John 10:11-18
“I AM the Good Shepherd”
March 14, 2021
Once upon a time there was a shepherd keeping watch over his flock on a desolate road.
Suddenly, a big shiny Range Rover skidded to a stop next to him and a man dressed in an Armani suit with Gucci shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a very expensive tie, rolled down his window and asked, “If I guess how many sheep you have out there, will you give one of them to me?”
The shepherd looked at the fancy man and then his sheep that were grazing nearby and agreed with an “Alright.”
The man parked his vehicle, tapped on his iPhone, went on-line, scanned the area with a satellite device, opened a data base filled with tables full of algorithms and reviewed the 150-page report it issued. Turning to the shepherd he announced, “You have exactly
103 animals here.”
The shepherd responded, “That’s right, you may have your sheep.”
The man opened the tailgate of the Range Rover and put the animal inside.
The shepherd then said to the young man, “If I guess your profession, will you let me have my sheep back?”
The man answered, “Sure, why not?”
The shepherd stated, “You are a business coach.”
Dumbfounded, the man said, “How did you know?”
The shepherd offered, “That’s simple.
First off, you come here without being invited.
Second, you charge me a sheep to tell me something I already know.
Third, you do not understand anything about what I do, because that’s my Border Collie that you just loaded into your car.” (As shared in “How To Write Better” by Suzan St. Maur)
Before we feel disappointed about Jesus referring to us, his followers, as sheep which have gotten a bum rap for way too long, it is important to know that sheep are a lot brighter than the fancy man in that story and definitely more than many of the stereotypes about them.
Supposedly, according to Barbara Brown Taylor, it was cattle ranchers who started that rumor about the stupidity of sheep because sheep don’t act like cows.
With cows, you get behind them and push them toward where you want them to go. But with sheep you get in front of them and lead them. They won’t go in the direction you want them to until someone or something they trust goes ahead of them to let them know that it will be alright. (The Preaching Life, p. 140-146)
Sheep consider the shepherd to be a member of their family with a language all their own. The good shepherd can distinguish from their bleats whether they are in pain or expressing joy. The sheep can identify their own shepherd by the specific noise they make even when herds are mixed together and there are multiple shepherds. They know exactly which one they belong to and which one to follow.
Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd after trying to explain by assuring them, as we explored last week, that he is the Gate through which the sheep pass. They didn’t grasp that idea so he’s getting even more basic. They want to know if he is the Christ but Jesus has his reasons for not answering them directly.
He realized that if he said he was the Christ they were waiting for that he would be viewed by some as a king prepared to do battle. He also knew that if they had to ask, they wouldn’t believe his answer, especially after all of the signs, healings and teachings he had already offered. What they lacked was being in relationship with him. Without that they wouldn’t be able hear what he has to say.
In offering an explanation that not only is he a shepherd but a good shepherd, the one to be followed, it is because what he has to offer them is abundant life.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” is how John’s Gospel begins. Jesus is a new creation and offers new life.
He is good when he finds the man who was born blind after he was thrown out. These disciples will also get thrown out. Jesus found them also.
Jesus is the good shepherd because he knows all his sheep and calls them by name. We hear him call Lazarus by name back from the dead, out of the tomb.
Outside another tomb – his own – Jesus will say simply “Mary” and she will be given new hope.
In these pandemic times apart, it can sometimes feel like we are less a flock and more a bunch of lost sheep and yet we share a shepherd in Jesus. We are known and loved and protected regardless of the strength of our faith or the amount of doubt we carry. May such knowledge sustain us, in the face of loss and loneliness, hard times and isolation. Our status as God’s beloved sheep will not change.
Let us then offer this prayer titled “Discipleship” from Sharlande Sledge:
Gentle Shepherd,
some days we are as firm in our faith
as the disciples at their surest hour,
and sometimes we are like lost sheep.
Even when we are uncertain where the flock is going
we believe you are ahead of us.
No matter how far we wander,
no one will snatch us from your hand.
Be patient with us, God.
Sometimes we panic easily. So calm us.
We refuse to be pushed. Gently lead us.
We make a lot of decisions based on our appetites.
Help us hunger for the things
that will truly nourish our bodies and spirits.
We may even butt heads for no reason at all.
Help us to be patient with each other.
After all, we are part of a flock.
You can see that we desperately need you
to be our shepherd.
We are depending on you to distinguish
the pain of one of us from the cry of another.
You know us each by name.
Teach us to listen to your distinctive voice
so that we may follow you
and actually love one another as you have taught us.
For the tone of your voice is gentle,
its words are strong; its meaning is love.
Will it be the only voice we follow?
This is our prayer. Amen.
(Prayers & Litanies for the Christian Seasons p. 53)