UNDAILY Episode 86
Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
JOHN 10, 22-32 (NIV)
In a world where it's easier to hide in the crowd than to face the truth head-on, the story of Jesus confronting the religious elites remains as fresh as ever. We are faced with a choice – who is Jesus to us? Do we see Him merely as a historical figure, a self-proclaimed king of Israel, or do we recognize Him as the Messiah, the son and messenger of God?
The Evangelist John places us during complex and tense relations between Jesus and the Jewish religious elites in the first century. This event takes place in Jerusalem, likely during the Festival of Lights, also known as Hanukkah, adding a special cultural and religious context.
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