John 10:4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. Here we have an illustration of the advantage in some respects of ear over eye, of sound over light. By the shepherd's voice the sheep know him even when they cannot see him. They never make any mistake. A stranger might come and bellow himself hoarse, and they would just stop where they were. This statement, of course, we have to take on trust. It would be much more forcible to us if we had stood by the common fold and seen the sheep rushing toward the shepherd upon the hearing of his voice. But we may make little parables out of our own observation. Other brute beasts beside sheep recognize these on whom they are dependent. I. THE GREAT PROMISE CONNECTED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE VOICE OF JESUS. See vers. 27 and 28, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." As there are gifts for sheep corresponding to their nature and needs, so there are gifts for men. As the shepherd gives to the sheep sustenance for its natural life, making it his business and responsibility to find out the green pastures and still waters, so Jesus is the Shepherd who gives to his sheep eternal life, introducing them to a scene of growth and occupation and blessedness to which he alone has the key. Thus also Jesus stands between his flock and peril. There is that goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. There is that would drive every Christian into unbelief and backsliding and love of this present evil world, and so into ultimate destruction. But Jesus stands as the good Shepherd, armed at every point against every foe. II. ALL IS USELESS UNLESS THE SHEEP KNOW THE VOICE. Ample provision is nothing unless the sheep come to make use of it. The bravery and vigilance of the Shepherd are all in vain if the sheep wander out of earshot. Even a sheep must do something to contribute to its own nourishment and security, and how much more a human being? If we would attain the very height of life and be invulnerable at every point, we must know the voice of Jesus. And yet though the sheep, silly, stupid thing as it is often reckoned, knows its shepherd's voice, the children of men, those for whom Jesus has stored up such abundance of the bread of life, and to whose salvation he has devoted himself, know not his voice. Oftentimes, too, the knowledge of that voice has to come very gradually. III. OUR OWN NEEDY AND DANGEROUS POSITION MUST BE PERCEIVED. We must comprehend why the voice of Jesus speaks to us at all. That voice sounds out because of need and danger. The sheep and shepherd, as it were, make up one whole. Unless we feel our need to know the voice of Jesus, we never can know that need. Mere reading of his words is not knowing his voice. The voice of Jesus must become familiar just as every other voice does. There must be a beginning. There must be attentiveness. We may hear that voice continually if we choose to hear it, and take the right way to hear it. Nothing is easier than to stop our ears. The din of the world's babble will easily drown the voice that speaks to us of support and salvation. All hangs on our willingness to listen. We carry our needs about with us, wrapt in the complications and anxieties of our lives, and we must carry our Shepherd about with us too. If we are as much alive to our needs and dangers as Jesus is, then all will be right; for his voice is ever sounding in the midst of need and danger. - Y. Parallel Verses KJV: And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. |
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