Belief, The Means to Belonging

“If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.” John 10:24b-26a

Have you ever had a time when you thought something somewhat important was probably true about someone or something but you were not 100% certain that what you thought was true was actually true? Usually, when you ask if something is true, you can tell in two ways if it is so. First, is there clear evidence as well as testimony supporting the validity of what is ‘true’ or second, is there inconsistency in the development and evidence of the actions that follow? Is there a sign of a cover-up somewhere? Yet, if we observe something that is considered false again we see two possibilities. First, do the actions and witness that follow create persistent confusion and seem to mar the actual idea and lead us to a greater belief that the original ‘thought’ is false or secondly, do we see a persistent objection, rebellion, or a submerged threat coming from deep below the smooth surface that cuts through false notions?

Jesus’ teaching found in the gospels challenged the Jews’ understanding of God and of the one Anointed by God. They could not detect through their own knowledge or understanding if Jesus was truly from God or if He was a fable. Often when we are left with unanswered questions especially on matters that we judge as important matters, we become angry because we want an answer to settle a dispute. When we don’t get the answer we are looking for or when we do not find an answer, anger grows and eventually turns to bitterness and we realize there is a deep hole in our lives that we don’t know how to fix.

The Jews were in a dangerous place on account that they were not certain of Jesus’ identity. Jesus, Himself, says, “I did tell you.” I remember hearing people preach about the answers Jesus gives us. He always says, “Yes, no, or wait…” Yet here Jesus packs several responses in one statement, “I did tell you.” He did not say, “Yes, I will tell you.” or “no, I won’t tell you,” or “Wait, I’ll tell you sooner or later”. Instead he says, all of the above: “Yes, I did tell you,” “no I’m not going to be able to tell you any more than what I already told you,” and “wait, sooner or later if you listen you will hear what I told you before, what you are not believing now, but might still have a few opportunities left to believe.” How much more challenging could Jesus get? Did the Jews need to clean out their ears? Did they need to crank up the volume on their voice recorder or revise and reanalyze their notes? Did they unintentionally miss one of Jesus’ teaching sessions because they were busy bringing their sheep in out of the rain or did they unintentionally miss because they were playing hooky and carousing with the Pharisees?

No matter what led to their uncertainty, Jesus explains what the driving force was behind their actions. “You did not believe.” Belief is the rock that holds loose leaf paper down in a room with a high-wind circulation fan. What you believe about something leads to the way you use something which then influences the nature of manipulated circumstances. The Pharisees manipulated the minds of the people and eventually convinced people to conspire against Him and kill Him. The Jews question is evidence of their lack of belief. Jesus was the bread of life sent by God from heaven. He was the light of the world conspiring to infiltrate the darkness with His light. Jesus still is all this today. He is the gate and true access to knowing the Father and being part of the family of God. Jesus is the good shepherd, but the uncertainty of the Jews came from their disbelief even after He taught them. Belief found deep in the heart of mankind decides if one will eat of the bread of life. Belief must be settled if one’s feet is to tred in the valley, over the hilltop, or go through the snow-capped mountains in the light of the Savior, Christ Jesus. Belief makes the decision if you will merely hold the gate open for sheep to enter or if you to will enter as one of the sheep. Belief decides from the evidence of collected knowledge the character of the shepherd who is coming to gather the sheep.

If the Jews could not believe Jesus Himself, they were to believe the evidence of the works that He did in His Father’s name. Jesus performed signs and miracles. He healed people, and prayed for them, and laid hands on them. Jesus’ actions showed His character. There was no evidence of hypocrisy or of double mindedness within Jesus. The nature of the works Jesus did was in line with the nature of the works of the Father and they were the works of the Father because they were done in the name of the Father. The only way the Jews could become a part of Jesus’ fold was to believe Jesus, but it would cost. It would cost them their relationship with the self-righteous Pharisees and anyone else who disbelieved Jesus, His teaching, and the evidence of the works done in the Father’s name. It would cost them their own inaccurate perceptions of Jesus.

Jesus clearly said to them in verse 26, “You are not my sheep.” We all have a chance at life. Some of us wreck our lives and are given two or three more chances. Some of us wish we didn’t wreck our chances and we wish the chance we had at life looked much different because life doesn’t really make sense anymore. Jesus is aware that the Jews who are not His sheep have had many chances to become His sheep and the vital decision to become His sheep would influence their eternal fate. Life with Him has a defining quality that life without Him does not have. Life without Him carries with it somethings that do not characterize those who live with Him. When it comes down to it, we all will make that decision as to Jesus’ identity as the Anointed One of God and our actions will follow our beliefs.

Perhaps God is asking you what your actions today are evidence of. Are your actions evidence that you are Jesus’ sheep or are you uncertain in your actions? If you are uncertain if you belong to Jesus, then do you recognize that you are a sinner and that you need forgiveness? Do you want to belong to Jesus? You can belong to Jesus if you believe in Him and desire to listen and obey Him. Belonging to Jesus includes growing in your knowledge of Him through participation in and fellowship with a solid Christian body of believers. If you choose not to believe then according to Scripture, your life will be snatched from you and your eternal fate will be spent in hell which was not made for you but for Satan and his demons.

Are you 100% certain today that Jesus loves you and that you belong to Him? How does your life reflect God’s love for you? How are you growing in your faith in Christ?

John 10:27-30 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.