195. Wednesday after Second Sunday after Easter.
O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine,
and we shall be saved. Amen.
John 10, 23-30. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.
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Even as all who believe with childlike faith receive light to know the Lord, so we may say, on the other hand, that all who receive light to know Jesus believe in him. We have a Savior who is truth and love itself. If you see him with the eye of the spirit and hear his voice in your heart, he wins your confidence, and you commit yourself into his keeping with trust and love. When people do not believe in Jesus the reason is that they do not know him and do not hear his voice. Our hearts cannot resist him, if the darkness of unbelief does not hide him from us. O, that all might open their eyes and see the Lord, incline the ear to hear his voice, and open wide the heart to receive the precious Savior! Then they would know of a certainty that he is the bountiful giver of life, the everlasting God, one with the Father, great in power, mighty to save. You that believe in him; you the sheep of his fold; you, at least, cannot refuse to hear his voice and follow him! When the devil entices you with evil lusts and the seductions of the world, attend to the warning voice of the shepherd. Call to mind his life and his words while he was here on earth; and do not let the devil lead you wrong, but deny and renounce him. Your soul will, no doubt, at times be troubled by reason of temptations to sin and unbelief; but by means of his word and sacrament the Lord gives you comfort and peace, and exhorts you strongly to charity and good works. Every word of solace, every encouragement which your heart receives, every force and impulse urging you to that which is good, is his voice. This voice is in the word, out of which the Spirit takes it and causes it to be sounded in your soul. Nothing holy that is in you is of the flesh; your new life is created by his word, and lives and breathes in and of this word. Thus do you follow him, and thus does he save you. He says: “I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” With these words he most wonderfully strengthens and quickens our hope of salvation. But in case that even this should not be sufficient to man our poor heart with courage and resolution, he adds: “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” Shall not, then, the sheep of Jesus be fully assured of inheriting eternal life?
Lord, almighty and faithful God, may we be of thy fold. Draw us after thee, and establish our hearts in faith on thee unto the end. Blessed are thy sheep, thou good Shepherd! We earnestly beseech thee, draw us to thee, and let none pluck us out of thy hand. Amen.
We are thine, do thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear, oh hear us, when we pray.