Sunday Devotional: John 10:27-28

‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me, and I give to them eternal life and they will never perish and no-one will steal them out of my hand.’

Jesus makes this statement in the midst of a conversation with “the Jews,” who were clearly divided in their opinion of Jesus. There were those, particularly among the Pharisees, that believed themselves to be specially favored by God because of their faithful adherence to the Law, and their rejection of Jesus. On the contrary, Jesus says that the real mark of a true believer in God is that they hear Jesus’ voice and follow him.

There’s a lot in John 10 worthy of comment, particularly with regard to Jesus’ relationship to God, and Jesus as the only means of salvation. But for this morning’s devotion, I wanted to focus in on his comments about his sheep: you, if you are a Christian.

What are the distinguishing marks of a follower of Jesus? First, they hear his voice. In the shepherd-sheep analogy, this would refer to the shepherd calling after his sheep, and the sheep recognizing the sound of their shepherd’s voice and running back to him. If we answer Jesus’ call to salvation, repentance, and we hear and heed his voice in Scripture, then we are his sheep. Second, Jesus knows his sheep. He doesn’t just know about them, or know the things his sheep will do. He knows them, intimately and personally. Better than they know themselves. If you are of Jesus’ sheep, know that you are known more fully than anyone can ever know you. You are known by the One who will one day judge the souls of all men, and still loves you. Thirdly, Jesus’ sheep follow him. Like Peter and Andrew on the shore of Galilee, he calls to his sheep, and they leave everything to follow him. It makes sense that you can only be called a follower of someone if you actually follow them. If you look to Jesus in all things, trying to obey his commands, living a life that pleases him, then you are one of his sheep.

Jesus then promises three things to those who follow him. And these are things that no ordinary man could ever promise someone. Consider these promises carefully, because they are the most wonderful promises you are likely to read. First, eternal life. But not a permanent fleshly existence here on Earth. Rather, life without end in all its fulness in heaven. To live a full life requires the ability to completely, and unreservedly live for Christ, without any constraints. In our present condition with sin in us, and in our present environment, with sin all around us, this can’t happen. The only place where life really can be lived in all its fulness, free from sin, is heaven. And Jesus promises this to us–for eternity.

The second wonderful promise is connected to the first: never perishing. It’s the converse of the first, really. If we live eternally, we aren’t going to suffer the eternal consequences of our sin. The Greek here uses a very emphatic grammatical structure–the most emphatic, in fact. As literally as I can put it in English, the phrase reads, “and they will definitely not perish not ever.” How can Jesus be sure? Because he is the one who grants eternal life.

Finally, Jesus promises that no-one will ever snatch, or, I prefer, steal his sheep from his hand. There is no danger that this promise will not come to pass. Jesus’ sheep are secure in his hand–the symbol of power–and his hand is strong enough to prevent them being stolen. If you’re worried about Satan’s temptations proving too difficult to resist, and that the enemy might win you over to his side, don’t. If you belong to Christ, you are secure in his hand.

I hope these promises give you comfort and strength as you go about your life this week.