Do You Know the Shepherd’s Voice?

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:2-5 ESV).

Those good little sheep! They are so familiar with the voice of the Shepherd that, not only will they not follow anyone else, but they will downright flee from anyone who tries to mislead them. How did they come to be so familiar with the Shepherd’s voice? The only way it can be done—by hearing it all the time.

We sheep won’t learn the Shepherd’s voice by having someone describe the sound to us. Perhaps our parents introduced us to the Shepherd. Perhaps it was a friend. Praise the Lord! But they still can’t explain to us the sound of his voice calling our names.

Books that tell us what the Shepherd says may sometimes be helpful. Preachers tell the good news, teachers expound the Word, and our favorite bloggers may lend insight, but we can’t rely on any of them to train our ears to discern his voice. We have to know the difference between the voice of the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep, and that of a mere hired hand. The one who watches the sheep for pay will flee when the wolf comes because he cares nothing for the sheep.

In Jesus’ message to the church in Laodicea, he says;

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:19-20 ESV).

How tragic it would be if Jesus was standing at my door knocking, but I didn’t let him in because I didn’t recognize his voice.

We know that Jesus loved, healed, felt compassion, and wept. Do we remember that he is also The Way who tells us that his law doesn’t simply command us to refrain from murder? If we hate, we have murdered in our hearts. This same Jesus who didn’t condemn the woman caught in adultery said to her, “Go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:1-14 ESV).

The sinless, spotless lamb of God is our standard. We must know who he is. He tells us, in no uncertain terms, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV).

Some of the things Jesus said were so hard that “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66 ESV). He wasn’t surprised. He knew who would believe and who would betray him. If his words were difficult for those who walked with him, how will we manage? We have the Spirit, and “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16 ESV). But learning to discern requires exercise.

In Hebrews 5, the writer says he would like to be able to explain some things to his readers more fully, but they have become dull of hearing. The word he uses for dull could also be translated slothful or sluggish. Dull or sluggish hearing is certain to make it more difficult to discern which voice we should be listening to above the hubbub of the world. We should practice more listening and less talking.

The writer reproves the Hebrews because they ought to be mature enough to be teachers. Instead, they are still in need of a teacher. They need milk, though they should be ready for solid food.

“Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”  (Heb. 5:13-14 ESV)

The word for trained in this verse contains the word from which we get gymnasium. That’s a place for exercise. Nowhere in Scripture are we led to believe this training will be easy. The word for constant practice could also be translated habit. So, those who are mature have exercised their senses of perception until the ability to discern good from evil is a habit.

Jesus, my Shepherd, you suffered and died for me because I am a rebellious sheep, yet you still want to lead me in green pastures, beside cool water. Thank you for calling me by name. Help me learn to recognize your voice and follow only you so that someday I will see your face, and it will be your name that is on my forehead. Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘You will indeed hear but never understand,

And you will indeed see but never perceive.”’

For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it (Matt. 13:13-17 ESV).

Reach for More

If you are new to the sound of Jesus’ voice, one way to start getting to know it is by reading all the red words in a red-letter edition of the New Testament. These are the words of Jesus.

Through the gift of a faithful mother and grandmother, Diane Pendergraft grew up knowing Jesus as a friend. Married for nearly two-thirds of her life, there has been time for several seasons, from homeschooling to owning a coffee shop. She has three grown children and eight grandchildren. An element of this season is writing about literature and life at Plumfield and Paideia.

Photograph © Priscilla Du Preez, used with permission