Scripture:
John 10
Vs 1 – (Jesus said) “Truly, truly I say to you …”
Vs 8 – … “they (the religious leaders)did not understand” …
Vs 2 – “So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you …’”
Vs 31 – “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.”
Vs 32 – “Jesus answered them, I have shown you many good works ….”
Vs 33 – “The Jews answered Him, “It is not for a good work we stone you, but … because you make yourself God.”
Vs 34 “Jesus answered them …. – Scripture can not be broken – ….”
Vs 40 – “Jesus went away again … to where John had been baptizing …”
Vs 41 – ” … many came to Him. And they said, “John did no sign, everything that John said about this man was true.”
Vs 42 – “And many believed in Him there.”
Observation :
Jesus is revealing Truth.
The religious leaders didn’t understand.
He tells the Truth, again, even more specifically.
This time they seem to have understood it to the extent that they knew it was strikingly different from what they currently believed.
They were willing to kill the one who delivered this truth.
Ironically, they were willing to kill not only the deliverer of Truth, but the Deliverer of themselves!
It was the religious non-leaders who not only heard Truth, but believed in the One who spoke it.
Application:
Do I want to hear Truth or do I want to hear echoes of what I already think?
Does the Truth draw me in or does affirmation draw me in?
I hope it’s Truth!
Truth is constant. I am not.
If I seek or crave affirmation of what I already think, I will wander down many paths …. And I will find it.
But I may end up “killing” my Deliverer in my life.
If it’s Truth I seek, only one Path reveals it.
Because “Scripture Will Not Be Broken!”
What a powerful statement Jesus makes there.
I may like the sound of what I hear down plenty of paths.
But every path except one leads to a dead end … Brokenness.
Only the path of the Good Shepherd leads me to open pasture … to freedom … to grace … to forgiveness … to belief in the One who holds me in His hand.
John starts his gospel telling us “In the beginning was the Word”.
It is Truth.
It will not be broken.
I do not need to seek more words.
I need to seek the Word more.
Prayer:
God you are Truth.
Help me know you and your Truth more.
When I come up against untruth, show me how to respond with your wisdom.
Help me discern your Truth from my own ideas of truth.
Thank you for your grace and forgiveness when I mistake these.
Amen.
-Dan Shontere