John 10:22-30 -- The Voice of Love

                 

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."   John 10:27

The shepherd knows the sheep.
Photo courtesy of Free Bible Images.

The religious leaders complained that Jesus wasn't being clear with them about his identity.  From the beginning Jesus had been clearly stating his mission. They seemed to be using their constant challenges to undermine him.  He said that his works bear witness to the truth of his words. Jesus concluded the Good Shepherd analogy he had been using, having declared himself "the Good Shepherd" (John 10:14), by comparing the response of those who hear his voice to that of the sheep who recognize the voice of their shepherd.  He had emphasized that with the right kind of shepherd, the sheep are safe and free to come and go as they please.  The Twenty-third Psalm, best known since a thousand years before Christ, continues to communicate the message of God's love and protection through the pastoral imagery of a shepherd.  Jesus stated plainly enough, "I and my father are one." 

      God communicates with believers.  We hear God's voice, and God hears ours. "In the rustling grass I hear him pass; He speaks to me everywhere" (Maltbie D. Babcock, This is My Father's World, 1901).  Elijah testified that his encounter with God occurred not in the wind or earthquake or fire, but in a "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11-13).  God hears everything we say, but how much of what God says do we hear?  We each have a personal relationship with God. With any relationship, we enter into friendship, cultivate growth and explore the infinite mystery we discover in each other.  As the sheep learn to trust and follow the shepherd, so we learn to trust and follow the leading of Christ.

     We are invited to listen to Christ as our Good Shepherd.  Listening begins with a sincere desire to know what God wants to communicate.  Our intentional effort to concentrate on hearing and recognizing God's voice is required.  Cheryl and Kelly and Ryan have a contest every year for who is first to hear a whippoorwill.  If they want to hear, they have to know what one sounds like and be listening for the call.  Another part of hearing God speak is to implement what we have already heard.  Collectively, we are invited to share what we are hearing.  This we do by listening to each other's testimonies, coming to a common understanding of what God is saying to and through us, and following Christ in consensus.  We are also invited to help the world learn to listen.  We are invited to be the messengers and to communicate God's love through our good works.  We demonstrate what it means to listen to the Good Shepherd by listening to those around us.