The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. 23 And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
At the Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah), Jesus walks in Solomon’s Portico—a place loaded with Messianic expectation (cf. Acts 3:11). Long associated with the wisdom of Solomon and the hope for a renewed Davidic kingdom, this colonnade in the Temple was a favored setting for rabbinic teaching and public debate, making it a fitting stage for claims—or challenges—concerning the Messiah. He is approached by Jews who demand, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). Yet Jesus responds that He has already told them, not just in words, but in works: “The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me” (v. 25). Their disbelief is not due to lack of evidence, but to a hardened refusal to hear and follow—convinced that He was a blasphemer rather than the true Shepherd (John 10:33).
This passage echoes earlier themes in John 10, where Jesus identified Himself as the Good Shepherd who “calls his own sheep by name” and whose sheep “hear his voice” (John 10:3, 14). The intimacy of that relationship—“I know them, and they follow me” (v. 27)—reveals a profound theological truth: discipleship should be our response to being known and loved by Christ; yet in the exercise of free will, not all choose to follow. Still, to those who do, He gives a share in His risen life, a promise that no one can take away (cf. John 10:28).
Jesus then proclaims a promise of security: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand” (v. 28). This assurance is grounded not in the sheep’s strength but in the Shepherd’s power. The phrase “My Father… is greater than all” (v. 29) emphasizes that the divine origin and destiny of salvation cannot be thwarted. And in v. 30, Jesus declares, “The Father and I are one”—a claim to unity of essence, not merely agreement in mission. Though this divine unity is unique to the Trinity, we are invited, through grace, to share in that communion to the extent of our created capacity, especially in the life to come.
During this Easter season, when the Church proclaims with joy that Christ is risen, this passage invites us to examine whether we have truly heard His voice. As in Jesus’ time, many today seek proof while resisting the Person in whom the proof resides. The Risen Christ stands in our midst—through His Word, His Church, and the channels of grace He has established—yet disbelief persists not merely from ignorance but from a refusal to belong.
To believe is not just to accept a doctrine, but to entrust oneself to the One who offers eternal life. “My sheep hear my voice,” He says. The question that remains is not whether He has spoken, but whether we are listening.
O Risen Shepherd, open our ears to hear Your voice and soften our hearts to follow where You lead. Keep us always in Your hand, and let nothing draw us away from the life You offer. Amen!
O Lord, guide every soul who seeks You
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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