Once Jesus has declared that he and God are one and the same, the Pharisees once again pick up rocks to stone him to death. Jesus calmly parries their action with a question:
“’…I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God,’” (Jn 10:32-33).
Jesus has set up his answer perfectly:
“’Is it not written in your Law, “I said you were gods”? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came – and Scripture cannot be broken – do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, “You are blaspheming,” because I said, “I am the Son of God”? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father’” (Jn 10:34-38).
The part of the Law Jesus refers to is Psalm 82, which indicts the unjust judges of Israel. Not much has changed in Israel since the days of the psalmist, Jesus is saying, and the Pharisees know exactly what he means – they are now the unjust judges in condemning Jesus to death.
Yet Jesus gives them another chance by advising them to believe in him because of the works that he has done, the magnitude of which has never been seen before, coming straight from God.
Their response? The again try to arrest him, but he again slips away and escapes. By stark contrast, we learn that others have a different reaction:
“He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, ‘John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there” (Jn 10:40-42).
This raises a good question for our times: Does Jesus still do the works of his Father today?
I believe he does, but many of them are not as visible physically as they were when he was living on the earth. Yet we all have stories that can only be explained by the intervention of our Lord when we pray to him in faith.
So there is a contrast in our times between the disunity of unbelief and the unity of faith in Jesus.
Do you have a personal story or ten that could draw someone to perfect unity with Jesus but are you uncomfortable sharing it?
Don’t be hesitant!
Share it lovingly so that yet-to-be believers can see the works of the Father through his Son Jesus, and believe based on those works.
But also sharing these stories with fellow believers is a beautiful way to reach for and to practice perfect unity, which has no stronger foundation than that of Jesus working through the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Tell your stories. Listen to others’ stories. Celebrate the presence of Jesus in your life!
Unity can become contagious!