February 21
JOHN 10
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. – John 10:1-6
JOHN 10 THE SHEEP FOLLOWS THE VOICE THEY KNOW
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you believe in Jesus Christ, he is your good shepherd
He gives you the truth that will free you from bondage
Once you know him, you will discern what is true
You will also know what lies come from this world
Those who belong to his sheepfold follow his voice
They do not obey anyone who tells anything that’s not true.
Jesus speaks of the difference between the good shepherd and the thief and robber. They enter differently. The good shepherd goes in through the door but the thief doesn’t. Jesus was probably referring to the false teachers against those who are teaching what is true. This account must have been right after the Jewish leaders were questioning every sign Jesus did, especially when he gave sight to the man born blind.
Jesus had been confronting their claims of belonging to Moses’ Father. In this account, he talks in ways that they truly won’t understand. He exposes their false understanding of truth and lays it out in ways that they never comprehended. Jesus described the ability of those who belong to his sheepfold to hear what he says and believe it. He illustrated false teachers and associated them to thieves who steal their peace and joy by making people follow rules to a point of slavery and wickedness. Those who follow the good shepherd are protected by their recognition of his voice.
REFLECTION
• How can you discern God’s voice as distinct from the enemy’s voice?
