10.5 - The Cost of Connection and Contribution
How Jesus Modeled a Life of Purpose Amid Daily Danger
So, what's in it for Jesus? Jesus has spent time trying to open the imagination of his Jewish brothers so that they see God not as a distant, heavenly ruler but as a closely connected father and the messiah, not as an emerging, earthly ruler but an ordinary man with God within him. His teaching emphasized a profound connection with God (“The Father and I are one”) and with others (“My sheep hear my voice”), a connection that would lead to a fulfilling life. He modeled this life of connection and contribution, approaching each encounter, whether Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the hungry 5000, or the man born blind, with the question, “How can I enhance the life of the person in front of me?” So, what was the payoff for Jesus?
31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him.
I often think of Jesus "laying down his life" as what happened on Friday of Easter weekend, but John shows that this was a common occurrence by inserting the word "again" in verse 31. “The Jews took up stones again to stone him.” Let that sink in a minute. He lived with the threat of the “Maundy Thursday arrest” and “Good Friday execution” looming over his shoulder at all times.
Imagine this: He could've been a successful craftsman, a husband, and a father who spent his life raising and retiring in a family that loved him. Instead, he chose to lay that life down to be a rabbi, ministering to and expanding the understanding of his people. The consequences were with him daily. I had never thought about it like that before.
Also, I can't be too quick to cast aspersions at the would-be stone-throwers. They were not violent rabble-rousers but knowledgeable, God-fearing men raised in a systematic society with self-protecting rules and regulations. These men had dedicated their lives to maintaining the religion of their ancestors, as the old hymn says, “Faith of our fathers! Holy Faith! We will be true to thee till death!”
They have been fully acculturated to their times, just like we have been to ours. Why else would we have fought so hard to keep from giving women the right to vote and equal pay, block our school doors so minorities could not attend, and split our churches rather than allow everyone to worship? Culture can blind any of us to the truth, but I digress.
Walking the Path of Oneness with God Despite Threats
32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human, are making yourself God.”
Jesus lived and taught under the threat of being stoned yet remained calm. Why? How? His connection to God was more potent than his connection with his physical life, and he had turned his heart toward the people. So, with the skill of an expert attorney, he directed their attention toward his actions and asked them for evidence worthy of stoning. There was none, so they turned to his claims of being one with the Father.
And not just for these guys; it can be challenging for anyone to understand this concept of oneness. Humans tend to view God as "up there and unapproachable" while being down here and feeling unworthy. However, later, we will hear Jesus pray that we would realize that God is within us, just as a father is within his son. Paul also taught that we live, move, and exist within God. We are within God, and God is within us - an all-encompassing definition of oneness.
How challenging it is to accept this understanding of our nature! It’s easier for God to be up there and angry while we are down here trying to appease or ignore him. Perhaps it’s a mental mechanism to dilute our sense of responsibility for this continuous relationship - this oneness. To better grasp this idea, compare a long-distance dating relationship with a marriage. Marriage carries more responsibility, but it is also more rewarding.
The above passage, with Jesus’ question about his works and the crowd’s response about his beliefs, also highlights the human tendency to judge people more for what they believe than for what they do. Think of today's polarized culture, where we tend to accept or reject, even like or dislike, people based on their religious and political affiliations. All the while, Jesus teaches us to focus on the actions (works) and trace them back to the heart (intentions).
“I can’t believe what you say because I see what you do.”
A note to my grandchildren and their children: We can practice this. As you encounter people, focus less on their words and more on their actions. When you see a positive action, think, "What was the motivation for that?” Compliment the action and then go one step further and acknowledge the intention.
Here's an excerpt from a Psychology Today article by Jim Taylor, PhD., relating this to effective parenting: You should direct your praise to areas over which your children have control — effort, attitude, responsibility, commitment, discipline, focus, decision-making, compassion, generosity, respect, love; the list goes on. You should look at why your children did something well and praise those specific areas. For example, "You worked so hard preparing for this test," "You were so focused during the entire chess match," and "You were so generous for sharing with your sister."
Redefining God and the Messiah: A Radical Invitation to Connection
But let's return to our story as Jesus answers the accusation: "You are making yourself, God. " He pulls pages from their playbook, Psalms 82 and 89, I Chronicles, 2nd Samuel, and Jeremiah, and offers a logical, if-then proposition.
34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.
I could get carried away with how brilliantly Jesus handles his accusers, but let's not. Instead, let's focus on what he says and how it relates to us: “The Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” My initial response might be, “Yes, but that was Jesus." I have to be careful not to start building that roadblock by remembering his prayer that we would realize this oneness with the Father and him.
He even told his disciples they “will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these.” These works demonstrate that the Father is in us, and we are in the Father. If you're not comfortable with the terms "God" and “Father,” contemplate it this way, “The life force that created the universe created me and is within me, working through me.” Two thousand years ago, this realization gave birth to the “Holy Spirit" (lifeforce) among the disciples during Pentecost. Since then, this realization has continued to usher in the "baptism of the Holy Spirit."
Let’s demystify it a bit: When Jesus lived, he said he did what he saw (in his spirit or imagination) God doing - in his words, “the works of my Father.” Today, when an individual listens and obeys their spiritual consciousness, they can perform the works of “God.” They are, in effect, doing what God would do if he were in their situation. Most often, it's effortless: a smile, a word of encouragement, a helping hand, money, time, etc. Isn't it more complex, more religious than that? Not necessarily.
And remember, my actions reflect my true identity.
Cultural Blindness and Resistance to Change
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
While facing acceptance and rejection, sharing his deepest spiritual beliefs, and dealing with threats of arrest and stoning, it seems that Jesus needed a break from city life. He sought an area where the people were less invested in protecting the status quo. In Jerusalem, many were employed by or had close ties to the temple, making them weigh the pros and cons of any different teaching and consider "what's in it for me" or "what have I got to lose?" We know this feeling: it’s as if a dollar sign was attached to any decision, and loss aversion kicks in.
Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman points out that loss aversion is a significant motivator. "Losses loom larger than gains,” he says, “the discomfort associated with loss is believed to be psychologically about twice as intense as the joy derived from gains. Consequently, individuals often take risks to avert losses rather than to secure gains.” Today, contemplating a shift in our relationship with the Creator can evoke fear of losing our comfortable life with its familiar thought patterns. Regrettably, this fear may hinder us from embracing the richness of life that lies ahead.
The Valley Revisited
"So, you're a Parkview fan," the cardiologist asked as he stood over me in the Cath Lab that fateful night of a heart attack in 2015. He then wished me luck, told me to lie still, and started the CAT scan, looking for the blockage that had brought me there. For the next few dark, lonely minutes, I could only think, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
Those words returned to me as I watched Jesus walk through this 10th chapter of John. He is a living demonstration of that part of the 23rd Psalm as he followed the “voice within” along the dangerous path of his life. The Psalmist said, "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake.” Jesus’ "paths of righteousness" led him from his family to the people, by the well in Samaria, to the woman caught in adultery, to the man born blind, and to Solomons's portico at the temple that became his current “valley of the shadow of death.” Again, "he feared no evil.” As John tells in his story, the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus calmly replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?”
Living with the Constant Threat of Rejection and Violence
I realized that each day and every decision demonstrated his “choice architecture.” Choosing which path to take involved "laying down his life” repeatedly. It wasn't a passive, victim-like existence. Instead, it was an abundant life filled with action, good deeds, friendships, laughter, and tears—all while prioritizing his relationship with the Father at each crossroads.
In so doing, he transformed from a humble carpenter's son, who should have never been known outside Galilee, to the spiritual leader with the most significant impact on the world as we know it.
In and between the lines of the gospel writers, we see that he honed the skill of “hearing his voice” during hours of silence and weeks in the wilderness. As with any skill, was there a trial-and-error period, a time of learning through mistakes? Well, if it's not too much for the imagination, perhaps that's what happened between the hidden ages of 12 and 30.
To think this way challenges my view of Jesus as someone born with superhero powers whose actions were all predetermined. Despite that, I must, at least, entertain this opposing idea that he developed a way of making choices and a way of life that he thought was duplicatable. If not, his command to disciples, then and now, to "go and do likewise" will never be relevant; it will dilute my sense of responsibility, and no transformation will ever be possible.
My Key Takeaways
Jesus encouraged a shift in thinking—that God is not a distant, unapproachable figure but a loving Father intimately connected to His children.
He also redefined the idea of the Messiah, not as a powerful ruler but as a man filled with God’s presence, inviting others into this relationship.
Jesus lived under the daily threat of being stoned for his teachings yet remained calm. He always turned his heart toward those he encountered, asking how he could enhance their lives.
Like the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, cultural norms can prevent us from seeing the truth and make us resistant to spiritual transformation.
Jesus’ teachings challenge us to question long-held beliefs and push us to embrace a deeper connection with God and others, even when uncomfortable or threatening, and “go and do likewise.”
