“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.’ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.” John 10:22-31 (Read John 10:22-39)
Is Jesus the long-promised Messiah and Savior? That’s what the Jews demanded of Jesus to tell them, but it did no good because the people did not believe Jesus’ claims to be the Messiah, nor did they believe in Him because of the many mighty miracles he performed — works which no one could do unless God were with him and working through him. The Jews recognized what Jesus was claiming but did not believe. Instead, they sought to kill Him.
The situation is no different today. The Bible records Jesus’ words and claims for all to read and hear. It contains record after record of His miracles — even the account of His resurrection from the dead, which was witnessed by more than 500 people at once (1 Cor. 15:3-8). Jesus clearly claimed to be the very Son of God, who came into this world as a man to redeem us and give all who trust in Him pardon and everlasting life. Jesus’ miracles — healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf, making the lame whole, casting out demons, feeding thousands, calming the sea, turning water into wine, and even raising the dead on multiple occasions — clearly testify to the truth of His claims to be the only-begotten Son of God and the Messiah and Savior of the world. But so many do not believe and place their faith in Him for life and salvation!
Why? Jesus answered that question when He said, “You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” While this is hard for us to grasp, it is only those chosen by God to follow Jesus as their Good Shepherd and trust in Him who hear and believe Jesus’ words.
Jesus explained this on another occasion in John 6:37 and 44: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. … No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” What does this mean? In the words of John 1:10-13: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Jesus tells us that we cannot, by our own reason or choosing, come to Jesus and trust in Him as God’s Son and our Savior. We would all reject Him and fail to believe. Apart from God’s gracious choosing and drawing, no one can come to know Jesus for who He is or trust in Him and His cross for forgiveness and life. The Bible and Jesus’ words and teachings would remain a closed book to us. We would be unable to understand what they are really saying and rightly apply them to our lives.
But God, in His grace and mercy, has chosen those who believe and called them to come to Jesus and trust in Him for forgiveness and eternal life. By God’s gracious choosing and drawing, those who believe have come to Jesus and recognize Him for who He is, trusting in Him and His cross for eternal life.
And, as Jesus said of those who come to Him and believe, “They shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.’
Not only is it by the grace and mercy of God that believers hear God’s Word and come to trust in Jesus; it is by the grace and mercy of God that He, through His Word, keeps and preserves them in that faith unto everlasting life.
The Bible tells us in Philippians 1:6: “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
O gracious heavenly Father, through Your Word, draw me to Jesus and grant me faith to trust in Him for the forgiveness of all my sins and for life eternal. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.]