John 10:22-33
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” [1]
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One phrase from this passage jumped out at me in particular this morning: “The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me.” Jesus said this in response to a request to provide information regarding His identity. His answer was simply that His life is His testimony regarding who He is. His life testifies about His relationship with His Father as well as His Father’s will in the world.
Can I make the same claim? “The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me.” Do my works provide a testimony about my identity? Or to put the question in another way, what do my works indicate about my identity? What Jesus is saying here is that the works we do, the way we live our lives, the choices we make, indicate who were are, beyond what we may claim for ourselves.
If someone asks me, “Are you a Christ-follower?” can I rely on my works to answer the question? I may claim to be a Christ-follower. I may engage in some activities that point in that direction (go to church, etc.). But what about the rest of my life? The way I treat people. The decisions I make. The priorities I choose. The way in which I handle hard times and conflicts. Whether I hold grudges or forgive. My willingness to share my faith.
My prayer today is that my life today testifies to my relationship with my Lord. I pray that in the things I do, the way I live, others may clearly see that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.
[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Jn 10:22–33). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
