John 10:26-30 - Lesson #106

In many ways, everything Jesus did and said pointed to His identity. But at times His words were not direct because His ministry was on a divine schedule; "My hour has not yet come" (John 2:4). The Jews heard plenty from Jesus and ought to have understood His claim if they had been seeking the truth. However, they asked, "If You are the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). Jesus gave them what they asked...and more!

John 10:26-30
"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."

Jesus continued with the same language He had been using to explain Himself as the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep (v. 11). Sheep are the ones who follow and believe, those who are seeking the truth revealed in Jesus Christ. The Jews heard the words of Jesus but did not really hear. They saw His deeds but did not really see. They did not believe and were not given eternal life.

This is one of the clearest statements about the role of Jesus in the giving and sustaining of salvation. He is the giver of eternal life. This is not a life which can be earned but a life given to those who believe; "whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:26). Though we will physically die, there remains an eternal life in which we do not perish, a life which is truly more abundant (v. 10).

Not only is Jesus the giver of eternal life, He is also the sustainer. We are not given eternal life and then left to find our own way of maintaining what we have been given. The picture in this passage is one of a loving shepherd who protects and even gives His life for the sheep. The message is then made more clear as the sheep are given eternal life and placed in the secure hand of the shepherd - a hand united with the Father.

The message of unity is not new, nor is it unique to the gospel of John: "no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son" (Matthew 11:27). The protection offered by Jesus may have been questioned, but there could be no doubt about the protecting nature of the Father; "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). Jesus made His position plain by stating He possessed the same protecting nature because He was one with the Father.

Jesus came from God and yet was one with God. The Jews would correctly interpret this as Jesus claiming to be God. He came to give eternal life to those who believe and to protect that life for all eternity. His message is clear, but it must be received and believed. And once we believe, we must then walk in the confidence that we are secure in His loving Hand.