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Episode 838: In this episode, we read through John 10, where Jesus asserts His divine identity and the promise of eternal life for His followers. We discuss the significance of His statement, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish," and how it serves as a testament to His authority and relationship with the Father. The conversation leads us to reflect on the historical context of Jesus' ministry, particularly how He interacted with the Jewish leaders and the implications of His claims.
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You're listening to the Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Hey, everybody, thanks for tuning in for another episode. Another great episode is gonna be epic, epic episode. Yeah, I believe so, me do. In fact, we have a great scripture for today. This one's really great, Jeff. The good one was one of my favorites. Yes, And we're talking about eternal life this week, and today we're looking at John ten twenty eight. Wow. Right. I don't normally quote John ten twenty eight when I give the Plan of Salvation. Yeah, but we're going to talk about that through today. But it's in our arsenal. It is in the arsenal a lot. There's a lot in the arsenal. Jeff, I've used it before. Yeah, yeah, I have a ream of bullets. Yeah, yep. Which, by the way, did you know that's where the phrase the whole nine yards comes from? It is the whole yeah, the bullets, Yeah, because I'm the belt. Yeah, the whole belt. The bullets is nine years. Belt of bullets in World War One was twenty seven be long. And so when they emptied a whole ream of bullets into an enemy, they'd say, we gave him the whole nine yards. And so people when you ask them today, they'd say, oh, is it a football term? Nobody knows And isn't that funny how we still use phrase? Isn't that amazing? Yep? I love it. So today we're getting into that, but before we do, we have a segment by Desiree, who says, today's segment is the draft list. Draft lists are always fun. Yeah, it's as many people say that Christmas time is the best time of the year. So today we're going to do a draft list on the best things in life in general, not necessarily related to Christmas. So she's talking about enjoyable things, right, they could be simple pleasures of life. Yes, do rock paper scissors? Who gets the first pick? And do it until you have five things each? Okay, so rock paper scissors is ready? Yes? Ready? One? Two? Three? Shoot? Oh what yes? I got rock? He got scissors? Did you know I read I read an article on how to win rock paper scissors? Of course you did. I did just recently. Yeah, oh yeah, I think I think I might have saved it. You did it because you know, because I always lose to you. Yeah, so what's the strategy. I'm not telling you. I can't tell you because then you go back to beating me again. Okay, okay, so I went so the first one, I think, and we're talking about just life, simple pleasures, the right, Is that what we're talking about. Yeah, it's not like, you know, the best things in life, the most enjoyable things. Because if I were to be literal, the best things in life are like relationships. Yeah, yeah, you have a good character, and we're not going for that. We're we're doing more like simple pleasures. Yeah, like some of our favorite These are a few of my favorite things. Yeah, okay, that's. Right, papers and strengths. These are a few of. My favorite things. Okay, so I think and that's Christmasy. Oh yeah, so I would say I think one of my favorite and we were just talking about this, by the way, I think one of my favorite things is laughing, particularly as a result of clever, dry wit is my favorite. I love and even just a little biting, but clever and dry. I love that kind of hum. So you're not doing like a I'm not a slapstick guy, no, no, No. What I'm saying is you're choosing. That's one of my favorite things, just laughing comedy stuff. Yeah, but I's thinking more like sausage McMuffin. Sure that's coming. Leave me alone, Okay, leave. Me alone, Leave me alone? All right? All right. So I'm gonna do my first draft list and say, and I hate to say this, but again simple pleasures. There is a moment in the movie Theater when I'm in an Imax theater when if you remember, if you go to the Imax theater, it starts off by going ten nine eight, And the moment that eight hits, it breaks into the Imax thing, right, yes, and then it says, don't watch a movie be a part of one. When it breaks into that, I look over at my kids, and I make a joke every time and they laugh. Now they look at me because I get this face. I go like this because it's what I said. I said, I'm so happy. Yeah, I say, I always say I'm so happy. I love being in an Imax theater movie. And one of my favorite moments is when it turns from that to eight. Eight is the is the moment. And by the way, I don't think I've ever said that out lot. Wow, outside of my family. Now we know about you, Chris. Yeah, so I think that is one of my simple pleasures. Ye, that is a favorite moment for me. I'm so happy. Yes, that's what I always say. I think My next one is I I love when I nail it on the grill or on the barbecue or something. I love it. Oh yeah, sure of course you do love it. Yeah, and and and specifically not when you not when somebody else nails it, and you. Eat when I nail it, when you nail Yeah, when I nail Yeah, that's great. That's a good one. Right now, I'm in the middle of developing my own barbecue sauce and my own rub, and I'm getting close. Maybe this weekend I'll finish it. So I'm going to go abroad here and I'm going to say, uh, I love new restaurants, and I love the experience of a restaurant, not just a food, me too, ambiance me too, Right, So when I discover a new restaurant that I love is great. Yeah, like Holy Cow. In fact, so, just a couple of days ago, we decided to make an overnight trip down to downtown Detroit to go to the Amy Grand concert. Michael W. Smith cc wins and we brought the Wilson's with us, David A. Wilson, and I said, let's have dinner at London Chop House, which is super fancy, and uh, Liz and Anne and Dave, all three of them had never been. And Dave actually said, that's one of the best restaurants I've ever been to in my life. He actually said that, and he's been to a lot of restaurants, has been in my house. What the heck? Yeah, right right, right, But but but but it was so fun for all for me to watch them to discover a brand new restaurants. Fun. Yeah. I think one of my favorite favorite things is uh, being with family. And this is one thing you're supposed to say inanimate object, but but but it's true. It's the being with family and all the buzz and the noise and the laughter and the jokes and the you know, all that kind of stuff. I love it. So whether it's like sitting around the table at Thanksgiving or everybody playing a game around the table, or just the noise in the house, I enjoy enjoy that. Yeah. Okay, I'm going to say zar ball game night. Oh yeah, so we we. Have epic yeah, epic. We we have always had a tradition, and in fact, we haven't had one in quite a while. So Liz, I know you're listening. So let's plan a zar ball game night. It's overdue. But we will basically have board games and we'll say hey, is zarbill game night, and sometimes we'll invite people over. Sometimes there's guests, but board games for us are a high value. Yeah, I'm gonna this is weird because it's going to be expressed. Is your fifth this is my fifth one. I'm going to express it in two ways. I love a good book, yep. I love sitting in my tree stand, and those two things feel very different. But what it is is both of those. I'm completely alone in my own head, okay, right, undisturbed in my own head, thinking right. I love that. So the hunting part of it is just the result and the excuse, But it's the being alone in the tree stand, the being alone lost in a book love. I like that a lot because I'm rarely ever alone. Now, you're an extrovert. No, you're an introvert. I know I'm an extrovert mildly. Yeah, yeah, I'm like a six on the extroverted side, so pretty pretty low. Pretty low, okay, yeah, because there's what like twenty three to twenty four possible. Points, yeah, something like that. Okay, yeah, but I am on the extroverted side. I just get exhausted by people. Well, my wife technically is introverted, but she functions like an extrovert. Oh right, so she will, she will go out with the best of them, right, I mean at a party, you'd never know, but then she comes home and collapses. Right, So she's but she's barely under the introverted scale. Yeah. I on the other side, just barely on the extroverty side. Okay, because sitting alone is because. You're twenty seven out of twenty six points, aren't you? Yes? Yeah, Well, and I may be more introverted now, you know, it sort of changing to get older. But at one time when I, I mean from years and years and years, I would take it over and over again, and I was one hundred percent extraversion was zero percent interview. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the idea like a laboratory tree, just waggertail waggertail wagger tails, run around and make sure somebody's gonna pat you on the head. Yeah, well, I mean the idea of being alone in a tree stand as Wow, it's just I love. It's mind blowing to me. I have a very rich thought life. I do. I'll drive for an hour without the radio line, just thinking I do. That's funny to you. I don't know why it shouldn't be. Should you shouldn't be? All right, buddy? My fifth one, I don't. Know why we're at nine minutes, but my last one is going to. Be uh, I gotta pick one quickly. I'm gonna say my wife's wedding soup. Oh, yes, it's Britanne. I want to put that on my list too, because Liz's wedding soup is incredible with the little meatballs in it. Yeah. Yeah, she makes your own broth, doesn't see. Yes, love's good? Okay, Well, talking about love? John talks about love a lot of times. He does in the Bible. Yeah he does. Yeah, chapter ten. So I thought we'd read it from John chapter ten. Doesn't that sound good? Yes? Does he talk about love? And normally our segments ago about eight minutes, right, seven seven minutes? Sorry about that. I don't think he talks about love in this passage, but he does talk a lot about love. So anyways, our promise to is I give them eternal life and they will never perish. So I just thought we could read. In John ten, verse twenty two, it says it was now winter and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukah, the festival of dedication. He was in the temple walking through the section known as so this is about this time of year. Oh yeah, for sure, yeah, read about this. Time of year. How cool? That is really cool. Yeah. He was in the temple walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, how long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you're the Messiah? Tell us plainly, and Jesus replied, I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is the work I do in my father's name. But you don't believe me because you're not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my father has given them to me, and he's more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one. Once again, the people picked up stones to kill him, and Jesus said, at my father's direction, I've done many good works for which one are you going to stone me? They replied, we're stoning you, not for any good work, but for blasphemy. You, a mere man, claimed to be God. Jesus replied, it is written in your own scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people. I say you are God's and you know that the scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called God's, why do you call it blasphemy when I say I'm the son of God? After all, the Father set me apart and set me into this world. Don't believe me unless they carry out my father's work. But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I've done. Even if you don't believe me, then you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. Once again, they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. He went beyond the Jordan River, near the place where where John was first baptizing and stayed there a while, and many followed him. John didn't perform miraculous signs, they remarked to one another, but everything he said about this man has come true, and many who were there believed in Jesus. That's an amazing passage. In fact, I'm not sure that I've actually preached, you know how. You know how you always like read a passage and you think, how many sermons have I constructed from this passage? Right? And over the years, you know, when you're in ministry thirty something years, you're like, how many times have I included this in a sermon? You know, I'm not sure that there's too many times. I think I think there were probably a few times where I was walking through the Gospels, right, So I've done it in Bible studies, and I've certainly read through it in devotional books, and I think but I think probably, and I think I've referenced right, especially our key verse for today, I've referenced it for certain, But actually talking about the actual event, the whole actual event, this is a pretty intense event. It is. I mean, Jesus is plainly saying I'm the Son of God, and they're like, we're we're going to stone you. They heard it as you and I read it, and it's because we're reading it in the English a little bit. But he's like, I've already told you. You don't believe me. He didn't say yes, I am the Messiah, right, he said, and I proved it by what I did, And they took that to mean yes, I'm the son of God. Right. I don't know that. When I read those words specifically, I go he just claimed to be the other than saying the Father and I are one. Right. But he did say in verse twenty eight, I give them eternal life and they will never perish, so no one can snatch them away from me, For my father has given them to me, and he's more powerful than anyone else, so no one can snatch them from my father's hand. And my father, the Father and I are one. Oh. He did say the Father and I are one. Yeah yeah, verse three yeah yeah. And they take it to go, all right, we're going to kill this guy, right, right. He didn't emphatically say absolutely right. He did not say I am the Messiah, right, I am the promised one to fulfill the prophecies which have been discussed. For him to say the Father and I are one was enough. They heard it. The say if you've seen me, you've seen the Father, which he says in another passage. Right, And in the garden getsementy, he says, I am remember, and they say, are you Jesus of Nazareth And he says, I am and and some translations in English translated as I am he. But it really was Jesus quoting you know, God in the form of God announcing his name to Moses when he says, tell them, I Am has sent me. Oh yeah, yeah, the Great Ia. So so yeah. So Jesus definitely has claimed to be, you know, one with the Father in many different ways. But yeah, you're right, the Messiah. It's interesting because you know another I just read this, but in fact it was, oh, it was last night. I was writing the Christmas Message last night and and coming across the scripture where it says he came to his own people, and his own people did not believe him to receive him. Right, So Jesus was Jewish. And it's so ironic and strange and weird for me to even think that Jesus was a Jewish person. And yet when you think about people who are Jewish today, they believe the entire Old Testament, but they're still waiting for a Messiah. Right, yes, for the most part, Yeah, that's right. For the most part, they don't believe that Jesus was the son of God, that's right. So they'll adhere to the entire Old Testament, but they're still looking for the Messiah. And what's so interesting is many people may not know this or not, but there are many people today right now that a large Jewish population will say, I think it's him, He's the Messiah. Yes, they do. Well, there's signs all over Israel of different got different rabbis claiming to be the Messiah or you know, and it's funny. They put like stickers on the back of road signs and stuff. Did you see those. Yeah, there's always a new rabbi. Yeah, I've seen the billboards that they think maybe this might be the new Messiah, right yeah. Yeah, and they're disappointed when their family is not. But yeah, and it's and it's can you even imagine? Uh, just it's just amazing. Now there's an organization. You remember having an organization at your church at one time called Jews for. Jesus I know about Jews for Jesus. Yeah, okay, you don't have them. So we had them come in several times, but five times I think I've seen this ministry come into our church and present, and a lot of times what they do is they'll do the Passover supper. Sure, those do the Passover meal and uh, and they'll compare all the symbolism of the Old Testament and how Jesus was the one who fulfilled the prophecies, and especially as it relates to uh, you know the uh you know, the Passover meal that Jesus gave right and and and obviously the uh you know Jesus connecting the dots and saying this is my blood this you know, this is my body broken for you. So anyway, all of that to say, I remember learning as a young man that you know, here's a group of people who didn't believe that he's the Messiah. But yet there are people who are Jewish who say, no, we do believe that Jesus is the one that came fulfill all the prophecies. And I think it's I don't know why, but is it because Jesus rebuked the Pharisee so much, you know, Jewish people, you know, they looked at their rabbis still today, right, And Jesus came along and he rebuked the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders, and he rebuked them so much that he was sort of condemning them. And then, you know, he did say that his own people didn't receive him, and he sort of made that, you know, statement, which was true. I almost wonder if that was the tidle wave that set an entire group of people saying, like, we rebuke this, we. Were anytime you square off against power, power is going to consolidate and try to crush you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think it's interesting this it mentions. Let's cover a couple of things. First of all, I don't know how many people know what Hankkah is. So Hanakkah is a Jewish holiday that coincides with the same time of year as Christmas. It was the celebration of Judas Maccabeus re cleansing the temple and re establishing sacrifices after Antiochus Epiphanies had defiled the the altar by sacrificing a pig on it in the like one sixty BC or something. Somebody could have threatened my family with a gun, and I have never been able to come up with all of that information. Did you just look up? There's a note here that reminds me of it. But yeah, yeah, so I knew Hanikkah was so, I just I've forgotten the one sixties. So but yeah, Antiochus Epiphanies had had rated Jerusalem and then and so this would have been one sixties. It would have been the Greeks, right and BC. So he comes through and sacrificed the pig. He defiled the altar in the temple, sacrifices a pig on it, and then for a long time nobody would do sacrifices there because they've been defiled. And then Judas makebais this isn't that gap between Malachi and Matthew. Yeah, that four hundred year window. It's that's like if you've ever heard the story of the Maccabees or whatever, and how they resisted against the Romans eventually, but this is it is he he was able to re establish the worship of God and the sacrifices when he when he cleansed the temple and cleansed the altar, and so that's what Hanakah is celebrating. And then he's walking through the colonnade Salomon's Solomon's colonnade, and this is kind of a if you can think of, just like a whole hallway of really tall pillars with a roof on top of it. It kind of went around the outside of the central courtyard of the temple, and so this is a place through shadow. It was really classy. It felt cool, but there's also like every person from every walk of life could be there, so even like guests could come and check out some of that stuff right and see, and so it was it was just kind of like the place to hang out at the temple. It wasn't like the place where you go worship at the temple. And that's what Solomon's colinade was. So it's interesting to me, even in this worshipful place, Jesus is out with the people, right, and this is where the sacrifices being made in that building represented what Jesus was going to do. Right, But Jesus didn't walk into where the priests were, He didn't go sit where the kings would sit, even though he was related to the kings. Instead, you know, he's related to David. Instead, he came out and just kind of mingled with the people. And even as God is mingling with the people, they're like, you're really God, are you? And they decide they want to kill him. But that's the context of this whole thing. But I love it because his defense of himself is not yes, I am right Lightning and you know, make monsters and make the rocks turn in the monsters. And he doesn't do anything like that. He doesn't zap them all like Indiana Jones, you know, the open up the arc of the Covenant, it just zapps everybody. He doesn't do any of that. He just says, yeah, you've seen what I've done, and I and the Father are one. And by the way, the reason why you don't understand is because you're not one of mine. But the people, the sheep that do choose to follow me, I'm gonna give them eternal life. And that's the promises to us, is that he's never gonna let us go. He's never gonna let us slip out of his hand. And those that have decided to follow Christ, he's given us as a gift eternal life. That's something we earned. But eternal life, and that's one of his proofs that he really is God. By the way, it's interesting that he uses the fact that he gave his followers eternal life is one of his proofs that he's got. It's pretty neat. Yeah, And he says, if you don't believe me, look at the works that I've done. And even if you don't believe the words I'm saying, believe in what I've done, the miraculous works that I've done. Right, And really, what he's also doing there is we have to realize that he is actually giving a nod to the scriptures about the Messiah who does miraculous works. Isn't that interesting? So he says, Hey, you don't believe me, believe in the miraculous works. And what he's really saying is he's saying, without saying I'm the Messiah, He's saying, you know all the scriptures you know about the Messiah, I've done all the miraculous works, which I think is really great because he's really saying I fulfilled without claiming the messiah ship. He's actually saying, I fulfilled all the prophecies. I've always been confused by the next piece, though, he goes, oh, okay, so you're gonna stone You're not stoning me for the good things I've done. What are you stoning me for? Because you say you're a god? Right, And he goes, there's multiple times in the Bible where God talks about people's gods. Now God's not calling them God. God's right, right, So it's interesting that Jesus argument here is pure semantics. He's not actually trying to make a point. He's trying to tell them you don't have any right to kill me. That's it. He's playing lawyer in this moment. So in Psalms because I look, I just looked this up, Psalms eighty what is it? Psalm eighty eighty two six, he's talking to his people who are representing him in the world, to lost people, and he says, I say you are gods, you are all children of the Most High, but you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler. And God's saying, listen, you represent me and you're my sons. Of course you're going to die. You're not a god like me. But what he's saying is you can be God like, not a God, but you can be like me little g. And so that's what he uses, is little g. It's the same thing that he does. In Exodus. He's talking to Aaron and he said, you will speak to the people in the place of God. So I'm going to speak to you, and then you go tell them and they're going to Reverend Revere you right, but point them to me, is what you're saying. But you're going to speak in my place. In Exodus, chapter seven, verse one, he says to Moses, play close attention to this, and I'll make you seem like God to the pharaoh. Right. So God says, listen, sometimes I'm going to set you up in a way where they can't see me, but they can see you. And so the times in the Bible when it references they're like gods or people, some people are like God's. It's just they represent God. And you can't see God, but you can see Moses. You can't see God, but you can hear here Aaron, right with David, you are my sons and in the world. You represent God in the world. But of course it's a little g and you will die someday, so you're not a God. So Jesus knows that in the Bible. God is not saying that we are God's there's Apollo and Jupiter and Mars and right, that's not what he's saying. So it really is a semantics argument that Jesus slips in there, just to tell them you have no ground to stand on. Right, why are you guys? Right? This is so dumb. I've proven to you who I am, and now you want to use semantics to kill me. Guess what. I can play semantics too, That's all he does. It's just it's the most amazing thing, he says. So, after all, the Father sent me apart, all right, set me apart and sent me into the world. Don't believe me unless I carry out my father's work. That's his final argument. Wow, well that's an amazing passage. I'm glad. I'm glad you broke it down that way. That's actually pretty insightful. So then they try to arrest him and kill him, and he goes not today, this walks out, Yeah he's And that happens multiple times, multiple times. He just walks through the crowd and leaves. Yeah, well, we're gonna arrest them. Well, there was one time in the temple in Capernaum, I think where he actually in the synagogue, in the synagogue where he walked through the crowd, and it says they couldn't touch it, right, so he had like Jesus powers. There's one time they were going to throw him off a cliff right next next time they couldn't find him right right, right, yeah, yeah, So that's that's how it ends. And he's like, no, not today, guys. It's common, but not today. That's great. Well, that's our time, so hopefully we'll see tomorrow on the Bible, guys. Yah h