²² It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. ²³ He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ 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. ²⁶ But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

³¹ Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. ³² Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”

³³ They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”

John 10:22-33

Dear God, I had a couple of thoughts when I read this passage this morning.

First, if I don’t buy into John’s thesis in John 1–In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” then the rest of the book makes Jesus sound like a lunatic with a God-complex. But if I believe those words, then I’m in on every outlandish thing he says and does like here.

Second, verse 24 makes it sound like they are eagerly hoping he will say yes so they can follow him, but it turns out that at least some of them are actually trying to trap him so they can stone him for blasphemy. They were more interested in confirming their bias and responding out of their hate than they were seeking your insight into who Jesus was and what that meant for them. But some were open to who he was.

 ⁴¹ 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.” ⁴² And many who were there believed in Jesus.

Nicodemus comes to mind as a Pharisee who approached Jesus with an open, inquisitive mind in chapter 3, meekly tries to defend Jesus in chapter 7, and then cares for his dead body after the crucifixion in chapter 19. He was more interested in your truth that confirming his own biases.

Father, I don’t even know where to start when it comes to recognizing my own biases and rejecting the bad ones. I am a fool who has trouble telling the difference between wisdom and idiocy in my own thoughts much less the thoughts of others. Holy Spirit, I ask that you whisper to me in your still, soft voice. Give me eyes to see what you want me to see. Give me ears to hear. Help me to be your blessing in this world. And help me to worship you well.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen