John 10:27 & 28 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
Have you ever looked at one of those how-to books that's part of a series - "The Complete Idiot's Guide To..." - to just about anything you can think of? For a while I think they were even in the grocery store checkout aisle. I was curious to know how many of these books are floating around out there, so I checked it out on amazon.com, and my search produced 2,684 book results! I didn't take the time to go through each and every results page, but taking a random sampling, it appears that each of the 2,684 results represent a separate title. On the first page were titles like: "Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry" - "Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory" - "Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Italian" - "Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching" -"Complete Idiot's Guide to Computer Basics." You get the point, there's a 'Complete Idiot's Guide' to just about anything.
John 10:27 & 28 could serve as the outline to the 'Complete Idiot's Guide to Jesus' Sheep.' In a way we are complete idiots, we are as dumb as sheep who would be completely lost without their Good Shepherd. But, we were also created in His image and are now the adopted children of the very Creator and Preserver of the universe, so I think we should switch the title of our book up a little bit. Instead of calling it the 'Complete Idiot's Guide,' let's call our book: 'The Complete Wise Man's Guide to Jesus' Sheep.'
"My sheep listen to my voice" Chapter 1 is titled: "Jesus' Sheep Listen to His Voice," and it explains how if you want to be one of Jesus' sheep you must listen to Jesus' voice. Jesus' sheep must go to where Jesus speaks to them. Present day sheep of Jesus can hear Jesus' voice in the Word and Sacraments. Jesus' sheep gather and commune in fellowship with other sheep in the fold. In Holy Communion they hear the voice of Jesus and hear the words of a Good Shepherd comforting His flock. Jesus' sheep also hear Jesus' voice in the Words of Scripture. It's safe to say that if you were to read 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry,' that you wouldn't be able to call yourself an expert in Chemistry. These books are designed to just give the most basic information, and they don't even scratch the surface of the information available on the topic. So it is with our 'Complete Wise Man's Guide to Jesus' Sheep' based on John 10:27 and 28, which contains only the very basics regarding Jesus' sheep. If you were to find a book that was the resource on Chemistry, you might call that book the 'Bible of Chemistry.' We have the "Bible of Jesus' sheep," - we have the Bible and are able to hear Jesus' voice whenever we want to. We have the Bible that tells us all about the Good Shepherd and how His sheep should respond to what the Good Shepherd has done for them. 2nd Timothy tells us that the Holy Scriptures "...are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15). This verse fits nicely in the first chapter of our "Complete Wise Man's Guide to Jesus' sheep."
"I know them" Chapter 2 is titled: "Jesus' Sheep are Known by Jesus," and goes on to explain that Jesus knows even more than just his sheep's names. Jesus knows more about each and every one of us His sheep than they even know about themselves. Maybe it gets easier for some of us guys when we get older and have less and less to count, but I wouldn't even know how to begin counting the hairs on my head. In the book of Matthew we learn, "even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30) Jesus even knows how many hairs are on the head of His sheep, which is evidence that in the eyes of the Good Shepherd, each sheep is more than just a number to Him. Jesus doesn't just 'count sheep,' He knows His sheep.
"and they follow me" Chapter 3 is titled, "Jesus' Sheep Follow Him," and goes on to explain that Jesus' words to His sheep don't fall on deaf ears. No, Jesus' sheep hear Jesus' words and then they take action - they follow Him. Jesus' sheep will follow their Shepherd wherever He leads them, because they have found Him to be consistently trustworthy. The Shepherd knows the best path for His sheep because He has traveled it before. Jesus' sheep will follow the Good Shepherd wherever He leads them, even if it means they head in a direction that they wouldn't have chosen for themselves. If we were to 'Good Shepherdize' Romans 8:28, we would get, 'And we know that in all things [the Good Shepherd] works for the good of [His sheep], who have been called according to his purpose.' Jesus' sheep know this and because they know it, they follow their Good Shepherd, wherever He may lead them.
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish" Chapter 4 is titled, "Jesus' Sheep Receive the Gift of Life," and goes on to explain how Jesus gives His sheep the greatest gift ever - eternal life. This gift that Jesus gives to his sheep wasn't a cheap gift. The Good Shepherd had to leave his position and actually became like His sheep. John the Baptizer said this when he saw the the Good Shepherd in 'lamb form,' "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). Jesus the Lamb, lived the perfect lamb life. And then just like the lamb that was sacrificed at the Passover in Egypt so that the angel of death would pass over the bloody wooden door frames, Jesus the lamb was sacrificed on the wooden tree so that the angel of death would pass over Jesus' sheep when they fall asleep. Because of this gift, Jesus' sheep will never perish, they will simply fall asleep. And when they wake up, they will be at home and safe in the perfect pasture of paradise.
"no one can snatch them out of my hand" Chapter 5, the final chapter, is titled, "Jesus' Sheep are Already Safe in the Fold of their Shepherd," and goes on to explain how Jesus' guards and protects His sheep. I only know this because the guys in my office listen to sports-talk radio from 8:00 in the morning until quitting time, but in Las Vegas where it is legal to bet on sports games, the odds-makers offer a certain kind of bet for one-on-one competitions where you can take one athlete or take the field. This is common in golf where you can, for example, take either Phil Mickelson to win or you can take the field (which consists of all the other golfers in the field) to win. A betting man might say to the odds-maker, 'take the field, I'll take Phil.' Jesus' sheep, in the words of the hymn-writer, will always say: 'Take the world (the rest of the field), but give me Jesus.' (CW#355) The world will do its best to snatch the sheep out of the Good Shepherd's hand, but Jesus' sheep remain confident, because in the end they know they are safe in the hands of their Good Shepherd. This is more than just a safe bet, this is more than the safest bet, this is an absolute guarantee.
'The Complete Wise Man's Guide to Jesus' Sheep,' ends with a couple of verses from a hymn that many of Jesus' sheep learn when they are still little lambs (CW#432 v.1,3).
I am Jesus’ little lamb,
Ever glad at heart I am;
For my Shepherd gently guides me,
Knows my need, and well provides me,
Loves me every day the same,
Even calls me by my name.
Who so happy as I am,
Even now the Shepherd’s lamb?
And when my short life is ended,
By His angel host attended,
He shall fold me to His breast,
There within His arms to rest.
Because of what the Good Shepherd has done for His sheep, our book - even though it is a non-fiction, can end with - 'and all of Jesus' sheep lived happily ever after.'
Dear Jesus,
We are unbelievably blessed to be considered your sheep. We thank you for all that you had to do and all that you had to endure in order to be able to bring us into your fold. Help us to live more and more like the way you want your sheep to live, Keep us safe from all harm on this earth, and when the time is right - take us home to rest in your arms.
Amen.
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