Do you hear what I hear? – John 10:22-30

Do you hear what I hear? I am sure that that is not what you expected in a sermon title for this time of year. In fact it probably puts you more in mind of Christmas and the image of a little drummer boy standing by a manger.  But Jesus’ challenge to the Pharisees in today’s gospel got me thinking about why some people hear the voice of God calling them like a shepherd calls the sheep and why others seem to not recognize his voice.

A few years ago, I heard a number of programs on faith that asked whether or not some people were more predisposed to an experience of the divine.  It was an interesting question to ponder as it may help to explain why some people are drawn to an active relationship with God while others want to deny the existence of God altogether.

Now I can’t give you a definitive answer on that question but I certainly recognize that the encounters people have with religion and faith seem to have a profound influence on whether or not they choose to have any relationship with God be it inside or outside of an established faith community.

As we ponder how people come to even hear the words of Jesus today, we need to remember that the people who heard Jesus speak in the days of his physical ministry on earth were hearing words from the God that had been the God of their parents, grandparents and all the generations as far back as Abraham in recent history. When Jesus spoke, they were hearing again - as if for the first time – words that they found were restoring hope and trust.  They were beginning to feel once again that the God in whom they had been raised to put their faith was not a God concerned with their material sacrifices for sin as much as he was concerned with the state of them as people – spiritually, mentally and physically.  Material sacrifices were certainly welcomed but these needed to be given in thankful response to God for the love and compassion, grace and forgiveness that they experienced.

Through the teaching of Jesus, the people were hearing words which they felt they could truly live by; they were hearing commandments that were not surrounded by the words of lawyers and philosophers and theologians but words that simply made sense.  They began to feel hope. Once again they began to feel unburdened spiritually, mentally and no doubt physically.

And this Shepherd whom they were getting to know better each day was one who did not live in a palace or eat food that they could never imagine or travel in circles that were beyond their social class; this was a Shepherd who was not afraid to get close to them or to touch them; this was a Shepherd who spoke as one who was motivated by a desire to be with them and truly take care of them.  This was not a shepherd who was hired to perform a task but one who was the true guardian of the sheep.

In another passage John speaks of this relationship by reminding his readers that the hired hand cares not what happens to the sheep when trouble comes but that the Good Shepherd will lay down his life for the sheep.  When they hear his voice, they will find comfort, hope and peace.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day and those who had come before them had become so concerned with ensuring everything in life was done right in God’s eyes there was little or no room for the grace and mercy of God. The bold and straightforward teaching of Jesus with its focus on a God who loved the people, who wanted them to know mercy, grace and forgiveness troubled the Pharisees. God had become a being so far removed from the people as to be unapproachable. Jesus spoke of God’s desire for them to enter into a very personal relationship with God, one in which each person could hear the voice of God and feel the touch of God.

It is interesting how throughout history and even today people feel the need to defend the honour of God. Too often the stands we take against those who mock God or defame what we consider to be holy leads to a violence that does not support the truth about our faith. God does not ask us to defend him.  God asks us to walk the path God,  to follow and live the life revealed through Jesus.

But let us go back to this issue of hearing the voice of God.  The people in the time of Jesus who heard his voice and responded were people for whom the words of Jesus resonated in their hearts.  There was a truth to the words that they found helpful and comforting.  They found that they could relate to the God of whom Jesus spoke.  This was a God who was prepared to meet them where they were in life and who spoke in a language they could understand.

I remember back in university when sermons were critiqued by classmates. One of the criticisms I received was that my sermons were too simple; the wording was not complex enough; there was not enough to challenge my classmates theologically. My answer was that I would rather have everything that I was saying understood than have most people walk away wondering what I was trying to say.  People may have been puzzled and confused by Jesus’ words but it was not because he was difficult to understand. It was because they were not willing to listen or follow what was being said to them.

If a shepherd speaks in a way that sheep can understand, the shepherd will have greater success in leading the sheep in a gentle yet firm way. They will find the pasture he wants them to graze in and they will drink the best water that can be found and they will be safe.  We need to remember to speak to one another as Jesus spoke to the people. We need to be people who bring comfort, peace and hope to one another as Jesus did for the people of that day.

We have been invited by God to live following the commandments and lessons for life shared with us through the teaching of Jesus. We have been assured that the Spirit of God will be with us throughout this life and that God desires that we be merciful as he is merciful, that we be gracious as he is gracious and that we be forgiving as he is forgiving.

We are not singing this hymn today but in the 19^th century Horatius Bonar wrote these words:

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest;” I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad; I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give the living water;” I drank of that life-giving stream; my thirst was quenched, my soul revived and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s light;” I found in him my star, my sun, and in that light of life I’ll walk till traveling days are done.

Do you hear what Horatius heard, what so many before heard? Do you hear what I hear?

Amen.