Naming Sheep: John 10:1-21
Focus Passage: John 10:1-21 (CEV)
During one of the times Jesus was preaching the crowds, He uses an illustration that contrasts thieves/robbers and the good shepherd. While reading this illustration, a powerful idea is hinted at early on while Jesus is describing the shepherd.
One of the first distinctive ideas Jesus shares about the good shepherd is that “The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.” (v. 3b)
This phrase stands out to me because in it I see a description of a very personal relationship being described. Regardless of the size of the flock of sheep, each sheep has a name, the shepherd uses this name to refer to that sheep, and there has been enough time spent with the shepherd and each sheep that each sheep is able to recognize the shepherd’s voice.
Jesus ultimately explains how He is the “Good Shepherd”, and that He wants to have a personal relationship with each of His sheep. While Jesus does imply that there are those who are not part of His flock of sheep, He doesn’t dwell on them or focus on them at all. Jesus is interested most in loving, caring for, and protecting His sheep, and He even goes as far as giving each sheep a name.
This is amazing in my mind, because as a member of God’s family, God wants to be so close to me that He can give me a new name. We could call this a nickname, or we could adopt God’s name for us as our true name. When God names us, He names us based on how He sees each of us, and at the foundation of each new name is the truth that we have been redeemed/saved through what Jesus did for us on the cross.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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