“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27-28
John chapter 10 is one of my favorite parts of the Gospel message. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Jesus made that statement after addressing the issue of the Pharisees rejecting a man Jesus had healed who had been blind from birth. The hypocritical, self-righteous religious leaders of Israel ‘excommunicated’ the formerly blind man because he told them the truth about Jesus being from God –
“Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” John 9:30-33
The Pharisees response? “They answered and said to him, ‘You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?’ And they cast him out” (John 9:34). The formerly blind man who had most likely known rejection his entire life was rejected again – this time by the very religious leaders who should have rejoiced at God’s great blessing in the man’s life by giving him his sight.
This event led to one of the greatest insights we have about how much God cares for His people. Here’s what happened next –
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.’ Then he said, ‘Lord, I believe!’ And he worshiped Him.” John 9:35-38
Story of the ‘Bummer Lamb’
I’d like to tell you a story about the ‘bummer lamb.’ A ‘bummer’ lamb is a lamb that is rejected by its mother for a variety of reasons. That means the lamb has no food or protection. Shepherds who truly cared for their flock could tell when a lamb had been rejected. In order to keep the lamb from dying of starvation or from a predator, shepherds would take the ‘bummer’ lamb and raise it themselves. That meant regular bottle feedings, holding the lamb close to his chest for warmth, speaking to the lamb, and showing the lamb care and concern for its welfare.
‘Bummer’ lambs often become very attached to the shepherd, even after being returned to the flock when they were strong enough to do that. Because of the closeness between the shepherd and ‘bummer’ lamb, the lamb developed a special bond of love and trust with the shepherd. ‘Bummer’ lambs knew the voice of the shepherd and would come quickly when the shepherd called.
That story brings us back to the wonderful truths we find in John 10 –
“I am the good shepherd; andI know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:14-16
Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, knows us and we know Him. Jesus laid down His life for us. We hear His voice and follow Him. We are the ‘other sheep’ Jesus said ‘are not of this fold.’ We are the ‘bummer’ sheep He loves so much.
Jesus repeated this idea of His sheep ‘knowing’ His voice during the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem –
“And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” John 10:23-30
The Jews took up stones to kill Jesus, but He ‘escaped out of their hand.’ Why did the Jews try to kill Jesus?
“For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” John 10:33
The Joy of Rejection
Jesus Christ is both Man and God. He is also our Good Shepherd. Though we have suffered rejection in this world, our Good Shepherd laid down His life for us that we might have life and joy everlasting –
“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:7-10
Jesus came from Heaven to earth to “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Being lost is not a ‘joyous’ experience. Being ‘found’ and ‘accepted’ by the Good Shepherd is what brings us joy and peace. As the Apostle Paul wrote the Romans – “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6
“Accepted in the Beloved.” That’s our joy. Being lost, then found – rejected, then accepted. Yes, we are blessed – richly blessed.
Read the first three chapters of Rome and it’s pretty clear that God rejected the human race because it rejected Him –
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Romans 1:18
“ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” Romans 1:28
“There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:11-12
“… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
That’s rejection. God revealed Himself to the human race and the human race rejected God. Because of that rejection, God ‘gave them over.’ That’s a judicial term in the original language of Romans (Greek). What’s the remedy? Read the next verse in Romans chapter 3 –
“… being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:24-26
God’s Grace – that’s the remedy to rejection for us – ‘bummer’ lambs.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalm 23
Thank you, Jesus, our Good Shepherd! We – your ‘bummer’ lambs – know your Voice and will follow you ‘Forever.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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