Today I read John 10, where Jesus is talking to the Jews and He tells them He is the good shepherd. This chapter also contains the famous verse about the Nephites and the lost 10 tribes of Israel. Jesus tells the Jews that He has other sheep not of this fold and them also He must bring and they must hear His voice and there will be one fold and one shepherd. The common thought here is that Jesus is referring to the Nephites and He most likely is. In the Book of Mormon, when Jesus visits the Nephites, He tells them that He has still other sheep, the lost tribes of Israel.
Also in this chapter, the Jews ask Jesus to tell them plainly if he is the promised Messiah or not. Jesus replies that He has already told them and showed them miracle after miracle and they haven't believed Him. He then teaches them some more and they become extremely angry and pick up stones to kill Him. Jesus is quite calm about it all and politely asks them for which of His many miracles and good works are they going to stone Him? They answer that they are not going to stone Him for any of His good works but rather for the blaspheme of saying He is the same as God.
I have often wondered, looking back in hindsight as I am, how these people did not realize the futility of arguing with Jesus much sooner than they did. I mean every single instance for at least 3 years, anytime someone tried to match wits with Him, He shuts them down, effortlessly! And why shouldn't He? He wrote the scriptures they are quoting and using against Him!! And so it is with this instance. He asks them that isn't it written in the scriptures that ye, meaning the people, are gods? It is another instance of Jesus turning their own laws and scriptures against them.
But I have to wonder, if they asked Him if He was the promised Messiah, why were they so mad at Him for answering truthfully? I mean weren't they expecting the Messiah to be the Son of God? So why are they so angry with Him for answering honestly? Again it just doesn't make sense to me. But whether their reasons were justified or not, the Jews want to stone Jesus and pick up the stones to do so. Jesus is quite calm about it all and continues to teach them until they try and lay hands on Him, and that is when He escapes out of their midst. It is not His time yet an so He does not let them catch Him.
If we are not careful, one could draw the wrong lesson from this chapter. We are told to emulate the Savior and do as He does. And He always faces His accusers with the scriptures and puts them in their place. But in our day and age we call the Bible Bashing or any other of the colorful names we call it and it is NOT conducive to the Spirit. In our day and age we are told to bear simple, powerful testimony and to make sure that we do not engage in any arguments that would drive the Spirit away from us. Remember, it is not our job to convert, it is our job to bring in the Spirit and to bear testimony. That is what we are supposed to do. It is the Spirit that converts others. As we bear testimony, if the person is prepared to accept the truth, or is sufficiently humble, they will feel the Spirit and will be interested. We cannot convert people by logic. Heavenly Father has purposefully made it difficult to convert anyone on logic alone. We have to convert by the things of the Spirit. But as we bear our testimonies, we will be able to help many people find the truth they have been searching for and will be able to plant many seeds. And that is one of the most wonderful feelings in the entire world. Until tomorrow.
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