It is an assurance, a pledge, a declaration of ownership. They are my sheep says the Good Shepherd. They recognize my voice. They follow me. I know them. They are MINE.
These words of the Lord Jesus has a ring of parental certitude in them, the kind that just hits you and stops you right on your tracks the moment you get an inch closer than the acceptable boundary near some zealously protected children by a feisty mom who’s all too ready to pounce on anyone who would spell danger to her offspring.
They are MINE!
This is the loving Savior proclaiming to the entire world: they came from me! I am their Mother! They came from my womb! I knew each and every one of them! I am their Father! Don’t you dare come near and endanger any one of them! Not one of them will be lost. No one among them shall perish. No one can take them out of my hands!
The good news is that it is for our sakes that Jesus speaks these words. We are his sheep. We are his children. Not one of us shall be left in the cold and dark. Not one of us shall be made to suffer mercilessly in the hands of the hirelings. We are his sheep. He is our shepherd.
We are HIS!
This is an invitation for us to reexamine the way we live our lives, the way we regard ourselves, the way we look at others, the things we busy ourselves with, the many things that preoccupy our every waking and reposing.
This is an invitation for us to quit living in fear and insecurity! This is an invitation for us to dare step out of our miseries and anxieties; the uncertainty and the belief that we are all aimlessly and purposelessly headed nowhere after all that we have done with our daily grind in life. This is our God telling us: listen to my voice and get right back on track! You all came from me and will one day head straight home to me! This is Jesus assuring us: it is alright to be happy and free! It is perfectly fine to enjoy a life which is delightfully spent serving and caring for the other! This is the Lord telling us: do not be afraid to come back to me! To make friends with me and your neighbors! To savor the sweet scent of a holy and simple life! To love and be loved!
No one can take you out of my hands! Nothing can take you out of my sight!
You are MINE!
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