John 10:1-10 | What's the connection?
There are a lot of connections to historical references in this passage. However, the immediate context provides an interesting angle for how this conversation is taking place.
Just prior to this discourse in John 10, Jesus heals a blind man. Due to the testimony the blind man gives to the Pharisees, they kick him out of the synagogue community. What Jesus is speaking challenges their authority on such a decision. They think they have the authority to determine who is and who isn't the people of God. The covenant people are not decided by the religious elite. Jesus is coming to the defense of the healed man and convicting the Pharisees.
The undertone of the text is that the healed man was right to come by Jesus, and the Pharisees are counterfeits. They are the thieves and robbers. We tend to take the thief and mean Satan by it. The context provides that thief in discussion is any who would take from the flock of Jesus. This is exactly what the Pharisees are trying to do. They don't want Jesus to grow in His influence and they are willing to persecute any and all who would confess Jesus as Lord in any degree. They want to take these individuals from Jesus. They want them dead. And they want Jesus' influence destroyed. Jesus takes a different approach.
To these individuals who come by Him, He wants to provide them with life. He doesn't just give them a bit of life, but rather He gives the fullness of life. If I may be candid, that is an attractive offer.
What connections do you see?
Just prior to this discourse in John 10, Jesus heals a blind man. Due to the testimony the blind man gives to the Pharisees, they kick him out of the synagogue community. What Jesus is speaking challenges their authority on such a decision. They think they have the authority to determine who is and who isn't the people of God. The covenant people are not decided by the religious elite. Jesus is coming to the defense of the healed man and convicting the Pharisees.
The undertone of the text is that the healed man was right to come by Jesus, and the Pharisees are counterfeits. They are the thieves and robbers. We tend to take the thief and mean Satan by it. The context provides that thief in discussion is any who would take from the flock of Jesus. This is exactly what the Pharisees are trying to do. They don't want Jesus to grow in His influence and they are willing to persecute any and all who would confess Jesus as Lord in any degree. They want to take these individuals from Jesus. They want them dead. And they want Jesus' influence destroyed. Jesus takes a different approach.
To these individuals who come by Him, He wants to provide them with life. He doesn't just give them a bit of life, but rather He gives the fullness of life. If I may be candid, that is an attractive offer.
What connections do you see?
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John 14:22-31 | What's the lesson for me today?John 14:22-31 | What am I going to do about it?John 14:22-31 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:1-11John 15:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:1-11 | What's the connection?John 15:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:12-27John 15:12-27 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:12-27 | What's the connection?John 15:12-27 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:12-27 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:12-27 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:12-27 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:1-15John 16:1-15 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:1-15 | What's the connection?John 16:1-15 | What’s a lesson for the original audience?John 16:1-15 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:1-15 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:1-15 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:16-33John 16:16-33 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:16-33 | What's the connection?John 16:16-33 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 16:16-33 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:16-33 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:16-33 | Prayer Prompts
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Passage of the Week: John 17John 17 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 17 | What's the connection?John 17 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 17 | What's the lesson for me today?John 17 | What am I going to do about it?John 17 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:1-11John 18:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:1-11 | What's the connection?John 18:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:12-40John 18:12-40 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:12-40 | What's the connection?John 18:12-40 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:12-40 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:12-40 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:12-40 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 19John 19 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 19 | What's the connection?John 19 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 19 | What's the lesson for me today?John 19 | What am I going to do about it?John 19 | Prayer Prompts
March
Passage of the Week: John 20John 20 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 20 | What's the connection?John 20 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 20 | What's the lesson for me today?John 20 | What am I going to do about it?John 20 | Prayer PromptsJohn 21 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 21John 21 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 21 | What's the connection?John 21 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 21 | What's the lesson for me today?John 21 | What am I going to do about it?Passage of the Week: Hebrews 1:1-4Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What is a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 1:5-14Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:5-14 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:1-4Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the connection?
April
Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 2:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:5-9Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the connection?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's a lesson for the original audience?
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