Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 10:22

"And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem:" — John 10:22 (ASV)

The Feast of Dedication, now known as Hanukkah, was established as a memorial to the purification and rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B. C., after its profanation three years earlier by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus, the king of Syria, had captured Jerusalem, plundered the temple treasury, and sacrificed a sow to Jupiter on the temple altar. His attempt to hellenize Judea resulted in the Maccabean revolt, which was successful in defeating the Syrian armies and liberating the Jewish people. Solomon’s Colonnade (or Porch) was a long walkway covered by a roof supported on pillars on the east side of the temple, overlooking the Kidron Valley. Jesus used it as a center for informal teaching and preaching, since there were almost always some people present for worship at the temple. 24 The Jews encircled Jesus and demanded him to make a categorical statement of his identity, to dispel an illusion and/or to enlist their allegiance. Was he the Messiah or not? If so, they wanted him to fulfill his calling by achieving independence for the nation; if he was not the Messiah, they would look elsewhere. They could not escape the fact that his miracles exceeded the powers of any ordinary person and that his teachings carried an authority greater than that of the established religious leaders. On the other hand, he had not formally presented himself as the Messiah, nor had he evinced any political ambitions. 25–26 Jesus’ reply placed the burden of proof on his questioners. He reminded them that his previous sayings and works should be sufficient to establish his messianic mission (cf. 5:16–47; 6:32–59; 7:14–30), but they were refusing that evidence. The reason they did not believe was that they were not his sheep. In saying that, Jesus implied that the main criterion of salvation is not descent from the chosen line, but whether or not people follow him. His immediate hearers refused to believe and thus cut themselves off from further revelation. 27–28 The sheep that are given by the Father to the Son belong to his flock and are characterized by obedience, recognition of the shepherd, and allegiance to him. They, in turn, are guaranteed eternal life and permanent protection. All the resources of God are committed to their preservation. 29 The gift of the Father to the Son is the “sheep” viewed collectively. He assures their destiny, for nobody can wrest them from his hand. Throughout the discourse, Jesus has been stressing his relationship with the Father, his intimate knowledge of the Father (v.15), the love of the Father for him (v.17), and his works done in the Father’s name (v.25). 30 “I and the Father” preserves the separate individuality of the two Persons in the Godhead; the word “one” (GK 1651) asserts unity of nature or equality (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:8). The Jews were quick to apprehend this statement and reacted by preparing to stone Jesus for blasphemy because he, a man, had asserted that he was one with God. For them Jesus’ language did not mean simply agreement of thought or purpose but carried a metaphysical implication of deity.