My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me

 

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."

 

- John 10:19-30 

 

In Saturday's reading, Jesus continued His dialogue with the Pharisees, after having healed a man blind from birth.  He told them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes is from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  We recall that Jesus has been disputing with the religious leaders.  Chapters 7 - 9 have been concerned with events at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival, and the Gospel has begun reporting the events of Jesus' final year of earthly life.  My study Bible comments here that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs, but perceive the holiness of His words.   During this Feast of Tabernacles, the leaders had sent temple police to arrest Him, but they returned having failed to do so.  Their response when question as to why they had not arrested Him:  "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:46).  Jesus Himself has taught, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).  

 

 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."   The Feast of Dedication took place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1-10:21), and was known as the "Festival of Lights," which we know also as Hanukkah.  It commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated it in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1 - 4).  At this festival, my study Bible explains, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated, many of whom were themselves shepherds.  We recall again that, for the greater part, John's use of the term the Jews is akin to a political context, used to designate the religious leaders, not the people.  All the people mentioned here in the text are Jews, including Jesus, His followers, and the author of this Gospel, the disciple John Zebedee.

 

 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me."  My study Bible comments that both what Christ told them and the works He had done have already answered their question.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind (particularly one born blind; see John 9:32), or perform the signs that beat witness to Christ's identity.  Likewise, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of the people as Christ has (John 7:46).  

"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you."  My study Bible points out that "as I said to you" indicates these are the same Pharisees whom Christ addressed three months earlier at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 10:1-5).  

 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  Once again, Jesus returns to His repeated theme of communion with the Father.  His mission and power are given by the Father.  This communion is so close that He says, "I and My Father are one."  Here and in the verses that will follow, Christ confirms that He is fully God, for one means one in nature or essence, while are indicates two distinct Persons, while confirming a continuous unity.

In today's reading, we're given both a sense of the union Christ has with the Father, and also the power of Christ's words.  What is indicated seems to be the seamless unity of both of these things.  The power of Christ's words -- and indeed, of His actions and ministry -- is completely tied in to His union with the Father.  It is this spiritual reality that informs His words and gives them power.  Above is quoted once again Christ's own statement regarding His words:  "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."  We know that Father and Son are united; we also understand through our theology in the Church, and Christ's words, that where one member of the Trinity is present, so is the full Trinity.  Where Father and Son are united, the Spirit is also present.  In chapter 4, Jesus taught the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well:  "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).  From this also we may understand the united power of the Trinity itself, and the words of Christ.  The power of spirit and truth is present in His words, because they come from the Father; but also the Father is seeking those who will worship in spirit and in truth, and so we may also be united in this communion as well, and through His word.  How else can Christ's words penetrate the heart, and come to us with recall when we need them, even if their meaning is not completely clear to us?  They call to us through this power of spirit and truth, and especially to that part of ourselves that will respond, be drawn in, and seek to know more.  In this our hearts respond, the center of ourselves, that "better part" that is drawn to what will guide us through difficult circumstances in life, where what's good and what's not good may not be easy to discern to our immediate conscious minds amidst the jumbled impulses of fears and doubt and dread.  Life offers us all kinds of circumstances that leave us seemingly in the lurch, so to speak:  difficult choices, unknown roads or dilemmas, without clear answers how to solve our problems -- or even what might be right or wrong.  But the words of Christ, if we are not overwhelmed by circumstances or "choked by the cares of this world" (see the parable of the Sower), will echo in us, call to us.  They have a way of echoing in our minds, coming back to us at times that are seemingly incongruous or unrelated.  But the words remain powerful for us because they remain spirit and truth.  They are part of an energy that does not die because it is immortal, coming from God.  And this is what we need to remember.  We have been through many circumstances of history since these words were spoken, but they have a meaning that transcends circumstances for us and endures through time.  They will find their way to us through our own challenged lives, through difficulties both modern and ancient, even in the midst of a world no one at Christ's time could have imagined.  But let us consider the problems that remain for us today, and were present for Christ's earliest followers:  persecution, powerful and ruthless states with the latest technology for manipulation and coercion, popular movements, rumors of all kinds, ambitious politicians, and even false prophets and wolves who dress themselves in sheep's clothing.  These things don't change even if they change appearances and slogans, for they are all still with us, and were present in the extreme for the early Church -- and maybe especially for these first followers of Christ we read about in the Gospels.  Whatever comes our way, we have these words of spirit and truth. As St. Peter put it, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).   Together with St. Peter, let us be the sheep who hear His voice, today, as yesterday, and also tomorrow.