John 10:22-30 (NRSV)
Read John 10:22-30 on biblegateway.com
Verse 22At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, Verse 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. Verse 24So 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." Verse 25Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; Verse 26but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. Verse 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. Verse 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. Verse 29What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. Verse 30The Father and I are one."
Devotion
It’s winter in Jerusalem, and Jesus is confronted in the temple: “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” But Jesus has already answered, in words but also in works. He is the word made flesh, the presence of God among God’s people. The problem is not that Jesus is unclear; it’s that they do not believe. But even their unbelief cannot deter him from what he is here to do: to give us eternal life by giving up his own.
Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” The comfort here is not in our ability to listen but in the Shepherd calling us. Sheep are not strong or self-sufficient; they wander, they get lost. But the Good Shepherd holds them fast. Our hope is not in our faithfulness but in his. “No one will snatch them out of my hand,” Jesus promises. That promise is enough.
Prayer
Good Shepherd, keep us in your care, now and always. Amen.
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