Jump Start # 3558

John 10:5 “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Within John 10, there are two different voices that are presented. One voice is that of the Good Shepherd. The sheep recognize that voice. The shepherd not only leads the sheep, but he calls them by name. He knows them. He knows them and they recognize Him. There is a bond of trust that is familiar and good.

We understand that with our family. Our phone rings and we answer it without looking who is calling. But immediately we recognize the voice of our spouse or our children. We know their voice. We trust that voice.

The other voice found in John 10 is that of the stranger. He calls the sheep, but they do not follow. Jesus said that this voice belonged to thieves and robbers and the sheep did not hear them. They did not pay attention. They did not recognize that voice. There wasn’t a familiarity with that voice.

Two voices—one recognized and one not. Two voices—one from a friend and the other from the enemy. Two voices calling—one wants to lead us to green pastures and quiet waters, the other leads to danger and death.

Contextually, Jesus likely is referring to His voice as the good Shepherd and the Pharisees as the voice of the enemy, but eventually, that voice belongs to Satan. The Pharisees were trying to pull people away from Jesus. They were convinced that He was not the Messiah. Voices calling, which one will you listen to? The voice of a friend or the voice of strangers.

Here are some thoughts for us:

First, the two voices are still speaking today. The voice of God speaks to us through the Scriptures. In these last days, God speaks through Jesus. The voice of God is the same for you as it is for me. God does not literally speak to you, nor does God speak literally to me. He speaks through the word of God. Consistent. Established. And, the same for each one of us.

But, there are other voices speaking today. It’s not the Pharisees, but the voice of culture. “You need to do this,” shouts through social media and commercials. You are not keeping up unless you do these things. You must do these things. You have to do these things. “Ten things to retire successfully.” “Five steps to raising balanced children.” The books are flooded with what you have to eat, how many steps you have to walk each day, how many hours you should spend watching TV. On and on and on the advice floods us. It’s overwhelming. And, some of that cultural advice crosses the line with God. Some are just wrong. Some are plain dumb. And, when we try to keep up with what everyone else is doing, when we try to stay in the margin of average, we find ourselves listening to others and doing what others tell us to do.

What’s popular, what everyone else is doing, is not the voice that we listen to. I don’t need social media to tell me how to be happy. I don’t need someone else telling me what I need to do to be content. I don’t listen to the voice of strangers. I listen to the good Shepherd.

Second, sadly, unlike our passage today, far too many do know the voice of strangers. That voice is telling them that the church is hopelessly stuck on the rails of tradition and can’t get off. These strange voices are introducing trends not found in the Bible. They are opening the door to practices that the apostles never participated in. They are changing Biblical definitions and the way people look at the Bible. Fresh. Exciting. Free. Those are the words racing through blogs, podcasts, sermons and books these days. Paul told young Timothy to teach sound men who will be able to teach the same thing (2 Tim 2:2). It’s not looking for something new. It’s the same thing. It’s not a different way of looking at things. It’s the same thing. Paul handed to the Corinthians what the Lord had handed to Him (1 Cor 11:23). There are a lot of radical voices today who have given up on the voice of the good Shepherd and the way of God. They want to forge a new path and go a new direction. Chesterton said, “Don’t ever take a fence

Our verse states that the sheep flee because they do not know the voice of strangers. Yet, that is not happening today. Instead, preachers are recommending the books of “strangers.” The sheep are not fleeing these strange voices—they are flocking to them and embracing them. Unstable, untaught and unconvinced, many are being sucked into a sewer of error without even realizing it. Changing the way we look at the Bible, using only the Gospels and not the rest of the N.T., allows “strangers” to offer a different voice. Why not use the Bible the way Jesus did? Why not use the Bible the way the apostles did?

Third, while the voice of the stranger is different and that voice offers a different path to follow, it takes one away from the Good Shepherd. That’s the point of John 10. Which voice are you going to listen to? One can’t go down two different paths at the same time. The Psalmist declared, “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice” (Ps 95:7). At the transfiguration, God declared, “Listen to Him” (Mt 17:5). Moses and Elijah were there. God did not say, “Listen to them.” He said, “Listen to Him.” His Son. His beloved. The Messiah.

The call for a new hermeneutics. The voice that ignores or denies the patterns of the Bible, sounds different, almost like a breath of fresh air, but is it the voice of the Shepherd or that of the stranger? Who is saying these things?

Two voices calling you. Which one will you listen to?

Roger