Matins Devotion: June 3, 2024

John 10:22-42

Jesus has a fantastic way of cutting to the chase when He argues with His enemies, a lovely way of making them admit what the conversation is really about. So when the Jews implore Him to tell them plainly whether He’s the Christ, Jesus knows what’s in their hearts. They’re not saying “tell us plainly enough so that we can believe in you.” They’re saying, “tell us plainly enough so that we can stone you for blasphemy,” which is precisely what they try to do just a few verses later.

Likewise, when the tell Jesus they want to put him to death because He’s claimed to be the Son of God, he quotes Psalm 82, which refers to the kings of this earth as gods and sons of the most high, and essentially says to them, “seeing how you haven’t ripped those words out of your scrolls, it seems your problem is not that someone called himself the Son of God. Your problem is that I did, because you don’t want me to be the promised Messiah.”

Because Jesus is the Son of God, because He is the eternal second Person of the Trinity, you can’t fool Him. He knows all and sees all. He sees through you when others can’t or don’t. He knows when your good works are riddled with pride and self-righteousness. He knows when your very honest and sincere doubts and fears are just excuses to justify your sin. He knows when you’re just asking questions so you can justify picking up the stone that’s already in your hand.

So put the stones down and run to your Savior. Let go of your sins, your foolish attempt to keep them at a safe distance from the Son of God. Let go of them because He has already taken them. He’s already claimed them and bled for them and died for them. Run to the Savior who is now showing you the nail marks in His resurrected hands and feet. Run to the Good Shepherd who is holding no stones, whose hands are filled with mercy and tenderness for His lost little lambs.