Voice
Read John 10:1-10.
They're still everywhere. In the many times I have traveled around Israel, one thing remains constant: shepherds. Still leading flocks here and there, along ancient desert trails, searching for water and sustenance for their sheep. Everywhere we go, especially in Judea (the desert), there are still shepherds leading their flocks.
When I read this passage, I can't help but wonder if Jesus had a certain psalm in mind as he spoke. Certainly, he is using an illustration from the daily life of the people he's speaking to. They knew what shepherds were like and what they did. But there's another layer, for those who are listening. Jesus is a good shepherd. He's THE good shepherd, the best there ever was. Who else was a shepherd? David declared that the Lord was his shepherd (Psalm 23:1). Because God was his shepherd, David needed nothing.
The big question that comes to me out of Jesus' teaching is this: do I recognize his voice? You know what it's like to get a call from someone you haven't heard from in a while. They talk to you as if you just spoke yesterday, and worst of all, they do not introduce themselves. Now, we have a "leg up" these days in the form of Caller ID, but what if there is no name on the Caller ID? You struggle to recognize the voice at the other end of the line. Of course, we all develop techniques to pretend like we know who it is even if we have no idea ("Hey....you..."), but those don't work with Jesus. Do you recognize his voice when he calls?
That's why I stay in the Word, why every morning I get up before I want to and read the Scriptures. (You might do it at another time of the day; there's no magical time that is better than others.) As I read what he has said in the past, as I read what he wants me to know, I learn to hear his voice in the present. I learn to recognize his voice in my spirit.
I am his sheep. Do I recognize his voice?
They're still everywhere. In the many times I have traveled around Israel, one thing remains constant: shepherds. Still leading flocks here and there, along ancient desert trails, searching for water and sustenance for their sheep. Everywhere we go, especially in Judea (the desert), there are still shepherds leading their flocks.
When I read this passage, I can't help but wonder if Jesus had a certain psalm in mind as he spoke. Certainly, he is using an illustration from the daily life of the people he's speaking to. They knew what shepherds were like and what they did. But there's another layer, for those who are listening. Jesus is a good shepherd. He's THE good shepherd, the best there ever was. Who else was a shepherd? David declared that the Lord was his shepherd (Psalm 23:1). Because God was his shepherd, David needed nothing.
The big question that comes to me out of Jesus' teaching is this: do I recognize his voice? You know what it's like to get a call from someone you haven't heard from in a while. They talk to you as if you just spoke yesterday, and worst of all, they do not introduce themselves. Now, we have a "leg up" these days in the form of Caller ID, but what if there is no name on the Caller ID? You struggle to recognize the voice at the other end of the line. Of course, we all develop techniques to pretend like we know who it is even if we have no idea ("Hey....you..."), but those don't work with Jesus. Do you recognize his voice when he calls?
That's why I stay in the Word, why every morning I get up before I want to and read the Scriptures. (You might do it at another time of the day; there's no magical time that is better than others.) As I read what he has said in the past, as I read what he wants me to know, I learn to hear his voice in the present. I learn to recognize his voice in my spirit.
I am his sheep. Do I recognize his voice?
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