Joshua Grubbs
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
There are an incredible number of voices vying for our attention these days. It doesn’t take a mastermind to realize that not every voice which is calling out to us is good for us, or even inherently good in and of itself. All of us are left with the choice, “Which voice am I going to listen to?” Through the cacophony and siren song of marketing, fear, societal expectations, and temptations toward power there is one voice that is calling out with tender admonition – the voice of the Good Shepherd.
I don’t know if you’ve watched a herd of sheep move around the countryside. I never had until I made a trip across the pond. In the Scottish Highlands I saw a herd of sheep, and I don’t know that I’ve seen a flightier group of animals. They were huddled together, moving as one mass, running from each unknown sound with their heads constantly on a swivel. I think the text hits the nail on the head in Matthew 9:36 describing how Jesus felt towards the crowds of people following Him. “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Part of the Good News, the Gospel, is that Jesus has come to us as the Good Shepherd. In John 10:11 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Christ goes on just a few verses later in John 10:16 to say “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.” Contrast this, of course, with how Jesus describes the voice and goal of the enemy earlier in John 10:10a, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” It’s clear that Jesus has drawn this metaphor to its fullest length, and that’s good news for the sheep.
Like sheep in the countryside, our gut reaction can often be to run from the voices that are scary or possibly threatening. Unlike sheep in the countryside, we have the wherewithal to run towards the kind voice that is always calling us. In the words of Jesus above we can ascertain that His voice is one of kindness, wholeness, and love. There are voices in our world that are constantly telling us the opposite – that we need to buy more useless stuff, that we need to live up to some impossible standard, that we aren’t worth loving, or that we don’t deserve peace and happiness. Jesus would tell you the same thing I write here.
Those voices are lying to you, my friend.
The sheep follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, because they know His voice. As we spend time in the Word and in prayer, we come to learn the voice of our shepherd. The only voice that will consistently tell us the truth, that we are loved by God and victors with Christ through His sacrifice, is the voice of our loving savior.
Let’s follow the right voice.
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