Did Jesus ever actually say he was God? Did he ever say he was the Christ? We may find it frustrating that Jesus was often cryptic about saying so. He’s only clear about his identity a couple times, and even those times are in private; besides those, it seems like we’re supposed to rely on the miracles he works and the vague parables he teaches. Many people think that if Jesus were the Messiah, he would have announced it much more plainly than he did. Renowned philosopher Bertrand Russell, a proud atheist, argued that if he were to die and see Heaven and be rebuked for his unbelief, he would spit back at God, “Not enough evidence!” Was he right? Is our faith in Jesus built on guesses?
Jesus’ answer is cutting. Lack of belief is never actually a matter of evidence. Those that don’t believe, Jesus says, are simply not his sheep. They don’t believe because they simply can’t bear to. Imagine, for example, that you’re a Pharisee in Israel, and then a nobody from the sticks of Nazareth starts performing signs and teaching about the coming of the kingdom of Heaven. This guy is a threat to you! You have worked hard to achieve status and recognition, but now if this guy is the Messiah, all your power is threatened. You love the self-exalting world you’ve built for yourself. You can’t afford to believe in Jesus; that whole world would come crashing down. At this point you may realize you don’t have to be a Pharisee for that to be your thinking.
But then there are those with the humility—nay, the truthfulness—to admit that they cannot depend on themselves, but in fact they can always depend on Christ Jesus. Those with this sheep-like humility recognize that the evidence Christ has given us of his identity is more than sufficient, because it in fact is. We in fact have all we need to know with certainty that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And if we believe that and place our full dependence on him (because he is a good and dependable shepherd), then we will have life eternal, and no one will be able to snatch us from his loving hand.
