John 10:4-5
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Should I follow, should I lead; should I listen, should I think for myself; should I reason, should I wait; these are the questions that we so often ask ourselves in the confusion of our souls. But this confusion do NOT sheep make! Sheep understand intuitively.
Sheep make no real decisions at all. PEOPLE make decisions, sheep just follow. The only real questions for a simple sheep are: Where do I eat, where do I sleep, where do I go when the master calls, what voice is that, am I safe? It knows no other worries.
It is INTELLECT that causes us to trap ourselves in our sins. It is EMOTIONS that trick us into going our own way. It is PRESSURE from inside our soul that makes us chose roads we might not normally take. It is FLESH that pulls us, verily, drags us down the road by a rope, as it runs wildly through the muddy town of desire. This kind of abuse sheep do not know.
When the Great Shepherd allowed us our BRILLIANCE (to reason, to muse, to meditate, to test, to think) He never desired that we would do all that without HIM. In the Garden, man reasoned with GOD; not himself. In the flood man submitted to GOD not society. In the exodus from Egypt man didn’t choose his own path but rather GOD’S laws. In the Gospels the disciples didn’t decide their destiny by themselves; they followed one who said, ‘Come, Follow Me’. These are the things SHEEP do. Sheep are not stupid or foolish as some would accuse, they are just true followers. If Christ starts to walk, His sheep follow. He does not push them, nor does He pull them; those are the kind of actions most likely to be from the religious ones motivated by the demonic ones influenced by the one Deceiver. In contrast, Christ SPEAKS and all the flock scurry for a front row seat! HE draws & woos.
Sometimes the shepherd will allow the sheep to go his own way; within the confines of the hill they are dining at, within the confines of the sheepfold that they tenure at, within the boundaries of safety from the wolf that desires sheep-flesh. This is established for their own good; yet, this is true freedom, for the Shepherd and the Watchdog are both watching over the sheep. Should an evil attack, these two will attack the attacker, so that the sheep need not fear. Should a storm arise, the sheep will be safely tucked away where winds and rains cannot harm them for the Porter will guard the door.
Yes, the voice of the stranger will call; it always does. The voice of temptation will whisper; it rides on the winds of desire. The voice of accusation will try to cause the sheep to flee and panic; to leave from the confines of the sheepfold. The voice of the stranger cannot be stopped. However, it CAN BE RECOGNIZED. It can be discerned. But here is the trick of it: You do not discern it by ‘listening’ to it. You discern it by ‘hearing it’ and recognizing it as FOREIGN TO YOU. If it is NOT the Master, if it is NOT your own voice then it is ‘another’ voice. Here is the sum of the matter: When your mind is on the Lord and His Word, then all the other voices become the voice of a STRANGER! Tune your ears to HIM alone and be a true sheep.
Original Copyright: © Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M. 3/07/2004