Is there a difference between knowing about God and really trusting him?

Most of us are pretty good at knowing things.

We know what we're supposed to eat. We know we should exercise more. We know the things we ought to stop doing and the things we should probably start. Knowing isn't really the problem. The gap between knowing and actually doing — that's where most of us live.

This week at Neighborhood Church, we continued our I Am series — a look at how Jesus described himself, in his own words. And this week's statement might be the most personal one yet. Standing in front of a crowd of religious leaders who were increasingly frustrated with him, Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd." (John 10:11)

It sounds warm and comforting. And it is. But it's also one of the most challenging things he said — because of what he meant by it.

Not just a shepherd. The good shepherd.

Jesus didn't say "I am a good shepherd." He said "I am THE good shepherd.” He means he is the definition of what it looks like to actually care for people. And he said it while looking directly at the religious leaders of his day, who would have considered themselves the spiritual guides of their communities.

The contrast he's drawing is between two kinds of leaders. One is the hired hand, someone just doing a job. When there's danger, the hired hand runs. It's not personal. It's not their flock. When things get complicated or costly, they're gone.

But the good shepherd is different. The shepherd owns the sheep. He knows them. He sleeps in the gap of the pen at night so nothing gets to them without going through him first. He doesn't run when the wolf shows up because this isn't a job, it's his identity.

Jesus says: that's me. He says he’s not managing you from a distance. Not someone checking off a list. Jesus is someone whose whole identity is wrapped up in your care.

And then he says something that raises the stakes even further: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

That word abundantly is worth sitting with. Because most of us have been told where abundance comes from by voices we didn't even realize we were listening to. Work hard enough and get the promotion. Raise your kids right and feel complete. Get enough people to like you and you'll finally feel whole. Retire and enjoy the payoff.

And we keep coming up empty.

Jesus says those voices are climbing over the wall. They're not coming through the door. They don't have your best interest at heart — and deep down, you already know that.

He knows his sheep

Here's something that might surprise you. Jesus doesn't just know about his sheep — he actually knows them. There's a line in this passage where he says the Father knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). That's not just meant to impress you with his math skills. The point is that he cares enough to have counted. He is that intimately involved with who you are — more than you know yourself.

This is not a God who keeps a spreadsheet. This is a shepherd who knows your personality, where you tend to wander, what you need, and how to get you there.

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

The sheep follow because they recognize the shepherd's voice. They've spent enough time with him to know the difference between his call and a stranger's. And when a stranger's voice comes — even using the same words — they don't follow.

How do we grow in recognizing that voice? One of the most direct ways is simply spending time in Scripture. Those pages sound a whole lot like the voice of the Holy Spirit because he wrote them. The more familiar we become with how Jesus speaks, the easier it gets to spot the counterfeits.

The most offensive thing he said

The crowd following this exchange gets progressively more agitated. And then Jesus says something that pushes them completely over the edge.

It's the Feast of Dedication (also known as Hanukkah). The holiday remembers a moment in Jewish history when a foreign emperor set up a statue of Zeus in God's temple and demanded that the Jewish people worship that false god. The Jewish people fought back because there is only one God, and his name is Yahweh, and he will not share his glory with anyone.

That's the backdrop. And into that moment, Jesus says: "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)

The crowd picks up stones.

They understood exactly what he meant. He wasn't speaking poetically. He was claiming to be one with Yahweh — the God whose reputation they had literally fought and died to protect. And Jesus doesn't back down. He points to everything he has done: the healings, the teaching, the blind man who can now see. "Even though you do not believe me, believe the works." (John 10:38) Look at what I do. That tells you who I am.

Many people in the crowd walked away that day believing.

Knowing about it isn't the same as being in it

Here's the part that hits closest to home.

Jesus says to the religious leaders: "You do not believe because you are not among my sheep." (John 10:26) They had all the information. They knew the scriptures. They showed up to every festival. And they completely missed the shepherd standing right in front of them.

It's possible to know a lot about Jesus and still not be following him. It's possible to have a date written in the front of your Bible (a prayer you prayed, an aisle you walked) and be resting on that moment instead of actually walking with Jesus today. It's possible to get comfortable in a church with good music and air conditioning, and keep your heart far from God the whole time.

"My sheep hear my voice and follow me." Not just hear. Hear and follow.

We do what we actually believe is true. If we say we trust Jesus but our bank account, our relationships, our fears, our habits have never been laid before him, then maybe we haven't trusted him as much as we thought. He's not asking for a slice of your life. He's asking to be your shepherd — all the way.

One flock, and sheep who aren't here yet

There's one more thing Jesus says that's easy to skip over, but it matters. He says: "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also." (John 10:16)

The good shepherd is not just managing the flock he already has. He's on a mission to find the ones who are still out there — wandering, under poor leadership, looking for something real. And if our hearts are actually aligned with his, that mission should matter to us too.

Do we share our shepherd's desire to find the sheep who aren't here yet?

That's not a guilt trip. It's just an honest question worth sitting with.

Is today the day?

You might have come to Jesus at some point for pretty selfish reasons — wanting comfort, answers, help with something hard. That's okay. That's actually where each of us starts. But the invitation from Jesus doesn't stop there. He wants to rewire those desires. He wants to be your shepherd — not just a resource you consult when things get hard.

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:28)

If something in this is stirring something in you — if you're not sure you've really surrendered your whole life to Jesus, or if you've been hearing his voice and not following — today can be the day you just open your hands and say: be my shepherd. Lead me in the way I ought to go.

We'd love to have that conversation with you. You're always welcome at Neighborhood Church in Ocala.

To go deeper, read John 10 in one sitting. Let it land. And if Psalm 30 — the psalm read every Hanukkah — speaks to where you are right now, start there too.