I Am The Good Shepherd
I AM The Good Shepherd.
All those within earshot of Jesus’ voice were well versed in the chapter of sheep. Sheep were a piece of their community, and they were as common as remote controls and cell phones today. Now hear me, the only thing I could tell you about sheep is they grow wool; but Jesus’ audience, including the Pharisees, would have known everything about sheep. So, it wasn’t a stretch for Jesus to use that analogy to make His point. But be sure, the real message is about our ears and His voice.
“’Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper 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 the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them” (John 10:1-6).
My favorite part is “and the sheep listen to his voice.” Oh sweet friends, those sheep listen. Now this girl can talk the paint off the walls given the opportunity… but oh the blessing of listening. The human ear has so many little bones, parts, and pieces of tissue all engineered to hear. But our hearts are what allow us to truly listen. Can you imagine Jesus giving an anatomy lesson that day? Talking about sound waves, vibrations, and sensory cells wouldn’t have helped them (or us) understand what He wanted to share. So instead of talking about our ears, he talked about His voice.
Sheep aren’t created to listen. They are stubborn and not very smart. Sounds pretty familiar, right? So the shepherd has to build relationships and trust to connect with them. Jesus does the same. He doesn’t stand at the door just yelling for everyone to c’mon in! He is calling each of us by name. He knows exactly how our ears will hear Him… and how our hearts will hear Him.
Y’all, Jesus, the I AM, is our Shepherd. He is calling to each of us by name. He knows our hearts will hear and understand His voice. Pray with me today that we not only HEAR His voice, but also really take the time to LISTEN to what He has for us!
Lord, we want to hear You, to listen to Your voice, and always follow Your lead. Call to us. Amen.
By Carrie Peterson
All those within earshot of Jesus’ voice were well versed in the chapter of sheep. Sheep were a piece of their community, and they were as common as remote controls and cell phones today. Now hear me, the only thing I could tell you about sheep is they grow wool; but Jesus’ audience, including the Pharisees, would have known everything about sheep. So, it wasn’t a stretch for Jesus to use that analogy to make His point. But be sure, the real message is about our ears and His voice.
“’Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper 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 the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them” (John 10:1-6).
My favorite part is “and the sheep listen to his voice.” Oh sweet friends, those sheep listen. Now this girl can talk the paint off the walls given the opportunity… but oh the blessing of listening. The human ear has so many little bones, parts, and pieces of tissue all engineered to hear. But our hearts are what allow us to truly listen. Can you imagine Jesus giving an anatomy lesson that day? Talking about sound waves, vibrations, and sensory cells wouldn’t have helped them (or us) understand what He wanted to share. So instead of talking about our ears, he talked about His voice.
Sheep aren’t created to listen. They are stubborn and not very smart. Sounds pretty familiar, right? So the shepherd has to build relationships and trust to connect with them. Jesus does the same. He doesn’t stand at the door just yelling for everyone to c’mon in! He is calling each of us by name. He knows exactly how our ears will hear Him… and how our hearts will hear Him.
Y’all, Jesus, the I AM, is our Shepherd. He is calling to each of us by name. He knows our hearts will hear and understand His voice. Pray with me today that we not only HEAR His voice, but also really take the time to LISTEN to what He has for us!
Lord, we want to hear You, to listen to Your voice, and always follow Your lead. Call to us. Amen.
By Carrie Peterson
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2021
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