Willing to Hear?

 

“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

John 10:22-30 ESV

 

Among those who do not believe the gospel, a number of reasons for their lack of faith are given. Many, for example, insist that Jesus was not clear regarding his identity. They tell us that he was not clear when it came to his description of himself and his purpose.

 

This is really nothing new. We see the same excuse made above, as Jesus talked to the Jews during the Feast of Dedication. They stated that he was keeping them in suspense, that he was making them to doubt. And what they wanted to know is if Jesus is, in fact, the Christ.

 

Jesus responded to them, telling them that he had told them. It was plain to them in the things that he said and did. Yet, they did not believe.

 

We see, in the words of Jesus, that the problem was not with him. Their lack of understanding did not result from a problem with his communication skills. Nor did it result from a secretive or a mysterious nature that he possessed.

 

The problem was with them. They did not believe, Jesus said, because they were not among his sheep. They did not believe, because they were not his sheep. They did not believe, in other words, because they were not his people.

 

In saying this, Jesus was not indicating that some are chosen for salvation while others are not. He’s not suggesting that some are chosen to believe, while others are not. It’s not as if some have the inherent ability to hear and follow him, while others do not.

 

In our sinful state, none of us are inclined to hear or to follow him. In our sinful state, none of us possess the ability to understand him. In our sinful state, none of us have the ability to believe in him. Faith itself is a gift that is given to us.

 

He’s laying before them, rather, the difference between those who believe in him and those who do not. Those who are his sheep hear his voice. Those who are his sheep listen to his voice. Those who are his sheep receive what he says to them.

 

It’s these, then, who are known by Jesus. It’s these who follow him. And it’s to these that he gives eternal life.

 

The fault, then, for their lack of understanding was their own. The fault for their lack of faith was their own. It was their unwillingness to listen that stood in the way. It was their stubborn refusal to hear that stood in the way.

 

And the same, you see, remains true today. Jesus has made clear to us who he is and what he has done. But will we hear?

 

Jesus’ sheep, his people, his followers, hear his voice. They listen to his words. They understand what he has taught. And they comprehend the testimony offered to them by his actions. They are known by him, and they follow him.