The Sheep and the Shepherd

The Sheep and the Shepherd

The sheep-and-shepherd metaphor saturates the Bible from beginning to end — from the Shepherd of Psalm 23 to the Lamb who is also the Shepherd at the throne in Revelation 7:17. The reason it resonates so deeply is that it is simultaneously accurate and aspirational: we are sheep in our vulnerability, our tendency to wander, our need for someone to know the way. And He is the shepherd who goes before, who calls by name, who lays down His life. A shepherd in Palestine was asked how his sheep recognized his voice. He said: 'I begin talking to them from the day they are born. They have heard nothing but my voice. They do not need to see me. They hear and they come.'

John 10:14's mutual knowledge — 'I know my sheep and my sheep know me' — is immediately compared to the mutual knowledge between the Father and the Son (verse 15). The knowing is intimate, mutual, and the basis for the laying down of life. The shepherd doesn't know about the sheep academically; he knows them individually, by name, with a knowledge that includes each one's individual character, tendencies, and needs. The sheep know the shepherd's voice — not all voices, but His voice specifically. This knowing is cultivated through time spent in relationship. The sheep who stays near the shepherd learns to distinguish His voice from every other voice. Is your ear tuned to His voice?