Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me

Good morning. Again there was a division about Jesus. Some said He had a demon or was crazy. Others – these are not the sayings of one demon possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he? At that time the feast of the dedication – Hanukkah – took place at Jerusalem. The Jews were asking Jesus, how long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ tell us plainly. He had deliberately refrained from saying that in public. He knew that it was not the right time. He did tell the blind man that He was the Messiah. I told you, and you do not believe (they did not understand because they were expecting the conquering hero, not the suffering servant); The works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. (so He repeats the statement from before) My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand. The “never perish” is a double negative which means it is the emphatic negative. My Father who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. And now a statement that really gets them angry: I and the Father are one. [My Bible says that the word “one“ in Greek is neuter – that is, one thing, not one person. The two are one in essence or nature, but they are not identical persons. This great truth is what warrants Jesus’ “I am“ declarations.] This also brings us back to the first verse in John – that declares that the Word was God. Father thank You that You and Jesus are One. We know that when One speaks, the other is in agreement. Meet all of the reader’s needs.