John 22 And The Father Are One
I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE
#22
John 10:19-31
19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. 20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? 21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? 22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him” (John 10:19-31).
More Division
People just don't know what to make of Jesus. He doesn't fit anyone's paradigm. He is frustratingly unpredictable and never conforms to expectations. If He would just heal someone on a Tuesday, it'd make Him a lot easier to figure out. That way, everyone could be happy, and perhaps greater numbers, with less controversy and hysteria, could see Him as the Messiah.
The problem is people want Him to be their vision of the Messiah. They want to tame Him or control Him. They want a Messiah to satisfy their agendas. They want a kingdom, freedom, victory over enemies, and maybe a little wealth. They want a seat at the world table to keep their customs: Sabbaths, circumcision, food regulations, Torah, privilege for the sons of Abraham, and the Supremacy of Yahweh.
But Jesus is way too subversive. Every time He does something amazing, a seemingly unnecessary controversy comes with it. He meets with Jewish leaders secretly at night but meets with a Samaritan woman openly in broad daylight (John 3, 4). He goes to Jerusalem to celebrate feasts, but He flips tables while He's there (John 2:13ff). He'll teach truth, but He'll do so in riddles or parables to puzzle His listeners and wage a war within their own hearts. He heals a man who can't walk but tells him to pick up his bed and carry it on the Sabbath (John 5:9-10). He'll give sight to the blind, but He'll make mud to do it, again, on the Sabbath (John 9:13-15).
Every time Jesus does anything, arguments arise (John 6:40-44; 9:15-16; 10:19-21). "This is the Prophet!" "This is the Christ!" "The Christ cannot come from Galilee." "This man is not from God!" "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" "He has a demon and is insane!" "A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind!"
And on and on the shouts and arguments go. What position are they taking? What position are you taking? We think there is a reason these arguments keep popping up. You, as the reader, are supposed to begin taking a side. Whose side are you on?
To get their answers, they finally just ask Him. They choose a fitting feast day, and they want an answer. "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly?" (John 10:22-24).
God, David, and Ezekiel 34
To answer this question, Jesus appeals to His works (John 10:25). They have already made it plain who He is. He's given sight to the blind and food to the hungry. He's healed the sick and lame and fended off the wolves. He's done the work of a leader. He's done the work of a Good Shepherd.
Their unbelief is evidence they are not His sheep (John 10:26). His sheep have been paying attention, they hear, and they follow, and Jesus knows every one of them (John 10:27; 10:4-5). And He, as the source of life (John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6), gives them eternal life. He protects His sheep now and forever. Jesus is the eternal Shepherd of eternal life, the truly Good Shepherd.
Israel has seen its fair share of bad shepherds. The Pharisees Jesus has been talking to are among them. Ezekiel 34 dives deep into discussing the wicked shepherds of Israel, "Son of man, Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel ... Behold, I am against the shepherds" (Ezekiel 34:2, 10). These shepherds feed themselves, and Jesus feeds the 5,000.
"Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost" (Ezekiel 34:4). The sheep were scattered and dominated by wild beasts (the Babylonians) because they were abused, neglected, and led astray by worthless shepherds. As a result, God promises to take His sheep back from the worthless, lazy, self-indulgent shepherds (Ezekiel 34:10).
God Will Be Their Shepherd!
I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out ... I will care for My sheep ... I will bring them out from the peoples ... I will feed them ... I will feed my flock and lead them to rest ... I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick ... (Ezekiel 34:11-16).
These promises of the love and devotion of God to His lost, scattered, injured, and hungry sheep don't end here. He continues,
“I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken” (Ezekiel 34:23-25).
So God will be their shepherd, but He'll also be their God and raise another to be their shepherd.
Two Shepherds or One?
God both sees Himself and some future servant called "David" as those who will shepherd His people. This is clearly not King David, who was long dead by the time Ezekiel was written, but some future David. A future shepherd who will initiate a "covenant of peace" between God and His people (Ezekiel 34:25).
We can't help but think this is the prophecy Jesus sees Himself fulfilling. Notice, as the shepherd, Jesus says, "No one will snatch them out of My hand ... and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:28-29). This promise of divine protection is offered by the twin shepherds, the Father, and the future David. Their hands are equally strong. Their hands can be equally protected against any enemy. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).
Ezekiel 34 ends with the words, "As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God" (Ezekiel 34:31). God is the Good Shepherd. Jesus gives those standing near Him the same message. "I am the Good Shepherd ... I and the Father are one." Jesus is their shepherd because He is their God.
This is a shocking statement. So shocking that for those who don't believe it merits a death sentence for blasphemy, "the Jews picked up stones again to stone Him" (John 10:31). Notice the word "again." That's a call back to John 8:59, just moments before Jesus gave sight to the blind man. Jesus had just said, "Before Abraham was, I AM," and stones were picked up.
This alarming truth of the identity of Jesus is His most controversial claim. Nothing about Jesus will cause more division than this. It is also the grounds for all He says and does in the Gospel of John. It is His source of authority. So divisive and polarizing is it that the reader is left with only two options: grab a stone and beat Jesus down to the earth, or fall on the earth yourself in worship.