“…he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” (John 10:3)
If it were possible that we should be transported in time and place to an eastern village such as those that our Savior often visited, we might see a large area walled about with stones piled one upon another. The walled area was empty throughout the day, for the flocks were taken out to the various pastures. But toward evening the local shepherds would bring their flocks to the enclosure where they would be shut in for the night. The flocks ranged in size, some were small, and some that belonged to the more wealthy owners were larger, but all were enclosed together in the common fold.
In the morning, the shepherds were up early with the sun. The porter at the door would recognize the various sheep owners as they came down to the sheepfold to fetch their sheep and lead them out to pasture. You and I would think it impossible to separate the flocks without mixing the sheep. This, however, was not a problem; in each case the shepherd had no trouble in separating his own sheep from the rest in the fold. How the various shepherds could distinguish their own sheep from all the rest is the question? We are sure that it was not physical recognition, but it needed not be. It was likely this very scene that Jesus had in mind when He said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
The eastern shepherd has a personal relationship with his sheep. His sheep love him, they leap up at the sound of his footsteps. They know his voice so that another’s voice is strange to them - they only respond to the voice of their own shepherd and not another’s. It is the voice of the Good Shepherd that Christ’s sheep hear, and it is His call that they respond to, and His footsteps that they follow. This is true with respect to the initial call of grace that separates Christ’s sheep from the masses of the world; and it is also true in their daily walk, as He leads them into green pastures.
Again, in our text, Jesus is likening Himself to the eastern shepherd when He says, “He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” It is true that the shepherd could call out the names of their sheep, and they would follow Him out of the common fold. Any of his sheep that did not gather to him having recognized his voice or his steps, would certainly know when he called them by their names. We who have pets give them names, and they soon can recognize and respond when we call them. They certainly come to recognize members of the family, and their master’s voice. The shepherd knows His sheep, and they know Him, and “he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.”
Now, that is exactly what the Good Shepherd does with His sheep. He comes to the door of the fold. We are like so many sheep in the enclosure. We cannot tell who among the masses are Christ sheep, or who may not be His. Our voices have no power to separate any from their companions unless Christ shall use our voices and make them echo His own. We can preach the Gospel throughout the world, but we shall make no distinction between His chosen and all the rest of mankind, unless the Lord Himself shall make His voice heard. When He calls, His chosen ones shall detect the gracious voice, and they shall one by one come out and follow Him. In the preaching of the Gospel, we extend the general call to all, but it is Christ Himself who through this effort makes the effectual call, in which the sheep hear His voice, and they rise up at once and follow Him.
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