27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
Hear and heed – listen and follow – harken and obey- the true sheep of the great Shepherd are indeed called by grace and enabled by grace demonstrating they belong in His pasture. Those who are deaf to His voice are not of His flock. Jesus’ Word of command has and always will be “Follow Me” – in vain do we listen to His voice if we do not follow Him. The Shepherd’s true sheep discern and delight and do according to His leading:
“Grace begins the work: they, through grace, obey His calling, and willingly do as He bids them. The ears of unconverted people are deaf to Christ’s call, but true Christians hear and obey.” J. C. Ryle
This would not have been a novel thought to the hearers in Jesus’ day. Moses spoke clearly regarding the need to listen and follow. We find the following Truth in Deuteronomy:
19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deut 30:19-20 (NIV)
The prophet Isaiah also tells us we can be certain to hear if we are listening for the gentle whisper of His voice:
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)
We would all do well to heed the heavenly instructions given to Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration:
7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Mark 9:7 (NIV)
Interestingly, Jesus’ mother gave us a wonderful piece of advice to follow as well through her instructions to the servants at the wedding feast Jesus attended:
5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5 (NIV)
Our Lord states also in our verses for today that He knows who are His. He is fully aware and familiar with all His sheep. Paul writes to Timothy the following Truth regarding this stating also our responsibility in making every effort to turn from evil:
19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 2 Tim 2:19 (NIV)
“Neglect, indifference, forgetfulness, ignorance, are all impossible to God. He knows everything; He cares about everything; and He loves us! Surely this is enough for a ‘fullness of joy’ beyond the power of words to express.” Hannah Whitall Smith
In our rich and full and instructive verses for today we find great eternal Truths. True sheep hear their Shepherd’s voice, follow their Shepherd’s leading and are eternally safe in their Shepherd’s care – He will not lose one – not even one. True sheep will never be kept from eternal happiness with their Savior:
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:39-40 (NIV)
I love it that Scripture compares us to sheep. Like the animal, we are helpless and often not very smart with our choices! Sheep, like us, are dependent upon their shepherd. Even at our best, as sheep, we tend to go astray, and are foolish and weak. However, there is one interesting characteristic of sheep that remains superior to other animals – and of which we are promised as believers as well – sheep have a unique ability to discern the voice of their shepherd and will follow no other – seeking help and solace from him alone. The sheep depend solely and wholly on the help of their shepherd for their care – in finding pasture, in healing and in guarding against savage wolves. So too, we as God’s sheep are to depend solely and wholly on our Great Shepherd’s care – discerning His voice and following His ways.
Lastly, our Savior tells us that those who hear His voice and follow Him are assured of never perishing but having eternal life. It is His sheep alone that never perish and live eternally with Him. The one who lives wickedly in habitual sin yet all the while claiming they shall never perish is a miserable self-deceiver. Yet the humble penitent believer who puts his trust in Jesus may rest in this glorious and comfortable Truth that no matter how much Satan tries to snatch we remain safe in the hands of our Lord – our souls never to be lost though everything else may perish. Our soul’s safety lies within the fact that it rests in His hands – it is in His securely holding us, not in our holding Him.