[Pearls Ep 169: Preparing for Sunday.]
How do we recognize Jesus’ voice?
This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday and the 4th Sunday of Easter. The Gospel reading (John 10:1-10) brings us Jesus’ message that He is the Good Shepherd.
Leading up to Easter Jesus promised us new life. And in the Sunday Gospels following Easter we have Jesus’ affirmation that we can trust Him to make good on that promise.
But that trust is built on relationship – following Jesus as our shepherd.
In this episode of Pearls of the Interior Life (and our follow-up messages) we look at the all-important issue of learning to listen for, and follow, His voice.
Easter blessings –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Postscript: The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-10)
Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through Me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”