John 10:1-6; The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Jesus is discussing this imagery of the good shepherd and the sheep. Jesus was speaking to the culture of his day and everyone would have understood this concept. Sheep, shepherds and their roles were something daily life revolved around. The large number of sheep in the land can be understood when it is realized Job had fourteen thousand sheep (Job. 42:12), and King Solomon, at the Temple's dedication, sacrificed one hundred and twenty thousand sheep (1Kings 8:63). That is a mind-blowing number of sheep! Can you imagine the noise level of 1,000’s of bleating sheep? No? I can’t either. I think there would be an odor accompanying the flocks as well.

The relationship between a shepherd and his flock was unique. The shepherd was responsible for the wellbeing of the sheep. Food, water, shelter, and protection. Those were the basic needs. The shepherd would soothe anxious sheep by playing music and the staff was always on hand to use as protection. The shepherd’s role was specific and clear. No shepherd, no sheep. Sheep are unable to defend themselves. They do not have claws. They don’t bark or growl, they “baaa”. They are not agile or fast. They are prone to wander and have a horrible sense of direction. When danger comes, they flock. A tight circle of frantic bleating until the danger passes, the predator has either left a few standing or the whole flock was a meal.

Great. Shepherds and sheep. Jesus and the Pharisees. What does any of that have to do with me? What does it mean to any of us living in the West in 2025? Everything. Jesus was and is, the Good Shepherd. He was and will be my protector and guide. He is the door and His death and resurrection opened the gate, or the door, for me to have eternal life. He is with me; He knows my name and He leads me. I, like the sheep, am prone to wander. When I do (not if I do) he will look for me, get me back on my feet, and carry me back to the safety of the flock. He will keep watch and ensure my safety. He will lead me on that final destination home, at just the right time. He knows me and I know him, and I know the sound of his voice. This is the space I want to be like a sheep. Sheep know the voice of the shepherd and will not respond to any other. One of the few ways it’s good to be like those dumb little sheep! Listen to my shepherd. Refuse to follow or react to the other voices clamoring for my attention.

Who are you listening to? There are voices competing 24/7 to find a place to land. Our minds tune in or shut out. I unconsciously allow a bunch of random voices to penetrate my mind and when I do, there is a bit of a scuffle before the words make their final landing. Who and what words are given access? The Shepherd who can be trusted or imposters, who have nothing but personal gain in mind? 

So, who are potential imposters? A very recent personal experience can help put a “face” to one imposter, who I’ll call ‘I am irritated because life isn’t to my liking right now’. I slept later than normal this morning, so that threw me off of my little routine. The weather is not ideal for playing in the dirt so no excuse to keep me from housekeeping. Blah! My organized mind likes order and ticking boxes off on the ‘to-do’ list. Yet I am not always accepting of the ways my husband of 45 years is wired. So, in my huffy state, I began allowing imposters into the sitting room of my mind. I could see they looked like predators, but I went the way of a hard of hearing sheep and let the impostors stay. They were saying things that were not kind and I listened. Critical remarks and mean-spirited insinuations. The imposters were telling me I was a victim and that my husband's differences were really intended to hurt, not compliment.

I’m not proud of this, but had I not been working on this blog today, I would not have tuned in to the voice of my shepherd as quickly. I would have fumed internally, hanging on to vapors. Wisps of lies, floating like clouds. It was at this point I decided to turn the wispy clouds of lies into tiny soap bubbles. Pop. Pop. Pop. I popped the bubble-lies and now the lies are gone.

Perfect timing! I must go, my Shepherd is calling me.