They will hear My voice

John 10:1-21 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

⁷ So Jesus said to them again, “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 hear them. ⁹ I am the door; if anyone enters through 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.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, ¹⁵ even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

¹⁹ A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰ Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” ²¹ Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

Today’s text begins saying:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”   There are many voices in the world today; many who would try to lead us and tell us the way to go. It is critical that we do know the voice of the Lord, that we simply would not follow the voice of a stranger.  Many of the voices promise that they will keep us safe and will provide for us, but they are thieves and robbers. We need to not follow them. Jesus says:  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  We recognize the voices of people that we spend time with. We need to be certain that we spend enough time with Jesus that we will know His voice; that we can discern His voice from among the many who call to us. Only His voice leads to life.

Jesus says:  “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,  even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.  For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.  No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”   Although there are many nationalities, they were recognized by the Jewish people in Jesus time as being either Jew or Gentile. Jesus came to lay His life down so that both Jew and Gentile could be saved. He came to unite the nations as one flock. John 3:16 says: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  Whoever believes, whether Jew or Gentile, whoever believes and will follow the voice of the good shepherd will be saved. They will have eternal life with God in heaven and abundant life with Him here and now.

While Jesus came to bring unity, He also ultimately brings division. The text says:  “I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”  A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words.  Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?”  Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”    Those who choose to follow another voice or to go their own way despise the words and the voice of Jesus. In Matthew 10:34-36 Jesus says:   “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;  and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”  In John 15:18-25 Jesus says:  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also.  If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”  Just as the nations were recognized as either Jew or Gentile, so can people be divided into two groups today; those who believe and follow the voice of the Lord and those who disbelieve. There is no neutrality with Christ. There is belief and unbelief. In John 14:15 Jesus says:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”   There are those who love Jesus and follow His voice and those who choose to stand against Him; to hate Him without cause. Jesus says:  “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”   Revelation 3:20-22 says:  “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”   He who has an ear, hear and follow the voice of the good shepherd.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit; that You make Your voice known to whoever will believe and follow You. Amen.