Today, our readings evoke the beautiful imagery of the Good Shepherd, both through our Call to Worship which echoes the language of Psalm 23 and from our reading in the passage from 1 John. We know that this idea of a Good Shepherd was one that would have truly resonated with the many who would have been familiar with the Psalm and gathered to listen to Jesus in his travels. Even those who did not tend sheep in that time would have taken comfort in the idea that God cares for us as a good shepherd cares for his sheep, seeking out the lost one, making sure all in the flock are fed and watered, looking out for the most vulnerable and making sure that they are not left behind. I am guessing few of us have a first-hand experience of a shepherd so it may not evoke the same response from us, so how might we find more contemporary ways to speak about the One who cares for us and tends to our needs? Let us pray, O Holy One, be with us this day as seek to come to deeper understandings of our spiritual lives and to be renewed and replenished in our faith and in our daily lives. Amen.
Usually in the first three weeks after Easter, the Gospel readings in the Lectionary are the stories of the resurrection appearances of Jesus to his friends. Then the readings in the following four weeks explore Jesus’ teachings about living in intimacy with God. And so today, this story of the Shepherd, of Jesus speaking of himself as a Shepherd, a caretaker of the people, is an important reminder of how we may envision such closeness with the one who has created us. We may begin to imagine this lovely intimacy by recalling those in our own lives who have been a Shepherd to us.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus is using this metaphor of the Shepherd and the Sheep to explain God’s special care for each of us. He explains, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” As I reflected upon the passage, I thought of the title from a Pete Townshend song that I have always loved, “Let My Love Open the Door.” I think that’s what Jesus was trying to say. He’s not using this metaphor of the gatekeeper to keep people out; he is saying that you will know him by his love and when he opens the gate, you may safely follow him and trust that you will be cared for with tenderness and mercy.
In the passage immediately following this one, Jesus calls himself “the good shepherd” — and the Greek word in that phrase translated as “good” (kalos) means not “morally good” but rather “real and proper” or “true,” as in, “I am the true shepherd” or “I am the genuine shepherd.” And what is that, exactly? In this week’s passage, Jesus defines “good shepherding” this way: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd…” (John 10:10b-11). And what is “abundant life”? As we’ll see in the weeks ahead, the abundance Jesus has in mind isn’t a life of material wealth, but rather of love and intimacy with God and creation, like the trusting companionship of sheep and shepherd. An intimacy so close, Jesus will go on to say, as to be a kind of symbiotic communion, comparable to the relationship between a vine and its branches (John 15:5). (SALT Commentary)
A good shepherd can be a powerful presence in our lives…and we know a mentor or guide or teacher or loving friend can serve in that role for us. Jesus identifies himself first with “the gate” — that is, with the evening passage to safety and the morning passage to nourishment — and ultimately with “the good shepherd” who enters by the gate and whose voice the sheep recognize and trust, the person who properly and actually cares for the sheep (John 10:2,4,6, 7-9). Indeed, here is a shepherd who works not for the sake of harvesting wool or mutton, but rather for the sake of the sheep themselves flourishing, thriving, living. “I came,” Jesus says, crystalizing his mission, “that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
I invite you to consider who it was in your life that helped you to live more fully, who looked out for you or told you that you had value or mirrored back to you that you were acceptable exactly as you are? Who was that person who in the grace of a moment was able to help you feel protected and cared for? Who has looked after us when we felt forgotten or left behind? There are many good shepherds in our lives; there are those who channel the sacredness of a Loving Creator to us in both quiet and more explicit ways. We too may serve in that important role for others.
Many of the early followers of Jesus would have been familiar with describing the Messiah as a caring and skillful “shepherd”: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel each use this language while the prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah contrast the divine shepherd with “worthless shepherds” who neglect, exploit, or scatter their flocks. Our Gospel from John today follows one in which Jesus has been debating with some religious leaders who have challenged his authority while his disciples and others stand by and listening carefully to how Jesus may respond. Jesus chooses to make his point by using the imagery of the Shepherd whose sheep will follow him by the sound of his voice through the gates; they will know him by his care for them and they will not follow the one who might be the thief in the night.
In this passage, Jesus warns the listeners not to follow the Shepherd whose voice we do not recognize. There are always false prophets who try to use the words of Jesus for their own power or greed, to manipulate people into following them. Jesus assures us that we will know him through the message of his life and love is always at the center. He assures them, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Jesus seems to be highlighting his devotion to his people. He can be trusted. He is not like a hired hand, who might feel no commitment and flee when danger approaches. Jesus is committed. Jesus loves the sheep and will sacrifice for them. The sheep hear the voice of their shepherd and follow him. He opens the gate for them and waits for them to follow him to safety. They know they are loved and cared for.
I found myself thinking about an episode from the beautiful series All Creatures Great and Small that aired this past season. In it, a farmer had lost a newborn calf and was desperate to find her. He couldn’t imagine where she had wondered off to. While his fields were vast; he looked all over to find her and asked others to help him with the search. That is the kind of loving relationship Jesus refers to here. Eventually someone suggests to the farmer that he allow the momma to leave the barn and of course, she leads them to the baby calf as easily makes her way to her precious baby trapped under a bush.
In this season of Easter, we are reminded of just how much Jesus is willing to sacrifice. He spoke on behalf of the most marginalized in his society at the time and thus he became a threat to the powers that be and was put to death. We might recall who in our own lives made great sacrifices on our behalf. Perhaps a parent sacrificed their time or adjusted their work to be present and care for you. Perhaps you know someone who has come racing to your aid in a moment of need, regardless of the cost to them. This generous agape, this sacrificial, selfless love, is modelled by our good shepherd. We have one shepherd, yet we multiply the generous love of our God as we do likewise.
We are still in the Season of Easter as we celebrate the joy of the resurrection, the promise of new life in whatever ways most make sense to you. Let us remember with gratitude this day the way in which we are cared for by the Divine Presence and let us remember all who have touched our lives with that Holy presence, reminding us that who we are is enough and that we are indeed valuable and worthy as we are. We might hear Jesus calling out to us, “let my love open the door to your heart.” Amen.