Heard That Sound
Ever go to a car show and watch the people instead?
As a flat-four Subaru announces its arrival with wonderful warbles and pops (thanks, unequal-length headers!), all the Subie fans practically break their necks to check it out.
When anything with an LS V8 rumbles in, the muscle car crowd’s ears perk up.
A variety of flat-plane V8-powered cars – from Shelby GT350s to McLarens and Ferraris – cause everyone to stop mid-sentence and stare at the source of such an arresting sound.
Car folks know their cars. They can usually identify engine configuration, or even make, model, and displacement, blindfolded. Some swear they can get even more specific, like identifying exhaust diameter and differentiating brands of blow-off valves. Yet even “normal” folks can probably identify their own cars by the sound of their exhaust, or “door ajar” chime, or the specific “thunk” of their door.
Jesus, master of analogies, lays heavily into themes of auditory identification in the beloved “Good Shepherd” lesson in John 10. “…the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… but they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
The premise here is that followers of Jesus differentiate and elevate his voice, unmistakably, from all the noise out there. His voice conveys familiarity, warmth, wisdom, and authority, and listeners stop mid-sentence to hear more.
Of course, this assumes that a person can hear his voice at all. Sometimes followers hear only silence, or an indecipherable din. If only it were as easy to pick out Jesus’ call as, say, the controlled frenzy of a high-revving Mazda 13B rotary engine.
So, let’s identify ideal settings for listening. Prayer is an ideal setting. Pray, and listen. Better yet, read a chunk of scripture, pray, and then listen. Repeat. If you have a question, a decision, a doubt, or a fear, the voice of Jesus just may speak out to your heart.
But the most jarring sound from the savior tends to happen when it isn’t expected, when we are minding our own business, standing in a hot parking lot, wondering how expensive replacement costs must be for Mini Cooper hoods, and their integrated headlights. It is in these moments that Jesus’ voice is unmistakable:
When yet another coworker or family member says, “You have a short fuse, don’t you?”
When envy never leaves your mind, and you wonder if that’s normal.
When the pastor has another sermon about lust, and you fear that everyone knows what you do behind closed doors.
When the prayer group pauses for silent prayer and confession, and guilt from your chief sin is screaming.
Are these anything but the voice of Jesus? After all, in what capacity does he say he uses his voice in John 10? If he is indeed “call(ing) his own sheep by name and lead(ing) them out,” where is he calling them from? Jesus rescuing distracted and disinterested sheep is a key theme in Psalm 23, and it is present here too. If this is part of Jesus’ saving work, dear sheep, we need to listen and follow.
In his grace, Jesus reminds us of his familiarity with us. If we know his voice, it is only because he knew us first. If he calls us, it is only because he identified and chose us first. “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.” This knowledge allows no secrets. Jesus won’t be surprised by anything you tell him.
Hearing Jesus’ calling is not like hearing your name over your high school’s PA system followed by “Report to the principal’s office.” Jesus is not calling to find out what you’ve done. He already knows. He isn’t calling to rub it in your face. God’s anger lasts “for a moment.” (Psalm 30:5) So speak it, in your own words, and listen to where he is calling you to go instead.
The Good Shepherd lesson concludes with what is probably the most assuring passage in the New Testament: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
When Jesus calls, do not merely hear the sound. Listen, and follow. For like a flat-plane V8, every ear will one day hear him, and stop mid-sentence.
