John 10

It is high time I posted a new writing sample. Enjoy...


The book of John is filled with testimony of Jesus doing the will of His Father. Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, He performs miracles and heals. The book, along with the other Gospels, is equally filled with people trying to seize Him and put Him in jail for doing all the wrong things.

Take a minute and read John 10, paying particular attention to verses 19-42. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day did not like Jesus. One could argue they were “out to get Him” for no real reason. Let’s look at it from a completely different perspective.

Imagine you are the boss of several employees. Most of the employees emulate your direction and will do whatever you request, no questions ask. Many of them will even doing things that are not following the rules of the company but are something you have taught them to do. Enter a new employee. This employee has gone through your training. He is liked by most people. He does everything by the book. It drives you crazy because suddenly his good works make yours fade in comparison. You begin to look for things He isn’t doing well; for things against the rules. But true to fashion He is always doing things the “right way.”

The above story is of course a bit of an exaggeration. However, let’s take a minute and look at the similarities. The Jewish leaders were constantly looking for lies to catch Jesus in. They knew Jesus was beginning to lead the Jewish people and wanted to prove Him as a false teacher, with or without the facts. But over and over they find Jesus to be above reproach. He is always doing the right thing.

Verse 32 is a great example of this. It reads, “Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning me?’” This verse makes we want to give Jesus a high five. Right after this He goes on to explain even further how what He has done is right, teaching them from the Old Testament. It’s like the good employee pulling out the handbook and showing you exactly where you are mistaken. Ouch!

Let’s ask ourselves this question: Am I above reproach? Am I living a life that can not be questioned? If the answer is no, why not?