John 10:40-42 40And he went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and he remained there. 41And many came to him were saying, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42And many believed in him there.
Things had gotten rough in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders had not accepted Jesus’ teaching and had come to the point of trying to arrest him and stone him. It was not yet the right time for him to go to the cross, so he retreated for a time to the area across the Jordan River. John had his ministry of baptizing in that area. The place where Jesus began his itinerant ministry with baptism was the place he would end. The author John does not give us many details about the location, but Jesus did not return far north to Galilee. Based on the reference to the Feast of Dedication in verse 22 and the story of Lazarus in chapter eleven, Jesus spent about four months across the Jordan.
His ministry did not stop during those months. Verse 41 records how many people believed in him. John may have included these verses in his account to show the contrast between the Jews of Jerusalem and those across the Jordan. The Jews in Jerusalem were concerned about power, prestige, and position. They felt threatened by Jesus and so wanted to get rid of him. Those from across the Jordan had heard John’s preaching. Their hearts and minds were prepared for the Messiah, so when they met him, they believed. John was powerful in word, but Jesus was powerful in word and miraculous signs. Everything John had prophesied about Jesus was true. The Jews in Jerusalem saw the same types of signs but refused to believe.
The contrast between the two groups is significant and calls the readers of this Gospel to consider deeply their response to Jesus. The first half of John’s Gospel comes to a close with these verses. John has clearly shown the two options about Jesus. On the one hand were those who refused to believe, even with all the evidence before them. John has provided many signs as proofs of Jesus’ identity. Readers can refuse to accept these signs at their own peril. The outcome will be judgment. On the other hand were those who did come to believe, including the lowly of society, such as the adulterous Samaritan woman and the lowly blind man, among many others. Their destiny was eternal life. As an author, John has stuck very closely to his central thesis of 20:30-31 and invited the readers of his book to believe in Jesus so that they may receive eternal life.
John also has a strong message about life on earth in these chapters. Believers can be assured of Jesus’ presence and protection as the Good Shepherd. The reason for this is because of the relationship of Son to Father. John has gone through great detail in recording significant claims Jesus made about his identity: “I and the Father are one.” Every other claim hinges on this truth. What the Father says and does is what the Son says and does. We can look at Jesus and see God.
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