How to Recognize the Voice That Brings You Life

Blog by Alan Fadling

There is a common metaphor the church has drawn from scripture that helps me keep the living presence of Christ at the center. The challenge, however, is that the metaphor can seem so familiar that it ceases to inspire or encourage us.

What’s the metaphor? Consider a couple familiar verses from scripture:

Psalm 23 begins with the words “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Jesus uses this same image in John 10:11 when he says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Again, the challenge is that the image of God or Jesus as shepherd has become overly familiar for many of us with longtime church experience. I fear it’s a familiarity that breeds contempt for too many of us.

Or perhaps familiarity isn’t the problem, but instead it’s our unfamiliarity with the day-to-day reality of the life of a shepherd.

If you were to review your networks on Facebook or Instagram or LinkedIn, how many working shepherds do you know? If you’re like me, the answer is “none.” Most of us have never lived in spaces where someone we know is actively involved in the job of shepherding.

So, we may need to acknowledge the challenge of our unfamiliarity and let the metaphor speak fresh insight into our life.

It might help us to look at the image of Jesus as shepherd with fresh eyes and remember that in this life of faith we are never alone. Ever.

As John chapter 10 opens, Jesus has been arguing with the Jewish leaders who were questioning his healing of the blind man in chapter 9. Read the first six verses and imagine Jesus advocating for the man he has healed. Contrast that with the Jewish leaders who wanted to reject the good thing Jesus has done.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

So far we see a few key characters: A thief. A robber. A shepherd. A gatekeeper. Sheep. A stranger.

Though the Pharisees aren’t catching what Jesus is throwing their way, they are the thieves and robbers and the strangers to God’s way. They claim to be speaking for God, but they want to rob the blind man of the gift of grace God has given him. They claim to represent God, but they reject the one who proves by his life that he speaks for God.

There is a way of envisioning a life of faith that is opposed to God rather than aligned with God. Jesus knows this, but the Jewish leaders don’t seem to.

They want to brand Jesus as ignorant, dishonest, or even deranged. But Jesus has come to be a shepherd to people who will let him. He wants to guide people into the good life. He wants to protect people from lasting harm. He wants to provide people what they need. That’s what good shepherds do. And the Jewish leaders have failed to do this for their followers—their “sheep.”

So Jesus is the good shepherd. He proves himself by exercising the power of God to heal a blind man. Jesus speaks words that have wisdom greater than the academic theology of the Jewish leaders.

The image of Jesus as the good shepherd tells us that he is always with us as his sheep. We need him, and he’s very happy to be with us. He lays down his life for us—not just in the past but in every moment. He comes to serve us, and we respond with love and trust.

Consider John 10:3-4 once again: 

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for [the good shepherd], and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

I am one of the sheep Jesus is shepherding. I listen to his voice. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “the sheep read his Word.” I do that, daily and gratefully, but here I’m reminded that the Christian life is listening to the living voice of my ever-present and good shepherd. Jesus is with me and is speaking with me. The scriptures are living and active because Jesus is alive and at work.

And Jesus knows me by name. When he speaks, it’s not just a generic message for anyone. Jesus speaks to me. He wants to lead me out into good places and good work. Instead of driving me from behind, he leads out ahead. I go out with my Shepherd. I’ve learned to recognize his voice, and I’ve learned to recognize the voice of the stranger. This comes naturally for sheep, and I hope I’m at least a little smarter than a sheep.

In all of this, the good news is that I’m never alone in seeking to live a life of trust in Jesus.

What lies at the heart of the Christian life is a deep and ongoing relationship with Jesus as our good shepherd. It’s a relationship that we express in countless ways in our lives, our relationships, and our work.

I’d love to hear how this resonates with you. What does it mean to you that Jesus calls you by name, leads you out, and walks with you in this life of faith? Feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts, reflections, or questions. Let’s keep this conversation alive together.

For Reflection:

• Where am I most in need of hearing the Shepherd’s voice today?
• How can I practice listening rather than striving this week?
• What might change if I trusted Jesus’ leading instead of my own plans?