My Sheep Hear My Voice

At the heart of John 10:22–30 is a deeply intimate and powerful affirmation:

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

In this passage, Jesus is speaking to religious leaders who demand clarity: “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly!” (v. 24). But Jesus’ response isn’t a straightforward doctrinal answer—it’s relational. He points not to a creed, but to a connection. His sheep know Him not because they’ve passed a theological test, but because they’ve listened deeply, followed faithfully, and lived in love.

It raises a hard question for our time: What does it mean to hear the voice of Jesus today? And are we really listening?

The Voice That Liberates

Jesus’ voice, throughout the Gospels, is consistently one of compassion, justice, and liberation. He speaks against systems of oppression, lifts up the poor, centers the marginalized, and proclaims good news to those cast aside by religious gatekeepers. His voice is not one of fear, control, or exclusion—it is a voice that calls us into abundant life, radical love, and deep belonging.

But too often, contemporary evangelicalism has substituted that voice with another.

Instead of love, we hear judgment.
Instead of welcome, we see walls.
Instead of liberation, we find legalism.
Instead of the inclusive grace of the Shepherd, we setup barbed wire and a watchdog.

A Crisis of Hearing

In many white evangelical circles, particularly in the U.S., the voice being followed is not the voice of Christ, but the voice of cultural dominance, political power, and certainty at all costs. When pastors rally behind nationalism, when churches remain silent about racial injustice, when people are demonized in the name of “truth,” and when women are told to be quiet and submit, something has gone terribly wrong.

Jesus said, “I know my sheep… and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” But many who claim to speak for Him are busy doing the snatching—ripping people from grace with fear, exclusion, and shame.

This is not the voice of the Good Shepherd.

This is the voice of the hired hand, who abandons the sheep when things get hard (v. 12), or worse, exploits them for his own gain.

Hearing Again

The invitation of John 10 is to listen again—deeply and courageously—for the true voice of Christ. It will not sound like dogma. It will not echo in the halls of empire. It will not shout from political pulpits or partisan platforms.

It will be the voice heard in prison cells and refugee camps, in hospitals and broken families, in the whisper of those who have been told they are outside of God's love—yet still believe they are beloved.

United Methodists are often accused of “watering down” the gospel, but what if we are simply trying to hear again the voice that has been drowned out by centuries of empire-aligned Christianity?

What if following Jesus means choosing mercy over sacrifice, relationship over rules, presence over power?

What if hearing Jesus’ voice means learning to trust the God who is still speaking—through the cries of the oppressed, the prayers of the marginalized, and the songs of justice rising in our streets?

Conclusion: The Call to Follow

“My sheep hear my voice,” Jesus says. That voice is still calling today—not into rigidity, but into freedom. Not into exclusion, but into belonging. Not into blind certainty, but into deep, embodied faith.

If our religion is keeping us from hearing that voice, then maybe it’s time to let the religion go—and follow the Shepherd instead.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church