February 25
JOHN 10
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 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 am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there. – John 10:31-42
JOHN 10 JESUS’ RESPONSE TO BLASPHEMY ACCUSATION
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
To falsely accuse Jesus of blasphemy indicates hard heartedness
Their unbelief manifests the Jews’ self centeredness
To accept Jesus’ claim that he is the Christ
Would make them give up their little gods
They cannot bow down to the One true God
For it would mean that they’ll have to give up their pride.
Jesus’ response to the blasphemy accusation of the Jewish leaders were straightforward. He challenged them to look back at what the Scripture said about small letter gods, which referred to the judges which God gave to his people because they didn’t want a divine God but an earthly and limited god. So, God gave the people’s request to have a judge and an earthly king later on to show how foolish it was of the Israelites to want to follow the other unbelieving nations who had their own king. God wanted to show them what happens if they reject the One true King. They will be blind to the truth.
REFLECTION
• Share how unbelief blocks the progress of someone who claims they have faith.
