... and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
John 10:3
Names are very important. Most of us have first names and last names and middle names. But we don't often give our middle names out. Adam was given the job of naming all the animals--that was important! We call things by name and that gives us understanding of what we are talking about with others. Some of us have nicknames given to us by others that define something about us or are used as terms of endearment. These are special names (that can be goofy or weird) we treasure because they give us a special bond with others.
This week we are moving onto John 10. Jesus had just healed the man who had been born blind and had revealed His secret identity to the man--a secret name--the Son of Man or the Son of God. The man had fallen down and worshipped Jesus. Jesus then painted a word picture for the religious leaders about their inability to recognize who He was--that they were blind.
He was still talking to the religious leaders when He then began to talk about being the True Shepherd of the Sheep (another Name). He shared about the difference between the way that He cared for the sheep and the way that those who are not true shepherds act. The simplicity is that those who don't care about the sheep are those who are seeking to get something which does not belong to them--they are using the sheep for their own purposes. The tree is known by its fruit. Those who are not the True Shepherd are lying and stealing and using dishonest methods to get what they want. Moreover, the sheep don't recognize them.
The wonderful thing about the True Shepherd is that everything He does is right. There is an innate trust from the sheep towards the True Shepherd because they understand that He loves and cares for them. One remarkable statement that Jesus uses is "he calls his own sheep by name". He knows us. He knows everything about us. He doesn't call us "that person" or some unfamiliar name that we use for people we don't really know. No. He has a name of endearment for us. We are special to Him. Let that be the song of joy that fills our heart today!
Blessings to you!
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