"There
is no such thing as a dumb question." Teachers like that line. Jesus
apparently disagrees.
John
builds two important markers into this story: time and place. The time is
"the feast of Dedication." The place is "Jerusalem. . .in the
temple portico of Solomon."
Solomon,
of course, built the original temple and raised Israel to the pinnacle of
empire. The Feast of Dedication ("Hanukkah" in Hebrew) commemorated
the time, about a century and a half before Jesus lived, when Judas Maccabaeus
defeated the occupying Syrians and purified Israel's polluted temple. It is in
that context that the religious leaders ask Jesus if his purification of the
temple amounts to a claim to be Israel's rightful ruler.
Jesus,
in essence, replies, "Duh!"
This
shepherd-and-sheep stuff has nothing to do with gauzy scenes of the
countryside: It is lightly-veiled political language. Jesus declares himself
the rightful ruler of the true Israel who establishes a reign that will not
crumble in a century but instead last beyond death itself. While he does in
fact claim far more than an earthly king, he does not claim any less: My sheep
hear my voice. In other words, my subjects do what I tell them to.
Around
Easter we gather in the church and ask Jesus, "Did you really mean all
that stuff you said about how to live? Do you actually claim complete obedience
in every area of life?"
Jesus,
in essence, replies, "Duh!"
Turns Out There IS Such a Thing as a Dumb
Question!
Doug
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