Day of the Church Year: Fourth Sunday of Easter
Scripture Passage: John 10:11-18
I’m on the proverbial hot seat this morning, me and all of my pastor colleagues and bishops and lay church leaders—that’s many of you in various roles. We’re all on the hot seat today because Jesus speaks of shepherds. Now, we’re used to hearing Jesus speak of us, God’s people, as “sheep,” ones who need leading and guiding, and we are accustomed to thinking of Jesus as our “shepherd,” one who protects and shows us the way. Every fourth Sunday of Easter, we read from the tenth chapter of the gospel of John, a chapter full of sheep and shepherd imagery. And every fourth Sunday of Easter, we sing or read Psalm 23 which begins: The Lord is my shepherd. Given the ubiquity of the use of sheep and shepherd metaphors within Christianity, we probably know that sheep need a shepherd even if we’ve never personally shepherded sheep. What we may not know is that the metaphor of sheep and shepherd is not limited to Psalm 23 and John 10.
Throughout the Old Testament, God appoints shepherds, leaders of God’s people. The role of shepherd is messianic, meaning the shepherd is called to save the people. Kings are called to the role of shepherd with King David its most ardent example. Just as a note: God only appoints shepherds because God’s people demand it. God says: well, okay, if you really want it that badly, here ‘ya go. Unsurprisingly, these leaders consistently disappoint. In Ezekiel 34, God through the prophet Ezekiel describes in agonizing detail the failures of the shepherds God had appointed. Therefore, God declares, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” God is our shepherd, settling us, seeking us, bringing us back, binding up our wounds, strengthening us, and also bringing an end to unjust power dynamics.
When Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd,” in John 10, Jesus is actually speaking to the Pharisees, the Pharisees who are leaders among the Jewish people, the Pharisees who have just driven out of the synagogue the man born blind because the man is a “sinner” according to them and also because this man disagrees with them. As far as we can tell from the biblical record, the Pharisees are genuine in their desire to serve God, but they miss the mark time and time again. At the very end of John 9, after Jesus opens the eyes of the man born blind and he sees Jesus for who he really is, the Pharisees cannot and will not see Jesus. Ironically, they ask him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” The reader may shout an emphatic “YES!”
So, this morning, leaders of God’s people are on the hot seat for we are not good shepherds. We have been filled with the Holy Spirit at baptism and called to leadership and service within the church. Still, whatever role we have been equipped for and called to within the church, today’s scripture reminds us that there is only one good shepherd, and it’s not us. It’s Jesus.
This is why I appreciate so much that the first guiding principle here at Grace is Jesus is Lord. Such a declaration may seem obvious...except when we are defending our position, except when we get angry when people don’t agree with us, except when we get caught up in using our power to hurt others. Such a declaration of Jesus is Lord may seem obvious...until we embrace bitterness over forgiveness, until we believe ourselves morally superior, until we claim ourselves entitled but not responsible. Jesus is Lord which means that arrogance among humans is laughably inappropriate. We are not perfect, and we do fail, each one of us. No matter our position of authority, no matter our moral authority, we are not Lord, and we are not the good shepherd. If generations of the kings of Israel couldn’t get it right, we’re certainly not going to.
To say Jesus is Lord or The Lord is my shepherd is to walk humbly, to live with humility. Even though we are filled with the Holy Spirit and called to lead and serve God’s people, in whatever large or small way, we are also the sheep God seeks, brings back, binds up, and strengthens. I think there is a real struggle for us to walk the line of humility, recognizing that we are the sheep who need the guidance and protection of God while at the same time using our God-given gifts to contribute confidently and passionately to the world. For us to deny our gifts or to even degrade ourselves is not humility. So, our question of the day is: What does true humility look like? Who is someone who practices humility, and what do they do? To read the community’s reflections, go to Facebook live stream worship for Sunday, April 25.
We sheep can get lost—for a whole variety of reasons including our own perceived greatness or power. Thanks be to God that Jesus is the good shepherd who seeks us, brings us back, binds us up, strengthens us for lives of service and leadership, love and humility. We are not Lord, but we have a good shepherd. Thanks be to God! Amen.