Morning Moments

Make It Clear!
John 10:22-30

The Disguise of the Skeptics

10:22. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. 24. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus had returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication. He was there just two months prior for the Feast of Tabernacles. Interestingly enough the conversion picks up where it left off in the previous verses regarding the Good Shepherd and his sheep (10:1-21).

From the verses above, we discover there things regarding this skeptical question concerning the Messiahship of Jesus:

The Time Appropriate - 10:22

Notice that those who were always behind the scenes instigating the questions about Jesus usually picked times to their own advantage.
a. It was Cold - winter
b. It was Crowded - Feast of Dedication
c. It was in the City - Jerusalem

The Feast of Dedication was celebrated on the 25th of Kislev, roughly equivalent to our December. It was an eight-day memorial celebrating the rededication of the temple in 165 B.C., three years to the day after it had been defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes.

2. The Temple Audience - 10:23

Although not one of the official pilgrim feasts, it still drew a healthy crowd. The most notable feature of the feast was the special lighting of the temple and many of the private homes in Jerusalem. That is why they sometimes called it "The Feast of Lights."

Jesus was walking around the Portico of Solomon which covered the east side of the temple. It would have been a logical shelter from the cold winter wind and rain as well as the largest place to gather a crowd.

3. The Tempting Antagonists - 10:24

The text indicates that he is literally encircled by the Jewish leaders who were always bold before the crowd in an endeavor to put Jesus on the spot. The question they asked had been answered many times over in many ways, but there were not satisfied. They had many witnesses and if they could get him to confess to them plainly they could use it against him (they thought).

Their question appears reasonable enough, but is designed to trap Jesus. They want Jesus to confess clearly if he thinks he is the promised Messiah. That way they could accuse him openly of blasphemy.

We must realize that there are honest skeptics and dishonest ones. There are those who do not know the truth and desire to know it and those who do not know the truth and do not desire to know it. I'm afraid these leaders knew the truth about Jesus but plainly rejected it.

Do you know anyone like that?

BLESSINGS!