John 10: 24-33- People Are Crazy

Read John 10: 24- 33- 

People are crazy.  Jesus had just healed a blind man, but the people are ready to stone Jesus to death because He said the following that Jesus said, “… for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else.  No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  The Father and I are one.  Once again, the people picked up stones to kill Him.  Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works.  For which one are you going to stone me? They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”  

Blasphemy today doesn’t mean nearly as much as it meant in Jesus’ time.  Jesus was equating Himself to be one with God the Father.  That would be a lot for the first century Jewish community to buy.  They talked of a messiah, they studied and believed there would be a messiah, but many of them just could not believe Jesus was the Messiah.  

Today, not a lot is usually said to anyone who says something that contradicts our respect for our Bible or our Christian beliefs.  Some have risen up recently and showed the disparity between the respect shown Christianity and the respect shown to other religions in the American society.  We need to be more protective of our beliefs and be willing to call out blasphemous things when they are done.  

We also need to be sensitive to opportunities to share God’s word when those situations arise so it can be used to promote Christ and not take away from Him.   We are not going to be faced with having to decide if someone is the Messiah or not as the Jewish people were faced with it.  We do need to decide for ourselves if we believe Jesus was the Messiah as He told the Jewish people.  We do still have that decision to make.

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