John 10:22-30; Speaking Obscurely and Clearly

"At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico 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 Messiah, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to 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 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.’"

Introduction

It has always been difficult for me to preach on Gospel readings between Easter and Pentecost that aren't resurrection appearances. I am mentally in the period "between" Resurrection and Pentecost, and the earthly life of Christ doesn't always seem to "fit" that mind-set. Perhaps recognizing this issue, the Lectionary gave us resurrection appearances for Gospel readings for the first three weeks of Easter. But today and, for the next few weeks, we return to aspects of Jesus' earthly life. The passage we examine today is a sort of "timeless" one in any case, since it relates to Jesus' self-understanding and how people "pick up" on Jesus.

Jesus' self-revelation in the Gospel of John has a cryptic or symbolic dimension to it. Three of his famous "I AM" statements, for example, come prior to this passage and are in 8:58; 10:7 and 10:14. In the first he has been debating with the Jews over whether they are "illegimate" children of God. The claim to have Abraham as father. Jesus says, mysteriously, "Before Abraham was, I am." Then, in ch. 10 he repeatedly calls himself the "gate" and the "good shepherd." John is trying to show through the "I AM" passages that Jesus is laying full claim to some kind of shared divinity with the Father. No wonder it arouses the ire, and confusion, of his hearers.

In order to understand the passage for today we need to realize that Jesus has just healed a man born blind (ch. 9) and that he has spoken to the crowds about his being the good shepherd (ch. 10). Our passage then focuses on three realities: (1) the split in the crowd caused by his words; (2) the contrast between clear and obscure speaking; and (3) the oneness of Jesus' flock and the oneness of Jesus with God. Let's consider each briefly in turn.

I. Jesus' Divisive Words (19-21)

In the words just before our passage, John says, "Again the Jews were divided because of these words" (10:19). One group says he had a demon and was out of his mind; another said that his ability to open the eyes of one born blind was not the work of a demon-possessed man. The Greek word for division is "skismos": Jesus' words produced a "schism" among his hearers. So it was and so it will probably ever be. If Jesus' words aren't producing some kind of "division in the house," perhaps we really aren't hearing what he is saying. The most powerful thing I have picked up anew about Jesus' words in the past four months is his advice in Luke's Sermon on the Plain: "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.." (Lk 6:35). Those last five words have stuck with me every day since I exposited them for Feb. 18. They really are a revolutionary new approach to living. Jesus' presence through his words and reports of his actions should continue to cause a division.

II. Clear and Obscure Speaking (22-27)

The Greek of 10:24 is vivid. Our translation merely says that the Jews "gathered" around him, as if it was like a well-disposed crowd peacefully collecting to hear a favorite musician. But the text says that the "encircled" him. The verb is only used four times in the NT, each with the significance of a grave threat or a protection from threat. In Lk 21:20 we have troops that are encircling Jerusaelm, a sign that the end is near. Heb. 11:30 speaks of the walls of Jericho falling after being encircled by the people for seven days. Again, in Acts 14:20 Paul is "surrounded" by friendly disciples after he has been stoned and left for dead in Lystra. Thus, the word carries with it a connotation of immense pressure and danger. I think of the Psalms, where the Psalmist laments about his being surrounded by others and put in grave danger (cf. e.g., Ps. 118:10-12).

The Jews pressure Jesus to "speak clearly" to them about whether or not he is the Messiah. The theme of open and obscure speaking is a major one in John's Gospel. To his disciples in ch. 16 Jesus says that the hour is coming when he won't have to speak to them in figures but he will speak openly (parresia). The disciples respond: "Now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech" (16:25,29). When Jesus is questioned by the high priest about his teaching, he says: "I have spoken openly to the world..." (18:20). John is trying to show not only that Jesus' words produce a schism among hearers but that those who have ears to hear will hear and discern his voice speaking plainly to them. These words then dovetail neatly with Jesus' words about the disciples: we are the sheep who hear his voice ["My sheep hear my voice. I know them; and they follow me," 10:27]. Among all the voices in the world urging us to do certain things, we, the sheep, hear and respond only to Jesus' voice. Thus, in words from Paul, we might say that the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.

III. One Fold; One Godhead (28-30)

Twice in two verses Jesus says that those sheep who belong to him will not be snatched out of his hand (28, 29). The image is clear--of wolves descending on the defenseless sheep and destroying them. We are, as it were, one with the shepherd and protected by him. And, as if to conclude the thought with an exclamation point, Jesus says, "The Father and I are one." The Greek words are starkly clear: "I and the Father--one we are." The passage then that begins with a skismos ends in unity. Our unity as believers in Christ is reflective of the unity shared by Father and Son. Things threaten that unity in our world today; indeed, our best attempts to maintain it often are thrown directly back in our face. Yet the ultimate promise of unity, hearing, and clarity is there. That is the good news of the Gospel.

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