Thoughts to Ponder from John 10:1-10

John 10:1-10 (ESV)

I Am the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

“The sheep hear his voice” (John 10:3).

The people who first heard Jesus compare himself to a shepherd had some background knowledge that many of us lack. They knew that when shepherds brought their sheep in for the night, they often put them into pens with other flocks. And how did shepherds distinguish their sheep from all the others when it was time to go out to pasture again? Easy. Each shepherd had a distinctive call, which only his sheep would recognize and follow.

What an apt metaphor for Jesus’ relationship with us! He is the Good Shepherd, whose sheep know to respond when he calls to them.

Or do they? Perhaps this is an area where some of Jesus’ sheep – some of us – need a bit more training. Do you believe that you have the potential of becoming so familiar with Jesus that you can quickly discern his voice from the other voices in the world? This gift of discernment, which is every believer’s inheritance in Christ, is developed as we imitate the first Christians, who “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

Close attention to Scripture and church teaching can help us recognize God’s voice and the kind of things he might tell us. Fellowship with other followers of Christ can build us up and give us a sounding board to help us see if our ideas are on target. Personal prayer can become a conversation where we learn to hear the voice of him who loves us best. And the Sacrament of the Eucharist can become an intimate encounter with the Lord, who wants to lead us into a deeper understanding of his will.

Isn’t it comforting that, despite our unworthiness, we can still hear Jesus say, “I love you”? This is our Shepherd’s distinctive call.

Jesus, open my ears and teach me to recognize your voice in all the ways it comes to me. Then open my lips and let me be your voice to others. Amen.

From The Word Among Us, May 15th, 2011