The Truth That Couldn’t Be Stoned

TL;DR: Quick Takeaways from John 10:31–42

• He wasn’t a man trying to become God. He was God who became man.
• Unbelief isn’t passive. It’s a conscious choice to turn away from the only One who can save you.
• If Scripture can’t be broken, then neither can the truth it reveals about Jesus.
• The miracles weren’t just signs. They were the voice of the Father in action.
• Our testimony is the echo of His miracles.
• You don’t have to work miracles to lead someone to Jesus. You just have to tell of the miracle He performed in you.

Each Wednesday, we rewind. Not just to remember what was preached, but to think more deeply about what God is still saying through His Word. It is another chance to open our Bibles, open our hearts, and let the truth settle in.

Last week, we stood in the shadow of one of the boldest statements Jesus ever made: “I and my Father are one.” That declaration was not lost on the crowd. They knew exactly what He meant. He was not simply claiming to be sent by God. He was claiming to be God, and instead of bowing in worship, they reached for stones.

The Accusation of Blasphemy – John 10:31–33

When Jesus said, “I and my Father are one,” He made a direct and undeniable claim of divinity. The religious leaders did not miss the meaning. They knew exactly what He was saying, and their response was immediate. They picked up stones. They were not confused or uncertain. They were enraged.

Jesus did not panic. He did not lash out. With calm authority, He said, “Many good works have I shewed you from my Father. For which of those works do ye stone me?” He had healed the sick, opened blind eyes, and fed multitudes. He had done what no one else could do. But that was not why they were angry.

They answered plainly. “For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy. And because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” Their issue was not with what He had done, but with who He claimed to be.

But they had it backwards. Jesus was not a man trying to become God. He was God who had become a man. As Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

They understood what Jesus was saying. That was not the problem. The problem was that they refused to believe it.

Unbelief isn’t passive. It’s a conscious choice to turn away from the only One who can save you.

To hear the truth and walk away from it is one of the most tragic choices a person can make. These men had the Word made flesh standing in front of them, and they still said no.

The Unbreakable Scripture – John 10:34–36

Jesus then turned their attention to the Scriptures. He quoted Psalm 82, a passage where God referred to human judges as “gods” because they carried out justice under His authority. These were not divine beings, but men entrusted with the responsibility of speaking and acting on God’s behalf.

The verse He referenced was clear: “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High” (Psalm 82:6).

Jesus was not misusing Scripture. He was pointing out what it already said. If divine language could be applied to those who were merely acting in God’s name, how could it be blasphemy for the one whom the Father had personally sanctified and sent into the world to call Himself the Son of God?

Then He said something that carries weight far beyond this moment. “The Scripture cannot be broken.”

If Scripture can’t be broken, then neither can the truth it reveals about Jesus.

Jesus was not challenging the Word. He was standing on it. He was showing them that their own Scriptures, rightly understood, supported His identity and mission.

This one line also gives us a glimpse into how Jesus viewed the Bible. Not as a loose collection of religious sayings, but as the fixed and final Word of God. The truth of God’s Word does not bend to fit human opinion. It does not break under pressure. It does not fail. And yet the very ones who claimed to know it best had missed the One it was pointing to.

They tried to use the Word of God against the Son of God. But Jesus showed them they had misunderstood both. The Scriptures were not their weapon. They were His foundation. And they still are today.

Believe the Works – John 10:37–38

Jesus continued reasoning with them, appealing not only to what He had said but to what they had seen. “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works.”

He invited them to be honest. If they could not yet grasp His words, then let the works speak for themselves. Healing the blind. Feeding the hungry. Calming storms. Walking on water. These were not the works of a fraud. These were the works of the Father flowing through the Son.

The miracles weren’t just signs. They were the voice of the Father in action.

Every time Jesus healed, every time He met a need, the Father was speaking. The power on display was not meant to impress. It was meant to reveal. Jesus was not calling for blind faith. He was calling for honest faith, the kind that listens to what God is saying through what God is doing.

That invitation is still open today. For anyone wrestling with doubt, Jesus still says, look at what I have done. Look at the power I have shown. Look at the cross where I died and the tomb I left empty. Look at the lives I have changed. 

Our testimony is the echo of His miracles.

The way He saved us. The way He carried us through what we thought would break us. That is the work the world needs to see. When people see what He has done in us, they begin to see what only Jesus can do.

Rejection in the City, Belief in the Wilderness – John 10:39–42

The chapter ends with another attempt to seize Jesus. Once again, they try to silence Him, but they cannot lay a hand on Him. He slips away, not because He is afraid, and not because He lacks power, but because His hour had not yet come.

Jesus leaves the city, the place of noise, conflict, and rejection, and returns to the place where it all began. He crosses back over the Jordan, to the very spot where John had first baptized. The place where John had pointed and said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” And the response there is strikingly different. Many believed on Him there.

There were no miracles performed in that moment. No signs to convince the crowd. They simply remembered what John had said. And they believed.

That is the power of a faithful witness. John never performed a single miracle. He did not draw crowds with wonders. But he told the truth about Jesus. And long after he was gone, his words still carried weight. His testimony still bore fruit.

You don’t have to work miracles to lead someone to Jesus. You just have to tell of the miracle He performed in you.

You do not need a platform, a spotlight, or a spectacular story. You just need to be faithful. You need to tell the truth about what Jesus has done in your life. Because when people hear what He has done in you, they begin to see what He can do in them. Jesus is still drawing people to Himself through the quiet witness of those who simply speak the truth about Him.

Join the Journey

This post is part of our ongoing Gospel of John series at Cottontown Baptist Church. Catch the full message from Sunday, and if you're local, we would love to worship with you in person this Sunday at 11 AM.

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