Jesus, the God Man: The Gospel of John
“Deity on Display”
John 10:31-42
Introduction: Pat and I have purchased a few timeshares. Part of their presentation is to take you to a model so that you can appreciate what you are going to purchase. The same is true when you go to rent an apartment or a model home. They put what they are selling on display so that you can understand what it looks like.
In our text today we will see Jesus once again try and explain who He is and His nature to those that are in a state of hard-hearted rebellion and unbelief. This is His final public interaction with them until the week before His crucifixion. He makes one final challenge for them to accept who He is and His offer of salvation.
This challenge will present irrefutable evidence of who He is for them (and for us today) as we see His “deity on display.”
1. Unbelief must be confronted. (vv. 31-36)
“Jews” – Pharisees and religious leaders
“Take up stones” – They went and found stones in order to stone Him to death. In verse 30 He claimed to be one with the Father and thus they considered Him to be a blasphemer. Leviticus 24:16 said that anyone that claimed to be Messiah should be stoned to death.
Never let anyone tell you that Jesus never claimed to be God. He just said that He was one with God in essence or nature thus claiming that He was God.
“again” – John includes this word because this is not the first time that have tried to kill Him. They so hate Him and by the same token they hate God so the only recourse they have is to kill Him. He was so hated that they have dogged Him His entire ministry trying to catch Him in a statement or trying to get a reason to kill Him.
These men demonstrate what Paul says in Romans 8:7.
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Romans 8:7 (NIV)
The truth is the heart of most unbelievers is so dark they would do the same thing if given the chance.
"Unconverted men would kill God Himself if they could only get at Him." –JC Ryle (1816-1900), Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of John
v. 32 – Their arms are cocked back with rocks ready to throw and Jesus disarms them with this question: “All my good works are from God so for which of them are you going to stone Me?” “Going to” indicates they were poised and ready to throw!
“Good” – kalos. Same word Jesus used in reference to Himself as good Shepherd. It means surpassing all, beautiful, above all others.
Jesus works were not just nice, helpful, thoughtful things. They were far above and excelled above all others.
Notice He keeps the focus on God and His work in the world through Jesus. He was not here by His own volition, but out of obedience to the Father.
v. 33 – “It is not for the good works that you are doing, but because You are just a Man and are blaspheming by claiming to be God.”
Please pay attention to the fact that they did NOT deny He was doing good works because He is about to hang them with their own words notably that just a mere man could not do these good works!
v. 34 – Jesus now confronts them with the Word of God.
“your law” – Does not mean the first five books of OT, but rather refers to the entire OT which they treasured.
He quotes Psalm 82:6 where God called them gods. This did not mean they were gods but rather means they had God-given powers to be judges over the people. So it means “judges, mighty ones, or God’s representatives”.
v. 35 – “Word of God came” – Not a foreign concept for the divine nature to come to man.
The difference is that the “word of God came to them” in the OT but Jesus IS the Word of God!
They were not the Word of God but He is!
The contrast is between those "to whom the word of God came"--men of the earth, earthy, who were merely privileged to get a divine message to utter (if prophets), or a divine office to discharge (if judges)--and "Him whom (not being of the earth at all) the Father sanctified (or set apart), and sent into the world," an expression never used of any merely human messenger of God, and used only of Himself. –Jamieson, Fausset, Brown’s Commentary
These men were called “gods” in Scripture and the Scripture stands unbroken. Here from the mouth of Jesus is a commendation on Scripture as infallible and inerrant (without error)! I did not make it up. Jesus says so Himself!
Jesus says, “If these mere men are called gods because the word came to them (as the inerrant Scripture said) shouldn’t I be treated with the same level of respect as the Living Word of God?”
v. 36 – “God set me apart (sanctified) and sent Me, the Son of God, into the world so why do you call Me a blasphemer when I am simply telling you the truth?”
2. The claims of Christ require a response.
(vv. 37-38)
“Time to put your money with your mouth is. Put up or shut up.”
He challenges them (and us) to examine His own works in an objective manner.
“Examine me for yourself. Are my claims valid based on the work that I do? I am not just talking, but I am at work in the world just like My Father.”
Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." John 5:17 (NIV)
“If I am not doing God’s work then reject Me.”
v. 38 – “BUT if I am doing God’s work then believe based on the works that I am doing not just My words.”
In other words Jesus says, “Take Me out of the equation all together. If any person came doing the works that I am doing would you say that He is Messiah?”
BUT if you believe the works you must go all the way and believe who Jesus says that He is because He IS the One doing the works.
“You must know and believe the Father is in Me and I am in Him!”
Know – ginosko. Intimate knowledge by experience.
Believe – pisteuo. Have confidence in, place weight on.
This is the very question ALL must answer: Is Jesus who He claimed to be? Is He really God? You cannot skip the question because to choose not to answer is an answer.
3. Jesus and His message cannot be defeated.
(vv. 39-42)
“therefore” – As a result of His challenge they give their answer by trying to grab Him. “Grab” is a continual word meaning they kept trying to seize Him by force or to imprison Him.
“BUT He escaped” – Their plan is not His plan because it is not His time yet and He is God and He will not and cannot be defeated!
“out of hand” – Got out of their grasp and got away. Apparently they were overawed by His comments and dropped their stones and tried to grab Him but once again He slips away. John does not tell us how but the answer is the same: He is God and it is not His time yet.
He leaves Jerusalem for the area near the Jordan where John had been baptizing three or four years earlier. Goes back to where His ministry had begun. He will not return to Jerusalem until Palm Sunday (one week before His appointed time to die).
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:3 (NIV)
He leaves the unbelievers in their sins and walks away.
Staggering truth here that God will not continually offer salvation to people. At some point He will agree to your rejection and leave you alone as you requested and when He does you are eternally lost – there will be no hope for you from that point forward.
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
John 1:11 (NIV)
vv. 41-42 are an oasis among the unbelief. It is a startling contrast to what we just read.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 (NIV)
People begin coming to Him based on the teachings of John the Baptist who is now been dead for years. Jesus does not go there doing miracles, but simply shows up and people believe and follow Him because of the Word of God which came by the faithful witness of John the Baptist!
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
The Word of God not miracles is what brings faith which leads to salvation.
What a great way to end the chapter not with unbelief but belief!
Conclusion: When I was a kid my parents and I went to a large parcel of land in Florida for a presentation by a company that was planning to build a large attraction there and was looking for investors. We listened to the presentation and watched a film about their plans. The piece of land they were going to build on was pretty much swamp land. Afterwards they asked people to invest in their venture. My parents for whatever reason decided to not invest in their development and walked away from what would later become Walt Disney World!
Many will walk away from an even greater offer!
Jesus asked His disciples in Mark 8 “Who do men say I am?” and then asked “Who do you say that I am?”
Jesus says honestly examine and evaluate My claims and answer Who am I. That is your question for today: Who is He? If He is who He claims to be – the Son of God then there is only one response repent, believe, and follow.
Will you respond to His “deity on display”?
