The Barrel 
Hearing the Voice of GodJohn 10:1-10 |
THE VOICE OF A FRIENDAfter a glamorous career under the big top, the time had come for Neeta to retire to the leisurely life at the San Diego Zoo. Born in captivity, Neeta had been trained by Frank Church to perform each night before a live audience for the circus. The bond between trainer and elephant had been formed through the hours of disciplined training and the vigorous evening performances. But they had not seen each other for over 15 years. Frank decided that the time had come to visit his former troubadour. He wondered how she would respond to him? Would she recognize him? Would the former circus performer know her trainer?A TV film crew caught the reunion on video and featured the reunion as a human-interest story on the evening news. Frank was over a hundred yards from Neeta but she came immediately upon hearing his voice and performed each of her routines to the commands of her former trainer. Their shared experiences and bonds of friendship had indelibly etched his voice into her memory.1 Domesticated animals have a remarkable ability to recognize the voice of their mistress or master. They do not need a voice meter to conduct a scientific analysis. They do not need an amplifier to drown out all other sounds. They do not need flashing neon signs. The tone and inflection of their owner's voice distinguishes it from all others. Jesus used the analogy of sheep following a shepherd to represent for the disciples how they were to listen and obey his voice. Hearing the voice of God is one of the most sought after dimensions of the Christian life. Confronted with a decision at work, a businesswoman asks herself, "What would God have me do?" A teenager asks himself, "How does God expect me to live out the Christian faith in my high school?" A young couple wonders if the other person is the one God would have them marry. And a college senior prays asking God to show him a sign if God wants him to go into ministry? The book of Genesis reveals to us that God created man and woman to live in fellowship with one another and with him. In the Garden, humanity enjoyed an intimate friendship with the Creator. Scripture contains several passages that reveal a God who fosters and nurtures a relationship with his creation. God visited with Adam and Eve in the Garden. He spoke with Enoch face to face. In his old age, Abraham heard his voice and the promise of descendants and Moses had frequent conversations with Yahweh in the desert and on Mt Sinai. Later the prophets heard the call of God to warn Israel to return to the covenant. With the coming of the Spirit, these stories were not to be the exception. Through the workings of the Spirit, God seeks to reconnect with his people and guide them with the same clarity by which he has guided his people of faith. We also have the recent testimony of women and men who have heard God call them to certain ministries. During a TV interview, Dr. Ken Taylor whose popular translation of the Scriptures is widely known as the Living Bible told how he had had a growing concern for children. He wanted them to have a Bible that they could easily read and understand. Taylor told the viewing audience that one afternoon "God revealed the idea of a thought-for-thought translation instead of a word-for-word." This version has become so popular that it is published in several languages.2 But why is it that some people appear to hear the voice of God with such clarity, while the others of us seem to be wearing soundproof earmuffs? How do we take off the earmuffs? I believe that today's Scripture passage provides us with some helpful guidance. THERE IS ONLY ONE SHEPHERDThe first insight we glean from the text is that there is one gate and only one shepherd. Jesus borrows imagery from the agrarian culture. In Palestine, sheep were commonly herded into walled enclosures with only one door. They were open to the sky but the sturdy walls provided protection from windstorms and beasts of prey. Jesus refers to himself as both the gate and the shepherd. The use of a double allegory may be somewhat confusing for us. Clarity comes when we understand that Jesus is using the Hebraic style of story telling which is less precise than our Western style. Allegory does not assign a one for one interpretation to each symbol. Analogies tell a story, they do not provide literal definition. Jesus understands his role as both the gate that by which the sheep enter and leave the pen and the shepherd who cares for the sheep. The metaphors are clear references that salvation comes only through a relationship with Jesus of Nazareth.3Only the sheep that enter through the gate will be able to enjoy the protection and care from the shepherd. The thought is akin to a latter teaching when Jesus says,"I am the way the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me." "This is a proverbial way of insisting that there is only one means of receiving eternal life., only one source of knowledge of God, only one fount of spiritual nourishment, only one basis for spiritual security-Jesus alone."4 Such a view runs counter to the general drift of our pluralistic society. Even within the Church proponents are advocating that we listen to the voice of God in various religions and philosophical teachings. The general tenor of our cultural seeks to form a spirituality that best suits their personal inclinations. This is a historical tradition in America. Thomas Jefferson once said, "I am a sect myself," and Thomas Paine, "My mind is my church." Some of the most influential thinkers who shaped our national thought were uncomfortable with the exclusivity of New Testament thought-Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman.5 Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice. Implied in the text, is the
message that the sheep only hear the voice of Jesus. He is their only shepherd.
The Christian has a responsibility to read the great works of literature.
We should allow their thoughts to challenge and even inspire our thoughts.
We should also be familiar with the teachings of other religions to show
appreciation and respect for their followers and leaders but the voice
for which we listen should be the voice of Christ and Christ alone.
NO OTHER MOTIVESAnother factor that we must consider in our desire to hear the voice is God is our motives. A pastor was teaching the Confirmation class and asked them what topic they would be most interested in discussing. He was surprised to hear them almost unanimously agree on "Knowing God's will."6You will find the same response if you attend any conference that holds elective seminars. The one workshop on knowing the will of God will always draw the most attendees. Dallas Willard in his book Hearing God questions our motives. He fears that too many people are seeking after God to secure their own safety, comfort, success, and righteousness. Our concern with knowing God's will becomes an obsession in self-conceit. We become the focus. Francis Bacon once said that knowledge is power. Today, people who thrive on power are driven to accumulate knowledge. Futurology is a thriving business both in the secular and religious realm. Experts and technocrats have become the modern day magicians and soothsayers. God will never speak to anyone who will use his message for personal gain or power. Quoting Frederick B. Meyers, "So long as there is some thought of personal advantage, some idea of acquiring the praise of commendation of men, some aim of self-aggrandizement, it will be simply impossible to find out God's purpose concerning us"7 In our thirst to hear the voice of God, we must remember, "those who
want to save their life will lose it." (Matthew 16:25) God speaks to those
who are ready to give their lives in service to others.
HEARING GOD SPEAK THROUGH OTHERSBefore we hear the voice of God, we must also overcome our stubborn insistence on our independence. We would prefer to have a personal relationship with a personal God who has given us a personal savior. We are resistant to being dependent on others in that relationship. The parable of the Good Shepherd may even reinforce this me and Jesus only relationship. In Palestine, unlike the practice of Western sheep ranchers, the sheep were raised for their wool not their meat. A long-term relationship between shepherd and sheep developed. The shepherd had a special call for each lamb. That resonates with our American individualism. But we must remember that, "Absolute independence is a false ideal. It delivers not the autonomy it promises but loneliness and isolation."8The person who refuses to hear the voice of God through the voice of others may discover that all that they hear is silence. One day Francis of Assisi found himself in much agony and doubt. He had devoted himself to prayer and meditation but began to wonder if he should step out on faith and preach the gospel and evangelize. One author wrote, "As the holy humility that was in him did not allow him to trust in himself or in his own prayers, he humbly turned to others in order to know God's will in this matter."9 Francis sent messages to his two most trusted friends. He asked them to meet with their spiritual companions and seek the will of God for him. After a time of prayer they meet with Francis. When they arrived, he first washed his feet and prepared them a meal. He then knelt before them and asked, "What does my Lord Jesus order me to do?" Both friends replied that Christ revealed to them, "He wants you to go about the world preaching, because God did not call you for yourself alone but also for the salvation of others." Upon hearing the message, Francis rose and embarked on his mission.10 The voice of God may come through others not only when we are seeking it but sometimes even when we are not. It is no small matter for a Nominating Committee to meet and pray for guidance in whom they should ask to serve as elders and deacons. I also wonder why people are so resistant in considering that God could be speaking though the unified voice of their fellow members. Could it be that we only want to listen to God on our terms or when it is convenient with our schedule and plans? CONCLUSIONWhen we learn through experience to hear the voice of God we enter into a new spiritual realm. Life becomes more challenging. The shepherd may lead us beside quiet waters and green pastures to nourish our souls but then he calls us to go into a wilderness and walk through dark valleys with hurting and lonely people. Life also becomes more rewarding. Annanias heard the voice of God and went to pray for Saul of Tarsus who was arresting and persecuting believers. Because he was willing to listen to God's voice, Annanias was allowed to see a life transformed. Saul the persecutor became Paul the Apostle. I wonder whose life could be different if you were able and willing to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.1. Dallas Willard, Hearing God, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1999), 167. 2. Willard, 20. 3. Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, Revised Edition, Editor; Gordon Fee, NICNT, (Grand Rapids MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 300. 4. D. A. Carson, The Gospel of John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, D. A. Carson, General Editor, (Grand Rapids MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991), 385. 5. Robert N. Bellah, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton, Habits of the Heart, (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1985), 233. 6. Forgotten source. 7. Willard, 28. 8. Bellah, 247. 9. Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, (San Francisco: HarperSanFransico, 1988), 180. 10. Foster, 180. |
