“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” – John 10:7-16
As you study the Gospels, you find many powerful discourses from the lips of your Lord Jesus Christ. Over this past summer, we considered portions of many of them as we were taught wonderful lessons about Jesus in His I AM statements. You can find those devotions here. In Jesus’ Good Shepherd discourse in John 10, you are blessed to know the truth regarding Him being the door, as well as the Good Shepherd. In this discourse, you learn more about the wonder and beauty of your relationship with Christ and His relationship with you. In this discourse, you find more helpful truth regarding your knowing and being known by Him.
If you consider the Apostle John’s words in 1 John 2:3 once again, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.”, you can see the great connection that knowing Jesus comes in part by having a living relationship with Him that’s grounded in a transformed heart and open spiritual ears that truly hear Him, receive His words by faith, and then act on them. (Romans 10:17) What happened when the thieves and robbers came before Christ? The sheep didn’t hear them. (John 10:8) Indeed, such men had the character of shepherds in Israel. The scribes and Pharisees were great examples. And yet, they showed themselves to be imposters who carried out the duties of their office without any regard to the Messiah. It was clear that their intention was to steal hearts which they had no title to, defrauding the shepherd of His property. They were exposed as not being pastors at all. For they were robbers of the Church, who made it their business to scatter, not gather sheep. Again, the sheep didn’t hear, they didn’t listen to fake pastors, fake shepherds.
Yet as Christ is the door, as His true sheep enter the fold by Him, as your ears are attuned to Jesus’ voice, you hear and follow Him (v. 16). As you know Him and He knows you, you are saved and well nourished. You are well preserved by Christ. You are safe from the thieves and robbers. You don’t hear and receive their doctrines of demons, and the traditions of men. Rather, you are well fed and guarded in the green pastures of Christ and continue in the sound doctrine of the Gospel and His Word. Further, as you know Jesus, and He knows you, He gives you the glorious gift of life, and it more abundantly. (v. 10) Christ has done so through the sacrifice of Himself for you. (v. 15)
Think more about Jesus’ words in verse 14, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”:
- As Jesus knows His sheep, He knows those who are His and those who aren’t. As He knows you in all of your weakness, He also knows the goats and all of their disguises. It’s a great comfort that He is never fooled by them, or confused in the distinction between sheep and goats.
- As you consider knowing Christ, He knows you through the eye of love and grace, and you know Him through the eye and heart of faith. Notice the order of “knowing” in Jesus’ words. He starts with His knowledge of you because He loved and knew you first. (1 John 4:19) He is then known by you through His revelation to you, and His Spirit’s work in you.
- Matthew Henry describes your knowing Christ well when he says, “It is not so much our knowing Him as our being known of Him that is our happiness (Galatians 4:9). Yet it is the character of Christ’s sheep that they know Him; know Him from all pretenders and intruders; they know His mind, know His voice, know by experience the power of His death. Christ speaks here as if He gloried in being known by His sheep, and thought their respect an honour to Him.”
In studying and meditating on how you know that you know Christ, your desire to and obedience in keeping the commands of Christ out of love for Him are fruit of the Spirit’s grace in you. You hearing the voice of the Good Shepherd in Scripture, loving His words to you, and following Him are also evidences of His saving and sustaining grace. They are evidence that you know Him and are known by Him. Praise the Lord! Let these be words of comfort and assurance to your soul today.