My Sheep Know Me

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus was walking in Solomon's Portico in the Temple, and the Jews came to Him and asked Him to declare plainly to them whether He was the Christ. Their souls were in suspense. They were waiting with baited breath – among other things. Would Jesus just please come out with it – Are you the Christ, or not?

And what would have been the benefit if Jesus had declared Himself openly, as they sought? The Jews were anxious, nearly beside themselves with anticipation of Him doing anything, saying anything at all that might make Him liable for judgment, so that they could get Him out of their way, by hook or by crook. They knew who and what Jesus was, for they had been following Him throughout His ministry. They had heard the reports and the testimonies of the crowds. They had seen the signs He had performed.

Jesus knows all this, of course. Knowing all things, He knew that these Jews would not believe in Him, not for all the signs in the world nor for any declaration He might make. After all, they had not believed thus far, and they had all the signs. They even had the Father's declaration from heaven at the Jordan River. This truly is the Son of God. He is the Messiah, the Christ who was foretold by the prophets and foreshadowed in Holy Scripture. Therefore He answers their query: “I told you, and you do not believe.” Jesus is not hidden. There is no big secret about His identity. His Father's works declare who He is, unmistakeably.

So it is with those who encounter Christ. Those who have faith, who have been called by the Holy Spirit, believe in His words and see His signs, and they know their Lord because they are of His own, and He leads them. Those who do not have faith, however, will not believe, no matter how many signs they see or how many words are proclaimed to them. The Holy Spirit creates faith in whomever He chooses, where and when He chooses.

Jesus is known by the signs He offers, and by the Word of God proclaimed throughout the ages. He is known by the gifts He gives, by the benefits He offers, by the grace He bestows.

He is not, however, known by the eyes of the world. To the eyes of the unbelieving masses, Jesus is some guy who has come along to stir up the rabble. He does some magic tricks and attracts a following. He says some nice words and hands out a free lunch, and people think He is some sort of God. He is some new kind of crazy, but you had better watch out, because the apple-cart is always upset by this kind of guy.

The works that Jesus does in the Father's Name testify about Him. That is, everything that Jesus says and does testifies about Him. He commands the powers of heaven and earth in the Father's Name. He heals the sick, raises the dead, and drives out demons in the Father's Name. In the Father's Name He is baptized by John in the Jordan.

Jesus does nothing of His own accord, but everything He does is according to the Father's will, to bear witness to the Father. And His sheep see and recognize, because they are enlightened through the eyes of faith.

“But you do not believe, because you are not among My sheep.” Your hearts are hardened. Your ears are stopped. Your eyes are blinded. Hearing, you do not hear; seeing, you do not see. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear. Your idols have dulled your senses. They are deaf and dumb and blind and dead, and so shall you be who follow them.

The eyes of the unfaithful Jews are covered over with the paste of their pride and selfish motivations. Their ears are filled with the din of their own bellies, their own selfish desires and sinful lusts. They are not of the Lord's sheep, because they have wandered away from the fold. They have listened to the voice of a false shepherd. They have followed the wolf in sheep's clothing who leads them into the shadow of death, into the pit of destruction.

But the sheep of the Good Shepherd hear their master's voice. They hear and respond in faith, because they know that the Word He speaks to them is good and right and true. They are of His flock, kept safe in His fold, and they do not listen to the voice of any other. Though wolves come among them, all eager to devour them, they will not heed the seductive tones or follow the well-clad impostors. They will stick close to their master, because He will guide and lead them in paths of righteousness, where streams of living water flow.

They hear the Shepherd's voice because they have renounced the lies of the world, the devil, and their sinful flesh. They repent of their idolatry and wickedness, and they heed the Shepherd's call.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Christ's sheep hear and know His voice, because their ears are not clanging with the world's noise and confusion and lies. They are washed clean and clear by the water and the blood which has flowed from the side of their Lord. They are purified and made holy by the blood which He has shed as the firstborn of the Sheep. He is the Lamb of God who was sacrificed upon their cross, for the forgiveness of their sins, for the salvation of their souls.

And He is your Good Shepherd. He is the one who leads you with familiar voice, with gentle rod and comforting staff into green pastures. At the same time, He is the Lamb who was slain but now is raised. He is the Lamb who stands in the midst of the throne of God, who reigns from heaven over all creation. He is the Lamb whose blood was shed to wash away your sins, to wash you free not from dirt on the body but from the mess and filth of sin which corrupts your heart, covers your eyes, and confuses your ears.

“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” St. John records this song of the multitude who worship the Lamb in heaven. The Good Shepherd is the Lamb Himself, who has gone before you through death into life. He leads you in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.

None shall snatch any out of the Father's hand, nor out of the hand of the Son, to whom the Father has given you. The hand of the Lord has done valiantly. The right hand of God has triumphed over His enemies. The hand of the Lord is stretched out against your foes, and He has enclosed you in His protective hand, where none may devour you.

The Father is greater than all, even greater than death and the devil. He has given you into the hand of His Son, because the Father and the Son are, together with the Holy Spirit, ever one God, to whom be blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might into the ages of ages.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!