"I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.". -- John 10:14-17 (ESV)
Jesus was teaching in John 10 that he was the good shepherd. It is an imagery that would have been easily understood in ancient Israel. King David started off as a shepherd. Watching over his father's flocks. There was the constant presence of sheep in the temple area for the sacrificial system. Sheep were part of life in the first century. The phrase that sticks out to me in the paragraph is, "and they will listen to my voice." Sheep hear the voice of the shepherd.
I would simply note that Jesus wants us to know that we can hear his voice. Sometimes it may be an audible voice. There is a long list of people who heard the audible voice of God in the OT and NT. The observation that I would make is that for most of the rest of us we hear, "the whispers of God." I believe that God speaks to me in whispers. I have yet to hear the audible voice of God, Maybe someday I will. Until then I must get still and quiet enough to hear his gentle whisper in my heart and in my soul.
Several years ago, I taught an introductory Bible Class at Warner University. I was teaching at a satellite campus. The classes were in the evening and lasted two hours with a break in the middle. The students in my classes were adult learners working on their degree in Organizational Leadership. Warner is a Christian university, so the students had to take one basic Bible class. That's the class I got to teach.
Invariably during the semester someone would ask the question why bad things happen to good people. I would go through the Genesis narrative and other relevant Bible passages. Building a case for the sovereignty of God, the free-will of humanity, and the existence of evil. We would look at the misuse of choice by Eve and then Adam and the consequences of the Fall. Then sometimes I would tread carefully and fearfully into the waters of predestination, election, and foreknowledge.
The conversation would be very academic. Very theoretical so to speak. I would always conclude the discussion describing the profoundness of redemption in Jesus. I would complete the discussion looking at how Jesus entered our suffering and in doing so offers us redemption, salvation, and a peace that is transformative. Jesus offers us an exchange. Our sin for his righteousness. Our regrets for a new way of living.
One semester, a new group of students, primarily adults, the question, Why do bad things happen to good people? This question has been asked so many times that I can go with no notes. This time something stopped me. It was like a whisper said, "Don't go there." So instead, I asked the student...why do you ask? The student, a lady in her late 30's responded, "Three years ago my 6-year-old daughter died of leukemia."
I stopped in my tracks. I realized to give this mom an academic answer to her heartache and pain would be disrespectful. Instead, somehow, God whispered into my heart to ask her. her daughter's name. So, I asked. How old was she when she was initially diagnosed? What were some of her hobbies? She started talking about her little girl. We talked for maybe 15 minutes. The classes were in the evening. Our conversation brought us right up to the break. So, I asked the class to gather around the lady and pray with her before we had our break.
I was not expecting what happened next, we prayed, and the room became a sanctuary of God's presence. When we prayed it was as though the tangible presence of God entered the room. The lady asking the question cried. Some other students cried. The dynamic of the classroom changed that day. It became my favorite class to teach. The students were more engaged. We had some of the most meaningful conversations I have ever had in a classroom. A couple of evenings some students would come early bringing something to eat for the other students who didn't have time to eat -- just getting off work.
I learned that there is a time and a place to explore the theoretical issues on the origin of evil and other such issues. Other times explaining the paradigm of evil to someone mourning the loss of a loved one is disrespectful and not helpful. They don't need words. They need someone who will cry with them. Who will be silent with them. Someone who will cook them dinner and sit down at the table and just be there with them and for them. Someone who can help them hear the whispers of God again in their hearts. Someone who can encourage them to stand and walk in the mysteries and craziness of this thing called life because we cannot do life alone.
"I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.". -- John 10:14-17 (ESV)
Jesus was teaching his disciples that he was the good shepherd. It is an imagery that would have been easily understood in ancient Israel. King David started off as a shepherd. Watching over his father's flocks. There was the constant presence of sheep in the temple area for the sacrificial system. Sheep were part of the life in the first century. The phrase that sticks out to me in the paragraph is, "and they will listen to my voice." Sheep hear the voice of the shepherd.
I would simply note that Jesus wants us to know that we can hear his voice. Sometimes it may be an audible voice. There is a long list of people who heard the audible voice of God in the OT and NT. The observation that I would make that for most of the rest of us we hear, "the whispers of God." I believe that God speaks to me in whispers. I have yet to hear the audible voice of God, May be someday I will. Until then I must get still and quiet enough to hear his whispers his gentle whisper of God in heart and in my soul.
Several years ago, I taught an introduction Bible Class at Warner University. I was teaching at a satellite campus. The classes were in the evening and lasted two hours with a break in the middle. The students in my classes were adult learners working on their degree in Organizational Leadership. Warner is a Christian university, so the students had to take one basic Bible class. That's the class I got to teach.
Invariably during the semester someone would ask the question why bad things happen to good people. I would through the Genesis narrative and other relevant Bible passages. Building a case for the sovereignty of God, the free-will of humanity, and the existence of evil. We would look at the misuse of choice by Eve and then Adam and the consequences of the Fall. Then sometimes I would tread carefully and fearfully into the waters of predestination, election, and foreknowledge.
The conversation would be very academic. Very theoretical so to speak. I would always conclude the discussion describing the profoundness of redemption in Jesus. I would complete the discussion looking at how Jesus entered our suffering and in doing so offers us redemption, salvation, and a peace that is transformative. Jesus offers to us an exchange. Our sin for his righteousness. Our regrets for a new way of living.
One semester, new group of students primarily adults, the question came up again, Why do bad things happen to good people? This question has been asked so many times that I can go with no notes. This time something stopped me. It was like a whisper said, "Don't go there." So instead, I asked the student...why do you ask? The student, a lady in her late 30's responded, "Three years ago my 6-year-old daughter died of leukemia."
I stopped in my tracks. I realized to give this mom an academic answer to her heartache and pain would be disrespectful. Instead, somehow, God whispered into my heart to ask her. her daughter's name. So, asked. Then I asked, How old was she when she was initially diagnosed. What were some of her hobbies? She started talking about her little girl. We talked for maybe 15 minutes. The classes were in the evening. Our conversation brought us right up to the break. So, I asked the class to gather around the lady and pray with her before we had our break.
I was not expecting what happened next, we prayed, and the room became a sanctuary of God's presence. When we prayed it was as though the tangible presence of God entered the room. The lady asking the question cried. Some other students cried. The dynamic of the classroom changed that day. It became my favorite class to teach. The students were more engaged. We had some of the most meaningful conversations I have ever had in a classroom. A couple of evenings some students would come early bringing something to eat for the other students who didn't have time to eat -- just getting off work.
I learned that there is a time and a place to explore the theoretical issues on the origin of evil and other such issues. Other times explaining the paradigm of evil to someone mourning the loss of a loved is disrespectful and not helpful. They don't need words. They need someone who will cry with them. Who will be silent with them. Someone who will cook them dinner and sit down at the table and just be there with them and for them. Someone who can help them hear the whispers of God again in their hearts. Someone who can encourage them to stand and walk in the mysteries and craziness of this thing called life because we cannot do life alone.