John 10:22-42 | What's the connection?
There is a certain ironic connection going on in the history of this event. If we remember, this is going on during the Feast of Dedication. Part of what this commemorates is a deliverance from Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Now I want to take a moment to take a sympathetic stances for the Pharisees. They most certainly were wrong, but let us think how they thought for a moment.
The coming of the Messiah meant a new rule and reign for the vast majority of scholars at the time. They were not looking for the Suffering Servant; they were looking for the Conquering King. The claims that have been floating around of Jesus being the Messiah meant for most that He would over throw the Roman empire and establish His own rule and reign. They are looking at their next ruler. And form the contentions they have already had, this ruler is disregarding the rules they have conjured up on the basis of Scripture. Though they misused it, they were convinced they had the truth. And now, they interpret Jesus as making a very similar claim to Antiochus Epiphanes, a claim to be God. So let me break it down here for a moment.
A man comes into town, questioning the practices that the Jewish elite are teaching, leads His own disciples in a different view, is being set up as the next ruler and is making claims similar to the historical figure that was a dread upon Israel's history. They may have been thinking that this Jesus was being set up as the next Antiochus Epiphanes!
It should be made clear that the text does not tell us all of this explicitly, but I do think it is interesting to entertain what the mindset may have been for the opponents of Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus does walk around their accusations.
The direction that Jesus' statement goes lands right along with the purpose of John's narrative: you must believe. This connects to the larger whole of John's writings. You cannot just think well of Him. You must belong to Him. You cannot simply believe that He did cool things. You must believe in His works so that you may know and believe the Father and Him are one.
What connections are you seeing?
The coming of the Messiah meant a new rule and reign for the vast majority of scholars at the time. They were not looking for the Suffering Servant; they were looking for the Conquering King. The claims that have been floating around of Jesus being the Messiah meant for most that He would over throw the Roman empire and establish His own rule and reign. They are looking at their next ruler. And form the contentions they have already had, this ruler is disregarding the rules they have conjured up on the basis of Scripture. Though they misused it, they were convinced they had the truth. And now, they interpret Jesus as making a very similar claim to Antiochus Epiphanes, a claim to be God. So let me break it down here for a moment.
A man comes into town, questioning the practices that the Jewish elite are teaching, leads His own disciples in a different view, is being set up as the next ruler and is making claims similar to the historical figure that was a dread upon Israel's history. They may have been thinking that this Jesus was being set up as the next Antiochus Epiphanes!
It should be made clear that the text does not tell us all of this explicitly, but I do think it is interesting to entertain what the mindset may have been for the opponents of Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus does walk around their accusations.
The direction that Jesus' statement goes lands right along with the purpose of John's narrative: you must believe. This connects to the larger whole of John's writings. You cannot just think well of Him. You must belong to Him. You cannot simply believe that He did cool things. You must believe in His works so that you may know and believe the Father and Him are one.
What connections are you seeing?
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2026
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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
February
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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