NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 46
J ohn 1 0 : 2 5
•
page 1822
gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the
Messiah, tell us plainly.” l
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, m but you do not believe. The w
orks I do in my Father’s
name testify about me, n 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. o 27My
sheep listen to my v
oice; I know them, p and they follow me. q 28I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. r 29My Father, who
has given them to me, s is greater than all a; t no one can s natch them out of my Father’s
hand. 30I and the Father are one.” u
31 Again his Jewish opponents p
icked up s tones to s tone him, v 32 but J esus said to
them, “I have s hown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you
stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, be
cause you, a mere man, claim to be God.” w
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, x ‘I have said you are “gods” ’ b ? y
35If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came — and Scripture cannot be
set aside — 36what about the one whom the Father set apart z as his very own a and sent
into the world? b Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s
orks of my Father. d 38But if I do them, even
Son’? c 37Do not believe me unless I do the w
though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand
that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” e 39Again they tried to seize him, f but he
escaped their grasp. g
40 Then J
esus went back a
cross the Jordan h to the p
lace w
here John had been baptizing
in the early days. There he s tayed, 41and many people came to him. They said, “Though
John never performed a sign, i all that John said a
bout this man was true.” j 42And in that
place many believed in Jesus. k
3. Jesus encounters crucial events in Jerusalem
Lazarus Becomes Sick and Dies (165 )
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, l the village of Mary
and her sister Martha. m 2(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was
11
a
29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all b 34 Psalm 82:6
have him drive out the Romans. Many of them, however, wondered if he
had the power to do that. These doubters hoped Jesus would identify
himself so they could accuse him of making false claims to be God, as
the Pharisees had done (8:13).
10:28-29 In the same way that a shepherd protects his sheep from
external threats, Jesus protects his people from eternal harm. While believers can expect to suffer on earth, Satan cannot harm their souls or take
away their eternal life with God. You may face many fearful and dangerous
trials here on earth because this is currently the devil’s domain and he
controls the hearts and minds of many (1 Peter 5:8). But if you choose to
follow Jesus, he will give you peace of mind now and everlasting safety.
10:30-31 Here, Jesus gave the clearest and most dramatic statement
of his divinity. Jesus and his Father are one in being and nature. Thus,
Jesus was not merely a good t eacher—he is God. His claim to be God was
unmistakable. It made the religious leaders want to kill him because Moses’
law said that anyone claiming to be God should die. The Jewish leaders
attempted to carry out the directive found in Leviticus 24:16 regarding
those who blaspheme (claim to be God). Nothing could persuade them
that Jesus’ claim was true. They intended to stone him.
10:34-36 Jesus referred to Psalm 82:6, where the Israelite rulers and
judges are called gods (also see Exodus 4:16; 7:1). If God called the Israelite
leaders gods because they were agents of his revelation and will, how
could it be blasphemy for Jesus to call himself the Son of God? Jesus was
rebuking the religious leaders because he is the Son of God in a unique,
unparalleled relationship of oneness with the Father.
10:35 “Scripture cannot be set aside” clearly affirms the truth revealed
in God’s Word. If we accept Jesus as Lord, we also must accept his confirmation of Scripture’s authority for our lives.
11:1 The village of Bethany was located about two miles east of Jerusalem on the road to Jericho. It was near enough to Jerusalem for Jesus
10:24
lJn 16:25,29
10:25
mJn 8:58
nJn 5:36
10:26
oJn 8:47
10:27
pver 14
qver 4
10:28
rJn 6:39
10:29
sJn 17:2,6,24
tJn 14:28
10:30
uJn 17:2123
10:31
vJn 8:59
10:33
wLev 24:16; Jn 5:18
10:34
xJn 8:17; Ro 3:19
yPs 82:6
10:36
zJer 1:5
aJn 6:69
bJn 3:17
cJn 5:17,18
10:37
dver 25; Jn 15:24
10:38
eJn 14:10,11,20
10:39
fJn 7:30
gLk 4:30
10:40
hJn 1:28
10:41
iJn 2:11; 3:30
jJn 1:26,27,30,34
10:42
kJn 7:31
11:1
lMt 21:17
mLk 10:38
and the disciples to be in danger, but far enough away so as not to attract
attention prematurely.
11:1 When they heard that Lazarus was ill, the disciples may have wondered, Who sinned? or perhaps, What did he do wrong? like they had
for the blind man (9:2). But Jesus clearly explained to his disciples that
sickness and death do not indicate that God has rejected someone or that
the afflicted person has done something wrong (9:3). Neither we nor our
loved ones are exempt from pain and death. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha
were Jesus’ very close friends and disciples. Jesus loved them, yet he did
not rush to spare them grief. The presence of pain and suffering in the
lives of both believers and nonbelievers can teach us that Christians do
not have different experiences in life. Rather, we experience life differently. Our hope in Jesus does not insulate us from life’s difficulties, but
it does provide a way through and beyond them. God can use difficult
experiences for good in our lives in many ways, one of which is to make
us more compassionate servants for him as we comfort others.
11:3 As their brother grew very sick, Mary and Martha turned to Jesus
for help. They believed in his ability to help because they had seen his
miracles. We, too, know of Jesus’ miracles, both from Scripture and
through changed lives we have seen. When we need extraordinary help,
Jesus offers extraordinary resources. We should not hesitate to ask him
for assistance.
11:4 Any difficult situation a believer faces can ultimately bring glory to
God because God can bring good out of any bad circumstance (Genesis
50:20; Romans 8:28). When trouble comes, do you grumble, complain,
and blame God, or do you see your problems as opportunities to honor
him and grow in your spiritual maturity?
11:5-7 Jesus loved this family and often stayed with them. He knew
their pain but did not respond immediately. His delay was not from lack
of love; he had a specific purpose in mind. God’s timing, especially his