sleep. The disciples misunderstand him and so we are told plainly that Lazarus has died. But Jesus will wake him up.

 That is why he earlier said that the illness will not lead to death. We call what has happened to Lazarus death, but Jesus calls it sleep. But He is the one – the only one - who has to wake him up. That is why He has to go to Judea.

 The disciples don’t want to go to Judea. From the look on their faces you can see what they think. As soon as we get there – we’ll get arrested and executed. So now Thomas speaks for them all. It’s pretty negative – but Thomas is loyal.

 OK, this is what you want to do Jesus. You want to go to Judea to get stoned. Well, we are disciples. So, we have to follow you. So, come on guys, let’s go so we can all die together.

 Jesus might have smiled to himself listening to Thomas. Thomas thinks he will go to Bethany and die. That does not happen. The opposite happens. Thomas goes to Bethany and sees a resurrection.

 And so they travel towards Bethany and we have the encounter with Martha

 17 – 27, let’s read

 The reference to the four days is important. The Jews believed that the spirit of a person hovered near the corpse for three days. But on the fourth day, that was it. There was no hope. This means that Lazarus was absolutely dead. His sister confirms this when she worries about the smell coming from the body in v. 39. So now we have a scene that is very ordinary in Iran. Many have come to mourn with Mary and Martha.

 First illness, then death – and now grieving. It is intense and painful. Nearly all of us have been there. All of us will go. There is no escape. But there is hope. People hear that Jesus is coming, the message comes to where all the mourners are. So – He hasn’t forgotten them.

Yes. Jesus might not come according to our time-table, but He comes, even when it is very dangerous for Him. Remember Bethany is very near Jerusalem.

 v. 20 is important. Martha hears that Jesus is coming, and, according to the custom in the East, she got up to welcome Jesus. When an important person comes to visit you, you go to the airport. Martha acts according to the custom. She does the right thing. And that is according to her character from Luke 10. She is the busy one, the active one.

 As soon as she sees Jesus she blurts out the accusation. ‘If you had been here my brother would not have died.’ That is a statement of faith, it is also full of disappointment, almost suggesting that it is Jesus’ fault that Lazarus has died.

 But Martha then comes with more faith, ‘Even now…whatever you ask – God will give you’. Martha has understood that when Jesus comes into the story, anything can happen. It changes everything.

 There is now a misunderstanding about resurrection. Jesus says Lazarus will rise again – meaning very soon. Martha thinks Jesus is talking about the final judgement.

 And so we have Jesus’ magnificent ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me, shall never die.’

 We have to pause here. This chapter started with illness and death. That is our life too. We will get sick and die. But already back in v. 4 Jesus has said that Lazarus’ illness would not end up in death. Then Jesus talked about death being sleep. And now he promises Martha – and all who share her faith – that when we believe in Christ, we will never die. Yes, we will have to experience that sleep, but then there is resurrection and life, forever.

 It is sometimes possible to get so involved in different questions in theology and problems in the church that we forget the power and authority of John 11: 25 and 26. Christ is the resurrection and the life. There is no death in his presence. Believers in Christ will never die. Right now we begin to taste that life, and after we have a sleep, then we will experience that life in full. We will never die.

 Now we return to the house, and Mary, 28 - 37

 You can see her now running back to the house with a spring in her step. There is hope in her heart. There is peace in her eyes. She enters the room full of tears and despair. People notice her calm and wonder, but she speaks to no one. Instead she goes straight to her sister.

 Mary didn’t go with Martha. She stayed in the house. We don’t know exactly why she didn’t go, but it is possible she was feeling angry with Jesus. She thought that Jesus loved her family, and especially her. But He had come late. And so there is a sea of dark emotion and doubt in her heart. Mary had a broken heart. Yes, she was weeping for her brother; but she was also weeping because of Jesus.

She is not the only one. There are many Marys in our world.

 Now Martha bends down and whispers some beautiful words into her ears: ‘The teacher is here and is calling for you’.  Jesus had never forgotten about Mary. As soon as Martha came alone, Jesus noticed that Mary was not there. This mattered to Jesus, her broken heart was important to Jesus. He wants to see her. And so he sends the message with Martha. And He wants to see her privately. Look at v.30 – Jesus stays where he met Martha. He does not enter the village where there would be no privacy. Funerals in the East can be very busy.

 As soon as Mary hears that Jesus is calling for her she jumps up and runs to him. She has energy. When we are suffering it is not abstract answers we want, Job can tell you that. No, it’s His presence. We want to hear, ‘The teacher is here and is calling for you’. That is what gives us energy. His presence.

 The Jews who were with Mary think she is going to the tomb. That is the normal place for someone who is mourning to go. So they want to be with her. That is why they are there. The presence of others brings comfort. But it isn’t enough. It is the presence of Jesus we need, and, like Mary, we need to run to him, not the grave of the loved one.

 Mary falls at Jesus’ feet. She is full of emotion. Her face is full of tears. But she has come to Jesus – and the other Jews have come too. That is what is important. Her brother is still dead. But Jesus is there.

 What she says to Jesus is exactly the same as what Martha says – if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Faith that Jesus could have healed a sick Lazarus, but He has come late. Now her brother is dead.

 What Mary says to Jesus is the same as Martha, but what Jesus says to Mary is completely different from what He says to Martha.

 To Martha Jesus was strong, God like – ‘I am the resurrection and the life’, but to Mary Jesus is very human. He sees her and the others crying and he too then weeps.

 And twice we read that he is ‘deeply disturbed’ in his spirit (v. 33, 38). The Greek word is ‘ebrimaomai’ which can be used for the snorting of horses. It means there is deep emotion, even anger inside Jesus about this situation.

 What is this deep disturbance about? Some commentators say it is Jesus – as a man – feeling grief over the death of a friend. That is true. There is often grief and anger when someone dies. Others say there is anger because of the despair of the mourners. Jesus is upset that though they believe He opened the eyes of someone who was blind, they are not ready to believe that Jesus can raise the dead. That is also possible true.

 But perhaps something deeper is going on here. You remember how I said that Jesus’ own death is very much in the background in this story, starting with the reference to Mary anointing his body for burial, and now, in v. 38 we have almost the same picture we have after Jesus’ death. A cave with a stone lying across it. I think it is here that we understand what Jesus means by death. Remember, I said this chapter tells us about two types of death. One is like sleep. That was the death Lazarus experienced

 But there is another death. And as Jesus goes towards Lazarus’ tomb He sees this death. This is the death full of God’s wrath. This is the death where there is complete separation. This is the death of total darkness. And this is the death Jesus was going to experience. Seeing Lazarus’ tomb, He saw his own. But his tomb was not going to be the place of sleep that it had been for Lazarus. It was going to be hell. He saw this – and so he was deeply disturbed.

 Now we come to one of the greatest miracles in the Bible. The raising of Lazarus., 38 - 44

 Let’s focus here on Jesus. Yes, he has a time of being ‘greatly disturbed’ (33, 38), but now he has complete authority. He gives the command for the stone to be removed. He rejects Martha’s suggestion about the body smelling and encourages Martha to believe to see the glory of God. And then He looks upward (41). Martha was looking down. Jesus looks up. There is a very different smell when you look up.

 And then we have Jesus’ prayer. It is full of trust. ‘Father, you hear me. I know this. You always hear me.’ That’s the intimacy between the Father and the Son. They are working together. They are one in their activity. And their activity is for others – for the crowd, so that they believe’

 After the prayer – a loud command from Jesus. This takes us to 5:25 when Jesus talked about the dead hearing the voice of the Son of God. That is why Lazarus’ illness did not lead to death, because Jesus knew he was going to hear his voice.

 Lazarus comes out, and we have Jesus’ last command. ‘Unbind him and let him go’. This is a great miracle – or to use the author’s word – a great sign. What does it point to? It points to the fact that Jesus is who He says He is. He told Martha, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’, and now He proves it. It points to the fact of Jesus’ own resurrection. Very soon He would conquer death for ever.

 And it points to the fact of our resurrection. We are not going to experience that second death of hell and separation from God. We are only going to experience the first type of death, which Jesus calls sleep. We are not going to die. We are going to fall asleep, and then just like Lazarus we will hear Jesus’ voice, and we will be raised to first be judged, for we all must appear before the judgement seat of God, and then to enter life in all its fullness without tears or suffering or death.

 We will only sleep – because Jesus truly died. And the certainty of that death starts immediately after the resurrection of Lazarus.

 From the joy of life outside the tomb, we go to a deathly council meeting – 45 – 53. It’s good to understand the crucial role the resurrection of Lazarus plays in the execution of Jesus. Many believe in Him after the miracle, but some tell the Pharisees and a meeting of the council), the Sanhedrin, is called. There were about 70 leaders in the Sanhedrin, and they were responsible for the temple and the religious life of Israel. This is an important gathering and it happens because of the raising of Lazarus.

 This council know that Jesus has healed a lame man, given sight to a blind man, and now that he has raised someone from the dead. Yet they never think they should believe in Jesus. It is very plain who Jesus is – but they reject this. The reason is explained in v. 48. If Jesus continues to perform these miracles, the crowd will call him the Messiah and so the Romans will come and destroy the temple and the nation. Note they say ‘our holy place’. That was the problem. They thought the temple was theirs, not God’s. So they feel that their status is threatened. As Caiaphas then says – with this view it is much better that one person dies to save the whole people– and their jobs. This is a callous way of thinking. The guilt or innocence of Jesus does not matter. The only thing that matters is that they keep their authority. It’s all about them, it’s not about God, it’s not about truth, it’s not about justice. So – if killing Jesus helps them, that is what has to happen.

 There are three ironies in this part of the story.

 The first is when Caiaphas says, ‘You know nothing at all’. You will remember how especially in Chapter 7 and Chapter 9 the Pharisees kept on saying – ‘We know, we know’. But they didn’t know. Now, at last, none other than the High Priest is saying what is true. They really don’t know anything.

 And, secondly, Caiaphas, himself did not know anything. He was completely wrong. He thought that by killing Jesus he would save the nation and the temple. No. In AD70 the Romans came and destroyed the temple. The only people who were saved were the followers of Jesus who left Jerusalem before the Romans came.

 The final irony is that while Caiaphas was amoral, yet through him there is prophecy. For all the wrong reasons he wants to kill Jesus, but God will take this and use it for the salvation of the whole world.

 The result of this meeting is cold. Jesus must die. Jesus must have heard about this meeting and so left the Jerusalem area and went to Ephraim, about twelve miles north of the city.

 We leave this chapter with a great sense of tension. It is like a film where the bad guys are waiting for the hero to come to the town to kill him, and everyone is wondering if he will come or not.

 We will find out in the next chapter.

 John 11. What a chapter. Full of tension, full of different characters – Jesus, Thomas, Martha, Mary, Caiaphas, full of truth…

 So let’s end by with a proclamation of the greatest truth in this chapter.

 We Christians have the answer for man’s greatest problem - death

 Jesus is the resurrection and the life

 Death is only a sleep. We will not die, we will not go to hell, because Jesus has gone to hell for us. Like Lazarus we will hear Jesus’ voice and we will be raised from the dead.

 So, as his illness and suffering did not lead to death; so too for us – our illness will not lead to death. It will lead to the glory of God.

 These are just a few thoughts to help you read this magnificent chapter. I hope they do, but much more than that I hope we will all keep on reading his chapter again and again, until we experience our own death and resurrection.

In the next chapter there are more contradictions - a feast for Jesus where his body is prepared for burial; the entry of a king, on a donkey. 

See here - https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-gospel-of-john-anointing-of-jesus.html

 

 

 

 

The Gospel of John: The Good Shepherd John 10: 1 – 42

 John 10 falls naturally into two halves. From v 1 – 21 we have Jesus’ teaching about the Good Shepherd; and then from 23 – 42 we have another section which could be called, ‘The Jews reject Jesus’.

 To understand the ‘Good Shepherd’ section we have to give careful attention to the context and the background from the Bible.

 The context.

 There is no introduction here. We just dive straight into Jesus’ teaching. But it is possible to work out the context. This is happening after the healing of the blind man. This caused a lot of division, and you will remember that the Jews who opposed Jesus, they expelled the beggar And at the end of chapter nine, Jesus rebukes those Jews. When the New Testament was first written there were no chapters, it was one text. So it is best to see 10:1 as being a continuation of what Jesus is saying at the end of chapter nine.

 Jesus’ rebuke of those Jews continues, and when you put the end of chapter nine together with the start of chapter ten, it is obvious who Jesus means when he starts talking about thieves and robbers. He is talking about these Jews. They are not good leaders, and so Jesus compares them with his ministry. That then is the context of this passage. It is Jesus wanting to show that his type of leadership is completely different from the religious leadership that is operating from the temple – a leadership that had ignored the miracle of the blind man being healed, and, worse, had expelled the beggar. He is attacking the religious leaders, and he is causing more division. That has been the dominant theme from chapter 7 when Jesus first arrived in Jerusalem.

 There is something else about the context that is important to understand. This is the reference to the Feast of Dedication in v. 22. In Jesus’ time this was fairly new. It happened in December – and v. 22 affirms this, it says it was winter. This festival was in memory Judas Maccabaeus.  Judas and all the Maccabean family were military heroes and their way was the way of the sword. In 167 BC, they had risen up against the pagan king Antiochus from Syria and driven him out of Israel. Antiochus had desecrated the temple, and so it had to be cleansed until it was fit for worship again. This is what the Feast of Dedication celebrated. The cleansing of the temple. And it was celebrated by everyone lighting candles in their homes. The whole of Jerusalem was full of light.

 If all of Jesus’ talk about the Good Shepherd is happening during this feast then He is directly attacking the way the Maccabean family fought. He is saying, the way of violent resistance, that’s that’s not the way.

 That is a very brave thing to do as the Maccabees were very popular and there were many who wanted to overthrow the alliance of the Jewish religious leaders and Rome by force.

 That’s the context, let’s look now at the background

 The background

 We have seen in John that the stories he tells about Jesus connect back to something in the Old Testament. Remember John 1 and Jacob’s ladder), or John 3, the bronze serpent or John 4, and the marriage of Isaac, Jacob, and Moses.

 One of the dominant images for God in the Old Testament is that of a shepherd. Jacob in Genesis 48 says that God has been his shepherd, all his life long, David is the Shepherd – King who famously says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’. And Psalm 80 says that God is the Shepherd of Israel.Isaiah 40:11 says that the Messiah will come like a shepherd.  And in Jeremiah and in Ezekiel we hear the same message – God is angry with the shepherds of Israel, the leaders, who have not been looking after the people but themselves, and so will come Himself and be the shepherd. All of Ezekiel 34 is about this. It is well worth reading it to understand this passage in John. You will see how directly this connects with what Jesus is saying. We also have the same message in Zachariah, so in 11:17 we have, ‘Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts his flock’,  – but, as in Isaiah, we also see that the one who comes as Shepherd is also going to suffer. So we read in 12:10 about how people will ‘look on the one they have pierced’.

 Reading about this background in the OT we can understand how significant it is when Jesus says he is the good shepherd. As it says in Ezekiel, the Jewish shepherds are not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or healing the sick. No, they are just thinking about themselves. Jesus says that is what is happening in his day. So God rejects their ministry and decides that He will come Himself to look after the sheep So, Jesus is the good shepherd who has come. The bad shepherds must go.

 The context of the passage is Jesus rebuking the Jewish leaders for expelling the beggar born blind; the background is all of this Old Testament teaching of how God will judge the bad shepherds and send his own.

 We are nearly ready to look at the passage but first I would like to correct something that is often wrongly said about John 10:10. Jesus says that ‘’The thief only comes to steal and kill and destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly.’

 Then there is this dogmatic assertion that Jesus is talking about Satan, that Satan only comes to steal and kill and destroy. There are two problems with this teaching. First of all that is not what the verse says, and this is not what this passage is about. We cannot go to a verse and make it say whatever we want. We have to let the verse speak for itself, in its context. There is no mention of Satan in this verse or in all of Chapter 10. It is clear from the context and the background who the thieves are: the religious leaders of Israel. This is the context, supported by the obvious background in Ezekiel 34, where again there is no mention of Satan. It’s all about Israel’s leaders. That’s the first problem. It is not in the text.

 The second is that with this interpretation there is a danger that we can get the impression that Satan is out of control. That he is on a rampage, stealing, and killing and destroying. And from this the idea comes that all suffering and death is because of Satan’s activity – which God cannot control. This undermines the sovereignty of God. That is not the view of the Bible. Read Job, read Revelation. Satan is completely under God’s control. We have to fight in this spiritual warfare, but it is important that we do not overemphasize Satan. That is what can happen when we misinterpret this verse.

 Now let’s look at Jesus’s teaching about the good shepherd. A good way to look at this passage is to focus on the three subjects that Jesus focuses one.

 Jesus talks about the gate, he talks about the shepherd, and he talks about the sheep.

 Let’s see then what Jesus says about the gate, v. 1 – 10

 The gate is the entrance to all that is safe and full of provision for the sheep (v. 9), and this is the gate that the true shepherd will use, and this gate will be opened by the ‘gatekeeper’. This picture was very normal in Jesus’ day. The shepherd would have a ‘gatekeeper’ who would guard the sheep pen and he would open the gate for the shepherd. Then in v. 7 Jesus spells out that He is the gate. He is the only way to life and safety, to salvation.

 Jesus is the gate for the sheep. But there are others who try to use another way. They are thieves. Jesus says this, three times. In v. 1, v. 8, and v. 10. As said, this is talking about the religious leaders – and if this is happening during the Feast of Dedication. Jesus is talking about the Maccabees – who came before him. And therefore about Herod the Great who married into the Maccabean family.

 It is important to take in what Jesus is saying here. He is calling all those who use violence in the cause of nationalism ‘thieves and robbers’ because they do not use the only gate that brings life, His gate. Anyone who promises life and health apart from Jesus, according to this passage is a ‘thief and a robber’.

 Let us now look and see what Jesus says about the good shepherd (1 – 18)

 He has a voice (v.3), and He knows all of his sheep, by name. And so, with his voice, He leads them. Then in v. 11 Jesus says ‘I am the good shepherd’. Another word for good could be noble. Again note the claim to divinity here, Jesus is using ‘I am’ and a title that Jews connected with God from the Old Testament. The first time God is called Shepherd is in Genesis.

 Jesus defines what He means by good, and we swiftly see how it contrasts with the thieves and robbers. He will give his life for his sheep. Of course in the usual work of a shepherd, that would not have been normal. What is important is the attitude. Just like David when he fought with a lion and a bear that was attacking his sheep, so Jesus is always ready to give his life for his sheep. There is also perhaps a reference here to how a shepherd would lay  across the door of the sheep pen at night, guarding the sheep.

 But there is more here. Four times in just seven verses Jesus talks about laying his life down (v.11, 15, 17, and 18), and He connects it with his relationship with God. It is something God the Father and the Son are involved with. It is impossible not to conclude that Jesus is talking about the cross and the resurrection, which he refers to in v. 18. This is typical of the Gospel. We start at one level, but then we see there is another level.

 Here is a clear contrast. The thieves and the hired hands, they are just involved with the sheep for what they can get out of it. For the thieves that involves stealing and killing. For the hired hand, that means running away. But the true shepherd. He stays with the sheep, always ready to lay down his life for them.

 Let’s now look at the sheep in this passage (1 – 18)

 The sheep know the voice of the true shepherd. They will follow him. In v. 3 Jesus leads them out. This is referring to the sheep that are Jewish. Jesus is going to lead them out from Judaism. And these Jews do not listen to the political saviours people like the Maccabees who think that the only thing that matters is a different political order. The true follower of Jesus does not follow that type of teaching. There is no safety in any political solution. There is only safety with Jesus. And since Jesus taught that most people will follow the broad path, not the narrow path, the idea that a whole country will become Christian is not true. It is just nationalism using Christianity.

 In v. 16 Jesus talks about having other sheep that do not belong in the fold of Judaism. They are the Gentiles. They must come in too. Just like the Jewish believers, they too will recognise Jesus’ voice. So Jesus leads his Jewish followers out, and then they are joined by other followers of Jesus. This is exactly what has happened. And at the end of v. 16 we have the declaration that there is only one flock. This teaching of Jesus is very important because there is a teaching in the church that directly contradicts this teaching of Christ.

 This teaching says that Jesus has two flocks, two peoples – the Jews and the church. This view is supported by people who call themselves Dispensationalist and another group are Christian Zionists. They tend to put a lot of emphasis on the Jewish people being in the physical land of Israel. This teaching is wrong. It is not in the New Testament. There is only one flock – the church, and it is through the church that God is working out his purposes. The apostle Paul also emphasizes this, especially in Ephesians where he talks about the wall being broken down between the Jews and the Gentiles so God has made the two groups one (Ephesians 2:14).

 In v. 19-21 we learn that this teaching about Jesus being the good shepherd divides the Jews. Some say he has a demon and is mad; others talk about how the blind man was healed. That is not the work of a demon.

 The Jews are divided, and so the writer is asking us the reader– well, where are you when it comes to Jesus Christ?

 From 22 – 39 we have the second section, ‘Jesus rejected’. We can picture Jesus walking in the temple and then being surrounded by Jews. They have one question. ‘Are you the Messiah? Tell us plainly.’ (24) It is true that Jesus has only told his disciples (1:41) and the Samaritan woman that he is the Messiah (4:26). He has never used this title with the crowds. That is almost certainly because the title was very dangerous politically. He would have been immediately arrested. So – he hasn’t used this title…but all that He has done shows that He is the Messiah. That is what he says in v. 25.

 So there is some irony when they ask for Jesus to tell them plainly. What could be plainer than the healing of the blind beggar, especially when Isaiah had said that this is what the Messiah would do.

 In v. 26 – 30 Jesus explains why these Jews do not believe. They are not his sheep. So, they don’t hear his voice. The ones who hear Jesus’ voice, they are his sheep. There is a relationship, the sheep following the shepherd. And Jesus gives them eternal life. No enemy can take these sheep from Jesus.

 Now Jesus spells out his divinity. He says it is God the Father who has given these sheep to Jesus, and that is why they are completely safe. Because who is greater than the Father? And so to v. 30, ‘The Father and I are one’. This does not mean that Jesus and the Father are one person. It means they are one in their activity – so all Jesus’ miracles have been – with the Father; so this work of the sheep coming to Jesus and being kept by Jesus, this is also the Father’s work.

 When we read about God giving sheep to Jesus, and those sheep being the only ones who can come to faith, we are taken to the difficult question of God choosing us and our free will. There is no time here to discuss that properly, but I believe it is normal for God’s truth to have two wings. Jesus is fully man. Jesus is fully God. So here – God chooses his sheep; his sheep must repent, or believe, which means repent in John’s Gospel.

 And remember what we learned in John 6 – v. 44 and 45. Verse 44 says nobody can come to faith in Christ, unless the Father draws them but then in v.45 Jesus says we can all be taught by God, and if we learn from God – we will come to faith. It’s the same in 7:45 Anyone who wants to do the will of God – will know if Jesus’ teaching is true or not.

 Jesus has done what the Jews asked. He has told them plainly. And they don’t like it. They want to stone him – again. Again, because in chapter 8 they had wanted to stone him after he said, ‘Before Abraham was, I am’. The response of the Jews is instinctive– but that is not enough for a human being. God asks us to use our understanding, and that is what Jesus does now. There are, stones in their hands – and Jesus says, wait, use your minds. Think. And He gives two reasons as to why they should think more.

 1. In Psalm 82:6 God says that the people of Israel – who received the Word of God at Sinai – He says they are ‘gods, children of the Most High’. Jesus has quite an argument here. He says, look at your own Scriptures. You children of Israel, you are called sons of God. But you are not stoning yourselves. So, I, who have been sent by God, I can call myself ‘God’s Son’.

 2. And again, think about the miracles. The healing of a lame man (5), the feeding of 5,000 (6), giving sight to a blind man (9). Only God can do these miracles, so that is why I say I am working with God, that I and the Father are one in our activity. This is not blasphemy. This is truth.

 Sadly the Jews only listened to their feelings. They did not think carefully. And so they want to arrest him, but Jesus’ hour has not come and he escapes. Jesus goes to where the story began, with John’s ministry. And many come to him and believe in Him.

 The chapter ends with a reference to John. In Jewish culture nobody was called a prophet if they did not work miracles. John though is an exception. He is called a prophet by many, even though he worked no miracles. What then is so special about John? We have the answer in v. 41. ‘Everything that John said about this man – Jesus – was true’.

 All through these chapters the writer is underlining how Jesus divides. Either he is the illegitimate son of a peasant girl who has learned to use evil powers to trick people with miracles. Or He is the Son of God, the Word of God, the King of Israel, Immanuel – God with us.

 There is no middle ground with Jesus. He is either from above or from below His either the light or the darkness. The truth or a liar. From God or from the devil. This Gospel is saying to us – you must choose.

 We have come to the end of another chapter, full of good things. Let me remind  you of just three.

 1. Jesus has a voice. He speaks. We must listen, and follow. And we must be very careful about listening to voices that are nationalistic.

 2. Jesus only has one flock. Be careful of any teaching that denies this. Our focus must always be Jesus, following Him, witnessing for him, serving in the church, serving the poor.

 3. Jesus’ enemies did not use their minds. They reacted without thinking. God allowed that to happen. We too must use our minds. The believers who do this will be blessed; the people who are controlled by their feelings will not be blessed.

At the end of this chapter Jesus is safe; but in the next a desperate message comes from Bethany, on the outskirts of dangerous Jerusalem - 'Our brother is very sick, please come.' 

For chapter eleven, click here - https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-gospel-of-john-resurrection-and.html