Question:
What did Jesus mean when He said, "if you don't believe in who I say I am, at least believe in the works that I do"?
(John 10:37-38 ESV) "37) If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 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 am in the Father.”
Hebrew / Greek Word Study
Focus Word: Believe (ִπιστεύετε (pisteuete)) = ( Greek / phonetic sound)
Strongs Definition 4100: From the Greek word pistis (faith); to have faith, by implication, to entrust.
Mounce Definition GK: G4409: to believe, give credit to, to believe, have a mental persuasion, to believe, be of opinion
Note: The Greek word believe is a derivative of the Greek word faith. With a little study, you will notice how closely the words are aligned.
Scripture Thoughts:
Jesus had this amazing discourse in which He spoke to the Jewish people that were in the temple which is captured in John Chapter 10:22-29. He spoke to them to prove He was the Son of God. When Jesus says "If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;" This is an important statement because Jesus had already let them know that He and the (Heavenly) Father are One. To say God is His Father is to make Himself equivalent to God (His Father) within Hebrew culture during this time. Let's look at (John 10:27-30 ESV) "27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” Whelp, there was nothing else to be said, because He said what said! This is the reason the Jews wanted to stone Him. (John 10:31-33 ESV) '31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” They knew perfectly well what He was saying, there were no questions left to be asked.
Then Jesus questions them, and asks what good works are you stoning Me for? This is an important question because we must understand the Jews were taught about the 'WORKS' of the Messiah from childhood. As a matter of fact, scripture tells us that from Moses through all the prophets they taught about the Messiah (Jesus). They taught about the works the Messiah would do, the miraculous signs and wonders. (Luke 24:44 NASB) 'Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Even though some of what was taught was misunderstood by some people, a lot of it was very plain before their eyes. This is the reason Jesus said in verse 38) "even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." This is important to note because Jesus was trying to appeal to them concerning their prior knowledge of Him. The issue He had with them, is that they refused to believe in Him, they utterly rejected him, and they had NO spiritual discernment concerning Him. So, it did NOT matter how many great works Jesus did, they were never going to be able to recognize Him because they were blinded because of their unbeliefs.
Can mankind be blinded from seeing the true Messiah Jesus Christ? Scripture absolutely tells us that we can. In (2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ESV) '3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4) In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.' With that being written, Satan has the power to stop unbelievers (people who refude to repent) from seeing Jesus Christ for who He truly is. So even if Jesus is walking right in front of your face doing miraculous signs, you still will not recognize Him for who He truly is because of your desire to hold on to your unbelief.
My Thoughts:
There is so much written about Jesus in the Bible but also outside of the Bible. This is actually great for people who want to study more about what other people said and testified about concerning Jesus. Some of the historical historians and librarians captured the works that He did in their writings and this can be looked up and researched. Some of these people believed that He was God in the flesh and others did not believe He was God but they still testified about His miraculous signs. I encourage you to look up other historical texts if you have questions regarding the validity of Jesus Christ. Also, look at and compare the text to the Bible. One thing I know that you will find for sure is His miraculous works were truly something that no man has ever done before He came into this world. Then once you do the actual work, you make a decision on whether or not you believe Jesus Christ is God or not.
Extra Scripture To Study:
John Chapter 10:22-39
Additional Information:
Closing Thoughts:
Learning who Jesus really is can strengthen and define your faith. I encourage every Christian to go through at least a couple of apologetics classes so that they have the facts concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For people who have questions about Jesus, I would encourage you also to do some study regarding Jesus. One thing I know for sure, God is not scared of being researched and looked at through a fine tooth comb. The truth is not afraid of being looked into.
Challenge:
This week daily, take some time to pray and ask God for help regarding His word and become receptive to it. Don't give up; Satan wants to try to destroy the connection you and the Lord have by any means necessary. The beauty in this is if he is coming after you this hard, I can only imagine the work and blessings the Lord has planned for you.
Take Care Family,
Pastor Charles
©Copyright Charles R. Myles II 2022
Check Out The Book "Wounded Soul: Death Lived Inside Me" by Pastor Charles Myles
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