Undisputed

John 14:⁶ “Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.” (ERV, emphasis added)

As we see in the inserted image, there is a pen in a yard surrounded by a fence, but it doesn’t have a physical gate. By evening, shepherds (say five or ten) bring their different flocks into the same pen. Guess what? The shepherds will lie down at the entrance to the pen and become a human gate. That is why Jesus says, “I am the door”, “I am the gate”. It means that any fox, any enemy that wants to get to the sheep must first go through the shepherd. We have a Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep, for us. Anyone who wants to attack us must first kill Jesus. Is that even possible again?

But that’s not all; by morning, all the sheep would have mixed up. However, each shepherd will walk in a different direction, and the sheep will follow their own shepherd. There is no confusion. John 10:⁴ “He walks ahead of them; and they follow him, for they recognize his voice.” (LB, emphasis added). The shepherd walks ahead with a sound, and the sheep follow his voice. This is so, so powerful. So, maybe overnight, the sheep have made friends and gotten separated from their flock. But when it is time to follow the shepherd, it is goodbye. Every sheep follows its own shepherd. It is an anomaly to have sheep hearing and following different voices or having different shepherds. That is why people are spiritually confused and in disarray.

Jesus’ sheep hear and know His voice. Guess what? There is no conflict, confusion, or rivalry among the shepherds. All the shepherds bring the sheep together in a pen. Everybody lies down, eats supper together, prays (if they do night prayer), and sleeps. But in the morning, every shepherd goes in a different direction for pasture, and their own sheep follow them. The Bible says the voice (instruction) of another they will not hear (follow). Shepherds go first, they model, they lead by example. And that is the difference between a cowboy and a shepherd.

A cowboy is on his horse, driving the cattle from behind, whipping the slow ones. So, you see all the cattle running ahead, and the cowboy is behind. The shepherd, on the other hand, is in front, leading the sheep, not even worried that there can be a “bastard” sheep that wants to follow another shepherd. The shepherd leads, and the sheep follow.

Prayer: Father, You alone are my Shepherd, and You alone will I follow. The voice and instruction of another, I will not follow, in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen!