Not A Stranger
There have been many people over the years that I have met, but I could not tell you a lot about them except for what I have been told about them. I did not spend time with them, getting to know them, having vulnerable conversations, sharing laughs and dreams, and recounting experiences together.
I might have been introduced to them by someone, but without spending time with them, I cannot say much about their likes, dislikes, dreams, aspirations, experiences, etc. In such a case, that person is more of an acquaintance than a close friend.
When it comes to an acquaintance, one can say yes, I’ve met them, but it would be deceptive to carry on as though they knew them well. An acquaintance may not be a stranger, but they aren’t very much above one.
I say all this because of something Jesus said,
John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
When someone doesn’t believe it is evidence, they are not one of His sheep. As a result, they will struggle with the truth concerning Jesus. Another characteristic of not being one of His sheep is not hearing His voice and thus refusing to follow Him.
I love the promise that is attached to being a sheep. Sheep have eternal life, sheep will never perish, and no one can snatch a sheep away from Jesus, nor can they snatch them away from God. In other words, Jesus’ sheep are very secure! Jesus is not a stranger to His sheep!
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
To a true believer, Jesus is not an acquaintance. He is a friend, a Shepherd, a Lord, a Savior, a Deliverer, and definitely not a stranger. Jesus did not give His life on the cross to occupy the role of acquaintance in our lives. He desires intimacy, closeness, involvement, and the ability to speak to us regularly to lead us, instruct us in His ways, and reveal the unlimited goodness of His character and nature to us. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to reveal Jesus to us and eliminate the sense of His being a stranger.
Jesus’ endurance on the cross and His suffering its shame were not so He might be a stranger. There’s no joy in being a stranger or mere acquaintance in the life of someone you place a value on. Jesus was all about a full-on, wide-open, rich, and complete relationship with Himself and with the Father. He desires to be known, and He knows those that are His. He hasn’t made it difficult to know Him. He pioneered the way for this and made it as simple as believing. It is by grace through faith in Him that we are brought near. Jesus is no stranger to those who truly believe. He is always near and present and very real, and His voice is not foreign or weird. He made all this possible by His sacrifice made for us. I encourage that we take full advantage of what He has made possible and enjoy the intimacy so freely offered to every sheep of His pasture. Enjoy Him today and always.
