His Voice

John 10:1-5 NRSV

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

The four shepherds had their flock in a sheepfold.  An assistant would lie across the opening, as the gate keeper. No one entered but the shepherds. When it was time the shepherd would call their sheep, and they would follow by the shepherds song. It was a melodic song, a chant, the sheep knew - and they followed. 

They knew that voice among the other voices. They knew that voice in spite of whatever was going on around them. Sheep have no sense of direction and can get lost easily, but the voice as their rescuer. They can’t smell water and can be close to water and not know it, but the voice who leds to water. They will eat whatever is in front of them, but the voice who watches over and leads in places of nourishment. They can’t even clean themselves, but the voice, who cleans them off, sets them on their way.

We, like sheep, go astray, but the voice. The good shepherd rescues us, guides us, nourishes us, cleans us up, and sets us on our way. But we must listen for his voice. It’s our relationship with him. enough for now.