The Voice That Leads Me

We all want people to tell us the truth. There was a police officer that pulled a car over and he walked up to the window and said to the man driving, “Sir, can I see your driver's license?” The man said, “Sure. What is the problem officer?” The officer said, “Well, you were going 75 mph in a 55-mph zone.” The man said, “No sir. I was only going 60.” His wife said, “Now Harry, you know you were 75 mph.”

The officer then said, “Sir, I am going to also have to give you a ticket for your broken taillight.” The man said, “Broker taillight? I don't know anything about a broken talk light!” His wife said, “Now, Harry, you've known about that taillight for five weeks.” The officer said, “I’m also going to have to give you a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt.” The man said, “Oh, I just took it off when you were walking up to the car.” The wife said, “Now, Harry, you know you never wear your seatbelt.”

At that point you can imagine the husband had heard enough. He turned to his wife and said, “Sarah, would you please shut your big, fat mouth!” The officer turned to the woman and said, “Ma’am, does your husband talk to you that way all the time?” His wife said, “No sir. Only when he is drunk.”

Jesus tells us the truth like no other.

Today’s Scripture

“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one’” (John 10:22-30).

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2. Don’t be Anxious of the Truth

1. Don’t be Afraid of the Truth

1. Don’t be Afraid of the Truth

“So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly’” (John 10:24).

1.1 “Once Upon a Time”

So many good stories start “Once Upon a Time.” But this isn’t one of those. The Bible tells us that this is a real story when it says, “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter” in verse 22. I’m not going into great detail here, but this “Feast of Dedication” is tied to Hanukkah for our Jewish friends today. This “Feast” was celebrated in the second half of December. You won’t find this feast commanded in the Bible. Instead, it celebrated the guerilla warfare of Judas Maccabaeus (aka Judas the Hammer) because he rededicated the Temple around 164 BC.

It would be like me saying this story happened when the NASA astronauts were landing on the moon. You’d know that was July 20, 1969. So, our story would have been between December 18-25, 32 AD.1 This isn’t “Once Upon a Time”; this is a fact.

1.2 Tell Us Plainly

Jesus was walking through one of the covered court areas called Solomon’s porch when the Jews surrounded Him. They press Him with this question: “So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly’” (John 10:24). Jesus didn’t come out in open and public settings and declare, “I’m the Messiah.” I invite you to find even one instance of this. But He would do it in private settings, such as with the Woman at the Well (John 4:26). The word “Messiah” was a political and military hot-button kind of word. The word “Messiah” was a dog whistle kind of a word that called all kinds of zealots out of the closet (John 20:30-31). But while Jesus didn’t use the word “Messiah,” anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear could see who He was. Remember, this conversation was taking place during a holiday where they were celebrating a Messianic figure nicknamed “The Hammer” in his attempt to free Israel from Roman rule. Jesus didn’t want to launch that kind of revolution. They wanted political and national deliverance. Jesus came to offer spiritual freedom from ourselves.