“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27)
The example Jesus gave of His role and the role of His followers is of a relationship that a shepherd has with his sheep. The sheep are His followers. In the days of Jesus, the Jews were the only ones who had knowledge of the One True God. Jesus gives a clue that others who are not Jews will be part of His fold. “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16) As a non-Jew, I love that the Lord was thinking of us also from the very beginning. What mercy! What love! ...to be included as part of His fold.
When the people argued with Jesus, Pharisees included, they didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. Jesus told them that if they would know the Truth, they would be free. (John 8:32) Immediately they argued that they were Abraham’s descendants and were not in bondage to any man. Jesus clearly tells them that they are in bondage to sin. (John 8:33-34) They couldn’t understand. Today, there are people we speak to that can’t understand the Gospel. Their eyes and ears of understanding are closed. To us it’s plain as day. To them, the word of salvation is lost. Jesus tells them: “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.” (John 8:43) Then further on He says, “He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (John 8:47) Many non-believers ask questions about what the Bible may say about something. And they don’t understand. It’s useless to try to explain what God is saying about anything if they don’t belong to Him. We must try and steer the conversation to the Gospel. They don’t understand because they don’t belong to Him. They need to have the Holy Spirit to understand the words of God and to hear the voice of Jesus.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows those who belong to Him. And those who belong to Him know Him. (John 10:14) “For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalms 1:6) Those who belong to Him hear His voice and follow Him. (John 10:27) Paul in his letter to Timothy and writing about those who stray and speak unscriptural lies, explains that they strayed because they don’t belong to the Lord. “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2Timothy 2:19) He describes how a house may have vessels of gold and silver and vessels of wood, vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. In today’s vernacular which we may understand better, we can say that we have maybe gold trimmed dishes for our special dinners and other dishes that we may use only for feeding the dog. It’s the same in God’s house. There are kings and priests present. And there are “dogs” also present as unbelievers were called in Jesus’ time. Several times Jesus says, “I know you not,” to mean they do not belong to His fold. They are not saved. They are not believers in Him or His work. (Matthew 7:23; 25:12; Luke 12:27)
They who are of His fold, know Him and are known of Him. They hear His voice, and they follow Him. (John 10:4) They have the light of life. (John 8:12) I wrote about this before. We pass over these Scriptures and take them figuratively. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) But I believe it is also literal.
When Moses descended from the mountain after being with God, his face glowed and the word they used means sparkled. “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.” (Exodus 34:29-30) When Jesus was transfigured, He was sparkling with light. “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” (Matthew 17:1-2) I don’t think it dissipated immediately because later when Jesus returns to the crowd where the disciples cannot heal a boy with a demon, Mark records that the people were amazed. The Greek word used means utterly astonished and affright. Mark doesn’t explain but expounds on Truths of why the disciples couldn’t deliver the boy of the demon. “And when He came to His disciples, He saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted Him.” (Mark 9:14-15) There’s also the time of Saul’s encounter with the Lord on his way to Damascus. “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:” (Acts 9:3) Paul later describes this light as he witnesses to King Agrippa. “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.” (Acts 26:13) It was Jesus. And Jesus says we have that light, the light of life. Although we cannot see it with the natural eye, it shines bright in the spiritual and shows that we belong to the fold. We know our Shepherd. We hear His voice and follow Him. And He knows us.
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