As you listen to
the world around you, whose voices are you hearing, whose voices are the
loudest, whose voices are you listening to? We need to pay attention to this
because our children and youth are also hearing these voices and they are
trying to shape what we and our children and youth should believe. Many of them
have strong healthy challenges on different social justice issues such as how
to protect the environment, homelessness and poverty. We may not always agree
with them, but they are working hard to make our world a better place. Then
there are those voices that are more controversial and speaking out on issues
such as abortion, euthanasia, and sexual identity issues that have divided many
people. Many of the voices in this group often insist that those who believe
differently than they do no longer really belong in our society. So how do we
listen and respond wisely as followers of Jesus?
The Bible often
uses the image of a shepherd to describe
leaders. Psalm 23 may be the most recognised passage about shepherd leadership,
pointing us straight to the Lord. Shepherds hold a special place in the Old
Testament and many leaders were shepherds at one time or another; the patriarch
Jacob, Moses, the young King David before he became king, and the prophet Amos
to name a few. Now Jesus, in these verses and the ones following them, calls
himself the good shepherd in verse 11, an echo
back to the prophet Zachariah who accused Israel’s leaders of being false
shepherds who only used the people for their own benefit instead of protecting
and providing for the sheep. In this short parable, Jesus uses the image of
sheep and shepherd to describe his relationship with his sheep, his people. In
the Middle East, shepherds lead their sheep and the sheep follow, unlike North
America where shepherds herd their sheep.
The
shepherd enters in by the gate. By entering in
through the gate, the shepherd shows that he is the legitimate shepherd, he has
the right to enter in and is in control, having authority over his sheep: the
people Jesus claims as his own. Jesus is contrasting himself against the
Pharisees who had just kicked out a
blind man whom Jesus healed out of their presence because he testified about
Jesus being from God, a prophet. His parents are afraid because anyone who
claimed Jesus was the Messiah would be kicked out of the synagogue, meaning
they would lose their place in Jewish society. Jesus is implying that the
Pharisees are the ones who come into the sheep pen by another way, an
illegitimate way because they’re not the true shepherds. This echoes back to
the prophet Zechariah who accused the leaders at that time of being false
shepherds who only cared about the sheep as long as they were able to benefit
from them. These are harsh accusations by Jesus, but he cares about his people,
he cares about their relationship with God, his Father and he hates that the
Pharisees focus on the rules of religion and create fear instead of inviting
them to listen to their God who has protected, saved, provided for, and loves
his people.
Jesus enters into
the sheep pen where a number of flocks of sheep are kept overnight, and
as he enters in he begins calling his sheep by name and they recognise his
voice and come to him. They know who they belong to, the other sheep simply
ignore this shepherd, waiting for their shepherd to come for them. The sheep
respond because they trust their shepherd, knowing that they’re safe in his
care, that he will provide for them, and will lead them to safe pastures,
protecting them from the dangers that lurk around.
We are Jesus
followers. As I look at my own life, I can say he has always
provided for us, even if it wasn’t always easy. Providing and protecting
doesn’t mean easy or not having to sacrifice, sometimes much more than we might
want, yet Jesus calls us to trust him, to follow him to listen to his voice.
Yet it’s not enough to simply listen for Jesus’ voice, we need to distinguish
his voice from all the others that are shouting for our attention, and we need
to respond to Jesus’ voice. Jesus has shown us he’s our true shepherd, our good shepherd by coming to take
our place on the cross so that we can experience freedom from sin and death and
new life. How do you listen and do you listen in order to hear? At home I
listen to Joyce and my family, but I will admit that there are times I listen
but don’t really hear and it can be the same in our relationship with Jesus. So
now we go back to the question at the beginning, whose voices are loudest in
your life, whose voices are you listening to the most, are you listening to
Jesus’ voice and responding to his nudges, to his leading, to him as your
shepherd.
How do you prepare
yourself to listen well to Jesus’ voice? For myself,
I need quiet times in my day where I talk to Jesus and ask him for wisdom and
guidance. I need to take time regularly to get into nature and tell Jesus I’m
listening, but I need to do that along with reading the Bible regularly, not
for information about God, but to listen to Jesus’ voice and who he’s calling
me to be and where he’s leading me as a person, husband, father and grandfather
and pastor. I listen to Jesus by listening to people and leaders I know are
wise and following Jesus as best they can, trusting that Jesus also speaks
through people in my life and in the church. Serving others often helps me
listen to and hear Jesus. But it’s not enough to just listen for Jesus’ voice,
we’re called to respond and follow him where he leads, not simply where we want
to go. Are you trusting him with your life and following him?
Do you respond to the nudges the Holy Spirit often gives us to
reach out or bless others? Do you walk through the day asking yourself if what
you are doing pleases Jesus? Responding well is doing the work of loving
others, caring, and getting involved in helping and blessing people around you.
Responding shows you know Jesus. Matthew 25 shows us what listening and responding
looks like, “For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you
looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see
you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did
we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Jesus has placed
shepherds in his church, shepherds who listen to his
voice so they can lead his church where he is leading us. This morning we
installed an elder as a shepherd under Jesus and next week we will install one
more, shepherds of Jesus who are also your shepherds. As we move forward into
the months and years ahead, are you willing to listen to their voices as they
lead you as they follow their shepherd Jesus? Their prayer is to train you to
listen and respond to Jesus’ call on your life, following where Jesus leads us,
trusting that he knows what he’s doing and where he’s leading us.
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