Readings: Psalm 23; Rev 7:9-17; Jn 10:22-30
On this particular day, at the feast of Dedication, some Jewish leaders rounded Jesus up as he was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Portico and asked him “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (v. 24).
Now you may think that this is a legitimate question because it sounds like one, but wait until you look at the context of this story. At the end of verse 8, people had tried to stone Jesus for claiming to know Abraham. Stoning to death was the punishment for blasphemy in the Law of Moses (Lev 24:16). These Jewish leaders, in asking Jesus why he is not announcing himself as the Christ—a title for the Messiah—are trying to trick him into a charge of blasphemy.
The goal of these leaders is to get Jesus to admit to who he was.
Who you really are is the battleground of temptation. The devil tries to plant seeds of uncertainty in you, by getting you to question your identity. Similarly, the devil will attack you because of who you are: a child of God. It is a two-pronged approach.
To the Jewish leaders’ trick question, Jesus responds that “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in my Father’s name testify about me.” (v. 25). And why don’t they believe? To Jesus, it's because they are not his sheep.
Listening and Hearing
“My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (v. 27). Here Jesus points out a virtue that his followers (sheep) have over the Jewish leaders: they listen.
Listening is not the same as hearing. All of us can hear (except our deaf brothers and sisters) but not all can listen. You see, hearing relates to the passive intake of sounds. You can hear a blast, or your name being called, that’s not a problem. But listening is more than that.
Listening is intentional. It takes work. It requires comprehension.
To listen well, you need to leave behind all your pretentious agendas, exhibit patience, open-mindedness, and a non-judgmental attitude. Someone has said that there is a difference between listening and waiting to talk.
Some of us like to talk non-stop. We have ideas that we demand others to hear out. I once knew a guy on social media who only came to the conversation because he had something to say. He asked questions not because he needed clarity but to set himself up to ‘correct’ the other person. The lack of patience, receptivity, and a judgmental attitude will always get in the way of listening.
Listening is much needed now with the advent of new media. The world is noisy like never before. There are millions upon millions of messages that compete for our attention every day. We can choose to hear out as many as we can but that means we will need to quit our jobs, drop out of school, skip doing laundry, give up on family, etc. We must be able to cut through the noise by giving attention to particular messages that carry significance.
Listening also goes beyond what you hear. It includes what you see. The professionals call this nonverbal communication. The nonverbal cues which accompany the words we say act as a commentary on those words. Hence, talking to someone on the phone and in-person will give you a different perception of that person. Facial expression, body language, hand gestures, and eye contact, among others, are all part and parcel of how we communicate. Our listening, therefore, is efficient when we consider all these.
The Jewish leaders, according to Jesus were not like his sheep that listen to him. Because they could not listen, they missed out on what was important—that the works Jesus did (miracles) testified to him as the Christ.
In the Old Testament, stubbornness, foolishness, hard-heartedness, wickedness, and a rebellious spirit were marked by the unwillingness to listen (see 2 Kings 17:40; Prov 4:10; 8:33; 12:25; 29:12; Is 30:9; 46:12; Ezek 2:7, 15).
Even today, a failure to listen can be disastrous. Some people have found themselves in toxic and exploitative relationships because they let the demands of society get in the way of their listening. Some say, “He has been talking about this since we met, but I never paid attention…” That is because they were not listening.
Others are stuck with terrible and selfish leaders because they did not listen when those aspiring leaders told them that they were going into leadership “to eat”. When we listen well, we can discern the hearts and minds of people and therefore know what to expect when they act.
Sadly, today’s instant analysis, 15-second TikTok videos, 280-character tweets, and the increased focus on appearances aided by Instagram and YouTube have greatly injured our attention spans. These days someone is an expert in epidemiology, road construction engineering, the value chain of coffee, East-European geopolitics, etc by reading a Twitter thread. Even ‘fake news’ and ‘fact checkers’ have a market because our attention spans are so short that careful and patient listening is out of vogue today.
There are also sharp political divisions, and some people no longer talk to each other because they belong to different political camps. Most times, little effort is made to listen to each other and patiently understand why we come to the ideological positions we hold.
“My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Known by name
I am familiar with cattle keepers. When we were growing up, we used to cross paths with these hired men as we went to school, and in the evening as they brought cattle back from the fields. Cattle keepers lead from the back, they walk behind their cows.
Shepherds, however, are different.
They lead from the front. They walk ahead and the sheep follow behind them. In ancient Israel, when the shepherd led the sheep back to the sheep pen, he stood at the gate of the pen and called each sheep into the pen by name. The shepherd ensured that none of his sheep got lost by naming them and calling them by name as they entered the sheep pen.
The shepherd knew his sheep.
The sheep, with those sheep ears, also listened and knew the voice of the shepherd.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep of his pasture.
While listening is critical to following Jesus, it is also vital to being known by him. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:14).
The benefit to being a sheep that listens to the shepherd is that you will never perish because you are held by the Good Shepherd. This Good Shepherd is one with his Father, who is greater than all. This assurance is good news.
Unlike the Jewish leaders, the sheep are safe. They are held by the hand of One who is greater than all.
So, I don’t know the demons you are wrestling with right now, the fears that keep you awake at night; the insecurities which make you question who you are; or your past which sometimes makes you unsure of the grace of God for you. We are all in a hard place, and like sheep, wolves are trailing us, violent rapids and waterfalls keeping us away from reaching for that Living Water but let me drop some words of comfort here: You will live; You will be shielded from the wolves; You will be comforted; and ultimately, you will get home safe (see Rev. 7:14-17).
You are known by God. He calls you by name.
I want you to finish this sermon by reading the words of the psalm appointed for this day—Psalm 23. Slowly, and meditatively:
God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life. (MSG)
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
Great stuff my friend!
GOD BLESS YOU THANKS FOR THE MESSAGE