Fourth Sunday of Easter
Text: John 10:11-18, Psalm 23
Pastor Jean M. Hansen
Many of you of you can recite Psalm 23, either having learned it in childhood or having heard it often, especially at funerals. It begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me like down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.” Pastor Bryn Smallwood-Garcia tells a story about a time reciting those verses that resulted in punishment rather than praise.
In the summer before 4th grade, she went to a week of church camp. Her favorite place at the camp was the outdoor chapel which was situated on the far side of a lake. So, to get there, they had to cross a wooden footbridge over a stream that fed the lake and traverse through a damp, buggy meadow.
The first time she crossed that bridge, she took one look at the meadow, ran ahead and threw herself down in the grass and started rolling around. Her counselor yanked her up by the arm and shouted, “What are you doing?”, and she said, “I was led beside the still waters, and the Lord made me like down in green pastures.” She writes that that was the day she learned the word “sacrilegious” because as a punishment she had to write, “I must never be sacrilegious”, 100 times. (1)
That sounds rather overboard to me; after all wasn’t it a good thing that she had made a connection to the psalm at such a young age? She even remembered that it was God who was doing the leading. I suppose, though, it was the running ahead and getting muddy that was the real issue.
On Monday I presided at a graveside service for a woman who had faced many challenges in her life, made unwise choices and died too young. I referred to Psalm 23 and noted that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, walked with her, leading, restoring, comforting and blessing, and that even when death was near, she was never alone. Then I said, “That is true for each one of us; sometimes we are more aware of it than others, but our Lord’s goodness and mercy are always close at hand.”
These are images to cling to on this Good Shepherd Sunday. The concept of Jesus as the Good Shepherd probably meant more to his early followers than it does to us for a variety of reasons, including the fact that Hebrew scripture is filled with images of God as the shepherd of the chosen people. God is depicted as the shepherd who searched for, provided for, and protected them.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd for all those reasons, but most significantly because he laid down his life for the sheep and because he was able to take it up again – a reference to the resurrection.
And Jesus describes a relationship with the sheep that is mutual. According to the verses that precede the ones we read today, the Good Shepherd’s sheep listen to and can identify Jesus’ voice, but will not respond to a stranger (John 10:3-5). He calls his own sheep by name, going before them so that they can follow.
Here is the way Pastor Sam Wise describes the context for that statement, which explains why the concept of Jesus as the Good Shepherd was more meaningful to his early followers. In Jesus day, writes Pastor Wise, everyone owned a handful of sheep; they were a source of clothing, milk, meat and leather. Instead of every family taking care of its few sheep, a group of families would combine their livestock to create a flock of 50-100 sheep. One person had the responsibility of being the shepherd for those sheep.
During the day, the shepherd would lead the sheep where there was good grass to eat and clean water. But, when the sun began setting, the shepherd would lead the sheep back into the village where there was a large pen in which different flocks spent the night together and someone was hired to watch the 400-500 sheep through the night.
Then, in the morning, the shepherds would return to that pen and call his sheep by name. “Come on, Long-ears; time to go, White-nose; get a move on it Stubby-legs,” and each sheep would hear the voice of its shepherd calling and follow the shepherd into the field. (2) The Good Shepherd knows his own and they know him. But who exactly are “his own”?
There is one verse in today’s passage that has caused a lot of debate, verse 16: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” It’s interpreted in a variety of ways, but the one that fits the context is that Jesus is talking about his future followers, Jews and non-Jews, women and men, people from a variety of places and cultures - including us.
It’s similar to Jesus’ words in John 20 after Thomas finally confessed his belief in the Risen Lord. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
But…how can we sheep be attentive to the shepherd’s voice when it’s not audible? Through scripture we know what Jesus says, and can, with attention to context, consistent themes and help from the Holy Spirit, grasp whether it is Jesus’ voice we are hearing Jesus or a hired hand. An important clue is that the hired hand is self-serving, running away when danger threatens, caring more about his own safety than that of the sheep.
Commentator Chelsey Harmon describes the situation in this way: “In a world looking for saviors, knowing how to tell a hired hand from the real deal will save us a lot of heartache,” she writes. She goes on to say that people are looking for who or what they think can make their lives better, for political saviors who promise to save them from economic and social fears. They seek relationship gurus and social media influencers who will unlock the mysteries to attain a perfect relationship or family. They long for the next miracle drug, diet or procedure to save one’s youth and vitality. In each case, these “saviors” are often Hired Hands, seeking to benefit themselves rather than being truly concerned for the well-being of others. Corruption and indifference are evident in their lives rather than goodness and mercy.
Contrast that with what we hear from Jesus. I’ll quote Chelsey Harmon again, “…Jesus says over and over that he is the Good Shepherd. Each time he describes another layer of his commitment. Being there in times of trouble when others leave us high and dry. Knowing us and being known by us. And then there’s the big one, repeatedly telling us that he lays down his life for the sheep.” (3)
In other words, the Good Shepherd is “all in” for the sheep. And the sheep follow his lead and are all-in for others in times of trouble, willing to sacrifice because they belong to the Good Shepherd whose goodness and mercy are always close at hand. AMEN
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“Sermon: The Good Shepherd” by the Rev. Bryn Smallwood-Garcia, May 17, 2009, www.uccb.org
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“Recognizing the Shepherd” by Pastor Sam Wise, John 10:11-18, www.pastorsamwise.files.wordpress.com
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“John 10:11-18 Commentary” by Chelsey Harmon, April 24, 2024, www.cepreaching.org