They will not follow a stranger

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. – John 10.1-6

Jesus’s shepherd and sheep analogy continues. Jesus said that He was the true Shepherd. He said that His sheep would follow Him. He also said that His true sheep would not follow a stranger.

That’s an interesting statement – buts it one that I can grasp.

Many years ago, shortly after we moved to Naas, we had a shepherd family come to our church for a while. About this time of year, maybe a little later, it was time to move the sheep to a wintering shed. I’m still not sure exactly what that is, but I figured, ‘why not, I might get a sermon illustration out of it.’

So we went out to the farm. It was fine moving the sheep to near where they needed to be because we were all together. But then the time came when we needed to move them into a particular direction. The parents and children started calling the sheep and the sheep immediately followed them. I figured all I had to do was to do what they did, but when I did it not a single sheep followed me, they seemed irritated. Finally the farmer took me aside, stuck me in a doorway with a bin lid, and told me that if any sheep wandered my way that I was to bang the lid with a stick to turn them away.

And it worked, pretty soon all the sheep were where they needed to be.

The point is simple and obvious. The sheep knew the voice of the shepherds. They did not know the voice of the stranger. They followed the voice of the shepherds. All the stranger could do was to scare them away.

And so it ought to be with us. We should only heed one voice – the voice of our great Shepherd. Everything else should put us off.

Why then are we so often willing to heed the stranger?