Foretaste of the Sermon to Come
A little nibble of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Sunday’s scriptures are Acts 2:42–47, 1 Peter 2:19–25, & John 10:1–10
Well it’s Good Shepherd Sunday, and each year how many ways can we see and hear about Jesus the Good Shepherd? Artwork abounds and all four gospels have parables and allusions to Jesus as shepherd and to people as sheep. We human sheep like these images and stories not only because our nostalgic Sunday School rooms always had a painting of Jesus holding a lamb, and because the shepherd and sheep are comforting metaphors in scripture, but they also give us the illusion of control. We like the comfort of the Law, which can turn into a variety of helpful sermons because sheep are followers of the Law. We know the dangers that abound when sheep go astray. This Sunday many pastors (the word comes from Latin for shepherd) will teach us how to be better sheep, how to listen better for the voice of the shepherd and follow only Him, how to know we’re following the shepherd and not the wolf, how to make sure we aren’t being fooled by wolves in sheep’s clothing, etc.
As dumb as sheep are, and as in need of a shepherd to care for them as they are, we human sheep like to take charge of the law and be the best kind of sheep we can be. Our favorite thing is to become the gate to the sheep pen and judge who and who does not belong among our fold. We also like to disdain people who follow a particular idea we don’t agree with, calling them “sheeple,” and making fun of the folds they wind up in. We climb into the judgement seat, determining who is worthy of following, and how either misguided or intelligent their followers are.
In the Good Shepherd Discourse, as John 10 is called, Jesus identifies himself both as the shepherd and as the gate to the sheep pen. Sorry, but there is no mention of any sheep being in such a position.
So how does Jesus call his sheep, keep them safe from robbers and give them the abundant eternal life promised in our Gospel? Our reading stops before the real climax of the analogy when Jesus says outright that he is the Good Shepherd and that he lays his life down for his sheep (v 11). That’s really the key to how the Good Shepherd accomplishes his work. In laying his life down for his sheep, he takes our self-help, thieving, disbelief, judgment, and idolatry, with him straight to the cross, and he will gift us the freedom to simply be his sheep in return. He gives us this promise, and he also gives us the faith we need in order to grasp this promise through his self-same word and sacraments. When Jesus gives his life for us, in our newfound Christian freedom, he opens the door to the sheep pen and leads us out into green pastures and beside cool waters. He restores our soul. He comforts us when we are afraid. He is with us in the midst of trouble. He gathers us as a flock to care for his beloved. He promises we will dwell with him forever; a sheep of his own fold, a lamb of his own flock, a sinner of his own redeeming. Thank you Jesus, Our Lord, Our Shepherd. Amen.
