John 10:22-30 CSB
Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. [23] Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's Colonnade. [24] The Jews surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." [25] "I did tell you and you don't believe," Jesus answered them. "The works that I do in my Father's name testify about me. [26] But you don't believe because you are not of my sheep. [27] My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. [30] I and the Father are one."
The Father and I are One
Jesus is now at a different religious celebration. Time has passed as the sun has risen and set over the days. It is the eight-day Feast of Dedication, held to celebrate the rededication of the Jewish temple. The original dedication occurred in December 164 B.C. after its desecration by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes. We are now roughly three and a half months before Jesus will be crucified.
There is great value in seeing what the early Christians thought and wrote concerning the faith. There were lions of the faith who, like the Apostles, gave their bodies to further the gospel of Christ. Because there were also false prophets bringing heresies into the church, it became necessary to publish common beliefs—the ones that guide most churches today. One of these is the Nicene Creed, which reads in part:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man.
This is nothing new. Many repeat this creed every Sunday in churches around the world. The Apostle John says this in his books repeatedly, using the words of our Lord to support the truth that Jesus is of one essence with the Father. He is the only Son of God.
What Jesus says to the crowd in our reading today are the same words He said after placing mud on the blind beggar’s eyes, bringing both physical and spiritual healing to the blind man. Now the crowd surrounds Jesus and demands to know if He is the Christ, and Jesus tells them yes in the way they should have already recognized. He was fulfilling Old Testament prophecy right in front of them, and His Father in Heaven was showing miraculous signs through Him so there should be no doubt.
There is a gift for believers in these passages. Those who have been called by God and truly believe are protected by Jesus. We might undergo trials and temptations, but our faith is protected by our Lord. No one will be able to snatch us from His hands. We must always continue in the faith with this firm conviction, bowing our heads in gratitude. Jesus points to the Father as the grand protector, saying that no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. We have a great High Priest in Jesus who intercedes for us.
Do we go to Jesus often in prayer, laying our concerns and failures at His feet?
Reflection Questions
- Jesus says no one can “snatch” you from His hand or the Father’s hand. When you feel overwhelmed by life, do you truly believe in this double-handed security?
- The crowd asked Jesus to speak “plainly.” Looking back at your own life, were there times Jesus was speaking to you through “works” and “signs” while you were waiting for a different kind of answer?
- The Nicene Creed emphasizes that Jesus is “very God of very God.” How does the reality of Jesus being fully God change the way you approach Him in prayer?
Prayer
Father,
We thank You for the solid ground of the truth. Thank You that our faith is not based on clever myths, but on the reality of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is one with You. We thank You for the protection of Your hand—that nothing in this world or the next can snatch us away from Your love. Help us to live in the gratitude of that security today, laying our failures at Your feet and trusting in Your intercession.
Amen.
