Held in His Hands

Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

John 10:22–30 (NIV)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Fourth Sunday of Easter is often known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Today, we reflect on one of our favourite characteristics of Jesus and what He does for us as our Shepherd. We’ll reflect on the gospel reading from John 10:

1.         The Hand That Holds

2.         The Shepherd Who Speaks

3.         The Lamb Who Leads

1. The Hand That Holds

Jesus says in John 10:28: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

That’s not just poetry. It’s a promise.

The Greek word for “snatch” here is harpazō—it implies a sudden, forceful seizure. The kind of action a predator might take when it swoops in and grabs what isn’t guarded.

So, who or what tries to snatch us from Jesus’ hand? The devil uses all kinds of means to try to take us away from God’s care. He uses both external and internal means.

Things outside of ourselves can snatch us away from Jesus’ hand. The devil uses these things to take our attention away from God and instead worry about other things. Things like:

·       Persecution: when our faith becomes a barrier in a relationship or makes us a target for ridicule or exclusion

·       Conflict: when countries, political parties, communities, or families are unwilling to compromise for the sake of the other, causing painful division

·       Injustice: when people are unfairly punished or deliberately mistreated

·       Suffering: when we experience hardship through no fault of our own—drought, economic hardship, illness, loss of any kind

The news we choose to consume is a big factor in all this. Of course, there is merit in being informed about events around the world and locally, but it’s very easy to instead allow the news to consume us—it causes us to speculate and worry more than we need to. In all this, we forget that God is in control and we are in His hands.

The devil also uses internal means to try to snatch us out of Jesus’ hand:

·       Guilt over past sin that hasn’t been dealt with or resolved

·       Shame that won’t let go, pestering our conscience

·       Doubt in our abilities, identity, or strength of faith

·       Anxiety from the pressure of having to fix life’s problems on our own

In all this, the devil is subtle. It’s very rarely a sudden and obvious snatching. If that were so, we’d be more likely to be alert to it and do something about it. He uses subtle things like apathy and distraction to lure us. We slowly drift away from the Good Shepherd—not because we’ve rejected Jesus, but because we’ve let go of His voice, one Sunday at a time. Before we know it, we’ve wandered outside the paddock, down the road, and into a place we’ve never known.

But the comfort of Jesus’ words is this: “They shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (v.28)

Jesus promises that none of the devil’s means—external or internal—can ultimately snatch us out of His hand. Jesus doesn’t promise that we won’t wander at all. He doesn’t promise that no harm will ever come to us.

His promise is focussed on bigger things than our short-term distractions or worries. His promise is about where we will be eternally. That’s something the devil has no power to take us away from.

You don’t stay in Jesus’ hand because you hold on tightly enough and make it to the end by sheer grit and determination. You stay in His hand because He holds you—nail-pierced, risen, reigning. Although we will occasionally wander, He never lets us go.

2. The Shepherd Who Speaks

Jesus also says: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27, NIV)

He speaks. We listen. And in that listening, we live.

We hear all kinds of voices in our daily lives—some helpful, some not. When there are too many competing voices around us, our hope gives way to the external noise and our internal worries. But even with all those voices echoing around us and within us, Jesus is still speaking.

His voice isn’t mystical. It doesn’t require the perfect meditation technique, magical music, or absolute silence to hear. It is found in the clear preaching of His Word. It is heard when the Scriptures are read aloud. It is seen in Baptism and tasted in the Lord’s Supper. In all our worries, He continues to speak.

We don’t always find it easy to listen to our Shepherd. Other voices distract us, or we just can’t agree on what He is saying to us. This is true of the current conversation around ordination. What do we do? 

1.      We keep listening, both to our Shepherd and to one another. Just because it’s not clear now, it doesn’t mean God will never make it clear.

2.      We show love to one another even when we disagree. We respect views that are different to our own.

3.         We hold fast to what our Shepherd does say with absolute clarity:

·       “I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me.” (John 10:14, NIV)

·       “My Father… is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (John 10:29, NIV)

These are not vague impressions. They are promises, spoken clearly by the Shepherd who calls us His own. They remind us of who we are and whose we are—not just in theory, but in water, Word, and Spirit.

None of this is to say that we should ignore divisive issues and only ever stick to what we know. Because, by the way, even the things we are pretty confident about can become idols as well.

In all things, whether it’s a hot topic or something we’ve assumed for centuries, we listen to the Shepherd who holds us and who speaks.

3. The Lamb Who Leads

In Revelation 7, John sees something remarkable:

“The Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their Shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water.” (v.17, NIV)

The Shepherd is also the Lamb. The One who laid down His life now leads His people.

This speaks to every person walking through hardship. Christ doesn’t just guard us from danger—He leads us through suffering into life. He does not remove every valley—but He walks with us through them.

As a child growing up in Western Australia, I learnt from an early age the danger of trying to swim your way out of a rip in the ocean. You will not get yourself out by swimming against the current—you’ll only tire yourself out and risk drowning. To get out of a rip, you have to go with the current. Initially, it will mean going away from the shore, but you will find your way to safety with a bit of patience.

The Lamb leads us through suffering, through hardship, through the valley of the shadow of death. It’s counterintuitive—every instinct and every outside voice tells us to turn around and run the other way, try to get over it or around it, or somehow get rid of the problem entirely. Trying any of those things will only cause further harm, both to yourself and others, and put yourself at even more risk.

I believe we, as a church, need to swim with the current, not against it. We need to allow ourselves to be led by the Lamb. It will require patience. It will seem counterintuitive. At times, it might feel like the opposite to what we should be doing.

To be led is not to do nothing. It is not apathy. It is not avoiding. It is not weak. To be led is to follow, to participate, to trust.

If we really believe that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, we shouldn’t try to force our way through the issue by brute force or by escaping the situation. He will lead us through the valley and out the other side.

Not only that—He nourishes us along the way. When we receive Holy Communion, the risen Lamb feeds us with His own body and blood. This is not just remembrance—it is real food for the journey.

That’s why this meal matters so much. Not because of tradition or ritual, but because the Lamb is present with His people. This meal is food for the journey—the destination being springs of living water, the house of the Lord, where we will dwell with our Shepherd forever.

May the peace that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.