John 10:23

John 10:23 says, And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. We are told Jesus walked in the Temple in Solomon's porch.  This was done to remember the dedication of a new altar and the cleansing of the second Temple during the reign of Judas Maccabaeus. Jesus came to cleanse not only the Temple, but all the wrong actions and attitudes of worship.  We today have our Christian holidays, but sometimes it seems we lose sight of the significance they have. The religious holidays were not the problem, but how and why they were worshipped were often seemingly forgotten.  We need to ensure that God is honored, no matter the occasion of celebrating what He did for us.  Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny often get more attention than the manger and the cross.  Verse twenty-four adds, 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.  The Jews came to Jesus and asked Him to tell them plainly if He were the Christ, the awaited Messiah.  They asked how long He would leave them to doubt. Their doubt was not Jesus's responsibility.  If someone today doubts that Jesus was and is Who He says He is, it is not because He has been unclear about Who He is.  God calls all people to Christ, and gives them the faith to believe, so if people choose not to believe, it is no one's fault but theirs.  Verse twenty-five continues, Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.  Jesus said He told them, and they didn’t believe Him, and that the works that He did in His Father's name bore witness of Him.  If someone were to ask us today if we are a Christian, we should be able to tell them, but our works should also bear witness to the fact.  Still, they did not believe Jesus. When we witness today, since they did not believe Jesus when He witnessed to them, we should not be surprised if they don't believe us.  Verse twenty-six declares, But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.  He also said in this verse that they were not His sheep, as He had told them.  Had they been, they would have recognized His voice.  Verse twenty-seven adds, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  Jesus said His sheep heard His voice, and He knew them, and they followed Him.   One thing we can say with certainty is that if we are followers of Christ, we must recognize His voice, no matter how He speaks to us.  Jesus had spoken to the Jews with both words and miracles, but most chose to believe neither.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  Jesus said He gave them eternal life, though I still personally think everlasting life is a better description, since the definition of eternal is without beginning or end.  They will never perish nor be plucked from His hand.  We have everlasting security in Christ.  Verse twenty-nine says, My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.  Jesús said His Father Who was greater than all gave them to Him, and no man was able to pluck them out of the Father's hand.  This applies to all believers for all time.  Verse thirty adds, I and my Father are one. Jesus said He and His Father were One.  Someday, we will truly understand that statement, but for now we can only accept and believe it.  We worship one God, through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.