John 10:39-42, The Great Escape

39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." 42 And many believed in him there. 

As they reached for their stones, Jesus escapes their grasp to leave Jerusalem for the last time. Having shown he is the fulfiller of their feasts, Jesus has one last feast to fulfill upon his return: Passover. But before he does, he has one final sign to perform outside Jerusalem that requires him to be away for a period of time. He goes to a familiar place, the place we first meet him in the gospel by the Jordan River, the place where John the baptizer called him “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” 

Many people follow Jesus in the countryside, no doubt supporting and encouraging him, who knows his time is short before undertaking God’s divine plan in Jerusalem. They speak approvingly of John’s ministry but particularly of his honesty in describing Jesus and his ministry, which stands apart Jesus’. John points to Jesus, who, unlike John, performs signs. These miraculous signs reveal his divine authorization. Like John, Jesus points to himself, and people believed. 

Like John, followers of Jesus are tasked with pointing to Jesus and not to ourselves. How, when, and where do you point to Jesus in your life? Take your answers to the Lord in prayer, asking him to give you an opportunity to day to point others to him.