Strange Voices

When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:4-5 NRSV)

This highlights the intimacy that is vital between the shepherd and his own sheep. But it also sheds light on something else not often noticed.

It is true that Jesus is speaking here of our need to know His voice while not becoming familiar with the voice of strangers who are not in tune with Jesus. And while genuine sheep will run away from strangers who do not reflect the tone and spirit of the true Shepherd, there is an inverse lesson that can be discovered in this passage. That is, if we think we are following the right Shepherd and yet we find ourselves chafing and resisting and wanting to run away, maybe it is because we really are not familiar with His voice but just think we are and claim to be.

I am becoming more aware of the danger of thinking I am a Christian, of acting like I am a Christian, of being able to look like I know Jesus personally and even spending time trying to know Him while all along my heart is still focused on looking out more for myself and maintaining a subtle facade. One of the most disturbing, unsettling texts that has haunted me over the years is where Jesus declares to those who present themselves as meriting entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven that He does not know them. This must be some of the most tragically sad words ever to be spoken – when people who have confidently lived their lives believing firmly that they were doing God's will, were furthering His kingdom on earth and were sure of their place in that kingdom suddenly learn that all their lifetime of self-discipline and religious accomplishments left out the most important element needed for living in the presence of Jesus.

What a shock to come to Jesus only to discover that He is actually a stranger to us. When we finally meet the real Jesus, the true Shepherd and have the urge to run away from Him even while deeply craving a place in heaven where we hope to escape all the discomforts of this world, we suddenly are confronted with the reality that we have been following a counterfeit shepherd all this time and have not really learned to discern the voice of the true Shepherd. We have been following a voice that was familiar to us but that voice turned out to be the wrong one.

What is the difference between shepherds? How can we know if we are listening to the right voice or not? How can we have any hope of not ending up with that group who are so certain they are on track as kingdom material only to discover that the real Jesus is a stranger to their form of religion?

There are some good clues right here in this passage. Jesus said that only He is the door through which all true traffic travels, both shepherds and sheep. He also notes carefully that He leads His sheep as opposed to forcing or driving them ahead of Him. This is all in addition to the emphasis He places on the fact that His sheep know His voice and willingly follow Him wherever He leads them.

If I find myself constantly resisting and distorting or reinterpreting the life of Jesus because I find it too disturbing to me, then I should be alerted to the fact that I may be very vulnerable to being duped by a counterfeit shepherd. Counterfeits are very common, so common in fact that they are widely viewed as the real deal. The vast majority of spiritual shepherds today operate using counterfeit principles foreign to the kingdom principles used by Jesus. These other principles are usually assumed to be valid and even godly, but nevertheless they are subtle imitations and mislead us to focus on external results and based on wrong motives.

Jesus did not employ fear, intimidation, threats, guilt, condemnation, shame or force at any time to get people to come to Him. These are all counterfeit elements introduced by Satan and widely accepted and often believed to originate from God. If these elements are seen in the methods of one seeking to lead others into religion, then I become very suspicious of the validity of their leadership. Those who claim to be under-shepherds must be motivated by the same Spirit that filled the heart of Jesus. Jesus was the perfect reflection of the Father and only those who are willing to likewise reflect only the principles of heaven in all their dealings with others can be trusted to help lead us into close fellowship with Jesus.

How tragic it will be if I spend my whole life trying to be a Christian, denying myself, working hard to keep up appearances and follow all the rules only to discover when it is too late that the real Jesus is a stranger to me. When I hear the true voice of Jesus, do I find it offensive to me? Do I prefer to listen to voices that are more in tune with my preferences, that lead me in directions that I want to go? How willing am I to test every spirit including God's Spirit against the infallible Word of God given for me for such purposes? Am I immersed in the Word of God and give it preference over all other supposed authorities, or do I allow others to interpret it for me and fail to let God's Spirit teach me personally? How willing am I to humble myself sufficiently to come to know the voice of the real Jesus in my own heart so thoroughly that when He speaks in unexpected ways or places that I can be assured that it is His voice speaking to my heart?

Abraham had very valid reasons for doubting the voice that instructed him to offer up his promised son as a sacrifice. This child sacrifice business was one of the worst pollutions of religions in his day. So for God to suddenly ask something of Abraham that was obviously so repulsive to God flew in the face of all logic and reason. But one of the reasons that Abraham was able to obey such a seemingly absurd command was because he had already spent so many years learning to discern the voice of God in contrast to counterfeit spirits. It was only because Abraham had such a long established relationship with God intimately that he was able to move ahead without wavering under such bizarre circumstances. As a result, his example of following the true Shepherd has been an inspiration for millions ever since that day and has brought honor and insight to the larger picture of how God feels towards sinners.

One reason that God waited so long to give Abraham the son of promise was his need to deeply establish his relationship of total trust in God and to know God's voice without doubt. If Isaac had come sooner when Abraham was younger, he would not have had all those years of experience with God and would not have been prepared to pass such an excruciating test of loyalty. Like all of us, Abraham needed time to become intimately familiar with the voice of God so he could follow the Shepherd anywhere he was led. The voice of Jesus was not that of a stranger to Abraham and thus Jesus was able to reveal profound things about God through the obedience of Abraham that day.

How is it with us? How is it with me? Am I willing to humble myself, to seek the truth about God at all costs and to be willing to come under the full authority of the true Shepherd? Is His voice becoming familiar enough for me to go places that frighten me as I trust in His wisdom and protection? Or is His voice still strange enough to me that I hesitate and resist and argue and make myself vulnerable to being deceived by other voices waiting to make me more comfortable?

Some Other Way

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)

Jesus Himself is the door into the fold. I am starting to see increasing numbers of implications embedded in this verse.

If one of the meanings for the fold is my own heart, then anyone who seeks to enter into the deep recesses of my heart, including myself, without going through Jesus is going to end up robbing and stealing from me and from God.

If I look at the fold as the church, then anyone who becomes part of the church without first and foremost coming to know Jesus at the heart level is acting the part of a thief or a robber. They will end up misrepresenting religion, damaging God's reputation and will cause untold hurt and damage to others both inside and outside the church without ever realizing what they are doing. They may cultivate a very intense and pious religious aura and may have convinced themselves that they are in the will of God by memorizing all the right answers, believing the right doctrines and living the right lifestyle. But in reality all these things are ways of climbing up by some other way.

This is revealed even more clearly in the words of Jesus found in Matthew.

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?' Then I will tell them publicly, 'I've never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.'

(Matthew 7:21-23 GW)

It seems clear to me that when Jesus says that He is the door through which everyone must pass that this is referring to the same thing as knowing Him as He talks about here in Matthew. These people were doing the right things, had worked hard on living out the symptoms of religion that they knew should be seen in the lives of those being saved; but without a personal, submissive, genuine heart-based relationship with Jesus, all their achieved symptoms failed to produce the change of heart needed to prepare them to live in close fellowship with God for eternity.

I too feel under strong conviction in regards to this very thing. I am seeing more and more clearly how much my own heart is still lacking a deep connection with God even though I have spent my whole life seeking to live in harmony with all the rules of religion as I was taught them. I and many around me have learned how to look good, to do and say things in such a way as to convince ourselves and others that we are in right relationship with God. But when I look in my heart I have serious reasons to wonder how much my weak relationship with Jesus would stand if met with severe circumstances.

I am constantly reminded of how weak my own will is, how tentative my own commitment to God is, how flimsy my profession of religion is when it comes to the real world. I don't want to live deceived all the way up to that Day when everything will be exposed only to find that I am one of those who climbed up some other way rather than going through the door by knowing Jesus for real in my own heart.

At the same time I cannot force myself to have that kind of relationship, because force itself is foreign to God's way of doing things. What I really need and crave is to have a much clearer perception of who God really is, to have my heart see and experience more fully the glory of His light, His beauty, His attractiveness so that my own righteousness by contrast becomes repulsive to me. I want to be weaned away from the cultural religion, the intellectual dependence that blinds me to my true heart condition and to have a much deeper encounter with the living God who is a flame of passionate fire. I want that fire of God to burn away all that is evil inside, all that is foreign to Him, all that resists His love and His will for me before it is too late and my heart is permanently hardened in unbelief.

I want Jesus.

Unpacking the Sheepfold

More thoughts on the first part of John 10.

Based on my current understanding and other references in the Bible to similar metaphors, I would like to list some of the potential meanings for the various roles and references in this discourse about sheep.

The person or persons who go in and out of the door of the fold are clearly identified as shepherds. And although Jesus identifies Himself as the Shepherd it also seems to imply others who are likely trusted to act as shepherds too.

Anyone who seeks entry or access to the sheep who is unwilling to use the designated doorway is identified as a thief or a robber in contrast with shepherds who use the door. These are identified as those climbing up some other way, evidently in reference to the wall of the sheepfold.

The sheepfold itself is something interesting that may often be overlooked in this passage. As I understand it, a sheepfold consisted of an area walled in like a pen in which to keep sheep overnight. The walls were for the purpose of both keeping the sheep from wandering off and getting lost and also to prevent dangerous animals or thieves from harming or stealing the sheep in any way.

Evidently, according to the words of Jesus here, anyone who does not respect the boundaries of the sheepfold walls cannot be trusted to have the best interests of the sheep in mind. Such predators only have motives to steal, kill and destroy according to verse ten.

Based on these functions and observations it would seem to me that a high possibility would exist that the sheepfold walls might represent the Law. According to Paul the Law was given to protect us and to hem us in until Jesus should come and we could live no longer 'under the law'. However, he also makes it clear that just because we might not be living under the law, that does not mean that sin is no longer something to avoid. The Law of God reveals what sin is but provides no power for us to refrain from sinning. This is why the guilt and shame and fear that is produce in our hearts as a result of having sin exposed in us by the Law is useless for producing any real righteousness in our lives.

Interestingly, in this analogy Jesus says that with the Shepherd around the sheep will go in and out of the fold. This is interesting if the fold represents the Law. The whole system of law that was given by God certainly was designed to protect and hem us in until a fuller revelation of truth and of God was brought to us by Jesus Christ. But just because Jesus came to show us the far greater realms of grace and truth beyond the confines of the narrow restrictions of the legal view of religion, that does not mean that the underlying principles embedded in that system no longer apply. God's laws are expressions of the principles of reality, not artificial rules with arbitrary punishments like our legal system is based on. With this truth in mind one can see how God's children under the leading of Jesus can live inside or outside the walls of the Law and still remain in harmony with those walls.

The door of the sheepfold is also something important to consider here. The door has a doorkeeper in charge of allowing only legitimate and authorized persons through that access point as part of the security system for the protection of the sheep. Part of this analogy includes the point that Jesus makes about Himself as the door through which all must pass in order to be safe. But what about the doorkeeper? Who is in charge of determining who can be allowed in and who is not?

Revelation 3:20 talks about Jesus standing at the door knocking for entrance into our hearts. He is waiting for us to hear and open the door and allow Him in so He can fellowship with us intimately. Although this may be a somewhat different analogy I think it may have some bearing on our search for answers here. In some sense we are the doorkeepers for our own hearts. God never overrides our freedom of will to force us to accept Him. That freedom is the most valuable and protected right that God fiercely protects in every created intelligent being in the universe. Satan's counterfeit government does not respect this principle of freedom of choice and insists that force, intimidation and coercion are legitimate means to use if people won't cooperate with our desires or demands. But God never uses such techniques because He values our freedom even more than our obedience or even His own life. Jesus died in order to protect our freedom of will to choose whether or not we would trust God and believe in His love for us. This is the very essence, the secret ingredient of true love; for genuine love cannot exist if it is not totally free to do otherwise.

But there is another possibility for the doorkeeper that comes to my mind. I believe that in some respect the Holy Spirit might also be a doorkeeper, especially in the case of those who have chosen to be sheep submitted to the authority of the Shepherd. If we are sheep under the care of Jesus and choosing to live under the protection of the principles of truth as outlined by the walls of the sheepfold, then the door of our hearts is maintained and watched over by the Spirit sent to be our guide, our counselor and our comforter. As we seek to live in harmony with the principles of truth brought to our heart's attention by the Spirit and we allow that Spirit to lead us day by day as children of God, His Spirit will maintain constant vigilance to protect the access points to our hearts if we are willing to listen to Him.

In the sense that Jesus is the door as He stated in this passage, it would seem to fit the analogy better to view that door as the access point into the kingdom of heaven rather than the access way into our hearts. All who wish to have real life, to live a life parallel with the life of God, must enter into that family through a personal relationship with the One who was sent to reveal the truth about God and about the realities of the kingdom. To try to live life here and seek for eternal life through any other means is to ultimately open our hearts to thieves and robbers. By trying to circumvent or disregard the parameters of the Law that was given to protect us without using the access point of a clear understanding of Jesus and what He represents, is to open ourselves up to abuse and ultimately destruction.

I find it interesting that in the safety of the presence of Jesus the sheep can safely go out of the sheepfold and go anywhere the Shepherd may lead them. This helps me see that there is a much larger world outside the narrow restrictions of formal law that is safe to enjoy as long as we remain under guidance and protection and stay close to the Shepherd who knows what is best for us. And while there are certainly many more dangers outside of the sheepfold than while penned up inside of it, there are also many more adventures and pleasures and things to enjoy as long as we remain under the watchful care of the Shepherd of our souls.

But when He leads us back through the door and asks us to return to the confines of the sheepfold for a season again, we should not become resentful and insist on running off on our own somewhere rather than following the Shepherd's instructions. We need not be afraid of the confines of the Law for the Law of God is simply an expression of His character. If we are resistant and resentful about the Law then in actuality we are resistant and resentful about God Himself and will find ourselves out of harmony with the very One who is seeking to draw us to Himself.

Unfortunately there are some who become so obsessed with the restrictions and protections of the walls of the sheepfold that they refuse to trust the Shepherd to lead them outside its confines and enjoy the much larger view outside. They are afraid that to do so is a rejection of 'the truth', that the only safety for us is to remain under the law. But Jesus says here that His sheep can go in and out of the fold safely. This is because the sheepfold is not in conflict or contradiction with the Shepherd but is simply one of the ways in which He protects His sheep at various times. When the Shepherd is sleeping (God never sleeps, but there may be something in here important to discern) the sheep need to be inside the fold with the door secured by the doorkeeper. But when the Shepherd invites His sheep to come with Him and travel to other places for new nourishment and growing experiences, then we should be willing to follow Him wherever He leads us without feeling that we are rejecting the principles of His character as outlined by the walls of the sheepfold.

The main point that Jesus seems to be emphasizing here is the issue of intimate knowledge of the voice of the Shepherd by the sheep. He says that the Shepherd calls them by name, that He brings them all out and that they follow Him because they know His voice. This seems to be the main point of this whole passage and is vital to focus in on because it is a point we are likely to miss just as people then seemed so confused about what He was trying to say. Knowing God's voice is a theme throughout the Bible and is central to living in a saving relationship with Him. It is not enough to have a knowledge of truth or of the principles of the Law; we must have a personal, intimate awareness and appreciation for the kind voice of the Shepherd who has given His life to redeem us and bring us into His family.

Jesus says that a good shepherd goes in front of his sheep. He does not use the counterfeit methods of control and coercion that the enemy uses. Neither does the shepherd utilize deception or fear or any other false technique for getting his way with the sheep. He depends on his relationship with the sheep and on the trust they have for him that has been cultivated by his good treatment of them over time. Because he has a personal relationship with each individual and knows them well by name, cares for them and treats them with compassion and personal interest, they are willing to follow him wherever he goes ahead of them without questioning or quibbling.

A good shepherd does not drive the sheep ahead of him. He goes in front to face any potential danger before the sheep are exposed to it. He leads by example, not by demands. He does not remain safely at a distance to protect himself from dangers while giving remote instructions for the sheep to follow. He gets right in with the sheep and stays closely connected with them which is the main reason why they trust him so much. Because the shepherd exposes himself to the same experiences that the sheep must face they come to have faith that he will always be there for them and will face everything they will face even before they have to deal with it.

Climbing Up

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)

I saw something in this verse today I have not noticed before. The alternatives to entering the fold through the door involve climbing up somehow. If one goes through the door there is no need to climb at all. Isn't that interesting?

The context for this verse is really a continuation of Jesus' interaction with the Pharisees and the former blind man who had just given an incredible testimony for Jesus before very stubborn religious leaders. As Jesus looked up the healed man to encourage him and allow him to reconnect more closely with Jesus, the ever-present Pharisees overheard what Jesus said about blindness and threw out a question about their own condition. In response Jesus not only up-ended their assumptions about God's attitude toward people with disabilities but went on to further explain how heaven views religious leadership. He changed the metaphor but continued to press home the point that He alone is the only accurate revelation of the real truth about God in contrast to the distorted teachings of most everyone else.

As Jesus develops this metaphor it becomes clear that the main Shepherd is Himself. But it also seems that He may be referring to others who might be viewed as under-shepherds, people in positions of leadership who also are supposed to be representing God to those who are looking up to them for guidance. Jesus is making it clearer here that if someone claims to represent God but conveys the idea that you have to climb up to get inside God's fold of protection, then that person is very likely a counterfeit, a fraud, a very suspicious person who should not be trusted.

Not only is such a person to be viewed with suspicion but Jesus says that anyone who is involved in climbing to try to get into God's fold is going to be one who is only interested in stealing things of value from you and will be a threat to your safety just as a robber is likely to use violence to take things away from you against your will. Most of us are not too interested in having a known thief who actively robs people to be our spiritual leader; at least not unless we want to be in training to be thieves and robbers ourselves. Generally part of the qualifications for being trusted to guide others safely as a spiritual leader representing God and teaching people how to connect with God involves having more integrity and moral character than a thief or a robber.

Yet in this verse Jesus equates the idea of trying to climb your way up into heaven with the notion of stealing and robbing. A few verses later He emphasizes the fact that thieves only have the desire to steal, kill and destroy in contrast with the motives of Jesus which is to offer people abundant, extravagant life. Rather than take from people what is of value, Jesus wants to bring to us everything that is truly life-giving, all that will make us more fully alive and will cause us to thrive.

But the kind of life that Jesus offers for us to enjoy, the abundant kind of living, does not involve climbing up to achieve entrance into God's kingdom. While there are walls of protection around God's family which are intended to keep harmful things away from them, there is also a door through which both the Shepherd and the sheep can come and go without needing to scale any obstacles. A true shepherd, one who is in union with the great Shepherd of our souls, never needs to climb over a wall to avoid presenting himself to the doorkeeper for recognition. If a person is a true shepherd that can be trusted by those in charge of the fold, then they have no reason to find some other way to gain access to the sheep of God.

This raises immediate questions in my mind about the popular notion of our need to climb up Jacob's ladder to reach heaven. But as I reflect on that dream that Jacob had I remember that he did not see any people on that ladder. All that he saw going up and down the ladder were angels coming to minister to those on earth who needed their help and blessing. When we stretch things beyond what God intends with such representations we often get into trouble and begin to weave false ideas into the simple truths that God intends for us to know for coming back into unity with heaven.