#DailyDevotion Jesus Is The Messiah, Hear His Words, See His Deeds

Joh 10:22-27  At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,  (23)  and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.  (24)  So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  (25)  Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me,  (26)  but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.  (27)  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

It was Hanukkah when Jesus was at the temple. Hanukkah is the Jewish feast in which they celebrate the oil not going out in the temple for eight days and the celebration of rededicating the temple after it was desecrated. It is a festival of light. Who shows up during the festival of light but the Light of the World. It was during this time Jesus was confronted by a committee of Jews, (in John, the Jews are almost always the Jewish leadership. They want to know if Jesus is the Christ. Jesus replies he had told them already. When did Jesus tell them? Well, here are a few examples

•  Joh 2:16  And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”…19  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
• Joh 5:19  So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise…5:21  For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will…25  “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live…30  “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me…39  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,…46  For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.
• Joh 6:35  Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst…
• Joh 7:37-38  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  (38)  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
• Joh 8:58  Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
• Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The works of Jesus also testified to who he is. He turned water in to wine. He fed the thousands. He had zeal for his Father’s house. He healed all sorts of the sick. He raised the dead. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the death and opened the mouths of the mute. Eventually, he would be crucified, dead, buried and risen from the dead. But the Jews were deaf to Jesus’ word and blind. They did not belong to Jesus. These were not appointed to live but to kill Jesus so that we who are Jesus’ sheep, we who hear his word and believe, we who believe because of the signs, would receive eternal life from the wounds of Jesus. We should not fear being rejected by people to whom we bear witness to Jesus. If they belong to Jesus they will believe. If they do not belong to Jesus they will not. Perhaps they might even still belong to Jesus but it is not their time to believe yet. Even many of the priest later believed the apostles’ word after Pentecost. As you rejoice that you do believe and are one of Jesus’ lambs appointed to eternal life.

Heavenly Father, you sent your son into the world that through his word and deeds we might come to faith in him and have eternal life. Ever give us the word of Christ that we may be strengthened in our faith and preserved unto life everlasting. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.