John 10:4

“And once his sheep are beckoned out by the sound of his voice,” Jesus says, “he leads them; his sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.” John 10:4 EFP 

Consider the fact that Jesus is still speaking to those who claim God as their spiritual source of truth and the patriarch Abraham as their spiritual progenitor. What does this statement mean? How is it understood by the ones listening who have no interest in what Jesus has to say other than to nab him in some verbal misstep?

His statement makes three basic points about his “sheep”: The sheep are called out by the sound of his voice; once they respond and come to him, he leads them, and; his sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. This is personal. The scene is relational. There is familiarity here. This is not the description of a call to a set of rules and regulations. There is no mention of mental assent or intellectual discipline. These are sheep, after all. Those who oppose him have and follow a strict set of rules and operate within specific religious parameters. Yet, in the end they seek to kill Jesus. Somehow they are comfortable with that incongruence.

The same happens to me when my religious experience is based on what I do and what I know to be true, rather than on who I am and who I know to be true—Jesus Christ. The Gospel is a call to be, not a demand to become by doing. What I do is the result of who I am and who I follow not vice versa. I follow because I know him. I am honed in on his voice. I recognize it. My behavior is set in motion as a result of my following him wherever he leads. If only my life consistently revealed that experience. I have so much growth ahead of me. God is not done with me…not by a long shot! But I will continue to follow him.