Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, let us be found among Your people. Amen.
Text: John 10:11–16
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
Devotion
Certainly He laid down His life for us. We certainly belonged to Him before, but we had sold ourselves to the devil. So He wanted to buy us back with His life and blood, the precious Lord and Savior, so that we are now His own, as a dearly-bought and special possession. But who are His sheep? He gave His life for all as a ransom price, so it follows that all could be His sheep. But are they? O, many do not want to and do not gather into His fold. In our Gospel He names two things which show who are His. The one is that they know Him, the second that they hear His voice.
1) If you do not know Him, then you are not His sheep. There is an intimate knowledge between Him and them, just as between the Father and Him. Isn’t this extremely important and extremely glorious? “I know My own,” He says: “and am known by My own, just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father.” What friendship, what fellowship! He knows them by name, knows their condition and trouble, their sorrow and love and pain, knows each of them as if they were His only one, and He understands them better than they understand themselves. And the sheep know the Lord in faith. They do not see Him, but they know Him. They know Him better than any other for they experience in their heart that He is love, mercy, and life itself, holy and just, great and mighty, patient and faithful with all that their hearts need. They do not know the whole depth of His nature and they do not know the full greatness of His grace, nor do they all know Him equally well, but all of them know Him as their Lord and God and entrusting themselves to Him and depending on Him completely. It is not an outward fleeting friendship, but a daily, continual, intimate association, a fellowship of life and heart in spirit and in truth. O they do not come far, before they have tested His kindheartedness, His faithfulness, and patience so often that they indeed can say they know Him, and in truth they must say that He surpasses all knowledge.
2) The second is that they hear His voice and are gathered by Him. The sheep follow the Shepherd and obey Him: Jesus’ sheep come to Him and let themselves be counseled by Him, be admonished and comforted and instructed by Him and they gather together where His Word is. If you do not rejoice in Jesus’ Word, then surely you are not His sheep. If you are not concerned about following Him and doing His pleasure, then you are not His sheep. If you do not have joy in those who have their joy in Him, then you are not His sheep. – But come, He calls to you and wants to receive you.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, great Shepherd of the soul, You alone can save us from the wolf and from death. Let us be Yours, and do not deliver us over to our foolishness. Call us to Yourself and keep us on Your path. Amen.
Hymn
You found a flock so wild and stray,
In doubt and danger weeping,
And of Your grace You built for aye
A sheep-fold for our keeping.
Thereto You called us, one and all,
And would us soon deliver
From Satan, sin, and death’s dark call,
And from God’s wrath forever.
I saw with joy, when thus I came,
Your Word’s most precious center:
That You, God’s sinless, spotless Lamb
Were the true door to enter.
The Holy Spirit keeps the door
For poor and rich together,
And, willing, opens wide the door
For those the Lord will gather.
Kingo: O Sjæle Hyrde Gud og Mand L 372:6-9 tr. DeGarmeaux;
tune: Jeg ved et evigt Himmerig (LHy 523); alternate hymn: Jesus shall reign ELH 193