“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.”
John 10:27-28
We must not underestimate the gravity of our weakness in the face of Satan’s power to deceive. Jesus cautioned Peter before his denials, but Peter didn’t take His words seriously enough. Peter’s failing leaves us with the haunting question, “If him, why not me?”
In John 10 we are reassured that though we are as vulnerable as sheep surrounded by wolves, we have an ascended Shepherd who will lead us safely through all dangers. Our Shepherd is not only good, He also knows us intimately, calling us by name.
These words probably took His disciples back to Psalm 23, David’s meditation on his boyhood job of sheep tending. “The LORD is my shepherd” are cozy, familiar words to us. But for the disciples, such words may have caused them to wonder:
What are you saying, Jesus? Isn’t the Lord your shepherd too? Or are you implying that …?
Jesus did, in fact, use this moment, not just to comfort His disciples, but to reveal that He Himself is the Lord. “I and the Father are one.”
The majesty of His revelation undergirds the comfort of His promise.
In John 10 we are reassured that though we are as vulnerable as sheep surrounded by wolves, we have an ascended Shepherd who will lead us safely through all dangers. Our Shepherd is not only good, He also knows us intimately, calling us by name.
These words probably took His disciples back to Psalm 23, David’s meditation on his boyhood job of sheep tending. “The LORD is my shepherd” are cozy, familiar words to us. But for the disciples, such words may have caused them to wonder:
What are you saying, Jesus? Isn’t the Lord your shepherd too? Or are you implying that …?
Jesus did, in fact, use this moment, not just to comfort His disciples, but to reveal that He Himself is the Lord. “I and the Father are one.”
The majesty of His revelation undergirds the comfort of His promise.
Scripture Focus
John 10:1-18
Insight
We cannot fall or jump out of the clasped hands of Father and Son, who keep us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Bible In A Year
- Judges 14-15
- Psalm 116
- 1 Corinthians 8-9
