“Know” Substitutes
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father––and I lay down my life for the sheep. ––John 10:14-15
Jesus Christ did reveal some aspects of how His Father and Son relationship worked with His Dad. He drew the analogy of the familiarity and relationship a shepherd has with his sheep. The sheep know the voice, body language, whistle, and call of their shepherd. We see the dynamic of the exclusivity of a sheep flock’s connection to him. Just as the sheep share a unique awareness and knowledge of their shepherd, Jesus possesses that kind of rare connection with the Father.
Surrogate shepherds don’t work because the familiarity and comfort the sheep have with their true leader, provider, and protector is polluted by a strange voice. Astonishingly, the Good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep to give them—that’s you and me!––a chance for an intimate, eternal connection.
The idea of sharing a dad with a newly adopted sibling can be a difficult adjustment for some children. There’s a fear that the special love for the natural children will somehow be diminished. But the vast majority of children freely and willingly share their daddy with their newly adopted family member. You and I could have been an adoptive threat to the relationship between Jesus and the Father. But thank God, Jesus didn’t feel that way. In fact, His desire is for you to experience the exact fullness of relationship with the Father that the original and only Son possesses. John 10:14-15 shows us that Jesus wants with and for us the exact same thing He has with the Father.
When we tune our ear, we can hear our Shepherd. No other voice—not the world, the flesh, or the devil—sounds as calming, loving, and accepting as His.
Father, thank You for giving me another insight into Your Love for me.