ITW John's Gospel July. #29

Known, Loved, and Not Forgotten

There’s a quiet strength in Jesus’ words here. There is an unshakable assurance that God is still holding everything together no matter what storm is brewing.

We move from bold declarations of divine authority to the slow unfolding of a personal story: a man named Lazarus has fallen ill, and his sisters send word to Jesus.

But before the story takes that turn, Jesus says something that grounds our hearts.

“I and the Father are One” (John 10:29–33)

In verse 29, Jesus says:

“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

This echoes what He just said about being the Good Shepherd. Now He adds that you’re held not just in His hand but also in the Father’s hand.

And then He makes one of the most significant statements in the Gospels:

“I and the Father are one.” (v. 30)

This is where the tension escalates. To His listeners, this wasn’t poetic language. It was a claim of deity. They pick up stones, ready to kill Him for blasphemy.

Jesus pauses and asks them to think:

“I’ve shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” (v. 32)

They reply, essentially, “It’s not about your miracles. It’s what you said. You, a man, claim to be God.”

And in a way, they’re right.
But what they miss is the truth behind the claim.
He’s not just a man claiming to be God. He IS God who came near in the form of a man.

They couldn’t reconcile the signs they saw with the assumptions they held.
Their hearts were closed, so their eyes remained blind.

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