The Shepherd and His Flock
“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
My Understanding: As I read this passage of scripture, the first thing that really struck me this time was how it says here that the Lord’s sheep follow him because they know his voice, that they will not follow a stranger, and in fact they will run away from a stranger, because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. I immediately connected that part of the scripture passage, in particular, with this phrase from the song, “It’s You I serve only.” If Christ Jesus is truly our only Lord and master, we will hear his voice speaking to us, we will follow him only, we will be discerning about what voices are not his, and we will not follow them to serve them, nor will we try to serve two masters.
Jesus is the one speaking here in this passage of scripture. He is both the good shepherd and the gate. The sheep are the true followers of Jesus Christ and the sheep pen would thus represent the body of Christ, his church (not the institutional church but the people of God); God’s eternal kingdom. The way we enter into relationship with Jesus Christ is by God’s grace, through faith. Believing faith is described in two parts all throughout the New Testament: 1) Repentance (turning away from sin) and 2) Obedience (turning toward God and making a heart decision to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience).
This gate (way) to salvation, to faith in Christ, and to eternal life with God, was provided for us by God. God the Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to be born in human flesh, to suffer as we suffer, to be tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, and then to die on a cross for our sins so that we could, by faith in him, be set free from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal separation from God in hell), and so we could be set free from the control of sin over our lives on a day-to-day basis. So, true faith = repentance and obedience.
So, when this is speaking of a man entering the sheep pen (the collection of all God’s people via faith in Jesus Christ), but not by way of the gate, this is speaking of those who claim to know God but do not know him. They are the hypocrites and false shepherds among the sheep who claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but they have neither repented of their sins nor are they listening to the shepherd’s voice and following him in obedience. So, they are not one of the sheep but are thieves and robbers because they pretend to be sheep when they are not, and in fact many are wolves in sheep’s clothing out to destroy the sheep and to try to lead the sheep away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ.
Thus, those who enter by another way other than through the gate are strangers to Christ. And, sadly enough, many of our church leaders today are strangers to Christ, they are thieves and robbers who have not entered through the gate, and many of them are out to lead God’s sheep away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ, so this calls for much discernment so that we make sure we are following the good shepherd and not strangers.
In contrast to these strangers, thieves, robbers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, etc. is the good shepherd. His sheep know his voice and they follow him. He has not come to destroy us but to save us and to give us eternal life with God, beginning at the moment we enter through his gate into salvation and into relationship with Jesus Christ. He lay down his life for his sheep when he died on the cross for our sins. He knows his true sheep and they know him. I love that picture of intimacy between Jesus and his followers. Yet, just as Jesus was accused of being demon-possessed and raving mad (crazy; cuckoo), if we tell people we are hearing the Lord’s voice speaking to us and we are following him, we, as well, may be considered crazy in the head for hearing voices and doing what the voice tells us to do.
Those strangers who do not know Christ will not understand how we can hear the voice of God speaking to us nor will they understand our following that voice speaking to us. They won’t understand because they are strangers to God, because they didn’t enter into the pen through the gate but climbed in over the side. They are not Christ’s true followers, so they can’t understand what we are talking about when we talk about hearing Christ’s voice (the voice of the Holy Spirit within us), and they won’t understand obeying Christ in doing what he has called us to do, which may often contrast with human understanding and reasoning or even with human logic. God’s ways are not like man’s ways nor does he think like men. God’s ways are so much greater and they are spiritually discerned. So don’t be surprised if men regard you as loony if you hear Christ’s voice and obey that voice within you, yet not in opposition to the teachings of scripture. God will never ask us to do something that contradicts his divine character, his will and/or his word.
Gracious Father / An Original Work / April 6, 2011
How great are You Father; how great are You, Lord.
My heart so adores You; Your mercy outpour.
Your love and your kindness; Your gracious reward
Are treasures from heaven that we can’t afford.
So, freely they’re given and humbly received
When we bow before You on penitent knee.
O gracious Redeemer; my Master and King,
To You I owe everything - my offerings I bring
With whole heart devotion, to honor and praise
My loving companion and friend for always.
It’s You I serve only, to walk in Your ways,
So I have your promise for all of my days.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/gracious-father
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-XBEMyg7zc
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