John 10:22-42 has Jesus back in Jerusalem during the celebration of Hanukkah. The Jews were asking “How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you’re the Messiah, tell us straight out”. Jesus had told them before, and they obviously wanted to hear more than His answer. Many people today are also asking the same question. Is Jesus the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord? And while Scripture is clear, the testimony of many who have a personal relationship is abundant, people keep asking the same question.
It isn’t that Jesus hasn’t made the answer clear. It is that people have a crisis of believing and struggle to accept Him for who He is. Jesus told the Jews then “I told you, but you don’t believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don’t believe because you’re not my sheep”. Jesus is about as clear as He can be that He was sent by God and has shown them more than enough proof. The problem is not in the message, but in the receiving.
Jesus then goes on to give us an amazing promise. “My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand”. Jesus gives us the promise here of eternal security and salvation. When we receive Him as Savior and Lord, we are His forever. We can’t lose our salvation. We can’t slip away from His protection. We are His and saved forever. We are protected and secure forever. His promise is amazing and something to cling to!
Can Jesus really do what He promises? “The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him”. It isn’t just about His Word, but the very power of God. God is able, more than able, to take us and keep us safe. Even when the enemy puts us in his sight to take us out, God will protect us. The Jewish leaders want to kill Jesus and picked up rocks to throw at Him. But Jesus confronts them with the truth of Scripture, and calls them out. They come after Him to arrest Him but he slipped through their fingers and went back across the Jordan. “Many believed in him then and there”. Even while running, people are drawn to His truth!
Arlin Sorensen's Thoughts on Scripture 