Were the Jews Jesus' Sheep?

Tom:

We are continuing with the Gospel of John and we’re in John:10:22And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
See All..., “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.”Dave, I have a question about this.Jesus is obviously in Jerusalem, it’s what it says here, and he’s there for the feast of the dedication, which we know today as Hanukah.But Hanukah wasn’t really a feast to the Lord.Wasn’t it something that—

Dave:

Something that happened through the Macabees much later—

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

But even when it is a genuine feast of the Lord it is called a feast of the Jews, because they had corrupted these things.So Jesus is not here honoring this, that doesn’t indicate that anyway.He happens to be there at that time.And we will find out when we get into chapter eleven that he’s not going to walk anymore in Jerusalem because there is a price on his head for things that he has said have caused them to hate him more and more.

Tom:

Well get to some of the things that he says.Verse 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.’ 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.’” He’s telling them what’s what here.Well he has given them more evidence than they need.He has also stated it.He hasn’t gone around boasting I am the Messiah any more than when his mother Mary, when he was a little boy let’s assume said, “Jesus, would you go to the town well and get some water for us?” He said, “Wait a minute, who do you think you’re ordering around?I’m the Creator of this universe!”

Tom:

King of kings.

Dave:

No, he became a man and he lived the part.So he has walked among them.But he’s a miracle worker.Furthermore, we just had it in chapter eight, he said I am from above, you’re from beneath.If you don’t believe that I am, [that’s Yahweh] I am God, you will die in your sins.Where I go you cannot come.”And then he said to them at the end of chapter eight, “Before Abraham, I am.”Well they took up stones to stone him.Wait a minute, why did you tell us who you are?“Hey, I already told you and you were going to stone me for it.You’re not willing to accept it.”So he has told them in many ways and he says, “You haven’t believed, but the works that I do in my Father’s name (verse 25) they bear witness of me.I mean my goodness, I have done the works that would prove that I am God come in the flesh, I am the Messiah.I am doing the very miracles that the Old Testament said would be done.Opening the eyes of the blind; raising the dead; and so forth.But you still don’t want to believe.”

Tom:

Before we go back to verse 26, I’ve got a question.This must be my question day.Jesus told his disciples as he walked with them at times he said, “You are not to reveal this.”Yet, now is this the time that he’s beginning to reveal to the Jews, whether it be the rabbis or whether it be the people.They say, “Tell us plainly and he is.”

Dave:

Well no Tom, they are complaining that he’s not telling them plainly and he’s not telling them plainly, but he is telling them plainly.In other words, he’s doing miracles.Well that tells them plainly.But he’s not saying, “Oh, I’m the Messiah.”He’s raised the dead.Well that ought to be telling them plainly.He says, “Before Abraham was, I am, not I was.”I am, I am the I AM and unless you believe that I am the I AM, you will die in your sins.But he’s not saying, “I’m the Messiah.”He hasn’t said it in so many words.Because he has told his disciples for example—well it gives you the reason in Matthew 16.Peter says you’re the Christ and he said don’t tell anyone.The obvious reason is because Jesus will not be known as the Messiah, or will not be accepted as the Messiah, because 51% of the Jews vote him in.He’s not going to be accepted as the Messiah because his disciples have taken a Dale Carnegie salesmanship course and can convince everyone of it.He will only be known as the Messiah, properly when he fulfills what the Messiah is supposed to fulfill.So when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on that donkey, that is just four days before he’s crucified, and they are hailing him as the Messiah [I love the scriptures] and the rabbis say, “Rebuke them, Master, they are calling you the Messiah.”Jesus says “Wait a minute, guys, let me tell you something.If they don’t say it, the stones will cry out because today is the day.”It was the day prophesied in Daniel 9, three hundred and eighty-three years to the day, 69 weeks of years from the going forth of the command to rebuild Jerusalem unto the coming of the Messiah, the Prince.And here he comes on the very day—now you would have to be really blind and not know the Bible not to know that this is who he is and so at that point, and he knows they’re going to crucify him, that’s when he says, “If they don’t say it, the stones will cry out.”But at this point, he’s still speaking to them in parables.

Tom:

But he does say—we’re not to verse 30 yet, but again he lays it out which is why they’re—

Dave:

Going to stone him.

Tom:

Yes, they are going to stone him.Let’s go back to verse 26, “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.”Well he said earlier, “My sheep hear my voice.”

Dave:

It says that in the next verse.“My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.”Tom, that’s an important scripture.WE have a lot of people who are involved in cults.We’ve referred to the Mormon Church for example.They believe that God is a man, their God is a man who was redeemed on another planet by another Jesus.He was a sinner once upon a time and now through ions of pulling himself up by his boot straps, he’s become a god.One God of many gods.They’re Jesus is the half brother of Lucifer in the pre-existent state.He came to this earth not laying aside his glory as God to become a man, but to become a man in order to become a god because you have to have flesh and blood in order to become a god, on and on it goes.Their salvation is by works.It’s exaltation to godhood and so forth.This is not the gospel.This is not the truth.There are many people who are involved in New Age beliefs.Many people of various cults, Mind Science cults and so forth, false religions.Why?Because this is what they want to believe.“My sheep hear my voice.If they were of the sheep or if they were going to be his sheep or become his sheep—in fact in order to become one of his sheep, you have to hear his voice.They don’t want to hear his voice.God in the Old Testament said, “You will seek for ME and find ME when you seek for ME with all your heart.”I can promise that to anyone that’s listening to us.And we’ve mentioned this before.This is a promise from God.Now if you want to seek some kind of a cosmic energy source that you can manipulate, some Star Wars Force—you want to seek a god of your own making who won’t lay any rules on you, but will just bless your plans, you will not know the true God.But the true God says if you seek for me, you really want to know me, the true God, because you want to submit to my will, and you want to have a relationship with me on my terms, then God says you will seek for me and find me and I promise that.I’m not promising it, God promises it to anyone out there.So Jesus says, “Look if you were of my sheep, you would hear my voice.If you knew Moses, if you loved Moses,” he said to the Jews, “you would love me and you would know me because he spoke of me.You claim to be the disciples of Moses, but you’re not even following what Moses said.”

Tom:

Now Dave this doesn’t have anything to do specifically or directly with Jews.This has to do with any man, any person, any situation. Jesus said, If any man wills to do God’s will, he will know.Part of the promise.

Dave:

Yes, and how important is it?Well, verse 28, “And I give unto them [that is my sheep] eternal life; and they shall never perish, [that is the only hope] neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”You want to be assured of eternal life, a home in heaven forever in the presence of God?Then you become one of his sheep.How do you become one of his sheep?You hear his voice.That means you listen to what he says.You believe what he says, you give heed to it, and he said he came to seek and to save the lost.You want to be saved?You have to allow Jesus to be your Savior because of who he is and what he did.God become a man to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross.Accept that; accept him as that, as your Savior and you are saved eternally.