Don't Listen to Strangers!

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.
John 10:2-t


Isn't it a shame, a true shame, that we have to teach the young people of our time to not listen to strangers? Sheep of the time of Jesus were so conditioned also not to listen, not to follow the voice of other than their shepherd. Shepherds in the Near East of that time typically led their flocks in front with their voice, rather than drive them from behind.

Likewise, the flock of Jesus, His believers, follow only the voice of The Good Shepherd, Jesus, who speaks for Him by undershepherds who properly handle His Word and speak what is given them to speak by Jesus. Following a man who speaks what Jesus gives him to say is "following Jesus!" And likewise, the opposite holds as well: "the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me." Luke 10:16

Granted, this is a very difficult teaching of Jesus for many to accept in our time, but nonetheless, it is Jesus' mandate and command not only for pastors but for Christians as well. Don't listen to strangers, pastors who do not clearly and consistently speak the word of God. Many of our time unfortunately do not even believe anymore that the Bible is to be equated with God's Word. They believe such a thing is impossible to a modern mind. They are strangers! They are not to be listened to, nor followed! Even when it satisfies our culturally, marketing conditioned ears to accept their words (see 2 Timothy 4:3-4), they are not the words of The Good Shepherd Jesus. At the heart of all of His words are the precious crucifixion and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 24:25-27) The one who purports to speak for Jesus will always speak these saving words to the flock!

Jesus' followers will not and do not listen or follow strange words that do not ring true with Scripture and its center of Christ crucified for sin. They have this intimate dependency on Christ's words as God the Son does with God the Father. They are linked this way for eternity!

"O Word of God incarnate, O wisdom from on high, O truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky: We praise You for the radiance That from the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps, Shines on from age to age."
Lutheran Service Book, Hymn #523 " O Word of God Incarnate" verse one