Recognizing Jesus

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Sunday Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30 (NRSV)

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Read more…

Looking to Sunday: Preparing to Hear from God

by Elaine Poproski

For the last three Sundays we’ve heard the miraculous stories of Jesus’ resurrection and of His life after resurrection. Over and over we’re invited to believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God, the Messiah, the One through whom we have eternal life as children of God. This Sunday we take a step back in time to John 10. We’ll be reading these words:
“The Jews gathered around Him and said to Him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’”

Don’t those words sound just a bit silly after three weeks of people encountering Jesus raised from the dead? But we must not forget that in John 10 Jesus hadn’t died yet. He was still just a man – an extraordinary man who’d performed unimaginable miracles, to be sure, but still just a man. And yet Jesus doesn’t appear to have a lot of patience for these questioners. His response is, in part, “You don’t believe because you don’t belong to my sheep.” Is Jesus writing them off? Isn’t He going to try to convince them, at least?

Maybe the issue isn’t that Jesus should give them one more chance; that Jesus should keep trying to convince them. Maybe the issue is that these questioners don’t really want to believe. When I read their questions I hear the longing cry of someone desperate to know God hasn’t forgotten them. But maybe that’s not what’s happening here. Maybe these questioners are asking their questions because they want a reason to destroy Jesus. Maybe they want to be justified in stoning Him or in eventually crucifying Him.

It is a sad fact of our world that wherever Jesus goes, there are people who want to destroy Him. This was true when He was physically present in the small piece of the Middle East He called home, and it is true when He is present through His Church around the world. Sometimes, living in the ease and privilege of our Canadian Christian experience, this is hard to remember. But in many places in the world, it’s a constant, dangerous reality. And so, I can think of no better way for you to prepare for Sunday, than to experience the powerful story of Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Christian who spent 14 years in prison back in the middle of the 20th century, all because He was unwilling to compromise His identity as one of Jesus’ sheep. As it happens, this Saturday at 7:00 p.m., Dennis Hassell is performing Solitary Refinement, the story of Richard Wurmbrand’s imprisonment and faith in nearby Kipling Avenue Baptist Church. Why not check it out and spend some time allowing that story to challenge and shape your faith?