John 10:34-42
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus. [1]
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What strikes me today is the side comment Jesus makes about Scripture, that it cannot be “set aside.” Sometimes this is translated as “scripture cannot be broken.” The point is that the authority of Scripture cannot be disregarded. Jesus is involved in a disagreement, and He seeks to resolve it by appealing to Scripture, for it cannot be broken or set aside.
What Jesus mentions in passing is in reality a vital part of being a Christ-follower. If I seek to follow Christ then that entails every aspect of my life. But how do I hear His voice? How do I discern His direction? It begins with Scripture, and regarding it as the highest authority. Scripture is not to be set aside when inconvenient, when out of sync with prevailing opinion, and when it confronts and convicts me. Scripture is also not to be set aside when it brings us a word of healing, forgiveness, peace and joy.
If Jesus is my Lord and my God, I must regard His Word, His Scripture, as the final word, and highest authority. Am I doing that in my life? When I’m sorting my priorities? When I’m trying to settle a conflict? When I’m setting my budget? When I’m planning my day? When I’m speaking to family, to friends, to strangers? My prayer life?
his is really what these devotions are about. Starting with Scripture, and determining not to set it aside, but rather to hear the voice of Jesus, and let it lead my prayer for this day, that it might lead my life in a Christ-ward direction. I appreciate you reading about my thoughts and reactions to today’s passage, but I would also encourage you to think about and meditate on what strikes you in the passage each day. After all, God may have a different message or direction for you than for me.
So my prayer is that I follow Christ in His word, not setting it aside.
[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Jn 10:34–42). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
