John 10:3b-6 3The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4Whenever he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will not follow a stranger, but they will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus said this figure of speech to them, but those people did not understand what he was saying to them.
The sheep were gathered in the fold, protected by a gatekeeper. In the ancient practices of shepherding, the sheep of multiple shepherds could possibly be housed in the same fold at night for protection. The sheep of a particular shepherd came to know his voice when he called them to go out into the fields for grazing. In this image, the shepherd calls for his sheep to come to him so he can lead them out to the fields. Verses 3-4 have two key points: the shepherd calls the sheep by name, and the sheep know the shepherd’s voice.
This short story also has an implied warning in verse 5. A stranger also comes around to entice the sheep by imitating the shepherd and fooling the sheep, but the sheep are smart enough to recognize the imposter. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd which enables them to recognize any imitation. The shepherd provides safety, while the stranger poses danger.
There are many false “shepherds” around who claim the truth but are full of deceit. The Pharisees were like that for first-century Jews. They cliamed to be the religious authorities and correct interpreters of the law, but they had neglected the most important aspects of the Jewish faith. Jesus came with a corrective message to point them to the God they claimed to worship. They were both shepherds and sheep. As sheep, they were missing the call of the Good Shepherd but being fooled by Satan. They needed to flee from doubt and deceit and follow the truth found in Jesus. Verse 6 indicates the opportunity to repent that Jesus gave the Jewish leaders. His confrontation with them was reaching a crisis point.
The way to know the voice of someone is to spend time with him or her. Trust grows as the relationship gets stronger. As sheep, we must learn to discern the voice of truth when so many other voices call out for attention.
For older posts, click here.
