“I Know My Sheep” (John 10:27)
Of all the people in the world, who knows you the best? If you are married, perhaps that person would be your spouse. Or maybe for you, your mother or father is the one person in the world who knows you better than anyone else. Maybe it’s a brother or sister, or best friend. Who is it, that often times knows what you are thinking, even before you even say it? Who is it, that can predict the things that you do? Who can finish your sentences for you? Who knows you, better than anyone else?
Ultimately, no one knows you better than you know yourself. Even the people that are closest to you, really don’t know you the way you know yourself. There are certain things you keep to yourself, certain thoughts you don’t want to share, certain things that bother you or scare you or interest you, and no one knows about those things except you. Of all the people in the world, the person who knows you the best is you.
But don’t forget about how well Jesus knows you. “I know my sheep,” Jesus says in John chapter 10. There he tells us that he is the Good Shepherd, and that he knows his sheep. Today we are going to talk about what that means, to be known by Christ, the Good Shepherd. How well does Jesus really know us? Today we’ll ponder that question, as we focus one more time, this Sunday, on that picture of Christ, the Good Shepherd, who knows us, his sheep.
It’s interesting to me how a shepherd can actually perceive differences in his sheep. From our casual point of view, all sheep look the same. Different shapes and sizes, but for the most part, they’re a dime a dozen – if you’ve seen one sheep, you’ve seen them all. Right? Not true. You see, a shepherd spends a lot of time with his sheep, and as he does, he gets to know the different personalities and quirks of each one of his sheep. That one over there, he might say, likes to stray away. This one over here, he gets tired all the time. And this one, well, he is very bad at finding pasture. You gotta watch out for this one – he’s mean. And that one over there is always running ahead – overconfident. Each sheep has its own personality, different strengths and weaknesses, and a good shepherd will know what those different things are about his sheep. He knows them.
In the same way, Jesus says that he knows you. “I know what each one of your personalities are like,” Jesus says. “I know your strengths, and I know your weaknesses.” Jesus knows you. But it goes deeper than that. When Jesus says that he knows you, it means more than you and I can really comprehend.
The Bible says that Jesus knew each one of you even before the creation of the world. Even before the mountains were made, and the rivers and oceans were formed, Jesus knew your name. Before you were born, he knew who your parents would be. He knew what your genetic makeup would be. He knew what your family life would be like as you grew up as a child. Before you were alive, Jesus knew all these things about you.
Today, he knows things about you that you don’t even know about yourself. He knows what you were like as a two-year old – something you can’t remember. He knows how your brain works. He knows what different things you are predisposed to, both good and bad. Sometimes you hear people say, “I just found out something about myself the other day.” Jesus would say, “I already knew that.” He knows you much better than you will ever know yourself.
What do you think Jesus’ opinion is, about you, since your life is an open book to him? Remember, he knows your thoughts. All those things you keep to yourself, those secrets in your mind, he knows what those secrets are. And he knows your history - those sins you have committed in your life, and you know what they are – some of those sins are things you don’t want anyone to ever know about. But Jesus knows about them. He knows everything about you. Every thought you have ever had, every word you have ever spoken, every deed you have ever done, even the secret things, Jesus knows.
What do you think his opinion is, about you? Not very good? “If Jesus knows me that well, he must not think very highly of me. He must see me as a very sinful person.” Remember, your whole life, including your private life, is an open book to him. Perhaps you might think, “If this is true, then I’m lost. I’m going to hell. There is no way Jesus would want me in heaven with him, since he knows all these things that I have done in my life.”
Jesus does know you. But instead of punishing you, look at what he does – look at verse 15 – “I lay down my life for the sheep.” Instead of punishing you, Jesus lays down his life for you. Do shepherds normally lay down their lives for their sheep? The answer is no. A shepherd will do the best e can to fight off any wild animals, but even a good shepherd isn’t going to just lay down his life, and let a wild animal kill him. Any normal shepherd would tell you, “Hey, it’s not worth it.” Besides, what good would it do? After the wild animal kills the shepherd, there’s no one there to protect the sheep!
But this is what Jesus did for you. Satan comes, and he wants to drag you down to hell with him. “He deserves it!” he says to God. But Jesus steps forward. And Jesus doesn’t fight Satan. Instead, Jesus simply lays down his life, and Satan takes it. Satan thinks he has won, and that he can attack you next. But then, Jesus rises from the dead, and that changes everything. By laying down his life for you, he took away the punishment that you deserve for your sins. By laying down his life for you, you no longer have to worry that God is going to punish you for your sin. It doesn’t work that way – Jesus has already been punished for you. Your sins are forgiven. And in case you have any doubts, remember – Jesus rose from the dead. That is proof that you really are a forgiven child of God.
And now, when Jesus says that he knows you, what that means is this: He doesn’t know you anymore as a sinner who deserves to be punished. When Jesus looks at you now, do you know what he sees? He sees you as someone who has had his or her sins taken away. He sees you as someone who has been forgiven. He sees you as someone who will not be punished, but instead, blessed by God the Father. Jesus sees you as a sheep that belongs in his flock, a sheep that he wants to take care of.
Remember, he is your shepherd. Today, in this world, he is leading you. You’re not leading yourself, even though it feels that way sometimes. Jesus is leading you. At times, he may lead you to joyful places – times that are good, times of celebration. And, at times, your Shepherd may lead you to frightening places – times that are bad. We call them “valleys.” Jesus, your shepherd, may lead you into a financial-problem valley in the years ahead, or into a health-problem-valley, or into an emotional or personal problem valley. Or, he may lead you into the valley of the shadow of death. During those times, you may think to yourself, “Nobody knows what I’m going through. Nobody knows how I feel.”
But Jesus says to you, “I know. I know my sheep, and I know how you feel. In fact, I led you here.”
And you might say, “Why? Why are you letting me suffer in this financial problem valley, or this health problem valley? Why? Are you punishing me for my sins?”
And the Good Shepherd would say to you, “No, no. Remember, I laid down my life for you. I’ve already died for your sins. Your sins are gone. They’re forgiven.”
“Then why are you letting me suffer?” you might ask.
And Jesus says to you, “It’s because I know you.” “Of all the places in the world to be, right now, for you, this is what is best. Just trust me. I know you. I know you better than you know yourself. Trust me. I won’t hurt you. When it’s all over, you’ll understand what I am doing. Just remember, I know you.”
And so we follow him, as he leads us through this world. We trust him. We don’t always understand him. But I don’t think sheep ever really understand what their shepherd is doing. Don’t you think that’s true? Most of the time, sheep have no idea what their shepherd is doing – why the shepherd is taking them here, or pushing them there. Sheep have no idea. But the shepherd knows his sheep, and he does what is best for them.
Jesus knows you. You and I often times have no idea why he leads us to the places he does. But we know that he loves us. He loves you with a love that you will never fully be able to understand. That love caused him to lay down his life for you. Today he reminds you that he knows you. What a comfort that is. Let us follow him. And trust him. Amen.
