Jesus, the Son of God
Jesus, the Son of God: The claim of Jesus to be the Son of God is a wild claim. If it were not true, Jesus would’ve been a fraud, and Christianity would have fallen apart. But if it is true, then it changes everything. If Jesus really was set apart by his Father and sent from heaven, he could be the rescuer and redeemer the world needs. Recorded on Dec 10, 2023, on John 10:22-42 by Pastor David Parks.
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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
We’re working through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re in John chapter 10, considering a claim of Jesus that is either crazy or a great evil if it isn’t true, but would be amazing and would be the great hope of the world if it is. And that claim is that Jesus is not just a human being but is, in fact, the Son of God, sanctified and sent from heaven. What does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God? If you grew up in church, you might take this aspect of Jesus’ identity for granted and lose sight of how radical this claim truly is. If you didn’t grow up in church, you need to know that this is one of the most significant things Jesus says about himself. If it’s not true, the Christian faith falls apart. But if it is true, then it changes everything. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 10:22.
John 10:22–28 (NIV), “22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Let’s pause here. So, John says our passage takes place during the Festival of Dedication, known today as the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. And Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Jewish people against the Greek empire about 200 years before the time of Jesus here in our passage. Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew and refers to when a rebellion led by Judah Maccabee drove the Greek army out of Jerusalem and allowed them to remove the pagan alter the Greeks had set up in their temple and dedicate (rededicate) their temple for the worship of the one true God. Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days with the lighting of the menorah and other traditions. And I really couldn’t have planned it this way, but just as Jesus was all those years ago, so today, we’re actually in the middle of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. Isn’t that amazing? Happy Hanukkah! Anyways, this is the setting of our story, there in the temple courts of Jerusalem during Hanukkah. And it was then and there when the people confronted Jesus about whether or not he was the Messiah. Back at the end of October, when we were working through John 7, we considered this claim that Jesus was the Messiah or the Chosen One. And back then, and really throughout this whole middle section of John, we see that people are divided over this claim. Some believe in Jesus, that he is the Messiah that God promised to send, while others do not. Some recognize the signs he was doing as proof of this claim, while others reject the signs as some sort of trick or even the works of Satan. Since we already covered this, I won’t spend much time on what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah today. If you missed that sermon, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But for now, with what seems to me to be a tone of exasperation, they ask Jesus to tell them plainly. “Are you or are you not the Messiah?” And Jesus seems to match their energy by responding, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.” Now, last week, we considered the claim of Jesus to be both the gate, or the entry point, into the flock of God’s people and the good shepherd who cares for, leads, and protects his flock. Jesus said then (and again here) that his sheep listen to his voice; he knows them, and they follow him. But here, Jesus makes it clear that the people who are pressing him on whether or not he’s the Messiah are not asking in good faith. They don’t believe him, and they don’t believe the signs he has done. But for those who have come into the flock of God through faith in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, he promises something no other religious or political leader could promise. For his sheep, Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Isn’t that wild?? Jesus promises absolute security. He promises life beyond death. He promises that nothing and no one can snatch you out of his hand. I wish I could make such a promise to the people I love. I wish I could promise this to you. But I cannot; I do not have the power or the authority to do so, and neither do you. Neither does anyone! It doesn’t matter how much power or money or fame you have; no one can promise eternal life. So how can Jesus make such a promise? How is it that he has the power or authority to unconditionally guarantee eternal/abundant life?
John 10:29–33 (NIV), “29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” Let’s pause one more time. The reason that Jesus can make such an impossible claim for the rest of us mere mortals is that Jesus is no mere mortal. He says that his Father, God the Father in heaven, has the authority to do such a thing. But Jesus doesn’t say he’ll pray for his people to have life, and his Father will hopefully listen. He says that he and the Father are one. For the Jews, this was considered blasphemy, and they responded as such. They understood what he was claiming, and they picked up stones to stone him to death. Back in Chapter 5, a similar interaction happened. John writes, “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (Jn 5:18) Both there and here, Jesus reasons with his opponents. Before the mob could kill him, Jesus said, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” And this was a smart move because it forced the mob to consider the miraculous signs that at least some of them had seen but probably all of them had at least heard about. They respond we’re not stoning you for that, but “because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” Now, if Jesus was who he claimed to be, he would not only have the authority to give his people eternal life, he would also have the authority to call down legions of angels from heaven and wipe out every enemy, every doubter, and anyone who hadn’t given him the full glory, honor, and praise that he deserved. He could’ve…but that’s not who Jesus is. That’s not who God is. The Lord is “…the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Ex 34:6-7) So, instead of blasting these opponents, what does Jesus do?
John 10:34-42 (NIV), “34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.” This is God’s word. So Jesus responds to this mob by throwing them a tough theological question. Hey everyone, before you kill me, just one quick question: How do you understand Psalm 82? Isn’t that exactly what you would’ve done? Well, here, Jesus refers to a notoriously difficult passage to interpret that seems to suggest there are other beings besides the one true God who might be called gods. The theories for who is being referred to here are many, including perhaps idols or fallen angels or Israel. But the point is that there’s a verse that refers to some people or things as gods and sons of the Most High God. So, what’s the problem with Jesus claiming to be God’s Son? But he goes further, saying that the Father in heaven set him apart or sanctified him and sent him into the world. This points to the utterly unique identity of Jesus. No one else can claim this for themselves. To be sanctified or made holy means to be set apart for God and for the purposes of God. In the OT, everything related to the ministry of the priests in the Tabernacle and then later in the temple had to be sanctified because all these things were set apart for worship. They weren’t common; they were special and made for a special purpose. Here, Jesus says that he was sanctified, or set apart, for a special purpose. That is, to come into the world and to initiate the rescue mission that God had promised in generations past to finally deal with the problem under all the other problems of the world. That is, the problem of the power of sin and death. But again, Jesus points to the works that he had been doing as a way to authenticate his words, his message which reveals his true identity. As usual, he doesn’t walk anything back; he only doubles down. “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” The mob there in the busy temple courts during Hanukkah is not convinced by this and still wants to kill him, but Jesus slips away. However, there are some who do believe. There are some sheep of the flock of the Good Shepherd who listen to his voice, and are known by him, and follow him there on the other side of the Jordan river. They believed the testimony of John the Baptist. They believed the signs. And chapter 10 ends with the hopeful statement, “And in that place many believed in Jesus.” This reminds us of John 6 where Peter says, “We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:69).
So, what does it mean for us today for Jesus to be the Son of God? How might we apply this to our lives today? Well, as I said, if this is not true, if Jesus was lying, or if John fabricated this whole gospel account of Jesus, or (as some people believe) passages like this were added many years later, then the Christian faith falls apart. Jesus would not have the authority to do what he promised to do. He would not have the authority to claim to be God. He would not have the authority to lay down his like and then take it back up again. He would not have the authority to save anyone from sin and death. He would not have the authority to offer eternal/abundant life. He would be a total fraud. But, if it is true, if Jesus is the Son of God, then it changes everything. If Jesus was set apart by his Father and sent from heaven to seek and to save the lost, then he could bring the salvation he promised. He could be the rescuer and redeemer that the world needed. He would have the authority to command and the authority to enforce his commandments…