Gospel Notes by Michael Whelan SM
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one” (John 10:27-30 – NRSV).
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Introductory notes
General
This Gospel passage is situated during “the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem” – see John 10:22. Situating Jesus’ and his teaching in the context of this Feast is highly significant. It evokes memories precious to Jesus’ listeners: “This relatively recent celebration was instituted to commemorate the rededication of the Temple after Judas Maccabeus’ successful campaign to take possession of Jerusalem in 164 b.c.e. In 175 b.c.e. Antiochus IV ascended the throne in Syria. He planned to extend his rule into Egypt but he first had to consolidate his authority over the outlying areas of his present rule (cf. 1 Macc 1:41). The Jewish people resisted him, but he found support among segments of the Jewish aristocracy and priesthood. He deposed the rightful high priest, Onias III, and sold the priesthood to Onias’ brother Joshua, who changed his name to the Greek ‘Jason’. A gymnasium was built in Jerusalem (1 Macc 1:11–13), and Jews hid their circumcision as they participated naked in the events of the gymnasium. They disowned the sign of the covenant. Antiochus, now calling himself ‘Epiphanes’ (“the manifest God”) decreed that all should worship Zeus Olympios, so that the people ‘would forget the law and change all the ordinances’ (1 Macc 1:49; cf. vv. 41–50). Opposition led to persecution and death (1 Macc 1:60–64; cf. 1:56–58). On the fifteenth of Chislev in 167 b.c.e. a sacrifice to Zeus was offered in the Temple on a pagan altar built over the altar of holocausts. This new altar was called ‘the desolating sacrilege’ (1 Macc 1:59; cf. Dan 11:31).
“These events led to the revolt initiated by a Jewish priest, Mattathias. Through a remarkable series of events and fortunate coincidences his son Judas eventually had the better of the Syrian forces, finally defeating them in 164 b.c.e. (1 Macc 2:1–4:35). His first task was the purification of the Temple. The ‘desolating sacrilege’ was torn down and a new altar of holocausts erected. The Temple area was rebuilt and refurbished. Lamps were set up to illuminate the sacred ground once again, marking the restoration of Temple order (1 Macc 4:46–51; cf. 2 Macc 10:1–4). The Temple was rededicated on the twenty-fifth of Chislev, 164 b.c.e., three years after its defilement, and this event was commemorated each year in the celebration of the feast of the Dedication” (Francis J Moloney SDB, The Gospel of John, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998, 312-313).
Unlike the religious authorities – who are more like those who betrayed the Covenant in the time of Judas Maccabaeus – Jesus is the faithful one, the “good shepherd” who lays down his life for the sheep and restores the loving intimacy of the Covenant.
Specific
My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me: The Greek verb akouō may be translated as “hear” or “obey”. The idea of obedience in the Bible is a very rich one. It means much more than “doing as one is told” – see notes for Second Sunday of Lent (Feast of the Transfiguration). Hear/obey implies intimacy and trust. The true disciples have this relationship with Jesus – in contrast to the religious authorities. Francis Moloney writes: “Many themes from earlier parts of the Gospel are gathered in these few verses” (Francis J Moloney, op cit, 320). “A believer ‘hears’ (1:41; 3:8, 29; 4:42; 5:24, 28; 6:45; 8:38, 43; 10:3, 16), has ‘eternal life’ (3:15, 16, 36; 4:14, 36; 5:24, 39; 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68), ‘follows’ Jesus (1:37, 44; 8:12; 10:4, 5), and ‘is not lost’ (3:16; 6:12, 27, 39; 10:10)” (Op cit, 315).
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish: Jesus is clearly taking the metaphor to another level. He says in 10:10 he will give them ‘life to the full’. The language is altered but the message is essentially the same: ‘I give them eternal life’. The ‘full’ life becomes the ‘infinite’ life. What is more this infinite or eternal life is his very own life. Belief in Jesus, on his terms, brings life and no one can take it away because he and the Father are one. What becomes obvious here is that the “life” on offer is the very being of Jesus himself.
“To his own sheep, then, Jesus gives eternal life (cf. notes on 1:4; 3:15). In terms of the sheep metaphor, Jesus has already said that he gives them ‘life … to the full’, abundant life (v. 10); now he plainly states that such life is his own eternal life, frequently ‘hidden’ in the Gospel under the figures of water, bread, light, good pasture. The consequence of his knowing his sheep, and of his gift to them of eternal life, is that they shall never perish. It could not be otherwise, if they have eternal life (cf. notes on 6:51, 58; 8:51, 52; 11:26). Even so, the focus is not on the power of the life itself, but on Jesus’ power: no-one can snatch them out of my hand, not the marauding wolf (v. 12), not the thieves and robbers (vv. 1, 8), not anyone. To think otherwise would entail the conclusion that Jesus had failed in the explicit assignment given him by the Father, to preserve all those given to him (cf. notes on 6:37–40). The ultimate security of Jesus’ sheep rests with the good shepherd” (D A Carson, The Gospel according to John, Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1991, 393).
The Father and I are one: See Jesus’ priestly prayer – John 17:21. See also John 10:38, 14:11 &20, and the parable of the vine, 15:1-17. The ultimate implication is that Jesus is offering his disciples a share in the communion he has with the Father. “I give them eternal life . . .”
History and holiness
In today’s Gospel – John 10:27-30 – we have two highly significant historical references. The first reference is found in the image of the sheep and the shepherd introduced at the beginning of this chapter. That imagery echoes the prophet Ezekiel who proclaimed his message to the Israelites in Exile near the beginning of the sixth century BCE. Ezekiel begins with a resounding condemnation of the failures of the religious leaders, then he prophesies: “The Lord Yahweh says this: I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it” (Ezekiel 34:11-12).
The second reference, is found in the context of Jesus’ teaching: “It was the time of the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem” – verses 22-33. Fr Raymond Brown writes: “For three years, 167–164 b.c., the Syrians had profaned the Temple by erecting the idol of Baal Shamem (the oriental version of Olympian Zeus) on the altar of holocausts (1 Macc 1:54; 2 Macc 6:1–7). This pollution of the holy place by the ‘abominable desolation’ (Dan 9:27; Matt 24:15) came to an end when Judas Maccabeus drove out the Syrians, built a new altar, and rededicated the Temple on the twenty-fifth of Chislev (1 Macc 4:41–61). The feast of Dedication was the annual celebration of the reconsecration of the altar and Temple” (Raymond E Brown, The Gospel according to John (I–XII): Introduction, translation, and notes (Vol. 29), Yale University Press, 2008, 402).
The Feast of the Dedication summoned the people to remain steadfast to the law. Jesus uses this occasion to remind his listeners that the very reason for this steadfastness is God’s steadfastness: “I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it.” God’s initiative, God’s presence, God’s love, is the beating heart of the Covenant! And this unfolds within human history.
Recall God’s promise to Moses: “I will be with you as I am, shall I be there!” – Exodus 3:1-15. This promise is active throughout history. It is not a promise to establish a problem-free existence. Nor is it a guarantee that the effects of the sin of our first parents will disappear. It is a promise that human history is the dwelling place of God.
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council wrote: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of human beings. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father and they have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for everyone. That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with humankind and its history by the deepest of bonds” (Gaudium et Spes, #1).