JOHN 10:22-30

Jottings on John…Easter 4…New 2019

A theme that stands out for me in our passage is ‘Atmosphere’! First, it’s Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights to celebrate the rededication of the Temple in 164 BC after its retaking from profane hands. It’s winter! It’s dim, despite the festive lights. It’s cold! Despite the sacrificial fires burning. It’s smelly! From the smoke & the animal fats burning. The Atmosphere is amazing! You can taste it! How’s the Atmosphere where we lead or participate in worship? Whether we’re at the ‘smoke & bells’ end of the scale, or a more restrained conservatism, doesn’t matter as much as an Atmosphere of worship, flowing from our Attitude to YHWH God & each other. If the Atmosphere is God-centric in the way Jesus demonstrates God in His Own Person, that’s Great!

Contributing, too, to the Atmosphere that day is a restlessness among those who’ve come to town for the Celebration! Not least those who’ve come hoping to see Rabbi Jesus strolling among them & discover if He’s the Messiah. “If you’re the Anointed One, tell us!” Tell us! Are we making it clear in our living & preaching that Jesus is God’s Anointed One as He says? Or is there a restlessness, perhaps, in the way we’re coming across. Any uncertainty on our part will reverberate, creating its own Atmosphere. Not a good one, at that!

That people take Jesus to task isn’t one way traffic, though. Jesus takes those crowd-ing round Him to task! In no uncertain words. “I have told you, but you don’t believe!” Are there times when God moves us to take people to task, too? If we fail to do so, surely the Atmosphere of Faith & the worship that stems from it will reflect that? 

To be able to put this all together in our preaching, we need to hang on what Jesus says at the end of our passage: “The Father & I are One!” And, ‘the Jewish people took up stones to stone Him!’ 

Preaching the Truth of Jesus & His Oneness with the Father will make many restless today. People are not likely to throw stones at us in our pulpits, but there are those who would probably like to, if they dared! But Jesus’ Oneness with the Father by the Spirit is non-negotiable! It is Jesus Himself who creates that Atmosphere of ‘One-ness’ for us & among us.

Brian

Afterthought: If we’ve developed any habit of praying to our ‘favourite’ Member of the Holy Three-some, we’re nevertheless praying to The One-ness of God. Whether we realise it, or not, we’re being embraced by the Atmosphere of the total Holiness of One God.