The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
John 10:1–30
Also see: Ezekiel 34; John 9; Revelation 7:17; 21:1–5
Have you ever been lost in a crowd—maybe at a concert or a busy airport—and suddenly, through all the noise, you hear the familiar voice of someone you love? That voice doesn’t just cut through the sound; it calms your heart. You know it. You trust it.
That’s the picture Jesus paints in John 10 when He says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
It’s not cold religion. It’s not blind obedience. It’s a relationship. It’s the voice of the Good Shepherd calling His sheep by name.
But to truly grasp what Jesus is saying here, we need to hear it the way His first listeners would have—through the lens of Ezekiel 34. There, God is heartbroken and angry. The spiritual leaders of Israel—called shepherds—have failed. They’ve neglected the weak, exploited the vulnerable, and abandoned the lost. So God makes a bold promise: “I myself will search for my sheep… I will rescue them… I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David.”
And then Jesus stands in the temple courts centuries later and says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”
This isn’t just poetic comfort. It’s a declaration: God has come. The Shepherd of Israel has arrived.
And the question now is: Will we listen to His voice?
In John 9, Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth. But instead of celebrating the miracle, the religious leaders interrogate the man and cast him out. Why? Because Jesus didn’t fit their mold. They could see with their eyes, but their hearts were blind.
But that formerly blind man? He heard Jesus. He believed. He followed.
He may have been cast out of the synagogue, but he was brought into the fold of the Shepherd.
And that’s what Jesus wants us to know today: His sheep hear His voice. They are known by Him. And they follow Him—not because they have to, but because they want to. Because they trust Him.
Faith in Jesus is more than agreement with facts. It’s a surrender to a person. It’s knowing the voice of the Shepherd and saying, “Where You lead, I will go.”
And here’s the beauty: Jesus says of His sheep who hear him and follow him, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
Let that sink in.
Your security is found in mutual, loyal love. You hear and follow. He lays down his life for you and holds you tightly in his hand. Even when your trust and love for him weakens and you wander away from him, he holds you tightly until your heart yet again turns to your first love (Rev. 2:4-5)
You are safe—not because you are strong, but because He is faithful.
You are known—not in part, but fully.
And still, you are loved.
The Good Shepherd doesn’t abandon wandering sheep. He pursues them. Maybe you’ve wandered. Maybe your life has grown too noisy, and you’ve stopped listening for the Shepherd’s voice. Maybe you’ve been relying on your own sense of direction—and you’ve gotten lost in the process.
There’s good news: the Shepherd is looking for you.
He’s not shaking His head in disappointment; He’s calling your name.
Or maybe you’ve never truly listened. You’ve been around religion, even admired Jesus from a distance, but you’ve never made that step to truly trust Him with your life. Today, the Shepherd is inviting you to join His flock. Not because you’ve earned it—but because He laid down His life for you. (for help in knowing how to surrender to Jesus go to: https://swbchurch.com/the-way-of-salvation/)
And He’s not finished.
The story doesn’t end in green pastures or quiet waters. The Shepherd is leading us toward something even greater—a renewed creation. Ezekiel saw it coming. John saw it in Revelation. A day when fear will be gone, and every tear will be wiped away. When God Himself will dwell with us, and the Lamb will be our Shepherd forever.
Can you picture that?
The One who died for you… leading you into a world without pain, without death, without loss.
A home where you’ll never again be lost, never again be afraid.
So what do we do now?
We listen.
We follow.
We rest in the safety of His hands.
If you’re His, you are heard. You are known. You are held.
And the voice that calls you today is the same voice that will one day welcome you home.
Prayer
Good Shepherd, I am listening. Let me hear Your voice again, clearly and deeply. Remind me that I am not just one of many—I am known, loved, and safe in You. Give me the grace to follow where You lead, even when it’s hard. And fill my heart with hope as I wait for the day You bring all things new. Until then, keep me close. Amen.
Pastor Mark
