Voice

One of the other verses Jonathan referenced this past weekend was actually one of my favorite verses ... John 10:10. It offers a clear contrast between Jesus’ purpose and anyone working against Jesus’ purpose; but its context offers an important hint in realizing that purpose in our own lives.


John 10
1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!
2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.
5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant,
7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.
9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.
13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,
15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.


Voice. No one would say no to a “rich and satisfying life”; and yet, many people (even Jesus followers) wouldn’t check “rich and satisfying life” on a survey. Where is the disconnect? I think the key might be found in verse 4 ... “they follow him because they know his voice”. Do we really know Jesus’ voice? In the midst of all the “voices” in our life, are we able to slow down long enough and listen carefully long enough to hear it? Even if we heard it, would we be able to distinguish it as his voice or could we fooled by a false voice disguising itself as Jesus? This is why it is so important for me to be in the Bible on a regular basis. It is the only way for me to become familiar with Jesus’ voice ... to know His passions, His beliefs, His heart ... so that I can pick His voice out of the crowd in my head and let Him lead me to the extraordinary life He wants to give me.