Readings
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18
When I was a child I slept with a nightlight. It was a porcelain statue of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. On many occasions I would lay in bed in the relative dark and stare at that statuette taking comfort in the warm glow it provided and I would wonder at the idea of Jesus as a shepherd and myself as a sheep.
Today we have an abundance of sheep and shepherd imagery. In addition to the 23 Psalm, we once again hear of Jesus as the good shepherd who cares for his sheep. We once again hear of how he lays down his life for his sheep.
But I ask you, as much as we adore the pastoral image of Jesus as a shepherd and as much as we appreciate that metaphorically we are the sheep and the flock, how many of us have any real knowledge of sheep or shepherds?
We tend to romanticize the idea of being a shepherd. We think of fluffy white sheep in a sea of green grass. But in the time of Jesus being a shepherd was dangerous, risky, and menial. Shepherds were rough around the edges, spending time in the fields rather than in polite society. For Jesus to call himself the “good shepherd” would have been an affront to the religious elite and educated. There is an edginess to his words. And while it doesn’t capture all the nuance of the image, in modern lingo we might say something like “I am the good migrant worker.”
Even so, we would do well to remember how shepherding works. Sheep are not herded like cows being pushed from behind. No sheep have a level of emotional intelligence that makes them desire to be led by someone they trust. It is almost a familial image. Shepherds are like parents, rather than baby-sitters. And while there may be some projection in this image, it seems based on behavior that sheep come to love and trust their shepherd.
But like children in a family. Sheep have their own minds and make their own choices. And sometimes sheep get into trouble. They wander off. They fall into ravines. They become victim to predators. It is the role of the shepherd, or at least the role of a good shepherd, to step in and to guide, lead, and protect the sheep under their care. Ultimately the sheep are not left to their own devices, rather the shepherd loves and cares for the sheep as his or her own.
In today’s Gospel passage Jesus offers us a word of comfort. He is the one who leads us, comforts us, and protects us. He is the one upon whom we can trust. Why? Because he cares for us so deeply and so dearly that he was willing to offer up his life for us. He is the one through whom new life, transformed life is offered.
And what need we do? Listen to his voice. Follow him where he leads. And when we listen to other voices, become distracted, or become lost, listen for him calling us back. You see the message of Jesus in today’s passage is not one of us working out our own salvation, but one in which he, like a good shepherd, is working out our reclamation for us.
A good shepherd knows their sheep. A good shepherd is attentive to the flock and recognizes when one of the sheep is straying. A good shepherd will go and seek out the lost or injured sheep and bring it back into the fold. It is not up to the sheep to always have it all worked out. The relationship between the sheep and the shepherd is based on what the shepherd does, not what the sheep do. In the end it’s all about who the shepherd is rather than who the sheep are.
The same is true for us. Sometimes there will be voices and choices in our lives that seem good, and whole, and sound, but turn out to be something altogether different. Sometimes we will find ourselves in crisis wondering where to go from here and feeling lost and bereft. Sometimes the world will be an overwhelming or scary place. The comfort is to know that we are not alone in those moments. Even when the flock, our community, is far from us we still have the shepherd; we still have Christ. He has not and never will abandon us.
No beloved, we need not fear the world nor feel hopeless in our overwhelm. Through prayer, scripture, worship, fellowship and love the voice of the Shepherd calls to us, cares for us, and comforts us. We need only listen. We may take assurance that we are not alone … ever!
But this promise is not just for us. Jesus speaks of others who are not a part of this fold. There are those we do not recognize as part of the communities to which we belong. There are those who are often the forgotten of our society. I probably don’t need to list them. We know who they are. The poor, the homeless, refugees, prisoners, the isolated and abandoned, the abused, and all those who are victims of fear and/or prejudice. These too are ones that Jesus seeks out and by extension calls us to seek out. And as they hear the voice of Christ, we are called to accept them and bring them into our fold, so that there may be one flock and one shepherd.
Yes, friends, Jesus is the good shepherd. He is our shepherd, and we are his sheep. May we take comfort in hearing his voice. May we know when we are lost or afraid that he has not abandoned us. And while we receive that gift with joy, we may also through that reassurance allow the Shepherd’s voice to speak through us as we reach out to the lost and hurting we encounter along the way.