John 10:19-24

¹⁹At these words the Jews were again divided. ²⁰Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to Him?" ²¹But others said, "These are not the sayings of a Man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" ²²Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. ²⁴The Jews gathered around Him, saying, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

As Jesus explains His teaching, division among the people arises once again. Some of them claim that He is a demon-possessed lunatic, to teach things so contradictory to all the religious leaders of the Jews. This is the depth of great wickedness, to call Jesus a demon-possessed lunatic. But the truth, strong enough to maintain itself, cannot be undermined, as others are convinced that no demon-possessed person could speak with such reason and authority. Furthermore, these right-minded folks remind themselves of the blind man’s restored sight. We ought to be deeply grieved that the Church is torn by divisions arising among those who profess the same religion. When schisms arise, note that one or both parties are revolting from God’s pure doctrine. Yet, the fact that wicked men will never be able to hinder the power and goodness and wisdom of God from shining in the Gospel is the only protection of our faith.

So from this passage, let’s take six things away. (1) Jesus knows His sheep (intimately; He knows your name). (2) Jesus leads, as opposed to drives, His sheep; He goes before us down the right path. (3) Jesus feeds His sheep; remember the command to Peter at the end of this gospel; the feeding of the sheep is a great concern of the Good Shepherd. (4) Jesus saves His sheep (v7,9,11,15,17-18), by purchasing them with His life. He is the only Savior. (5) Jesus guards and protects His sheep (v12-13). (6) Jesus seeks His sheep (v16).

Hanukkah is, as Adam Sandler sings, “The Festival of Lights.” That title, of course, fits perfectly with our tour of tabernacle through John’s Gospel, given that Jesus is fulfilling the tabernacle imagery, including here the golden lampstand. Hanukkah (The Feast of Dedication) was not an Old Testament feast day; it was added during the inter-testamental period during the Maccabean revolt, in which Judas Maccabeus led a successful uprising against King Antiochus Epiphanes, who had harshly persecuted the Jews and profaned the Temple by sacrificing a pig to Zeus at the altar in 164 BC. The Jews celebrated their deliverance by the grace of God by lighting candles throughout the city. They remembered the renovations of the Temple, as the word translated “dedication” would better be rendered “renovation” – they had to clean up the mess left by the evil tyrant Antiochus. It’s similar to the Feast of Tabernacles, in the way it is carried out; and John relates this detail, because Jesus is the fulfillment of both feast days. Some say this description by John lends creditability to the apocrypha, especially the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, which is found in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament – the Septuagint. The apocryphal books represent, in most cases, true historical accounts. But they fall short – even self-admitting in some places – of being the inspired word of God. We should, nevertheless, familiarize ourselves with them.

During this feast, there is still a controversy as to whether or not Jesus is the Messiah; and the people ask Him to tell them plainly. They charge His doctrine with obscurity, which, on the contrary, was abundantly plain and distinct, if the men who heard it had not been deaf. Of course, Jesus has already declared to be the Christ, at numerous times, but they have not believed Him on account of their wicked blindness.