Day 168, Year 1

The Sheep Do Not Listen to Thieves

Jesus said, “All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” (John 10:8 NKJV)

In my opinion, the “thieves” mentioned in today’s verse refer to evil spirits and their companions. Jesus said, “The sheep did not hear them.” And those “sheep” have extraordinary courage and endurance. Why? If thieves and sheep were to compete, who would win? Obviously, the thieves likely prevail. But it is quite astonishing that the Lord’s call for extraordinarily brave people to follow Him and resist the thieves. Those who initially follow Jesus timidly will eventually become courageous due to His help. When thieves enter the flock or capture individual sheep, it is difficult for the sheep to resist. Indeed, those who reject and resist the “thieves” will inevitably suffer. Similarly, many of us have endured much suffering and hardships before believing in Jesus, some of which are caused by the malice of the “thieves.” Therefore, those who do not listen to the “thieves” are able to endure suffering.

The true “sheep” of Jesus also need sound discernment when facing the “thieves.” In reality, the devil and its companions often disguise themselves as messengers of goodness or brightness, tempting us to follow them. But if we have the aforementioned pursuit of integrity and righteousness, as well as a wise heart, we can easily see through their schemes. Many could resist blatant thieves, but only a few can recognize and resist enticements and deceptions. Indeed, in my experience, the greatest obstacle to people believing in Jesus is those doctrines, faiths, religions, or charismatic figures that sound good or beautiful before them. They occupy people’s hearts, preventing Jesus from entering and even hindering them from hearing His voice. How, then, could they truly be beautiful or good? Hence, many people need to discard the hypocrisy, evil, schemes, and even their thief-like nature, etc., before they can firmly accept Jesus as Lord.

In summary, those who believe in the Lord Jesus must persist in not listening to the thieves. Whatever we have wrongly listened to in the past, we must repent of it and rely on Him to correct our ears. In this process of “not hearing the thieves,” we might suffer loss and undergo some hardships. But we must not fear any loss if we are to resist the “thieves” till the end. Therefore, as we have resolutely rejected the “thieves” for years but only longed for the Lord Jesus’ knockings, we will rejoice with tears of joy when we hear Him knock, immediately opening our doors to welcome Him as our Lord.

Reflection questions:

1) Of the four qualities mentioned above—courage, endurance of hardships, fearlessness of loss, and the ability to discern evil schemes—which do you need the most? How would you rely on the Lord to be empowered or improved?

2) What methods, strategies, and personal qualities could help believers persistently and firmly reject the “thieves” to the end?