I grew up singing the line, “Jesus loves me, this I know,” but what makes His love so incredible is His complete knowledge of me. He knows us, and He invites us to know Him.
Look what Jesus said:
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
John 10:14-16
Jesus once taught that if a shepherd had one hundred sheep, and one of them went astray, a good shepherd would search for that renegade (Matthew 18:12). To do so, you must know how many sheep you have and which one is missing.
When I look at a flock of sheep, they have very few distinguishing characteristics. I would have difficulty making enough observations to differentiate them from one another. How would a good shepherd know each sheep?Â
A good shepherd knows each sheep because of the type of focused attention he gives to each one.
That’s why what Jesus says about His perspective as a shepherd is remarkable. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me” (John 10:14). Jesus knows His sheep intimately. And His sheep know Him and can distinguish Him from every other wannabe shepherd.
He knows who are His.
The question becomes, how well do you know the shepherd? Many people know about Jesus, but few really know Him. If you only know Jesus through generic terms you have learned along the way or speak of Him with trite phrases you have memorized, you must make a serious evaluation.
Do you know about Jesus, or do you know Him personally? People love to name-drop an important person to receive a benefit in certain situations. By claiming to know the individual, they are wanting recognition or reward. But a simple series of questions helps you understand how close the relationship is.
Your prayers reveal how well you know Jesus. The ways that you speak about Him indicate how close you are. Since Jesus is our shepherd, to know Him must include staying on the move since He is constantly taking us to healthier pastures.
Jesus also mentioned that there were other sheep that needed to come from another pen (John 10:16). While many people wonder what He was referring to in that statement, the context indicates that, most likely, He was speaking of non-Jewish people. Jesus was assembling a flock from “every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 12:9). Such a statement reminds us that Jesus isn’t gathering people who are just like each other. He knows we are different, and He still desires us all!
For many of you reading, you are more likely the sheep from the other pen than the original flock. That reminds us to be grateful that Jesus wanted to invite us into the fold. And if He could bring wandering sheep like ourselves into the flock of God, then no one is too far removed. Our shepherd didn’t see His assignment as a lower-level occupation. He gladly volunteered because He knew He could shepherd us well.
Jesus knows me, this I know, and that’s what makes His love so remarkable.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
