Mike's Gospel Reflection for Sunday, May 11, 2025

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

This passage is from the “Good Shepherd discourse” in John’s Gospel. Throughout the discourse, Jesus explains to the Pharisees that He is different from them because He actually cares about His people in the same way that the ideal shepherd cares for his sheep. Earlier in the passage, Jesus says that He is the gate to the sheepfold, and that He would lay down His life for His sheep. Today, Jesus tells us that His sheep recognize His voice.

As I researched this, I learned that sheep will respond to the voice of the of their shepherd but will often flee at the voice of the stranger. The most diligent shepherds would use fixed ways of summoning them, not only calling them by name but also by a particular whistle. These forms of calling the sheep would have been recognizable to the flock and would have signaled the shepherd’s presence. Other sheep from different flocks would not respond.

When I was young, I lived on a street with lots of kids who played together. The three Dawson boys were part of our group. At some point each day, we would hear a distinct whistle coming from up the street. That was Mr. Dawson’s way of calling his sons home. When they heard the whistle, they stopped whatever they were doing and headed home, but the rest of us kept playing. It would be great if we could be as attentive to the voice of Jesus as the Dawson boys were to their dad’s whistle.

Jesus uses the analogy of a shepherd to describe his familiarity with and affection for His followers. A true shepherd protects and promotes life; in the same way, Jesus says that He came that we “may have life, and…may have it more abundantly.” Just as a shepherd has a personal connection with his sheep and calls them by name, so too Jesus calls us by name. He knows that the world is full of predators who want to destroy us and He is always there to protect us. We know His voice, we hear His voice, but we don’t always listen to His voice. However, if we want to be protected, we must not only listen to His voice, but also follow Him.

Fr. Mike