His Sheep Know His Voice and Listen

By Samantha Rodriguez

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”—John 10:27–30 (NIV)

Yesterday, we talked about the shepherds hearing the good news of Jesus’ birth in the field. God gave them a beautiful invitation that no one else in the world would’ve thought to give them. Earlier in John 10, Jesus compares Himself to a good shepherd. He shares that as the good shepherd, He lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He also shares that His sheep will be unified under Him as their one true shepherd since they’re from different sheep pens (John 10:16), implying that both Jews and Gentiles who listen and obey belong to Him.

Some people claim He’s crazy, saying He’s possessed, and others refuse to believe that. As time goes on, they urge Him to tell them plainly whether He’s the Messiah or not. This is where Jesus responds and says, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:25–27 NIV). The passage continues to explain how Jesus’ sheep will never be snatched from His hand, because He gives them eternal life, and God the Father is the one who gave them to Him in the first place!

What does this all mean? In Greek, the word for “hear” is akouo. We translate it most often as “hear,” but it was also used to signify learning, obeying, and understanding. The specific form Jesus used of this word in Greek also indicates that the sheep are actively and continually hearing His voice. Jesus is connecting the listening to faith! When you belong to Jesus, you’ll not only hear and recognize His voice, but you’ll also listen with the intention of obeying and following.

This doesn’t mean you’ll always be perfect or never get confused with what He might be saying. As human beings, we’re still weak and flawed. Some days, we won’t want to listen and obey. Some days, we might confuse God’s voice with the voice of the world. This is why Jesus compares us to sheep in the first place as they’re easily lost and need guiding! Thank God He’s the good shepherd!

Another gift of Jesus coming to earth is that we get to look at His life as an example and learn more about Him, what His voice sounds like, and what it means to follow Him. He laid down His life for us so we could have eternal life in Him. What a wonderful gift to praise Him for this Christmas!

Put It To Practice: Sabbath

The Sabbath is all about intentional rest. God established the Sabbath after finishing His work of creation, and He commanded us to keep the Sabbath holy as a set apart experience of resting in Him. Everyone rests differently! Whatever it may look like for you, practice Sabbath this weekend by doing something that brings you joy and honors God.

For the Family

Today’s Main Idea: I can listen and follow Jesus, my good shepherd.

Ask Together:

1. What’s one way you can follow Jesus, your good shepherd, this week?
2. How can you tell when Jesus is speaking to your heart or guiding you to do something good?

Prayer

Thank You, Jesus, for being our good shepherd! You’re faithful even when we’re faithless. You guide and protect us, and You give us true life! I want to listen to Your voice and obey what You say. I’m here to follow You, and You alone. Help me to recognize any distractions and lay them back at Your feet! I love You, Lord. Amen.