Evidence? What Evidence?

John 10:24-42

“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.

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.  But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.   My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.  I and my Father are one.” (John 10:24-30)

 The Jewish leaders were demanding that he state it precisely, as in, “I am the Messiah.” Jesus said he had told them, and that they had the evidence of his miracles.  They were not willing to accept the evidence because they were not his sheep.  His people would hear what he said and follow him just as sheep would follow their shepherd, because they recognized him.   They would be depending on the evidence, rather than just his words.   

Those who believed him would receive eternal life which could never be taken away.  As I Peter 1:5 states. They would be “…kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  No earthly power or human effort is capable of breaking God’s hold on his people.  In Romans 8:38-39, Paul says, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   We cannot accidentally fall away.  He went on to say he and God are one, are the same. 

“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (John 10:31-33)

They had demanded that he state whether he was the Messiah, and when he stated that he and God were one, answering their question, they rejected the answer.  They accused him of blasphemy for thinking he was equal with God. 

“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?  If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.  But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” (John 10:34-38)

Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6, “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High,” which is based on Deuteronomy 14:1, “Ye are the children of the LORD your God…”    If the Psalmist could say they were gods because they were the children of God and kept the scriptures, why were they accusing Jesus of blasphemy when he said he was the Son of God?  They could tell whether he was of God or not by looking at what he had done.   While thy might doubt his words, there was no question about what he had done. 

“Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.  And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.  And many believed on him there.” (John 10:39-42)

When people get too committed to a certain viewpoint, Satan takes over their thinking and no amount of evidence or logic can dissuade them.   He literally blinds their minds so they don’t even register the facts and get angry at the opposition.   The Jewish leaders did their best to capture Jesus, but he escaped and went across Jordan to region where John had been baptizing near Bethabara, described in John 1:28.  Many followed him there.  They remembered that John had done no miracles, but that he had prophesied about Jesus and his prophecies had come true.   As a result many believed on him while he was there.