This simple statement that His sheep will hear His voice, when found, carries with it certain profound implications. It is the source of which men for centuries have splintered in the view of Christ's call to a universal world. It is not one this current study needs to address. We will simply say of those who are not His, that they are not so because of the condition of their own heart and ears, and the choice they make to remain in their own blindness caused by the Deceiver, as with Eve (and Adam).

For these reasons, and others, these rulers do not hear His call, therefore, they are not His; but, He has come to take from among them those who are.

Let us look for a moment at this truth of the recognition of His Voice when He calls. Consider how one recognizes the authentic voice of another.

This can be seen in the woman at the well who had never met Jesus, but was convinced by only a few of His words of the fact that this voice identified her as she knew herself to be, and unlike any other had known her in her entire life. Through His Words, she knew beyond doubt that this was the One who had been promised. She did not know how He knew her, but she knew that the core of her soul was brought to light in the Truth of His Words. No other has this power, for only He knows the hearts of all people and will identify them in that meeting (as with Nathanael).

As a result of this unique understanding of ourselves revealed to us by this One who has engaged us, our recognition of His Truth for the exact answer to our discovered condition cannot be denied (we may deny it to others, but it cannot be to the voice within). Thus, He tells us first who we are -- lost ones, searching for fulfillment in life and the freedom for our spirits that seem to be crying out from within for outward release into someone who truly recognizes and understands us, and who will accept and love us as we are when we meet. Secondly, He tells us who He is, exactly in relation to us -- the answer and complete embodiment of our lifelong search.

And so, in coming to Christ, when hearing His call, the Holy Spirit identifies His Voice to us as the True Shepherd, that Second Adam, who has come to call and guide us Home; we know it is Him, and we follow. Once having heard it for ourselves, we continue to know His voice by constant experiential contact. Slip from the fold for any length of time and you may loose that quick recognition, much like that initially discovered in a renewed contact of a long-lost friend! A personally favorite metaphor exists in an ancient Hasidic meditation for prayer that we will let speak here as illustration of this wonderful Truth of theirs and our Messiah.

A Parable Of Prayer

A father and his son, travelling together in a wagon,
came to the edge of a forest.
Some bushes, thick with berries,
caught the child's eye.
"Father," he asked, "may we stop awhile
so that I can pick some berries?"
The father was anxious to complete his journey,
but he did not have it in his heart to refuse the boy's request.
The wagon was called to a halt,
and the son alighted to pick the berries.

After a while,
the father wanted to continue on his way.
But his son had become so engrossed in berry-picking
that he could not bring himself to leave the forest.
"Son!" cried the father, "we cannot stay here all day!
We must continue our journey!"

Even his father's pleas were not enough to lure the boy away.
What could the father do?
Surely he loved his son no less
for acting so childishly.
He would not think of leaving him behind ?
but he really did have to get going on his journey.

Finally he called out:
"You may pick your berries for a while longer,
but be sure that you are still able to find me,
for I shall start moving slowly along the road.
As you work, call out 'Father! Father!'
every few minutes, and I shall answer you.
As long as you can hear my voice,
know that I am still nearby.
But as soon as you can no longer hear my answer,
know that you are lost,
and run with all your strength to find me!"

And it is so. We have it on Jesus' authority that if:
a.   We Recognize His Voice, and

b.   Respond to His Call

He will receive us into His fold. And as the Father above, He is both capable and responsible for maintaining our security. This is backed by the guarantee of the Father Himself! It is a sufficient twofold witness for both Jew and Gentile alike. But as the little boy in the Jewish parable: