April 21, 2013 4th Sunday of Easter

John10:22-30

 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

   25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”


“The Plain Truth”

Paul Scherer, one of the great preachers of the 20th Century, writes:

“Before the Word of God can get itself lived, it needs to get itself believed - and what is believed is not always lived.  But before it cannot itself believed, it has to get itself heard - and what is heard is not always believed.  Farther back than that, however...before the Word of God cannot itself heard, it must get itself said - and what is said is not always heard.”     The Word God Sent p. 3

There are two reasons why what is said is not always heard.
Because of the way it is said; and because of the way it is heard.

Jesus had trouble being heard because of the way he was heard.
They did not want to hear what he was saying, so they did everything they could to not hear.  They would not listen!

Is this the root of all unbelief?  The refusal to listen and give truth a chance in our lives.

The request  “tell us plainly” sounds legitimate, fair, reasonable, even honest.  But it isn’t.
It is loaded, bias, suspicious, deceptive.  A trap to catch Jesus and prove his blasphemy.

To look for the "plain truth" may well be a way to not have to face the truth.
For our answers can keep us from hearing the truth.  When we know the answers (the plain truth},  we want to hear only what fits our answers.  We are not open to the truth which is beyond what we believe.  This is self-righteousness in full form!

And what is the truth?
God loves you and me and everyone - “red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight.”
God is like a shepherd who knows his sheep and cares for them.
God is a God of grace who will "never let us down; never let us go; never let is off"; and who is more ready to forgive then we are to confess.

And of this truth it must be said, “The plain truth cannot be known in isolation, it is known (discovered and believed) in relationship.”  It is discovered in the context of our loving and passed on in the context of our living.