#John10 - Voice Recognition

Click here to read John 10:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (John 10:4-5 NIV)" This really stood out to me, to know that sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice. To know the voice of the Father = knowing the voice of Jesus = knowing the promptings of the Holy Spirit = knowing God's Word (the Bible).

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

It's interesting to me to hear Jesus talk about other sheep that are not yet here. There remains to be people to gather into the flock. He then talks about there being one flock, and he will be the shepherd. In John 17, Jesus prays for unity, that there would be a oneness among believers just as he and the Father are one. The Bible also talks about "Gentiles" which basically describes anyone who was not Jewish by birth. From the beginning God's plan was to make salvation available to them too. Isaiah 49:6 says, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

3. What does this mean for my life?

I think more than being a political-type leader, picturing Jesus as a shepherd is a very comforting thought. A political leader sets policies and works from an office. A shepherd leads by mere presence. A shepherd walks with and talks with his sheep. A shepherd protects his sheep. A shepherd loves his sheep. That's the kind of leader I want to follow.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

I have thought about this in general while reading the gospels, but I wonder how much time passes between each section or chapter or event recorded in the gospels. Verse 22 says, "Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter..." So between verse 21 and 22, was it days that passed? Weeks? Months? He seems to talk about almost exactly the same thing, so my gut instinct is that not much time passed. I just think it's interesting to know that Jesus spent about 3 years in ministry, but we don't know much about the timing of each event.

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

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#Luke2 - Unlikely Messengers

Click here to read Luke 2:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

Throughout the Bible, God uses some really unlikely people to deliver his messages and spread the news about his activity. From a worldly perspective, we would expect God to use important people of high class and high education. That's not who God chooses. God chooses shepherds. Shepherding was, for the most part, a blue-collar, dirty job for lower class citizens. The fact that shepherds were the first people to go out and tell about the birth of Jesus is astounding. Later in the story we see Simeon and Anna, a devout old man and a widow, to share some prophetic words about the baby Jesus. Finally, we see Jesus himself, as a twelve-year-old boy, sharing the message of God with the teachers. So God used the poor, widowed, and children to declare his message in this coming of the Messiah. That is very interesting.

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

It is an interesting connection, but Bethlehem is the City of David. David started out as a shepherd, tending his father's sheep (see 1 Samuel 16). Here in Luke 2, we see that God chooses to make his first public service announcement about the birth of his son to shepherds on the hillside. Jesus, who is the promised king in the line of David, will be the good shepherd over the people of Israel.

3. What does this mean for my life?

If God can use unlikely people like elderly, children, and poor, there is hope that he can even speak a word of truth through me. It also really challenges me to not rule people out, but to listen to all people as though God might be trying to say something to me through them.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. How many people were aware of this? How many people did he tell? How many believed him? How many people were either present or heard of Simeon's encounter with Jesus? Wouldn't you think there would have been a group of followers from then on?

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

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