If You Are The Messiah

John 10:19-24 – The Jews who heard these words were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

John 9:16 – Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

John 1:24-25 – Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

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.

Application:

• ·         The Pharisees started from their entrenched position and ruled out the possibility of Jesus being from God. Others started from the fact of the “signs” and ruled out the possibility of His being a sinner.
• ·         “The Messiah” means “the Anointed One”. People were looking for not just an anointed one but the Anointed One, the Messiah.
• ·         The whole Gospel of John is written to show the truth of Jesus’ Messiahship and to present Him as the Son of God, so that the readers may believe in Him.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

From My Father

John 10:11,17-18 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

John 15:10 – If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

Hebrews 5:8-10 – Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Application:

• ·         Christ obediently and voluntarily chose to die; otherwise, no one would have had the power to kill Him.
• ·         Obedience and love go together.
• ·         Though He was God’s Son, He learned experientially what His full obedience to God’s will for humankind entailed for Him, especially in the ordeal of His atoning death, by which “He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him”.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

One Flock

John 10:11-16 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “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. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Acts 10:34-35 – Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.

John 17:20-21,23 – “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me…I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Ephesians 2:14-16 – For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

Ezekiel 37:24 – “‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.

Application:

• ·         “I know…my sheep know” is a deep mutual knowledge, like that of the Father and the Son.
• ·         Shepherds might risk danger for their sheep, but they expected to come through alive. Jesus said that the good shepherd is willing to die for His sheep.
• ·         These “other sheep” already belonged to Christ, though they had not yet been brought to Him. “Not of this sheep pen” were those outside Judaism. All God’s people have the same Shepherd.
• ·         God does not favor individuals because of their station in life, their nationality or their material possessions. He does, however, respect their character and judge their work. This is evident because God “accepts from every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right.
• ·         Jesus had just spoken of the mission and the sanctification of His followers. He was confident that they would spread the gospel, and He prayed for those who would believe as a result.
• ·         The unity of believers should have an effect on outsiders, to convince them of the mission of Christ.
• ·         God’s moral standard expressed in the Old Testament law is not changed by the coming of Christ, what is abolished here is probably the effect of the specific “commands and regulations” in separating Jews from Gentiles, whose non-observance of the Jewish law renders them ritually unclean.
• ·         The coming ruler is likened to a shepherd who cares for His flock.
• ·         There are two indwellings here: that of the Son in believers and that of the Father in the Son.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Lays Down His Life

John 10:11,14 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…“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.

John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Psalm 23:1 – The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Ezekiel 34:11 – “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.

Hebrews 13:20 – Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

John 15:13 – Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

1 Samuel 17:37 – The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Isaiah 53:6-7 – We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Application:

• ·         Shepherds might risk danger for their sheep, but they expected to come through alive.
• ·         Jesus said that the good shepherd is willing to die for His sheep.
• ·         “I know…my sheep know” is a deep mutual knowledge, like that of the Father and the Son.
• ·         “Shepherd” was a widely used metaphor for kings in the ancient Near East, and also in Israel.
• ·         David the king acknowledged that the Lord was His Shepherd-King.
• ·         Having dealt with the faithless shepherds, the Lord committed Himself to shepherd His flock.
• ·         Christ’s love was demonstrated not only in His words but also in His sacrificial death.
• ·         Reliance on the Lord was essential for the true theocratic king.
• ·         “Laid on him the iniquity of us all”, just as the priest laid his hands on the scapegoat and symbolically put Israel’s sins on it.
• ·         John the Baptist called Jesus “the Lamb of God”. Jesus remained silent before the chief priests and Pilate and before Herod.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Thief

John 10:9-10 – I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 1:4 – In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

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.

Application:

• ·         “The gate” is the one way into salvation. Inside there is safety, and one is able to go out and find pasture, i.e., the supply of all needs.
• ·         The thief’s interest is in himself. Christ’s interest is in His sheep, whom He enables to have life to the full.
• ·         Life is Christ’s gift, and He, in fact, is “the life”.
• ·         Although believers are also called “sons” of God, Jesus is God’s Son in a unique sense.
• ·         His Name represents all that He is and stands for.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

All...Before Me

John 10:4-11,14-16,25-26,28-30 – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…“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. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd…Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep…I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Ezekiel 34:2 – “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

Application:

• ·         Palestinian shepherds led their sheep, and the sheep followed because they knew their own shepherd’s voice.
• ·         “The gate” is the one way into salvation. Inside there is safety, and one is able to go out and find pasture, i.e., the supply of all needs.
• ·         “Shepherds of Israel” were those responsible for providing leadership, especially the kings and their officials, but also the prophets and priests.
• ·         The thief’s interest is in himself. Christ’s interest is in His sheep, whom He enables to have life to the full.
• ·         Shepherds might risk danger for their sheep, but they expected to come through alive. Jesus said that the good shepherd is willing to die for His sheep.
• ·         “I know…my sheep know” is a deep mutual knowledge, like that of the Father and the Son.
• ·         All God’s people have the same Shepherd.
• ·         Eternal life is Christ’s gift.
• ·         The sheep’s security is in the power of the shepherd, who will let no one take them from Him.
• ·         The Father’s power is greater than that of any enemy, making the sheep completely secure.
• ·         This great truth, “I and the Father are one”, is what warrants Jesus’ “I am” declarations.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Sheep

John 10:2-3,11,14,16 – The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 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… “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…“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. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Application:

• ·         Shepherds might risk danger for their sheep, but they expected to come through alive. Jesus said that the good shepherd is willing to die for His sheep.
• ·         “I know…my sheep know” is a deep mutual knowledge, like that of the Father and the Son.
• ·         All God’s people have the same Shepherd.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Robber

John 9:40-10:1,10 – Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber… The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Psalm 23:1 – The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Ezekiel 34:2,11 – “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?... “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.

Zechariah 10:2 – The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

Application:

• ·         The thief’s interest is in himself. Christ’s interest is in His sheep, whom He enables to have life to the full.
• ·         God Himself was called the “Shepherd of Israel”, and He had given great responsibility to the leaders of Israel, which they failed to respect.
• ·         Having dealt with the faithless shepherds, the Lord committed Himself to shepherd His flock.
• ·         “Shepherds of Israel” were those responsible for providing leadership, especially the kings and their officials, but also the prophets and priests.
• ·         “Lack of a shepherd” means spiritual leadership is missing.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

For Judgment

John 9:38-39 – Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

John 12:47 – “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

Luke 4:18-19 – “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Application:

• ·         In a sense Jesus did not come for judgment, but His coming divides people, and this always brings a type of judgment.
• ·          “To judge” was not the purpose of Jesus’ coming, but judgment is the other side of salvation.
• ·         The man was giving Jesus the reverence due to God.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

I Believe

John 9:16,32-38 – Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided… Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Mark 8:31 – He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

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.

Application:

• ·         The Pharisees started from their entrenched position and ruled out the possibility of Jesus being from God.
• ·         “Son of Man” was Jesus’ most common title for Himself, used 81 times in the Gospels and never used by anyone but Jesus there. The Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power. That Jesus considered “Son of Man” to be a Messianic title is evident by His use of it here in contrast to Peter’s use of “Messiah”. The Son of Man must suffer, as predicted.
• ·         The man was giving Jesus the reverence due to God.
• ·         People were not to believe “in” John the Baptist but “through” him. Similarly, John’s purpose was to draw them to believe in Christ; he uses the Greek verb for “believe” about 100 times.
• ·         “That you may believe” expresses John’s evangelistic purpose. The whole Gospel of Joh is written to show the truth of Jesus’ Messiahship and to present Him as the Son of God, so that the readers may believe in Him.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

God Does Not Listen To Sinners

John 9:16,29-31 – Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided…We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.

Genesis 18:25 – Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

John 15:7 – If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Application:

• ·         Abraham based his plea on the justice and authority of God, confident that God would do what was right.
• ·         It is impossible to pray correctly apart from knowing and believing the teachings of Christ.
• ·         One group started from the fact of the “signs” and ruled out the possibility of Jesus being a sinner.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Synagogue

John 9:16,19-28 – Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided…“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!

John 16:2 – They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.

Application:

• ·         Religious people have often persecuted others in the strong conviction that they were doing God’s will.
• ·         Others started from the fact of the “signs” and ruled out the possibility of His being a sinner.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Prophet

John 9:16-18,38 – Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents…Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Application:

• ·         “Prophet” was probably the highest designation the man could think of. He progressed in his thinking about Jesus: from a man to a prophet, who might be followed by disciples, to one “from God” to one who was properly to be worshiped.
• ·         The man was giving Jesus the reverence due to God.
• ·         The Pharisees started from their entrenched position and ruled out the possibility of Jesus being from God.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Signs

John 9:6-16 – After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

John 2:11 – What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Application:

• ·         The Pharisees started from their entrenched position and ruled out the possibility of Jesus being from God. Others started from the fact of the “signs” and ruled out the possibility of His being a sinner.
• ·         John always refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs”, a word emphasizing the significance of the action rather than the marvel.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Light Of The World

John 9:2-5 – His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Exodus 20:5-6 – You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

John 1:4 – In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Application:

• ·         Those Israelites who blatantly violate God’s covenant and thus show that they reject the Lord as their King will bring down judgment on themselves and their households—households were usually extended to three or four generations.
• ·         He is the “light of the world”, who holds out wonderful hope for humanity and for the creation.
• ·         It is also true that “God is light”. And as Jesus’ followers reflect the light that comes from Him, they too are “the light of the world”. “Darkness” is both the darkness of this world and that of Satan. “God is light”, but Jesus is also the light from God that lights the way for life—as the pillar of fire lit the way for the Israelites.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Blind From Birth

John 8:59-9:1 – At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

Isaiah 42:6-7 – “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

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.

Application:

• ·         When Jesus declares “I am”, there are only two possible responses: to reach for a rock or to fall at His feet.
• ·         “Free…from prison” meant from the prison of Babylon and also from spiritual and moral bondage.
• ·         His Name represents all that He is and stands for.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

I Am!

John 8:56-58 – Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Exodus 3:14 – God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 6:3 – I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them.

John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Application:

• ·         Jesus probably was not referring to any one occasion but to Abraham’s general joy in the fulfilling of the promises of God in the Messiah, by which all nations on earth would receive blessing.
• ·         Jesus did not say “I was” but “I am”, expressing the eternity of His being and His oneness with the Father.
• ·         “I AM WHO I AM” was the name by which God wished to be known and worshiped in Israel—the name that expressed His character as the dependable and faithful God who desires the full trust of His people.
• ·         The patriarchs were not totally ignorant of the name Yahweh, but that they did not understand its full implications as the name of the One who would redeem His people.
• ·         That fact could be comprehended only by the Israelites who were to experience the exodus, and by their descendants.
• ·         Jesus was God in the fullest sense.
• ·         “God is light”, but Jesus is also the light from God that lights the way for life—as the pillar of fire lit the way for the Israelites.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV