DBG - November 10 - John 10-11

In this chapter Christ asserts His deity.

vs. 1-21 – The Parable of the Sheepfold is closely linked with the events of the previous chapter, where the healed man was cast out by the Pharisees.  Christ illustrates His care for His followers by comparing it to a shepherd and his sheep.  The custom of the day was for many shepherds to combine their flocks at night into one enclosure.  There was a guard left to watch over them, who often would sleep in the entrance to the pen.  The guard and the sheep would recognize the shepherd when he arrived for his sheep.  I think the best interpretation of the sheepfold is that it represents Judaism or the nation of Israel.  Not all the people in Israel knew Christ, but the ones who did were called and received by Him.  Not only is Christ the Good Shepherd, but He is also the door.  He is the one way into Heaven.  There are also enemies.  Satan is a thief who wants to steal and destroy God’s children.  False teachers are the hirelings who did not care for the sheep and only did the work to get paid.  Christ closes this discussion by again telling the people that He will die and rise again.

vs. 22-33 – The Feast of the Dedication is the celebration called Hanukkah today.  It celebrates the return of Jewish independence from the Seleucid Empire and the rededication of the Temple in 164 B.C. by Judas Maccabeus.  This would be in December, about four months before Christ’s crucifixion.  Christ is in the Temple courtyard when He is challenged by the Jews to reveal Himself as Messiah.  If they were looking for signs, they surely had overlooked the numerous miracles He had performed, and the many times He plainly stated that He was the Messiah.  This is because they wanted the Messiah to establish His earthly kingdom and drive out the Romans.  They did not want the Suffering Savior who would redeem us from our sins.  Christ tells them that they should be obeying His voice instead of Him obeying theirs.  He again emphasizes that His relationship with His followers is like that of a shepherd and his sheep.  These are safe and secure in the hands of Christ and the Father.  The final statement angers the Jews, as Christ goes beyond claiming to be the Messiah and claims deity.  The Jews refuse to acknowledge this and prepare to stone Christ for blasphemy.

vs. 34-39 – Christ responds to the Jews’ anger against His claim to deity by referencing Psalm 82:6.  This gets technical.  That verse describes judges and magistrates as “gods” (Hebrew elohim), and it was customary to refer to them as “sons of God.”  The thought behind this is that they represented God in their functions.  Christ reasons that if such men can be called “gods,” then it should not be a stretch to claim deity if it were true.  In fact, His claim was backed up by evidence in the miracles He did. 

vs. 40-42 – Christ goes northeast of Jerusalem and crosses the Jordan River where John the Baptist had previously preached.  Many people come to Him there and believe on Him.  Many were convinced to do so because of the many miracles He did.

In this chapter Lazarus is raised from the dead.

vs. 1-16 – Lazarus (“whom God helps”) was a friend of Christ who lived in Bethany (“house of dates”) near Jerusalem with two sisters, Mary (“a tear”) and Martha (“a lady”).  Mary is identified as the woman who “anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.”  Some connect her to the sinful woman who anointed Christ’s feet in Matthew 26:6-7 and Mark 14:3, but I do not think this is the right connection.  I think John is foreshadowing an event in the next chapter (see John 12:3).  Word is sent to Christ that Lazarus is deathly ill.  Christ delays going for two days.  The disciples fear returning to Judea after the trouble covered in the previous chapter.  Christ tries to prepare them for what is ahead and warns them that Lazarus has died.  Thomas’s words can be interpreted in many ways.  At the extremes, they could be a bold statement of faith or a resignation to suffer.  When compared to the rest of Thomas’s sayings, there appears to be a mixture of belief and unbelief in his words here. He does not shy away from the danger but seems resigned to die “with him”. Whether the “him” is Christ or Lazarus makes no real difference, as in either case he is dead.

vs. 17-27 – When Christ arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days.  The family and community are still very much in mourning.  Martha goes to meet Christ, who at first blames Christ for her brother’s death before being encouraged in her faith. 

vs. 28-37 – Mary meets Christ and Martha, and they go to the tomb.  Christ is moved to tears by the emotions of those around Him (Hebrews 4:15).  Many blame Him for not coming sooner, but they are about to see that He was there on time for the greatest miracle He would perform.

vs. 38-44 – The stone is removed from the entrance of the tomb, and Christ calls Lazarus to come out.  I heard a preacher say once that if He had not specified Lazarus, then all the dead would have been raised.  Lazarus had been wrapped according to the funeral customs of the Jews and came stumbling out of the tomb. 

vs. 45-57 – The reaction to Lazarus's raising from the dead is seismic in scale.  The Jewish rulers fear losing their place and prominence because of Christ.  Caiphas makes an unwitting prophecy, saying that Christ should be sacrificed so that the nation could go on.  In his mind, it is a political sacrifice to keep his power.  In a broader sense that he does not realize, he is correct in that Christ would die for the nation to be redeemed from their sins.  The final Passover is approaching, and great anticipation surrounds it.  Christ goes to the town of Ephraim about 20 miles north of Jerusalem.  The plot to have Him killed grows more urgent.

Of the many miracles Christ performed, there is none greater than the raising of Lazarus.  No other miracle produced such a response from His enemies.  No other miracle so boldly declared His deity or purpose.  But this is just a taste of what will be accomplished through His death and resurrection.  Lazarus rose from the dead only to die again.  But through Christ’s victory, we have the assurance that one day death will not reclaim us.  We will rise to eternal life.

“All the Way My Savior Leads Me” by Fanny Crosby (1875)

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.