Easter 4C 2025

Text: John 10:24–27 “24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. Each year, the Church hears comforting words of Scripture describing Jesus as our Shepherd—how He leads us, feeds us, and holds us securely. That is particularly fitting for today—Mother’s Day. But this year, we begin not with the green pastures or the still waters, but with a warning.

Because, in this passage from John 10, Jesus is not speaking to comfort His sheep. He is speaking hard words. He is speaking to those who are standing in front of Him, in the temple, asking questions—but refusing to follow. And He says to them: “You do not believe because you are not among my sheep.”

The people Jesus is speaking to are deeply religious people. They are not outsiders. They are not scoffers. They consider themselves faithful. But they do not hear His voice. They do not follow. And Jesus says they do not belong to Him.

These are hard words—words you never want to hear, especially from the God of the universe. They do not sound very “shepherd-like.” But there are times when any good shepherd must distinguish which sheep are his from which are not.

And they are important words to hear. Because the same danger is present now. You can be surrounded by Jesus’ Word, you can question Him, and still refuse to listen. In the process, you may turn back from following Him and place yourself outside of His flock.

This is not a call to panic or despair. It is a call to repentance. A call to hear His voice today—and follow.

I. Questioning, But Not Listening

Jesus does not speak in riddles. When questioned at the Feast of Dedication, He responds directly:

“I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” (John 10:25–26)

That is a chilling diagnosis. These were not atheists or pagans. They were standing in the temple. They considered themselves spiritual, thoughtful, even morally serious. And yet Jesus says they are not His. Why? Because they do not believe. They do not hear His voice. They are questioning Him—but they are not listening.

And that is not just a danger for the first century. It is a danger for the Church today.

There are many today who are not atheists or skeptics. They attend church. They consider themselves spiritual, thoughtful, even morally serious. But they have no real desire to listen to Jesus. They might quote Him. They might admire Him. They might come to church. But they treat His Word as something to be evaluated, not obeyed. They want to keep Jesus in the role of respected advisor—not Lord and Shepherd. Like those questioning Him in the temple, they are not seeking understanding. They are asserting their own wisdom. They want Jesus to defend Himself to their satisfaction. They want to be the ones who decide what is reasonable and what is not, what will be accepted and what will be dismissed.

To question Jesus, to admire His morality, to agree with His teachings, even to pray now and then—none of this means that you are one of His sheep if you will not be taught by Him. You may hear the Shepherd's words, but your heart answers, “I will be the judge of that.” You may praise His love, but recoil at His authority. You may nod along with His words but quietly reserve the right to decide which ones apply to you. You may say, “Jesus is Lord,” while still insisting on the final word for yourself. That is not listening. That is not following. That is rejection.

You may show up in church regularly and still not want to be taught. When you hear a sermon, you listen like the opponents of Jesus in our text—not to understand, but to critique. You have strong opinions on the preacher’s tone, the length of the message, the style of delivery, or whether the content feels familiar or fresh. But you do not ask whether this is the voice of your Shepherd. You are more concerned with being reassured than being confronted, more interested in comfort than in correction. And when Jesus speaks with authority—when He calls you to repent, to forgive, to reorder your priorities—you resist. That is not neutral. That is refusal. And it is dangerous.

II. The Danger Is Real

For the opponents of Jesus in our reading, what begins as questioning quickly turns to violence. In the very next verse after today’s Gospel reading ends, we are told that the crowd picked up stones to kill Jesus. That is where resistance to His voice leads. They do not want to be taught. They want to silence Him.

And if that seems extreme, remember: this is not a hostile mob from a foreign land. These are God’s covenant people, standing in God’s house, hearing the voice of God’s Son. And they are ready to kill Him for what He says. The fiercest opposition to the Shepherd does not always come from outside the flock. It can rise up from within. Paul warned the Ephesian elders of this very thing in our first reading: “Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things.”

That danger has not passed. Some treat the Word of God as a familiar backdrop but no longer expect to hear anything from it. Others begin in faith but grow cold when the Word confronts their sin or disrupts their plans. In time, they stop listening altogether. The Word is still read. The sermons are still preached. But the ears are closed.

The danger is real. The devil does not need to tempt you into open rebellion. He is content if you simply stop listening. Because when you stop listening, you stop following. And when you stop following, you are no longer with the Shepherd. And apart from Him, you will not stand.

“You are not among my sheep.” (John 10:26) That is what Jesus says to those who will not listen to His voice. And if that refusal persists—if the Shepherd’s voice is continually dismissed, if His Word is always met with critique instead of trust—then there will come a day when that voice will no longer call in mercy. On that day—the day when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead—the Shepherd will say what He once warned: “Depart from me. I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23) That is the end of the path for those who will not listen. Not just separation now—but separation forever.

III. The Shepherd Still Speaks

But Jesus does not stop speaking. He does not give up on the hesitant, the skeptical, or even the defiant. He gives Himself over to them. By the end of this conversation, His opponents were looking for an opportunity to kill Him. There was no need for that, though. Ironically, they would have understood that if they had listened to Him. Not listening did not make them any less sinful. It only made them deaf to His grace.

He is not silent until the time comes for Him to bear the burden of your sins. When the time comes for the Good Shepherd to lay down His life for His wandering sheep, He refused to speak in His own defense, so that He might take your place under the accusing word of God's Law.

He was silent under accusation, so that you could be forgiven. He did not protest the judgment, so that you would not be condemned. He did not plead for mercy, so that you could receive it.

“He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)

The irony could not be more piercing: the crowd in John 10 picks up stones to kill Him, not knowing that His death will be the very means of their salvation. If they had listened, they would have known He was going to the cross—and they would have heard that His death would be for them. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). The Good Shepherd becomes the sacrificed Lamb. He bears the judgment. He takes the wrath. He is struck for the sheep who wandered.

And now the voice that once was silent for your sake speaks again—calling, restoring, forgiving.

You do not become one of His sheep by proving yourself worthy. You become His because He calls you. You follow because He speaks. You live because He gives you life.

Repent. The Shepherd is still calling you. Not to condemn you. Not to shame you. But to lead you home.

“You are not among my sheep.” (John 10:26) That is what Jesus says to those who refuse to hear His voice. And if that remains true—if His voice is silenced in your heart—then the day will come when He will say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23)

But for those who hear and follow, there is another word—a word of welcome, not rejection. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) “I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:14) On the Last Day, the Shepherd will say to them, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.”(Matthew 25:34) That is the voice you were made to hear. That is the voice that leads you home.

IV. The Voice of the Shepherd Today

Your Shepherd is no longer silent. He is still speaking to you today. Through the Holy Spirit, He calls you by the Gospel, enlightens you with His gifts, sanctifies, and keeps you in the One True Faith. He called you by name in baptism and continues to call you to Himself through the preaching of His Word. These are not just church rituals. They are the voice of Christ.

Be ready—His Word does convict you. But He speaks, ultimately, to comfort you. He is not distant. He is not silent. He is speaking here and now, calling you to follow Him.

And if you, yourself, have wandered—if you have stopped expecting to hear anything when the Scriptures are read, if you have grown cold to the voice of Jesus—then hear Him now. Do not harden your heart. The Shepherd is still speaking. His voice is life. And His flock is not full without you.

And, yes, He is still speaking to comfort you. Today is a good example. In fact, perhaps these readings are even more appropriate for Mother’s Day. Many of you are celebrating today. You are celebrating the unique joy of a mother’s love and all of the blessings that come with it. But others of you are grieving.

You are grieving over children you were never able to have. But His voice is stronger than your sorrow.

Your heart aches over a child who no longer listens to the Shepherd’s voice. But His Word has not lost its power. He will not stop calling to them. He, alone, can rightly claim that He loves them more than you do.

You are grieving over broken relationships which may never be healed in this life. But He is able to comfort you in the way that only someone else who knows what it feels like to lose a child is able to.

Keep praying. Keep speaking. Keep trusting.

Conclusion

The Shepherd is still speaking. He speaks through His Word. He calls you by name. And no matter how long you have resisted, no matter how far you have wandered, no matter how cold your heart has grown, His voice is still for you.

You are safe because He does not stop calling.

You are part of His flock because He laid down His life for you—and He has not changed His mind.

So listen. Trust. Follow.

When His Word convicts you, do not resist. When His voice comforts you, do not close your ears.

The Shepherd who was once silent in your place now speaks life into your death, and hope into your sorrow.

And His flock is not full without you.

Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!