July 29
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THE FATHER AND THE SON ARE ONE
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” – John 10:22-30
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In this account, the Jews kept asking Jesus if He was the Christ. They said that they can no longer wait for His answer. It is interesting that in previous accounts, Jesus has already told them many times about His deity, but they wanted to hear Jesus outrightly declare that He is the Christ. The signs and wonders that Jesus showed them wasn’t sufficient enough for them to believe. Jesus explains to them on verse 26 the reason why despite all the things they have seen and heard Him say, they still continue to reject what He was telling them. It is because they do not belong to His flock. They cannot hear His voice simply because they were not chosen to be part of His kingdom. They do not belong to Him, so they don’t know Him nor recognize where He is from or hear His voice.
In this part of John’s gospel, Jesus repeats His claim that He and the Father are one. What Isn’t Jesus so direct with His answers to their queries?
2 Corinthians 4:4 explains the reason why they couldn’t hear or understand Jesus. it says in this verse that Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. Jesus has repeatedly revealed Himself to them, but they still couldn’t comprehend spiritual things that Jesus was revealing. They are so blinded by their unbelief because they have allowed Satan to rule their minds and hearts. This is what happens when people try to figure things what has already been revealed right before their very eyes. They miss it.
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REFLECTION
• How do we give Satan ammunition to blind us when we disbelieve Jesus?
• What happens when you constantly live in unbelief?