30. JOHN 10 v 31-42: According to the Jews, Jesus was in breach of the Law and according to Leviticus 24 v 16, should be stoned as a punishment. It seems absurd that they should want to kill a man who spent His days doing good, but history has shown that people who are extraordinarily good are often punished unfairly. The crowd of gainsayers made it clear that it wasn't for what He had done, but for what He said that they wanted to stone Him. Jesus, in replying, demonstrated a thorough knowledge of Scripture, quoting from Psalm 82 v 6, which warns against judges acting unjustly. Anyone in those days with a specific calling was often called a god, and Jesus asked why He could not do that as He had a high calling? God His Father had made Him holy so as to do a special task; the Father had DISPATCHED Him into the world as you or I would dispatch a messenger to send a message urgently. Jesus invited His opponents to question and check up on His words, but fundamentally to accept His deeds: who else was doing what He was doing and in the self-giving spirit in which it was being done?

We can see clearly in the Gospel of John that time is now running out for Jesus. However, He manages to strike the balance between avoiding danger to preserve His life and courting danger and throw His life away. He evades the attempts to arrest Him and retires to beyond the river Jordan, the place where He had been baptised and where the voice of God had come and assured Him that He was on the right track.

Perhaps there is a time for you to make a journey back to where you first started out with Jesus Christ? Physically travelling to a geographical place of significance is important for our souls and reminds us of why we started out on this journey, of how far we have come and of the faithfulness of God through all the ups and downs along the way.
May God guide, protect and bless you, David