Na Winter Time

Cold breeze dey blow through di stone pillars of di temple. People dey hold dia cloak tight. And one crowd close in around one man, dey demand answer.

Di gospel of John give us one detail wey di others no give. E talk say: na winter time. Jesus dey Jerusalem for di Feast of Dedication. Jewish families dey celebrate am every year for eight days for di cold, dark part of di year, dem dey light lamps and dey remember how God rescue im temple and dedicate am again, about two hundred years before. Today we know am as Hanukkah. Jesus dey waka inside di temple, for di Porch of Solomon, one long walkway wey get roof for di eastern side of di temple courts, wey dey cover people from wind and rain. And as e dey waka, people gather around am.

Dem surround am. How long you go dey keep us for doubt? If you be di Christ, tell us plain. Dem want yes or no. Jesus answer: I don tell una, and una no believe. Di works wey I dey do for my Father name, dem dey testify about me. E don heal sick people, open blind eyes, feed hungry people. Dat things dey talk for demself. But una no believe, because una no be my sheep. Just before dis one, Jesus don dey talk about imself as di good shepherd, wey know im sheep by name and dey lay down im life for dem.

Then Jesus describe di people wey belong to am. My sheep dey hear my voice, and I know dem, and dem dey follow me. Shepherd for dat time no dey drive sheep from behind. E dey waka for front and call, and im sheep know im voice and follow am. And I dey give dem life wey no get end, and dem no go ever perish, and nobody fit snatch dem from my hand. Picture one small lamb wey dey safe inside di strong hand of shepherd. No wolf, no thief, no storm fit grab am comot.

And then Jesus go further. My Father, wey give dem to me, great pass everybody, and nobody fit snatch dem from my Father hand. Di sheep dey inside two hands, di hand of di Son and di hand of di Father. And then Jesus talk few words wey shake everybody wey stand there. Me and my Father na one. For di middle of festival wey dey celebrate how di presence of God come back to im temple, Jesus stand inside dat temple and talk say e be one with di Father. Di crowd understand exactly how big dis claim be. John tell us say immediately after, dem carry stones to stone am. But di time of Jesus never reach, and e escape from dia hand.

Di Feast of Dedication dey remember things wey really happen. For one hundred and sixty-seven before Christ, di Greek king Antiochus di Fourth defile di temple for Jerusalem. Judas Maccabeus and im followers fight back, and for one hundred and sixty-four before Christ, dem clean di temple and dedicate new altar, with eight days of celebration. Di First Book of Maccabees record am. And di Jewish historian Josephus, wey write for di first century, talk say dem dey call di festival Lights.

Na Winter Time. You go find am for John chapter ten, verse twenty-two to thirty. For festival of lights, for di darkest time of di year, di One wey John call di light of di world waka inside di temple and promise to hold im sheep safe. Christmas too dey come for winter for plenty parts of di world, and e dey celebrate di light wey come enter di darkness. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Jesus talk say nobody fit snatch im sheep from im hand. When you need pass to remember say you dey safe with am?