Sunday, April 21, 2024
Sunday Reflection: The Good Shepherd
Last week I went on a straight-up rant about focusing on the stories of Jesus for guidance. Then I realized I don't to that often enough myself right here! So I intend to fix that.
Let's start with this, from John 10:
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
That idea of a shepherd is one that would have been much more familiar to people in Jesus's time than it is to us now. This story, though, goes beyond what people would have expected of a shepherd in that time-- after all, this shepherd is watching over sheep that are not in his fold, and who is willing to lose his life for his flock.
Both of those things are aliens to us.
First, we tend to be lousy at bring in those who are not from our fold. We emphasize our differences and shun and stigmatize those who are not like us-- it seems to be the way of our culture. Yet, Jesus challenges that, and emphasizes the basic thing we all have in common; that we are all God's, even those who do not believe it.
Second, this kind of leadership is sacrificial. How rare is that! As much as we might imagine it to be true, too rarely is humility or sacrifice the central value of those who lead. The benefits of those positions seem to convince their holders that they are worthy of more than others, that they are entitled to it. And when we find ourselves in those positions, how hard is it not to succumb?
I love the challenges of this faith.
