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Home John 10:1-6 NRSVue

John 10:1-6 NRSVue

1“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”

Further reflection

We are hearers of many voices - the interior voices which call us to the full life of Jesus, the other voices which keep us stuck in ‘living and partly living', or the voice which leads us to evil. Jesus knows that goodness does not always reign, and that the evil in people spreads into violence and indignity and greed. Prayer can purify so that we hear and discern the true voices and commit ourselves to the good.

We live in a world of discordant voices. To pray is to become increasingly sensitive to the voice of Jesus and to recognise in him the 'way in' to God, the gate that opens out into the wide pastures where we encounter truth and life.

It is sometimes suggested that the image of sheep is a negative one, unworthy of human dignity. Especially now, in my time of prayer, I ask God to help me leave aside cynicism or flattery and receive only the word that is for my good.

Modern life today often teaches us that we are more than one among many. Although there is great emphasis on individual choice, there are many forces driving us all in the same direction. I pray that I may trust where God is leading me.

Some time of prayer for reflection is necessary for us to see the influences and attractions that are active in our lives. The 'thieves' and 'bandits' that would make away with our peace are many but time spent with Jesus helps us to recognise them for what they are.