John 10:22–42
There is a well-known line from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet: “To be, or not to be, that is the question.”
However, the most important question concerning the salvation of our souls is this: “To believe, or not to believe, that is the question.”
The word "believe" appears 98 times in John’s gospel. This is significantly more frequent than in the other gospels, reflecting John's emphasis on belief in Jesus as the Son of God. In today’s short passage, the word “believe” appears six times.
The author John states the purpose of his writing in John 20:31:
"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
Believing in Jesus as the Messiah is directly connected to our eternal life. May we examine our faith in Jesus and experience the eternal life he gives through today’s passage.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for gathering us here today. We are grateful for Your presence in our lives and for guiding us through the past week with Your Spirit.
We are here to worship You and listen to Your words. Prepare our hearts and open our spiritual eyes so that Your Word may work powerfully in each one of us.
May you use me as your instrument to proclaim your word of truth.
I pray that our faith in Jesus grows stronger through your word today.
______________________
Look at verses 22 and 23.
“Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.”
The background of today’s passage is the Festival of Dedication. It was winter.
Events from chapter 7 through 10:21, all took place during the Festival of Tabernacles, which is held annually in October. In contrast, the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah) is held annually in December and lasts for a week.
So, today’s passage takes place several months after the preceding events.
What is the Festival of Dedication?
It’s called Hanukkah.
The Festival of Dedication is not mentioned in the Old Testament.
In 168 BC, the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes attacked Jerusalem and desecrated the Jerusalem Temple, the holiest place for Jews. Antiochus abolished Judaism, outlawed the observance of the Sabbath and circumcision, and commanded the Jews to sacrifice animals that God had declared unclean. Altars and idols were set up for the worship of Greek gods, and Antiochus gave the Jews two options: conversion or death. Eventually, the Temple was renamed for the Greek god Zeus.
In response, a resistance movement was led by Judas Maccabeus. Judas and his fighters miraculously defeated the Syrian forces. After winning the war, they rededicated the Jerusalem Temple to God. The Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah) commemorates the purification and rededication of the Temple.
In verse 24, the Jews ask Jesus “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
The Messiah the Jews expected was a political figure who would lead them to military victory and restore Israel’s strength, much like Judas Maccabeus. They were asking Jesus if He was the Messiah they had envisioned.
How did Jesus answer? Verse 25.
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me.”
We’ve already seen in previous passages that Jesus repeatedly declared Himself to be the promised Messiah sent by God.
In John 8:24 Jesus said “if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
Jesus said that His works in the name of God testified about Him.
Isaiah 35:4–6 says about the works the Messiah would perform:
"Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert."
Jesus healed a man who had been lame for 38 years and gave sight to a man born blind. Many believed in Jesus through His miracles and teachings. But the Jewish leaders still refused to believe — not because of a lack of evidence, but because they had already hardened their hearts.
Why did they not believe? Verses 26 and 27.
but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
In earlier John 10, Jesus had already said:
10:3 “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Jesus' sheep listen to His voice and follow Him. However, the Jewish leaders closed their ears to Jesus’ words because of their pride and jealousy.
What does Jesus promise his sheep? Verse 28.
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Jesus gives eternal life to those who listen to Him and follow Him. Those who have received eternal life will never perish, and no one can take them from Jesus’ hand.
Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Jesus will never allow the evil forces that seek to harm us to snatch us away. He is the good shepherd who protects His sheep even to the point of laying down His life. This gives believers tremendous security.
10:29 “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
The Creator God, who made the heavens and the earth, has entrusted believers to Jesus. No one can take them away from God’s hand. When we realize that both Jesus’ hand and the Father’s hand are holding us, what in this world could possibly make us afraid?
Look at verse 30.
“I and the Father are one.”
This does not merely mean that Jesus and the Father share the same mission or vision. It means they share the same divine nature and essence — a declaration of Jesus' divinity.
How did Jewish opponents respond to his claim?
Verse 31-33
Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
They picked up stones to stone Jesus because they thought Jesus’ claim was blasphemy. They saw Jesus as a mere man who claimed to be God. According to Leviticus 24, the punishment for blasphemy was stoning. However, they failed to recognize that Jesus was, in fact, equal to God.
Jesus said to them referencing the Psalm 82.
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
Here, the term “gods” (lowercase g) refers to judges or rulers. In the Old Testament, judges and rulers appointed by God were expected to make just decisions based on God's word and mind. Jesus’ point is not that humans are divine, but that those who are commissioned by God are poetically referred to as “gods” in Scripture.
Jesus had already proven His identity through powerful supernatural miracles. His works should have been undeniable evidence that He was sent by God.
Look at verse 37.
37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
In John 3, Nicodemus came to Jesus and said:
John 3:2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."
Nicodemus recognized that the works Jesus was doing were beyond human capability. He understood that such miracles could only happen if God were with Him.
Likewise, the Jews in today’s passage must have realized that Jesus’ works were beyond human capability. They should have known that these signs were possible only through God’s power. Yet, they continued to cling to their unbelief. Again they tried to seize Jesus, but he escaped their grasp.
Look at verse 40.
Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John the Baptist had been baptizing in the early days. People there said “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” and many believed in Jesus.
In today’s passage of 21 verses, only the last three verses mention those who believed in Jesus. Sadly, even today, it seems that there are more people who do not believe in Jesus than those who do.
As mentioned earlier, the purpose of the John’s Gospel is to lead people to believe in Jesus.
What does it mean to believe in Jesus?
Philippians 2:6,7 states:
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
Jesus, though He is God, came to this earth in the flesh. On this earth, He became a friend to the poor and the sick, and in a world where loving myself is natural, He laid down His life on the cross for our sins.
To believe in Jesus means to believe that He conquered the powers of sin and death through his death on the cross for my sins and resurrection from the dead. This act of sacrifice and resurrection is the foundation of our faith, as it restores our relationship with God and grants us eternal life.
As mentioned earlier, the Festival of Dedication was to commemorate the recovery and rededication of the Temple.
After Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in believers. Just as God had dwelt in the Temple and protected the Israelites in the Old Testament, now the Holy Spirit, through the salvation provided by Jesus, dwells in each of us and protects us. The church and each believer are now the temple of God, where the Holy Spirit dwells.
Now we should rededicate our bodies, the temple of God, to Him. As Jesus’ sheep, we must listen to the voice of our good shepherd and follow His words every day. Obedience to Jesus’ words requires surrender.
While reflecting on today’s passage, I revisited John 20:30 and discovered an important detail.
In the NIV Bible footnote for the phrase ‘you may believe’, it says: Or may continue to believe.
But these are written that you may (continue to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Believing in Jesus as my Savior is important, but continuing to live in faith is equally important. There are times when our faith in Jesus may waver and moments when we face doubt. In those moments, we should honestly pray to Jesus:
"Jesus, I want to believe in You as my Savior, but I’m struggling with doubt."
When we pray sincerely, God will give us assurance.
I was born and raised in a Christian family, so attending church and learning the Bible came naturally to me from an early age. However, I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Believing in Jesus meant trusting that He would answer my prayers—but only when I needed something.
Then, during my graduate years, I began one-on-one Bible study and wrote reflections afterward. Through this process, I came to the realization that I was a sinner. Although I had heard similar messages many times before, that particular day, God’s Word pierced my heart, and I confessed before God the hidden sins of lust, jealousy, and hatred that I had committed in my thoughts. Through John 3, I realized that no matter how hard I worked in this life, I could not enter God’s kingdom unless I was born again by the Holy Spirit.
Afterward, I started to live as a shepherd, spending my lunch breaks talking with college students, sharing the gospel, and leading Bible studies. I began to experience a life that I had never lived before. I am grateful for God’s grace that saved a selfish sinner who once chased after worldly recognition and success—and instead led me to live as a gospel worker. Before truly believing in Jesus, my focus was entirely on worldly success—getting good grades and earning people’s approval were my highest priorities. But when I received the eternal life and security that Jesus gives, my hope shifted from this world to the eternal kingdom of God. I pray that I may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and become more like Jesus.
In conclusion, Jesus promised to give eternal life to those who hear and follow His words. He also declared that no one can snatch them from His hand. May we humbly confess our sin and weakness before Jesus and receive his merciful forgiveness and eternal life. I pray that our faith in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah continues to grow in our lives, and that we may live a holy life, awaiting the return of Jesus, our good shepherd. Amen.