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THE GOOD SHEPHERD
April 13, 2008
Ezekiel 34:11-16
John 10:1-10
Back on the first Sunday in March we talked about Jesus healing the man born blind (John 9:1-41). To get to Easter on schedule, the suggested preaching scriptures from the lectionary drove us to the final two weeks of Jesus’ life, followed by Holy Week and his crucifixion, and then by several events from his resurrection. Now, six weeks later, the lectionary finally gets back to the day of that healing miracle, and what happened next.
You’ll remember that after the blind man was given his sight, he was put through the inquisition by the Pharisees, in an effort to get him to deny Jesus as a holy man of God. When he refused to condemn Jesus, he was excommunicated from the Jewish church (John 9:34). That was a really big deal, you became the walking dead. No one would talk to you; no one would even acknowledge you. You ceased to exist as a person. In every respect of your life you became invalid. When he and the Pharisees finally find Christ, Jesus tells him, “Don’t worry. You were never the blind one. These guys are the ones who refuse to see (John 9:39-41).”
That’s where chapter nine ends. Between the end of nine, and the beginning of ten, the once blind man must have asked a question. He must have asked Jesus, “Why is this happening to me? Sure, I was blind and a beggar, but at least I had a family. At least people would talk to me and acknowledge me. It’s great to see, but look how much I’ve lost. Why is this happening to me?” Chapter ten begins with Jesus explaining that the once blind man is now part of a bigger, better, family. And, what he’s gained is incomparably greater than what he has lost.
Jesus answers the question with a parable, or a story from real life that illustrates his point. His parable begins with what we call a double amen. You’ll remember the double amen was a speech pattern unique to Jesus. Even people who doubt much of what the Bible attributes to Jesus have to agree that anything that starts with a double amen had to come from Jesus’ own lips.
Jesus begins by telling a parable about sheep and shepherds. Now, throughout most of the Old Testament shepherds were seen as selfless and dedicated servants. In fact, God (through the prophets) referred to himself as a shepherd (Genesis 48:15, Psalm 23:1, Isaiah 40:10-11, Ezekiel 34:11-16).
However, by the time Jesus comes along, shepherding has been put on the list of despised occupations you should never teach your son. Shepherds were suspected of pasturing their flocks in other peoples’ fields and eating grass that wasn’t theirs, in effect embezzling. It didn’t matter whether the crime was ever proven or not. The Pharisees prohibited Shepherds from holding public office, or testifying in court trials. I suspect Jesus deliberately picked a story where the Shepherd would be the hero, because he knew it would really tick off the Pharisees.
You need to know a little bit about sheep and their protection. Shepherds herded their sheep all day long, taking them to food and water. By night the Shepherds were worn out, yet night time was when the sheep were the most vulnerable. So, a sheep pen (or fold) would be built in a central location. It usually had high stone walls, and the top of the walls were covered with dense thorny bushes, kind of like concertina barbed wire at the top of a prison wall. There was a single, very narrow, gate to the pen. Several different flocks would be brought into the pen to spend the night. Then, one of the Shepherds would be chosen as the night watchman. He alone would stand guard at the gate to keep thieves, robbers, and wild animals from harming the sheep.
At sunrise the other Shepherds would return to the fold. After they were properly recognized by the watchman he would open the gate. Each Shepherd would stand at the gate and scream out a distinctive call, a noise or sound that only he could make. His sheep would immediately recognize that calling and come running to the gate. As the Shepherd would start to walk away his sheep would separate themselves from the other flocks and follow him away. Most Shepherds would count their sheep to make sure they were all there. But, the really good Shepherds had named all of their sheep, and recognized them individually as they left the safety of the pen. If an imposter stood at the gate and yelled the sheep would not respond to his voice. In fact, they would actively move away from someone trying to imitate their master’s calling.
Jesus begins his parable by saying, “"Very truly, I tell you, (a double amen) anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers."
Now remember, Jesus is trying to explain to the once blind man why it is OK that he has been excommunicated. So, to understand the parable, we need to understand who the players are. Most scholars would agree the Shepherd is Jesus. Later in the parable he is going to call himself the gate, but the Bible says that’s because the blind man didn’t understand his first illustration, so he had to change it slightly (John 10:6). The watchman is John the Baptist. And, the thieves and robbers are the Pharisees and Scribes.
In this example the watchman, John the Baptist, watches over the sheep until the rightful Shepherd arrives. Jesus can claim to be the real Shepherd because he is the only one with valid credentials. Only Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-23), in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Luke 2:4-7), heralded by a star (Numbers 24:17, Matthew 2:1-2), from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:16, Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-27), and worshipped by angels (Deuteronomy 32:43, Luke 2:9-13). None of the Pharisees or Scribes could make those same claims, they were imitators. Jesus is telling the once blind man, “You are not excommunicated from the Church, you are finally in the church. Before you were being led astray by imposters who wanted to steal you, now you’re back where you really belong. This isn’t being kicked out, this is being welcomed home.”
There is an alternate interpretation of the players. In the other view the Shepherd is God the Father. The gate, into and out of the fold, is Jesus. And, the Watchman is the Holy Spirit. In this view the thieves and robbers are either the false Messiah’s (both before and after Jesus), or they are the pretenders to the throne of Israel – the Hasmoneans and the Herods. In either interpretation the message to the man once blind is the same. Don’t be sad, rejoice. What you thought was the worst possible outcome of your healing, is actually the best possible thing. The Messiah has come, and he has pulled you out of the others to become one of his own. When he called out, you heard and came.
Two thousand years later, that message is still valid for each of us sitting in this room. With everything that competes for your attention, your jobs, your families, your illnesses, your possessions, your hobbies and interests, when the Shepherd called you heard and you came. However, there is still more to the message of the parable. It is not enough for the sheep to hear their master’s voice, and come to the gate. They absolutely must follow him out into the world.
The sheep pen was used to protect the sheep while the strays were hunted down and found. But, the sheep could not stay in the pen forever. There was no food or water in the pen. If the sheep are going to thrive, they must leave the security of the pen, and follow the Shepherd out into the world. It is important to note that the Shepherd always leads his sheep; he doesn’t drive them (like you do with cattle). If there is danger ahead, the Shepherd will be the first one to encounter it. If danger or harm arrives, the Shepherd will not flee. He will stand with his sheep, and do battle on their behalf. No matter how bad it gets, the Shepherd stays there.
“This is the life to which we are called, to follow the Good Shepherd and be part of his flock. To sometimes receive, and sometimes give. To know not only in our minds but in our guts security in the face of danger, joy that crowds out sorrow, and love that overwhelms fear. It means being led along paths we would not choose for ourselves, to be prodded by the Shepherd who knows our needs better than we know our own, to be blessed so thoroughly and so richly that we would not have even known how to ask for it. Knowing a Shepherd like that changes us. To follow this Shepherd is to trust, profoundly and completely, that in every circumstance we are protected and led by the one who stands guard against the worst the world can do.”
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. In the midst of my divorce he leads me to quiet confidence and restores my hope. Yea, though I walk the corridors of the ICU, I will not fear death – my master and my church comfort me. He prepares a table for me in the presence of those who delight in my gamboling losses and my addictions. When I look into the face of my challenged child my heart overflows, for surely the Lord has put goodness and mercy in their eyes. However many the days of my life I will live in the house of the Lord, who loves me.
The Pharisees loved the word ‘sinner’, they liked to throw it around. He’s eating with sinners (Mark 2:16). Jesus preferred the word ‘lost’. To truly live, we have to leave the pen and go where the danger is. That always creates the opportunity to get lost. Our Shepherd gives us incredible freedom to go and graze wherever we will. But, he never abandons us. In the midst of our searching for ways to ruin ourselves, he hunts us down. Yet, he never pursues us with anger. No matter how many times he has to rescue us, we serve a God that rejoices over the opportunity to forgive us (Luke 15:10). That is a delight to Him.
We could stay in the pen. We could hope for some grass around the edges, and enough rain water to just get by. But, we have heard the voice of our Good Shepherd, and we have come to the gate. We must follow him out into the world. It’s filled with danger and pitfalls, but we are not alone. No matter what assails us the Shepherd is right beside us, willing to give everything (including his own life) for us. If we follow closely we will arrive at the very best fields and streams the earth has to offer. We will have the opportunity to rejoice and delight in the goodness of our God. That is the definition of ‘life abundant’.