The Parables of Christ no. 26
The
Good Shepherd
Rev. Brian Kocourek
This Morning
I would like to take our parable from the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is
my favorite book in the Bible, because it reveals to us so much concerning the character
and makeup of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. No other Gospel writer expressed to us
the relationship that Jesus had to His Father like John did in His
Gospel and 3 Epistles.
The Books
of Matthew and Luke have the most parables contained in them with 21 parables
each. The Gospel of Mark has only 5, and
the Gospel of John has only 1.
As you
know, in Matthew 13:10-13, Mark 4:10-12
and Luke 8:9-10, when Jesus was asked by
His Disciples why He spoke in parables to the people, He said “I speak in parables
unto them lest hearing they should hear and perceive, and lest seeing they
might see and understand and thus I should have to heal them.” And thus we see the parables were given to hide
from the unbeliever the true understanding of the doctrine of God. Because by
just reading them you can come to just any conclusion you want to come to. But
if you know the doctrine, then to read and hear the parables, it will only
solidify your faith in the doctrine of God. And so this morning we will examine
the one and only parable found in the Gospel of John.
I believe the
Gospel of John is not for the un-initiated.
This Gospel according to John is not for the unbeliever, nor is it for the
Make-Believer. It is not for the weak, nor is it for the politically correct. Because
John speaks the Word straight forward and holds back nothing. He lays the truth
out very plain and he is so forthright in the way he lays out the good news,
that if you are weak, or timid, or self righteous, you will not like this Jesus
that John speaks of.
He shows
you the other side of Jesus that most people do not wish to talk about. He
shows us Jesus the warrior, standing toe to toe, and face to face with the mobs
of self righteous church going Pharisees, and we see how Jesus, time and time again backs these cowering mobs
into a corner, before they turn and flee from before His face. And yet, John shows us Jesus, the Good
Shepherd, the man who is willing to take on a pack of wolves thinking nothing
of his own life, all the while showing focus and resolve and concern for the life of even one
little sheep that the Father gave him. For he said in his last prayer to God His
Father before He entered into
Let’s read
it for ourselves. JOHN 17:8 For I have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received
them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they
have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not
for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are
thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified
in them. 11 ¶ And now I am no more
in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep
through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one,
as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those
that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of
perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee;
and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in
themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated
them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou
shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as
I am not of the world. 17 ¶ Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the
world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I
sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them
also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one;
as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou
gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world
may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 ¶
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where
I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world. 25
O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known
thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto
them thy name, and will declare [it]: that the love wherewith thou hast loved
me may be in them, and I in them.
Jesus was
the Good Steward of that which God gave into His hands and the Good Shepherd
that is spoke of in our parable this morning.
Now, this
morning let’s open our Bibles to
JOHN 10:1 ¶
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and
a robber.
Now, I
would like to stop here for a moment and focus on this thought here because
Jesus is making a profound distinction between those who come in through the
door in contrast to those who would try to come in any other way. Now, remember
when He spoke on the parable of the wedding supper, we saw who that one man
came in by some other way, and not by the door. And we saw how Brother Branham
identified that man as a denominational person.
Meanest man in Santa Maria 62-0630E P: Remember in the parable, how one man come in without a
wedding garment? He'd come by the door or some denomination. He had come by a window, not the door.
Or if he'd have come by the door, he'd have got a robe. He come down the way of some creed or denomination. He was throwed
out. He wasn't fit to set at the table. He, First he must be washed, and made
groomed, and anointed. And then he was ready to come in.
Revelation chapter 4 pt 3 throne mercy 61-0108 P:92 See how this man got
in here at the wedding supper, and he come in some other way? Here was the
Door. Jesus said, "I am the Door."
And this wedding table was set here, and the people all setting around, and
here was one man up here that didn't have a wedding garment on. And when the
King come in, He said, "How'd you get here, my friend? How'd you ever get
in here?" It showed that he didn't
come in by this Door. He went in at a window, or come the back way, or
through some creed or denomination. He didn't come by the Door.
Now, if he
did not come by the door, then in that parable he was thrown out into
tribulation period. But in this parable, we see that man is identified by Jesus
as a thief and a robber.
Now, that
brings to mind the old parable that asks the question, “Is a man a thief because he steals? Or does He steal because he is a
thief!”
Now, Jesus
is telling us that those who will not come by the “Door”, and later in this
parable we will see that He tells us He is the Door, and He is the Word, then
these that bypass the Word and yet claim to be in the Message or the sheepfold,
can only be looked upon with one identifier in mind and that is Jesus said they
are nothing less than thieves and robbers.
Now, many
a man has made great fortunes off the backs of the saints down through the
ages. And do you think in this age they are not doing the same thing? If they are spreading the message for the
Love of the word, then why are they charging to do it? Why have they made it a
den of thieves and robbers?
This same
Jesus who told this parable went into the House of God, the Temple, and when he
saw the merchandizing going on in the name of God, He got so upset with them
all that He took tipped over there merchandizing “tables”, made a whip
out of some braided and drove them out
of the Temple.
MATTHEW 21:12 ¶
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold
and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and
the seats of them that sold doves, 13
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of
prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Now, in
our parable notice that Jesus called them thieves and robbers. The word thief
is translated from the Greek word
kleptes which comes from the root
word klepto which we use in the word kleptomaniac, which is derived from the
word kleptomai An obsessive
impulse to steal regardless of economic need, usually arising from an
unconscious symbolic value associated with the stolen item.
Therefore
they are a thief, or an embezzler, a pilferer. But I want you to notice that Jesus
is not just speaking about some common thief here, but this is a spiritual parable,
and thus the thief has to do with that with things spiritual. That is why He is
using a parable here, He is letting us know that those who would bypass
the Word, (which is the Doctrine), have other motives for being in the
sheepfold, and that is to make gain off of the sheep. The root word that Jesus
used here actually speaks of false teachers, who do not care to instruct men,
but abuse their confidence for their own gain.
The
perfect type was Judas, of whom this same Apostle John illustrated to us in JOHN 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very
costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and
the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. 4 Then saith one of his
disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son], which should betray him, 5 Why was
not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This
he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had
the bag, and bare what was put therein.
We also
see an illustration of this characteristic of the false teacher looking out
only for his own self in the Book of Isaiah.
ISAIAH 56:10 His watchmen are blind (now a
watchman is a type of a minister or pastor, who is supposed to watch or stand
guard for the souls of the people.
Brother Branham said, GOD KEEPS HIS WORD
57-0120E E-28 The Bible says,
"Watchman, what of the night?" And if the watchman sees the
enemy coming and fails to warn the people, God said He would require their
blood at the watchman's hand. But if the watchman warns them, then the
watchman's free. So I must warn.)
And yet in
Isaiah we are told that these watchmen are blind, and not only blind, but) they are all ignorant,
they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving
to slumber. 11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have
enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand, they all look to their own way, every one for
his gain, from his quarter.
And so we
see that it is prophesied of the ministry in the end time that they will be
blind, and dumb, which means they can not speak the truth, why? Because they do
not know the truth. They do not know the doctrine, because they are blind and
can not see it, and neither do they understand it, and therefore that is why
they can not preach it, and will not preach it.
And so they busy themselves with kingdom building and they try to build
unto themselves a kingdom for themselves. And Instead of preaching the
Now,
remember we are looking at this word thief that Jesus calls these men
who would bypass the Word, and yet try to come into the Sheepfold some other
way than the Word. And what other way is there? Programs. They will give you
programs, programs, and more programs, and they will build unto themselves
great kingdoms feeding themselves lavishly all the while starving the sheep
they have charge over.
JEREMIAH 50:6
My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to
go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from
mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.
They have
left their first love. And they have forgotten their resting place. And brother Branham taught us that our only
resting place is in God’s Word.
WHY ARE PEOPLE SO TOSSED ABOUT 56-0101
9-4 A Christian has to have, his faith has to have
a solid resting place. You know that, and the only resting place that a
Christian, a true borned again Christian can rest his faith, or hers, is upon
the unmovable Word of God.
FAITH IN ACTION
55-1003 E-26
The only solid resting place for faith is on God's Word.
EZEKIEL 34:1 ¶
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of
Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the
shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should
not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with
the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4 The
diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick,
neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again
that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but
with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 5 And they were scattered,
because there is no shepherd: (the prophet has left the scene) and they became
meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 6 My sheep
wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was
scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after
them. 7 ¶ Therefore, ye shepherds, hear
the word of the LORD; 8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock
became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because
there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the
shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; 9 Therefore, O ye
shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am
against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause
them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed
themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that
they may not be meat for them. 11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I,
even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
(Now, listen
friends, that is exactly what He is here doing in this hour.)
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will
deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And how is
He doing it?
13 And I will bring them out from
the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to
their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of
CHRIST REVEALED IN HIS
OWN WORD 65-0822M 89 The thing that's the matter with the message today
is, those who obtain it in their hearts must lay in the presence of the Son
to get ripened. See? You can pick up the message, and then let the Son bake
all the greenness out of you See?, make you matured Christians. You
see what I mean? God's coming soon to receive His church, and we must have that
type of Christians for Him to receive. The wheat's got to get ripe.
TRYING TO DO GOD A SERVICE
65-1127B 259. Have to lay in the Presence of
the Son to be mellowed up; that's all of it. Plenty green; we haven't got the sincerity,
the sacredness, the thing we ought to have in our midst to know that the
Spirit of the living God, moving in His Word and showing us the things yet.
16
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was
driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that
which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will
feed them with judgment.
And Who
does the judging in the last days? Jesus said in John
JEREMIAH 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over
them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed,
neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
And if you
claim to believe this Message and hang around this message and still deny the
doctrine that God’s vindicated prophet taught, or seek to minimize the doctrine
as some nonessential thing or some secondary thing, then you are nothing short
of a thief and robber, and your main intention is not to proclaim the good
news, for in coming in you are just looking to fleece someone who is already in
the Message.
God's provided way 53-0613 P:36 Brethren, there's no big me and little you then, when you
come by the way of the Door. And then He found a man back there that didn't
have a wedding garment on. He come in some other way besides of the door. And
Jesus said, "Friend, what are you doing here?" And he
was speechless.(notice,
dumb dogs that can not bark.)
And you try to climb up your own moral stepladder or by some
creed or some church, brother, you're going to find yourself the same way.
Every man that comes by the Door is going to get the same robe. And that robe is the baptism of the Holy
Ghost. Every man takes the same tonight.
Unpardonable sin 54-1024 P:57 No wonder
Jesus said, "A man come in without the wedding garment on." He said,
"Friend, what are you doing here? Who brought you in here?" And the
man stood helpless, In the parable there. The bridegroom in the Orients today,
the bridegroom sets the wedding supper.
And when he did, it's up to him to furnish the robe. Jesus Christ set
the Wedding Supper at the end of life, and it's up to Him to furnish the
preparation of the robes. And at the door, the porter, as it was, or one of his
close friends, stood there. (and I’d like to add, what is a
ticket, but a token) And every man that come up with a ticket got the same kind of robe. They put it on
him. If he was in rags or if he was in
broadcloth, just the same he wore the robe 'cause he looked just exactly like
the rest of them. That's exactly right. And brother, when we come to the
Wedding Supper, we've got to have on the same robe that
Now, Jesus called them that would
bypass the Door a thief which we have already went into, and he also called
them robbers.
Now, I want to show you how this
parable ties in with the parable of the wedding garment.
Brother Branham said, from GOD'S PROVIDED WAY 59-0415A
E-41 What is this robe?
When you wear the robe of Christ, you should have the Spirit of Christ in you.
And the Spirit of Christ will act like Christ. It will do the works of Christ.
It will be gentle, long-suffering, goodness, mercy, meekness, patience, with
the Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, that's the Spirit of God
that comes when you're robed with His righteousness. His Spirit lives within
you.
And
this man was speechless. He come by... Maybe, he say, "Well, wait a
minute. I'm a Presbyterian, Methodist, or I'm a Pentecostal." That had
nothing to do with it. See? He didn't
come by the door, and he failed to get a robe. For Jesus said, "I am
the Door to the sheepfold." And if you come, you can't come by the
Methodist church; you're a thief and a robber. You can't come by the Baptist
church; you're a thief and a robber. You can't come by the Pentecostal church;
you're a thief and a robber. You've got to come by Jesus Christ. That's the
only way you can ever come to Him, is to come by Jesus. And when you pass through Him, He throws His love, a robe around you,
and leads you to the fold and we're living on the Hallelujah side, Coming by the door...
JOHN 10:1 ¶
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and
a robber.
Now, we
know that the thief is one who would come into the sheepfold as a false
teacher, and would hold back the truth in unrighteousness as Paul said in Romans 1:16 For the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who
hold the truth in unrighteousness; and Jesus said in Matthew
23:13 ¶ But
woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of
heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them
that are entering to go in.
And since they are false teachers
they are also robbers, and the word robber was translated from a completely
different Greek word, lestes
meaning a robber, someone who plunders, a freebooter, a brigand and is
not to be confused with a thief which is one who takes property by stealth.
And St Peter also warned us of these kind of
teachers in II PETER 2:1
¶ But there were false prophets also
among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and
bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their
pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3
¶ And through covetousness shall they
with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long
time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Now, I
want you to notice the motives of these false teachers. They enter in among you and bring with them
alongside of true doctrine, their own destructive heresies, and these heresies
deny the one who bought them.
Now, the
Apostle John said,
I JOHN
And their
motive for bringing in their false doctrine is to make merchandise of the
sheep. And through
covetousness shall they with feigned words (those are
pretencious words) make merchandise of you. Just think of it,
their main goal is merchandising. Selling and making money from what they sell.
And who is being merchandised? The Sheep of course. That’s why I will not sell
anything concerning this Word. Everything we have has been given away. The
scriptures say, Buy the truth and sell it not.
2 But he that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; (and who
is the porter? He is the door keeper. The keeper of the door, or the keeper of
the Word which is the Holy Spirit. Now, let me continue to read, because some
of this is so straightforward that we do not even need to comment on it. ) and the sheep
hear his voice: and He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
(leadeth them out of what?
Behold the bride groom, come out to meet Him. Behold the Judge standeth
at the Door. The word knocking at the door. ) 4 And when He putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his
voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee
from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Now, this
is worth commenting on because we have so many strange voices in the land today
and the people ought to be ashamed of themselves for listening to these strange
voices. And just remember, that little girl just stopped to listen to the music
and before she knew it she was in the arms of her old lover and out dancing on
the floor. And did not realize she had taken on a demon that looked like a
great big hairy bat.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto
them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, “I am”
the door of the sheep.
SUPERNATURAL THE 56-0129
E-4 The shepherd himself becomes the door.
There's a corral, like a place with shelter over it. And he brings in all the
sheep and puts them in there, then he goes and lays down across the door. And
the sheep, or the wolf can't come in, or the sheep go out without crossing the
shepherd. I thought, "Isn't that wonderful." See, He is the Door to
the sheepfold. See? Nothing can come to the sheep unless the shepherd permits
it. And if we got the Shepherd at the door, how secure and happy should we be.
Satan can't touch you unless the Shepherd permits it. And it's all for the good
whatever it has to be. See what I mean?
And didn’t
Jesus say, “No man can come unto the Father except through
me”?
8 All that ever came before me are
thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door:
by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill,
and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they
might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd
giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not
the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and
leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the
sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth
not for the sheep.
Now that about
says it all. The hireling is in it just for the money and what he can get out
of it. he’s a hireling. He’s a voted in pastor. God has placed in the church, a
five fold ministry, but then there are hirelings, that must be voted in. And if
you can vote them in you can also vote them out. But no one can vote in what
God has placed in the church. Brother Vayle hit it right on the head when he
said, if you are the founding pastor of a work you are not voted on. That work
is your work and the people are there because of your ministry. But if you are
voted in then you can be voted out just as easy. But when God has called you
and placed you, then that is your work that God has called you to do, and the
sheep will come to you. You do not go out to find the sheep, the sheep will
come to where the food is. Where the carcass is, the fresh kill, there the eagles will
gather.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know
my sheep, and am known of mine.
And this
is important, because if you do not know the Good shepherd, then how do you
know whether he is the shepherd or just a hireling called in to do a job? And
if voted in to do a job, he can be replaced by others. But if placed their by
God Himself, he becomes implace-able. You do not replace one ministry with
another. No, God moves on and so do his
people. One man does not take over for another man. That is man’s way
and man’s system. Lee Vayle did not take over for brother Branham. Br. Vayle is
a teacher and Brother Branham was a prophet.
And if
there is a Prophet, there must be a teacher. And if a teacher there must be an
Apostle to the nations, One sent by God, and if an Apostle there must also be
an Evangelist, and if an Evangelist, there must also be a Pastor and so on if
there be a five fold gift to the church.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so
know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Now, if He
is His own Father, then this would be a very dumb thing to say. But notice this next verse, because it deals
with you and me.
16 And other sheep I have,
which are not of this fold (that’s us) them also I must bring,(and that is future
tense) and they
shall hear my voice; (and that is also future tense) and there shall be one
fold, and one shepherd. (so those in Alpha and those in Omega
are but one fold. They without us can not be made perfect. )
17 Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it
from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I
have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Now, that
does not sound like someone who is both Father and Son. It sounds like this is
the Son of God speaking and who is totally dependent upon saying what the
Father told Him to say.
19 ¶ There was a division
therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. 20 And many of them said,
He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? 21 Others said, These are not the
words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? 22
¶ And it was at
Now, do
you really think they were being honest when they said that? No way! They just
wanted to catch him saying it so they could accuse him of blasphemy.
25 Jesus answered them, I told
you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear
witness of me.
In other
words he was saying, Look, you don’t have to believe me, but The words are an
avindication that God is doing these things through me, and thus if God is
doing these things through me, then God must be with me. But do you think they
could think in those terms. NO way! And do you know why? Because they thought
God was with them. And if they had to acknowledge that God was with Jesus then
they would have to repent and admit they were wrong.
26 But ye believe not, because ye
are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no
man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and my Father
are one.
Now, for
you Oneness that may be reading this on the internet, don’t get too uppity yet.
You had better read on here. Because Jesus is going to explain what he means by
saying I and my Father are One.
31 Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed
you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews
answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy;
and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Now, that is just like the world.
Jesus never made Himself God? He simply said He was one with the Father. And
for saying he was One with the Father, they could not understand that language
and so they said he was trying to make Himself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not
written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto
whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye
of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou
blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Notice the
logic that Jesus is using. He quotes from the Scriptures, and shows them where
it is perfectly legitimate by the scriptures to say He is “a god” because the
word of the Lord came to Him, but He doesn’t do that…No, instead he says, I
didn’t even go that far. I simply said “I am the Son of God” and you try to make what I
said to say, “that I am God”. You see how
twisted their minds had become because they did not understand the Godhead,
therefore, they made up all kids of lies like they still do today saying we
preach two Gods. And that is because they just can not rightly divide the Word
of Truth. Then notice how Jesus immediately goes to vindication, but they turn
that down right quick.
37 If I do not the works of my
Father, believe me not. 38 But if I
do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know,
and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. 39 ¶ Therefore they sought again to take him: but
he escaped out of their hand, 40 And went away again beyond
Let’s bow
our heads in prayer.