”My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.“ -John 10:27
There is an interesting account about a middle eastern shepherd boy in the book “The Good Shepherd” by Kenneth E Bailey. In the account a shepherd boy’s flock of 8 sheep and goats was confiscated along with several hundred other animals. The boy was able to raise the fee needed to redeem his flock and came to the authorities to redeem them. When the boy asked for his flock he was ridiculed by the authorities because there were hundreds of animals there and they had no way of finding his little flock. At this point in the account the young man pulls his shepherd’s pipe out of his bag and plays his tune. His flock hear his call and separate themselves from the other animals and follow him.
The author shared this account to illustrate the Words of Jesus in John 10:27. To me the most amazing part of the account was not that the young shepherd’s flock recognize the shepherd’s call, but that when they heard it they separated themselves and followed.
God help us not to just hear and recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd, but to also separate ourselves from the cares of this life and follow Him.