We sometimes want to relieve the New Testament hearers of responsibility to believe in Christ because they did not have the whole Bible. We must understand, however, that Christ in John 10:22-42 is not holding them responsible for the whole Bible. He is holding them responsible for reading, knowing, and teaching the Torah, law, and the prophets (Old Testament) but having no understanding that He is the Messiah.
This concept must guide our thoughts as we read John 10:22-42. Christ fulfilled every single Messianic prophecy, beginning with Abraham and the Psalms and continuing through Isaiah and the minor prophets. Christ often taught from Isaiah, and here in chapter 10, He quotes from the Psalms. The Jews, the scribes, and Pharisees, in particular, knew the signs of the Messiah, for they studied the Scriptures.
Consider, as one example, Christ’s teaching in the sermon on the mount. Coupling this together with the fulfillment of prophecy and the miracles He performed, Christ is accusing the scribes, Pharisees and priests. Christ is holding them responsible for hearing, seeing, and knowing what the Messiah would do, but not believing that He is the Messiah.
Why did they not believe? I have made reference in previous posts to Malachi, and I believe Malachi must be read and studied for the gospels to make sense. In Malachi, the prophet indicted the scribes, Pharisees, and priests for their failing to practice the righteousness of God. They held to a strict adherence of the law of Moses, however, they twisted the law to mean something far less than what God gave to Moses. In other words, they presumed God would accept their definition of obedience.
Then, in Matthew 22, Christ elevates from the law of Moses the love of God and neighbor above all the other laws. The scribes, Pharisees, and priests were definitely not governing themselves according to the two greatest commandments. If there is any tension among the laws God gave us, the two greatest commandments must always win. Christ demonstrated this, while the scribes, Pharisees, and priests accused Him of violating other laws from Moses.
Lest we wag our fingers at them, we are often easily guilty of the same shortcomings. How many times would we prefer to say, “God accepts me or some practice,” when we are not at liberty at all to speak for God. This is self-righteousness to the core. Whether our behavior rises to the level of “good” or we are righteous before God is not our place to judge. If we profess belief on Christ, then Christ alone determines if we are measuring up to His standards. Only when we compare our motives, attitudes, words, and deeds against Christ can we begin to comprehend just how much we fall short. Truly, Christ is the door. No matter how “good” we think we are, there is always room for improvement, and this ground is only gained by reliance on the Holy Spirit and surrender to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
A certain degree of humility is required. “That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.” Isaiah 45:23c, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10 We can only be acceptable to God through repentance (Romans 12:1-2), sorrow over sin (2 Corinthians 7:11), and a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). Our acceptance before God is acquired only through repentance and humility. If we profess that we need not abandon our sin to be acceptable before God or that something less than conformity to Christ is required, we risk coming to God with a high hand.
Christ’s words in verse 26 are instructive, “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.” Now, look back to verse 24, “The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’”
Christ had already told them that He was the Christ from God the Father. Christ had already taught them the righteousness of God. Christ had already performed miracles so divinely supernatural that no human could perform such acts. Still, none of this was sufficient for them to believe. Christ is not enough.
And He is still not enough for us today. We are often guilty of looking for something more to be happy and fulfilled. When we look for something else – money, relationships, notoriety, success – because Christ is not sufficient for us. As Christians, we have Christ Himself, and He alone must be sufficient. Again, we must not wag our fingers at them while allowing ourselves to escape judgment.
If the works and teachings of Christ are not sufficient, then it fully explains why they are not His sheep. We see from earlier chapters that Christ charged the scribes, Pharisees, and Jews with unrighteous conduct. It is plain that they were not embodying the righteousness of Christ and not seeking to truly understand the heart of God. For these reasons, they could not be His sheep.
Notice the multiple appeals Christ makes for belief throughout verses 22 through 42. He does not condemn them, dismiss them, or cast them aside. They will be judged for their refusal to believe and for mishandling every opportunity to believe.
One such attempt is in verse 38. He appeals for them to believe the works Christ performs. This verse reminds me of faith as small as a mustard seed. Matthew 17:20 Even the smallest faith Christ can nurture.
We should also consider verse 35, “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)”. Here, Christ is quoting from Psalm 82:6. Psalm 82 itself is a chapter of judgment. The people lost sight of God’s heart. For them, wrong was right, and right was wrong. They elevated the noble and wealthy while oppressing the poor and weak. The Psalmist also writes that the people are walking in darkness – God’s people.
Christ’s words from Psalm 82:6 are apparently a reference to Moses, Joshua, the judges, Saul, and others through whom God prophesied when they were selected for leadership. Because they prophesied, performed mighty works, and were chosen of God, the people listened to them, revered them, and believed them.
But this is not how they treated Christ, who was doing the same works, and even greater works than Moses, Joshua, the judges, Saul, etc. They treated their own kings and leaders better than they treated Christ, and this is one of the indictments we see in Malachi. See verse 36, “Do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”
This is a most serious charge leveled by Christ against the Jews, scribes, and Pharisees. As one example of Christ’s charge against them, recall the feeding of the 5,000 back in John 6 and how afterwards they questioned Christ and asked for a further sign. They elevated manna in the wilderness as a greater miracle, as if to say, only if Christ’s miracle was greater than the manna would they believe Him. Perhaps, but we must remember that in the wilderness the people still grumbled and did not believe despite having the manna in their hands.
So too we must also be careful here. I am not only thinking about those who profess to believe on Christ, but also those who do not. If we are not careful, we will hold a double standard and accept the words and works of humans as greater than the power of Christ manifested in the world. Sometimes, people stop believing on Christ when their worldly possessions and significance are cut away. When all we have left is Christ, He is not sufficient for us, and we seek to revert back to gaining earthly significance. We say Christ is sufficient, but how much better are we than Israel in the wilderness grumbling about the manna God provided?
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