The Pharisees weren’t able to recognize the activity of God because they were more concerned with maintaining their traditions. This encounter with the Pharisees leads Jesus to teach about what it means to have a relationship with God. Using a shepherd and his sheep as an analogy, Jesus uses several key phrases to describe the nature of this relationship. “The sheep listen to his voice.” “He calls his own sheep by name.” “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.” “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” We mature in Christ as we learn to recognize and follow the voice of Jesus.
Passage: John 10:1-42